|
Showing 1 - 7 of
7 matches in All Departments
Composers, performers, listeners, critics and theorists all play
vital roles in the creation of music culture; yet often each group
can appear to hold widely divergent views of a musical work's aims
and effects. As the title indicates, this book examines the parts
played by these groups and the interaction between them. In the
first of eleven essays, Robert Saxton discusses the difficulty in
pin-pointing the moment of inspiration for a new composition; while
Raymond Warren looks at the problems facing operatic performers,
including those that arise when interpretations are suggested by
the libretto but not in the music. The changing perception of the
composer's art from the 14th century to the present day is charted
by Wyndham Thomas, in particular attitudes towards arrangement. Two
quite different views of the performer's responsibility in
communicating the composer's intentions are taken by Charles Rosen
and Susan Bradshaw, the latter arguing for the need to bridge the
gap between theoretical and practical analysis of a work; and in
two fascinating case studies, Eric Clarke and Jennifer Davidson
highlight the ways in which attention to movements of the body in
performance can reveal aspects of musical structure. The reception
of music is tackled from a variety of perspectives in the book. In
his assessment of audience reaction to Jonathan Harvey's 'The
Riot', Adrian Beaumont concludes that our response is influenced by
a complex web of expectations and previous musical experience. The
influence of record sleeves in also determining a listener's
response to music is discussed by Nicholas Cook; while Stephen
Walsh and Adrian Thomas explore two milieux of critical reception -
the first to the music of Stravinsky, and the second to works
composed during the social-realist period in Poland. On a more
personal level, Bojan Bujic's essay forms a fitting counterpart to
Saxton's in his attempt to locate the ways in which we experience a
new musica
Composers, performers, listeners, critics and theorists all play
vital roles in the creation of music culture; yet often each group
can appear to hold widely divergent views of a musical work's aims
and effects. As the title indicates, this book examines the parts
played by these groups and the interaction between them. In the
first of eleven essays, Robert Saxton discusses the difficulty in
pin-pointing the moment of inspiration for a new composition; while
Raymond Warren looks at the problems facing operatic performers,
including those that arise when interpretations are suggested by
the libretto but not in the music. The changing perception of the
composer's art from the 14th century to the present day is charted
by Wyndham Thomas, in particular attitudes towards arrangement. Two
quite different views of the performer's responsibility in
communicating the composer's intentions are taken by Charles Rosen
and Susan Bradshaw, the latter arguing for the need to bridge the
gap between theoretical and practical analysis of a work; and in
two fascinating case studies, Eric Clarke and Jennifer Davidson
highlight the ways in which attention to movements of the body in
performance can reveal aspects of musical structure. The reception
of music is tackled from a variety of perspectives in the book. In
his assessment of audience reaction to Jonathan Harvey's 'The
Riot', Adrian Beaumont concludes that our response is influenced by
a complex web of expectations and previous musical experience. The
influence of record sleeves in also determining a listener's
response to music is discussed by Nicholas Cook; while Stephen
Walsh and Adrian Thomas explore two milieux of critical reception -
the first to the music of Stravinsky, and the second to works
composed during the social-realist period in Poland. On a more
personal level, Bojan Bujic's essay forms a fitting counterpart to
Saxton's in his attempt to locate the ways in which we experience a
new musica
Caritas relates the 'true', yet largely undocumented story of
Christine Carpenter, a 14th-century anchoress who moves towards
insanity as her desire for a divine revelation continues to be
unfulfilled after a period of three years locked in her cell.
Although physically isolated, she is aware of the worldly life and
love that she has abandoned. The very essence of the drama is the
dogmatic refusal of her Bishop to release her from her vows. Set
against the backcloth of the Peasants' Uprising (1381), the
libretto/play juxtaposes sacred and secular worlds, the relative
power and servitude of rulers and serfs, and the terrifying ordeal
of Christine who is caught between the inflexibility of the
established church and her personal religious expectations. Such a
narrative was to offer rich opportunities for musical
characterization and evocation of the historical context of the
action, as well as substantial challenges in pacing and integrating
the sequence of dramatic 'snap-shots' that culminate in a scene of
total despair. The colourful juxtaposition of secular life and that
of a recluse in Act One culminates in a Second Act finale of
immense dramatic power in which Saxton's vocal and instrumental
writing reaches new heights - a landmark both in his output and in
late 20th century opera. Caritas - first performed in 1991 -
occupies an important position in Robert Saxton's output and, as
Thomas argues, in British opera during the closing decades of the
20th century. Thomas provides a detailed contextual setting in
which to evaluate Caritas, as well as presenting an analytical
commentary on the structure, musical language, instrumentation,
staging and production of the opera. Thomas concludes with a
reflection on the reception of Caritas as well as looking forward
to Saxton's later and future works. A downloadable resource of the
first performance is included.
Caritas relates the 'true', yet largely undocumented story of
Christine Carpenter, a 14th-century anchoress who moves towards
insanity as her desire for a divine revelation continues to be
unfulfilled after a period of three years locked in her cell.
Although physically isolated, she is aware of the worldly life and
love that she has abandoned. The very essence of the drama is the
dogmatic refusal of her Bishop to release her from her vows. Set
against the backcloth of the Peasants' Uprising (1381), the
libretto/play juxtaposes sacred and secular worlds, the relative
power and servitude of rulers and serfs, and the terrifying ordeal
of Christine who is caught between the inflexibility of the
established church and her personal religious expectations. Such a
narrative was to offer rich opportunities for musical
characterization and evocation of the historical context of the
action, as well as substantial challenges in pacing and integrating
the sequence of dramatic 'snap-shots' that culminate in a scene of
total despair. The colourful juxtaposition of secular life and that
of a recluse in Act One culminates in a Second Act finale of
immense dramatic power in which Saxton's vocal and instrumental
writing reaches new heights - a landmark both in his output and in
late 20th century opera. Caritas - first performed in 1991 -
occupies an important position in Robert Saxton's output and, as
Thomas argues, in British opera during the closing decades of the
20th century. Thomas provides a detailed contextual setting in
which to evaluate Caritas, as well as presenting an analytical
commentary on the structure, musical language, instrumentation,
staging and production of the opera. Thomas concludes with a
reflection on the reception of Caritas as well as looking forward
to Saxton's later and future works. A downloadable resource of the
first performance is included.
2018 will mark the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the
Abbey of St Benoît-sur-Loire - or Fleury Abbey - the previous
home and namesake of the Fleury Playbook, a collection of 10
medieval music-dramas that has long held been a source of
fascination, and not a little perplexity, for scholars in a variety
of disciplines: history, music history, literary studies, art
history in particular. The Fleury Playbook has been justly
celebrated as the most comprehensive extant collection of medieval
music-dramas, containing in a single manuscript examples of
non-biblical miracle plays, and settings of the Nativity and
Resurrection stories, together with accounts of the conversion of
Paul and Mary Magdalene. In this the first full-length monograph on
the Playbook, Wyndham Thomas places the collection in its
historical, cultural and musical context. The first three chapters
introduce and then explore the issues raised by the collection:
following an introduction, chapter 2 is devoted to the history and
traditions of the Abbey, making a persuasive argument for that
institution as the original home of the collection, and perhaps the
venue in which the plays were first performed. Chapter 3 discusses
medieval saints’ cults, placing the dramas, and particularly the
four devoted to St Nicholas, in this context. The remaining
chapters are devoted to a close musical and dramatic analysis of
the 10 plays themselves.
|
|