Wagner'S Melodies - Aesthetics and Materialism in German Musical Identity (Book)

Since the 1840s, critics have lambasted Wagner for lacking the ability to compose melody. But for him, melody was fundamental - 'music's only form'. This incongruity testifies to the surprising difficulties during the nineteenth century of conceptualizing melody. Despite its indispensable place in opera, contemporary theorists were unable even to agree on a definition for it. In Wagner's Melodies, David Trippett re-examines Wagner's central aesthetic claims, placing the composer's ideas about melody in the context of the scientific discourse of his age: from the emergence of the natural sciences and historical linguistics to sources about music's stimulation of the body and inventions for 'automatic' composition. Interweaving a rich variety of material from the history of science, music theory, music criticism, private correspondence and court reports, Trippett uncovers a new and controversial discourse that placed melody at the apex of artistic self-consciousness and generated problems of urgent dimensions for German music aesthetics.

General

Imprint:	Cambridge UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	August 2016
Authors:	David Trippett
Dimensions:	171 x 246 x 29mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Book
Pages:	464
ISBN-13:	978-1-316-61823-3
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Composers & musicians Books > Arts & Architecture > Music > Western music, periods & styles > Romantic music (c 1830 to c 1900) Books > Music > Composers & musicians Books > Music > Western music, periods & styles > Romantic music (c 1830 to c 1900)
LSN:	1-316-61823-4
Barcode:	9781316618233

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