Britten and Barber : their lives and their music / Daniel Felsenfeld.
| Author/creator | Felsenfeld, Daniel |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Pompton Plains, NJ : Amadeus Press, 2005. |
| Description | viii, 180 pages ; 23 cm + 1 CD (4 3/4 in.). |
| Subjects |
| Cover title | Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber |
| Series | Parallel lives series ; no. 2 Parallel lives series ; no. 2. ^A590094 |
| Contents | How to listen: a quick calculus -- Part 1. Biographical sketches. Benjamin Britten. "If it's any good, it'll be there in the morning" ; "But I feel strange and small" ; "We should watch his work very carefully" ; "It's my opus 1, alright!" ; "I loathe the idea of living in a town again" ; "An opera one day" ; "I am keen to develop a new art form" ; The birth of a festival ; A coronation and tributes ; Parables and failing health ; Death in Venice -- Samuel Barber. "I was meant to be a composer" ; The fourth B: Barber at Curtis ; "Like on the verge of vomiting" ; "Perhaps I overestimate our potential usefulness" ; "Nerves in pattern on a screen" ; "Now all I have to do is fill one thousand pages" ; "Mr. Barber, though a modern composer, is not a member of the avant-garde" ; "It was a terrible catastrophe from which he never recovered" -- Part 2. Essays. Dare not speak its name ; A truly perfect failure: Antony and Cleopatra at the metropolitan -- Part 3. Listening. Britten. Passacaglia from Peter Grimes ; Serenade for tenor, horn, and strings ; The Turn of the Screw ; Third string quartet -- Barber. Adagio for strings ; Knoxville: Summer of 1915 ; Second essay for orchestra ; Sonata for piano. |
| Abstract | Benjamin Britten and Samuel Barber are two giants of twentieth-century classical music, prolific musical presences on the world stage whose work influenced countless others. Both came of age in a time of war, a time of political and artistic upheaval, and both were celebrities who struggled with private demons. The author examines the works of these brilliant composers in light of their lives and times. He considers whether the dark themes in Britten's work were sublimations of a psyche inclined to, if not practicing, pedophilia and sadomasochism. He tells how Barber's beloved Adagio for Strings came to be, and chronicles his metamorphosis from boy genius - in his student days, he was hailed as the fourth B, after Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms - to an insecure figure who struggled with but never surrendered to the bigotry of the musical establishment. Finally, analyzing specific works - provided on the accompanying CD - Felsenfeld reveals, step-by-step, the artistry that makes these composers great: flawless compositional technique and musical fluency that borders on wizardry. By combining high romanticism with technical innovation, these men provide broad shoulders upon which future composers may proudly stand. |
| Local note | Joyner-JOYNER MUSIC LIBRARY BOOK ACCOMPANIED BY SOUND RECORDING LOCATED AT CALL NUMBER CD-7927. |
| General note | "Includes full-length Naxos CD"--Cover. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-177) and discography. |
| LCCN | 2005007722 |
| ISBN | 1574671081 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Media - Ask at Circulation Desk | CD-7927 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML390 .F348 2005 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |