Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra / John Williamson.
| Author/creator | Williamson, John, 1949- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 1993. |
| Description | x, 126 pages : music ; 23 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Cambridge music handbooks Cambridge music handbooks. ^A275900 |
| Contents | 'Freely after Nietzsche' -- The Straussian tone poem as drama. The Lisztian symphonic poem and mythic symbols ; Strauss and the mythic in Nietzsche's Zarathustra ; Ritter, Strauss and the poetic ; The symphonic poem as character sketch, the tone poem as drama -- Strauss's individualism. Strauss and anarchist individualism ; Nietzsche's concept of the individual ; The individual and the evolution of the Superman ; The eternal recurrence as affirmation of life -- Composition and first performances -- Reception. Programme music and its antagonists ; Naturalism and impressionism ; Zarathustra in France: Romain Rolland and 'Neroism' ; Reappraisal: from Superman to science fiction -- Narratives. The tone poem as Nietzschean narrative ; Hahn's evolutionary narrative ; Strauss as Zarathustra -- Structures. Strauss and the leitmotif ; Symphonic characteristics of Also sprach Zarathustra ; Variation, metamorphosis and variant -- Rhetoric -- Afterword. |
| Abstract | Richard Strauss's tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra is one of his most controversial works. Its greatest popularity has been achieved when its connection with Nietzsche's book of the same name has seemed less relevant than its associations with Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although its early critical reception was mixed, it is nowadays one of the staples of the virtuoso orchestra, and a standard demonstration piece for innovations in recording technique. Its opening bars have become a kind of icon independent of the rest of the work. This guide examines the intellectual background of the work and considers ways in which it has been received by composers and writers, notably Romain Rolland and Bartok. It also discusses the musical background of Liszt and Wagner which gave rise to the genre, 'tone poem', and provides an analysis of several aspects of Strauss's musical language. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 118-121) and index. |
| LCCN | 92020457 |
| ISBN | 0521400767 |
| ISBN | 0521409357 (pbk.) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.S93 W55 1993 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |