William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music by Ian Johnson

William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music by Ian Johnson

Ian Johnson's evaluation of Alwyn's film music places his achievement in the context of wider movements within the film industry. William Alwyn was a leading composer of British film music in the 1940s and '50s, a time when the British film industry was at its peak. His scores ranged from documentaries to almost 80 full-length feature films, including classics such as Fires were Started, Desert Victory, Odd Man Out, The Fallen Idol, and The History of Mr Polly; he was adept at any musical genre, from classical to cartoon slapstick, and in the process worked with legendary directors, including Carol Reed, David Lean, Humphrey Jennings, and Anthony Asquith. Alone with Vaughan Williams he was granted the distinction of a separate title credit; columnists mentioned him alongside Bliss, Bax and Walton. However, as the reputation of the British film industry declined in the 1950s, so musical snobbery against those who were its leading lights became unpleasantly raw. In recent years, however, with sensitive performances of hisfilm and concert music available on CD, this most appealing of composers has enjoyed something of a renaissance. In this long overdue reassessment, Alwyn's films are analysed and put into the context of his biography,the film industry, and of society at large: the author shows in particular this remarkably versatile composer developed a hitherto unrecognised grammar of film music which enhanced every film on which he worked. He also examines his work for war propaganda, radio, and the concert hall. The volume is enhanced by the most complete filmography, discography, and bibliography of the composer's works yet published, as well as listings of his concert and radio music.

A breathtaking journey through the British cinema in its heyday with much fine detail, well delineated research and detective work and many musical examples presented in a lucid, apt and highly readable fashion..The book is a fine achievement, a must for film fans and those interested in this period of British culture. An essential filmography puts the icing on the cake. -- Adrian Edwards * GRAMOPHONE *
Superbly authoritative. * CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE *
British film music has found a friend in the Boydell Press...An absorbing and pleasurable read....One feels closer to knowing Alwyn through his music, thanks to this book. * THE CUE SHEET *
A remarkable book. THE VETERAN [The Magazine of the British Cinema and TV Veterans] * . *

Ian Johnson is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and The New York Times; his work has also appeared in The New Yorker and National Geographic. During more than twenty years of working in China he has won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting and the Shorenstein lifetime achievement award for covering Asia. An advising editor for the Journal of Asian Studies, he also teaches university courses on religion and society at the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies. He is the author of two other books that also focus on the intersection of politics and religion: Wild Grass: Three Stories of Change in China, and A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West. He lives in Beijing.

www.ian-johnson.com

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781843831594
ISBN 10	1843831597
Title	William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music
Author	Ian Johnson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Year published	2006-01-26
Number of pages	368
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.