Experiencing Carl Maria von Weber : a listener's companion / Joseph E. Morgan.
| Author/creator | Morgan, Joseph E., 1967- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, ©2017. |
| Description | xvi, 213 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | The listener's companion Listener's companion. ^A1295188 |
| Contents | Timeline -- Introduction -- A child born into a changing world -- Romantic wanderings in Napoleon's Europe -- Communion with friends -- A patriot is born -- Toward the German opera -- The dark huntsman -- Fame and infirmity -- The last commission -- Death and memory -- Glossary -- Selected reading -- Selected listening. |
| Abstract | Scholars have long recognized Carl Maria von Weber as the father of the German Romantic and Nationalist music. The success of his opera Der Freischütz almost single handedly brought German operatic style onto the world stage, competing with and challenging established operatic traditions in France and Italy. Indeed the overtures to his last three operas, Der Freischütz, Euryanthe, and Oberon initiated the genre of the concert overture and are a part of the standard repertoire for most modern symphony orchestras. His works in other genres, including his various concerti and chamber works also stand as centerpieces in the modern concert hall. This book walks readers through the many masterpieces that comprise Weber's oeuvre, providing key insights by integrating critical points in the composer's life with the burgeoning Romantic and Nationalist movements in Germany that Weber's music came to champion. The author brings to life the musical character of Weber's most important compositions, from his most popular works such as his programme work Aufforderung zum Tanz (Invitation to the Dance), his majestic solo pieces, and his path-breaking song cycle Die Temperamente beim Verluste der Geliebten (Temperaments on the Loss of a Lover). At every turn, the author brings together biographical, political, aesthetic, and historical matters to inform our understanding of Weber's compositional genius. From the virtuosity of his piano works and their influence on Liszt and Chopin to his relationships with composers from the earliest parts of the 19th century, including Giacomo Meyerbeer, Franz Schubert and Beethoven, Experiencing Carl Maria von Weber reveals not only the compositional genius of this figure in Romantic music, but his achievements as well as a conductor, music director, and critic who lent his powerful support to his musical peers on stage and page. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-199) and index. |
| Bibliography note | Discography: pages 201-206. |
| LCCN | 2016052923 |
| ISBN | 9781442255562 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
| ISBN | 1442255560 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
| ISBN | (electronic) |
| ISBN | (electronic) |