Bøker i Composers in Context-serien

This book explores the social, political, philosophical and professional currents that influenced Liszt's career. It reveals the rich contextual tapestry against which Liszt composed some of the most iconic, popular, and also contentious music of his time, and explains his importance to Romanticism and nineteenth-century European culture.

"Few composers embodied wider cultural interests than Wagner. This collection brings together leading scholarship on Wagner, his social and intellectual contexts, and reception while casting an eye forward to contexts of Wagner's ongoing reception, from video gaming to sound recording, Israel to German media theory, and twenty-first century warfare"--

"Taking a revisionist perspective, this book places and explores Vaughan Williams's life and music in their broad musical, cultural, social, and political contexts, and reassesses their significance. Drawing on new research and archival materials, it is an up-to-date resource for students and scholars of twentieth century British music and culture"--

"Exploring the many dimensions of Giacomo Puccini's historical legacy and significance, this book situates the much-loved opera composer within the cultural, social, political, and aesthetic contexts of his time and demonstrates how political concerns shape the way we approach and interpret his works in the present day"--

Stravinsky in Context offers an alternative to chronological biography. Thirty-five short, specially commissioned essays explore the eventful life-tapestry from which Stravinsky's compositions emerged. The opening chapters draw on new research into the composer's childhood in St. Petersburg. Stravinsky's early, often traumatic upbringing is examined in depth, particularly in the context of his brother Roman's death, and religious sensibilities within the family. Further essays consider Stravinsky's years in exile at the centre of dynamic and ever-evolving cultural environments, the composer constantly refining his idiom and re-defining his aesthetics against a backdrop of world events and personal tragedy. The closing chapters review new material regarding Stravinsky's complicated relationship with the Soviet Union, whilst also anticipating his legacy from the varied perspectives of publishing, research and even - in the iconic example of The Rite of Spring - space exploration. The book includes previously unpublished images of the composer and his family.

Richard Strauss in Context offers a distinctive approach to the study of a composer in that it places the emphasis on contextualizing topics rather than on biography and artistic output. One might say that it inverts the relationship between composer and context. Rather than studies of Strauss's librettists that discuss the texts themselves and his musical settings, for instance, this book offers essays on the writers themselves: their biographical circumstances, styles, landmark works, and broader positions in literary history. Likewise, Strauss's contributions to the concert hall are positioned within the broader development of the orchestra and trends in programmatic music. In short, readers will benefit from an elaboration of material that is either absent from or treated only briefly in existing publications. Through this supplemental and broader contextual approach, this book serves as a valuable and unique resource for students, scholars, and a general readership.

Britten in Context offers historical, social, cultural, queer, musical, and political context for one of the pivotal British composers of the twentieth century. Engaging essays from leading scholars in music, art, theory, performance, religion, and cultural and music history reward readers of all academic levels.

Provides a guide to the contexts of The Beatles' unparalleled cultural achievements, from their early performances to cultural legacy. Wide-ranging chapters are devoted to the many and varied influences on their lives and works and demonstrate the profound and enduring nature of the band's relationship with people, place, media and politics.

A collection of specially commissioned essays exploring the institutions, artists, thinkers, cultural and socio-political conditions, and relationships that shaped Mahler's creative output. Focusing the context, the volume provides a sense of the complex crosscurrents against which Mahler was reacting as conductor, composer, and human being.

This collection of essays by internationally renowned scholars offers fresh perspectives on the nineteenth-century German composer Johannes Brahms. It brings together thirty-nine short and incisive chapters on the historical, social and cultural contexts in which Brahms lived and worked and will appeal to students, researchers and music lovers.

This comprehensive and accessible book focuses on the professional, cultural and historical environments in which Mozart operated, and how they influenced his output. The concise, topic-based essays will appeal to students, researchers and music lovers wishing to deepen their understanding of this outstanding composer and his world.

This collection of essays by internationally renowned scholars offers fresh perspectives on the nineteenth-century German composer Johannes Brahms. It brings together thirty-nine short and incisive chapters on the historical, social and cultural contexts in which Brahms lived and worked and will appeal to students, researchers and music lovers.

This comprehensive and accessible book focuses on the professional, cultural and historical environments in which Mozart operated, and how they influenced his output. The concise, topic-based essays will appeal to students, researchers and music lovers wishing to deepen their understanding of this outstanding composer and his world.

Igor Stravinsky's strikingly original compositions continue to fascinate scholars and music-lovers across the globe. This volume brings together a collection of 35 short, specially commissioned essays that illuminate the varied contexts from which emerged Stravinsky's impressive catalogue of innovative and richly creative music.

A collection of specifically commissioned essays on a range of topics that contextualize the life and works of Richard Strauss, one of the most prolific composers of the past 150 years. Moving beyond biography, the chapters within explore facets of the music profession that are broadly applicable to musical studies of the era.

Provides a guide to the contexts of The Beatles' unparalleled cultural achievements, from their early performances to cultural legacy. Wide-ranging chapters are devoted to the many and varied influences on their lives and works and demonstrate the profound and enduring nature of the band's relationship with people, place, media and politics.