The book contains twenty-two essays on Sibelius, written by scholars from seven countries across the Atlantic. Most of the articles were originally papers read at the Fourth International Jean Sibelius Conference, held in January 2005 at the University of North Texas, in Denton. The book is divided into four sections: Historical and Cultural Studies, Analytical Studies, Source Studies, Reception and Interpretation. The chapters in this book reflect, in their contents and standpoints, the different musicological and music analytical trends current in Europe and the North America; they thereby offer a compelling cross-section of the manifold approaches to Sibelius studies.

Sibelius Studies presents a new portrait of this popular and prolific composer. Sibelius's symphonies often have been mentioned in the same breath with Beethoven's; indeed, in the twentieth century, they have enjoyed a commensurate popularity. The book contextualizes Sibelius' symphonies and tone poems in the larger development of European music, especially its transition from late romanticism to modernism. The relationship between Sibelius the man and his music, his personal life and creative work, is explored, with new revelations emerging from sketches, diaries, and letters.

Tchaikovsky's final symphony has fascinated generations of music lovers, amateur and specialist alike, since its first performance just over a century ago. Timothy L. Jackson explores sensitively and without prejudice the question of the Pathetique's program and its relation to Tchaikovsky's homosexuality and death. The book covers the work's conception, genesis, and reception, and presents an in-depth analysis of its remarkable formal structure. The reception chapter investigates the Pathetique's impact on Tchaikovsky's younger contemporaries, most notably Mahler and Rachmaninov, and on more recent Russian composers like Shostakovich and Schnittke. Also explored is the dark side of the symphony's political interpretation in the twentieth century, especially its transformation into a cultural icon of the Third Reich.

This volume contains historical and analytical essays on Anton Bruckner and his music. For the past century the principal concerns of scholars of Bruckner's music have been his personal and musical relationship with Wagner, editorial problems in his scores, his enigmatic personality, and the assessment of his monumental late-nineteenth-century style. The studies in this volume consider these issues in the light of the latest research. Of interest to the lay person will be the discussions of the manner in which politics and special interests have affected the dissemination and perception of Bruckner's music, particularly in Nazi Germany.

This book, first published in 2001, presents a portrait of Jean Sibelius as composer and man, a figure of national and international significance, patriot, husband and father. Three introductory articles explore Sibelius's reception in Finland, performance practice and recording history, and Sibelius's aesthetic position with regard to modernity. The second group of essays examines issues of ideology, sexuality and mythology, and their relationship to musical structure and compositional genesis. Studies of the Second, Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies are presented in the concluding section. Collectively, these articles address historical, theoretical and analytical issues in Sibelius's most important works. The analyses are supported by investigations of Sibelius's compositional process as documented by the manuscripts and sketches primarily in the Sibelius Collection of the Helsinki University Library. Exploring Sibelius's innovative approach to tonality, form and texture, the book delineates his unique brand of modernism, which has proven highly influential in the late twentieth century.

Tchaikovsky's final symphony has fascinated generations of music lovers since its first performance just over a century ago. Professor Jackson explores sensitively and without prejudice the question of the Pathétique's program and its relation to Tchaikovsky's homosexuality and death. The book covers the work's conception, genesis, and reception, and presents an in-depth analysis of its remarkable formal structure. The reception chapter investigates the Pathétique's impact on Tchaikovsky's younger contemporaries as well as its political interpretation in the twentieth century, especially its transformation into a cultural icon of the Third Reich.

Bruckner Studies, first published in 1997, presents musicological and theoretical research on the life and music of Anton Bruckner. It is one of the most important English-language books on the composer since Robert Simpson's The Essence of Bruckner. The essays provide fresh biographical insights into his enigmatic personality, working procedures, and circle of students and friends; consider the fascinating history of the dissemination of his music during his lifetime and in this century, including its reception in Nazi Germany; and provide analytical perspectives on his musical style and its origins. The volume challenges the reader to reassess the man and his music in a fresh light, unencumbered by decades of special interest and propaganda which have coloured perceptions of Bruckner for more than a century.