Choral Masterworks by Steinberg
Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now Steinberg follows these two greatly admired volumes with Choral Masterworks: A Listener's Guide, the only such guide available to this most popular of musical forms. Here are more than fifty illuminating essays on the classic choral masterworks, ranging from Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, to works by Haydn, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and many others. Steinberg spans the entire history of classical music, from such giants of the Romantic era as Verdi and Berlioz, to leading modern composers such as Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky, to contemporary masters such as John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. For each piece, Steinberg includes a fascinating biographical account of the work's genesis, often spiced with wonderful asides, such as the true story of Mozart's Requiem--Salieri had nothing to do with the composition of it, nor did he poison Mozart, who most likely died of rheumatic fever. The author also includes an astute musical analysis of each piece, one that casual music lovers can easily appreciate and that musicians and more serious fans will find invaluable. The book also includes basic information such as the various movements of the work, the organization of the chorus and orchestra, and brief historical notes on early performances. More than twenty million Americans perform regularly in choirs or choruses. Choral Masterworks will appeal not only to concert goers and CD collectors, but also to this vast multitude of choral performers, an especially engaged and active community.
What sets Steinberg's writing apart is its appealing mixture of impregnable authority (he knows this music) and purely personal asides (by the end of the book, we know this man)Choral Masterworks can be read by anybody, from a professional musician to any young listener newly braced by the stoic pessimism of the Brahms 'German Requiem. * Washington Post Book World *
Ostensibly the first listener's guide to choral music--and an informed and enjoyable one at that. * Library Journal (starred review) *
Well-written, concise introductions that record collectors, concertgoers, and chorus members alike should enjoy. * Booklist *
Ostensibly the first listener's guide to choral music--and an informed and enjoyable one at that. * Library Journal (starred review) *
Well-written, concise introductions that record collectors, concertgoers, and chorus members alike should enjoy. * Booklist *
Michael Steinberg is a widely admired writer, critic, lecturer and teacher. For many years, he wrote program notes for the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Boston Symphony. He was music critic for The Boston Globe, wrote liner notes for all the major classical record labels, and was on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and the New England Conservatory. He lives in Edina, Minnesota.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780195340662 |
| ISBN 10 | 0195340663 |
| Title | Choral Masterworks |
| Author | Steinberg |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 2008-06-05 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |