A Century of music.
| Author/creator | Culshaw, John |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Roy, [©1952] |
| Description | 231 pages ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | The age of Romanticism. Romantic principles ; The Wagnerian synthesis ; Liszt and the virtuoso ; The nationalist groups ; Interlude: les anglais ; The late Romantic symphonists ; Richard Strauss and the decline of romanticism -- The Renaissance in France and Great Britain. The revolt against Bayreuth ; Impressionist achievement: Debussy ; Elgar and British music ; The Russian invasion of Paris -- The war and its aftermath. Sibelius and the symphonic revival ; Atonal preliminaries: Schonberg ; Stravinsky and neo-classicism ; The later nationalists ; The development of British music ; The isolationists ; Hindemith and utility music ; The jazz age -- The return to stability. Sibelius and the future of symphonic music ; The Soviet outlook on music ; William Walton and modern British music ; Atonal achievement: Alban Berg ; Mechanical music and the cinema -- Trends for the future. The remnants of nationalism ; The American development ; The future of British music ; The summing-up. |
| Abstract | What does the layman wnat from a book of music? He can go to the encyclopedias if he want bare facts, but if he wishes to find a background into which he can fit such facts, then he must turn to a book such as this. Here he will find a trained and critical mind for a guide through the music and musical thought of the last century. The maze is laid open for him by the author who describes the essential continuity of musical history without recourse to multi-syllabic words, metaphysics or technical jargon with which to confuse the inquirer. What we have here is a cultured companion who lays down no dicta but gives a personal interpretation of events. On the whole, the author's aim has been to encourage his readers to think fro themselves rather than accept others' verdicts as final. The period from 1850-1900 is dealt with briefly in order to provide a foundation for the more extensive discussion of contemporary trends, and in an important final chapter the author indicates the problems which confront the composers of our time, and isolates these factors most likely to preserve the great tradition. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-231). |
| LCCN | 52012788 |