Beginning several generations before Schubert; the Lied first appears as domestic entertainment. In the century that follows it becomes one of the primary modes of music-making. By the time German song comes to its presumed conclusion with Richard Strausss 1948 Vier letzte Lieder; this rich repertoire has moved beyond the home and keyboard accompaniment to the symphony hall. This is a 2004 introductory chronicle of this fascinating genre. In essays by eminent scholars; this Companion places the Lied in its full context - at once musical; literary; and cultural - with chapters devoted to focal composers as well as important issues; such as the way in which the Lied influenced other musical genres; its use as a musical commodity; and issues of performance. The volume is framed by a detailed chronology of German music and poetry from the late 1730s to the present and also contains a comprehensive bibliography.
#612207 in eBooks 2004-07-01 2004-07-01File Name: B00AA8JTOU
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Beautiful Recollections in TranquilityBy Foster CorbinIn this slim volume Ronald Blythe; the author of AKENFIELD; who is 90 and still writing; remembers the time he spent in Aldeburgh from 1955 to 1958. It should be required reading for those interested in Benjamin Britten; E. M. Forster (whose clothes are described as a "miracle of drabness"); Imogene Holst; John Nash; Christine Nash et al. as well as anyone in love with language and the sea. (Mr. Blythe says that although Forster introduced him to the poet Constantine Cavafy; he was left to find "Ithaca" on his own; a detail that delighted me since that poem is one of my favorite poems as well.)Mr. Blythes language so exquisite; almost at times becomes a prose poem and is better quoted than paraphrased. His description of Staverton Thicks: "The mood of the Thicks depends on that of its visitor. I found it a contemplative; loving silence. Little or no birdsong. An absence of that rustling busyness created by small unseen animals. A carpet-soft humus deadened my every step. So soft was it that sparse forest flowers -- sanicle shoots; wild strawberry; speedwell -- can be trodden into it without injury. . . It is like walking through an ill-lit gallery of sculpted last days. Except that here there is an endless putting off of last days."Much of this book has to do with the sea. Mr. Blythe says that Edward Fitzgerald saw the sea for the first time at Aldeburgh-- dont we all remember the first time we saw the sea?-- and that Benjamin Britten watched it all the time. The author obviously spent many hours there as well. From the chapter entitled "The Sea": "The sea; and whatever sea it happens to be; is in a permanent state of cancellation as far as human activity is concerned; eventually wiping out our every mark. Our history is eventually little more than the seas litter. . . At Aldeburgh; although best of all on the north Cornwell coast; I give up attempting to keep in mind what is landward as I watch the sea hit the rocks like a restless sculptor with all the time in the world to shape them. [a beautiful image] Is this why old people retire to the south coast or Florida? Why their most treasured possession is a deck-chair? Not a bed in the opium den but a seat where the most wonderful monotony can drug the watcher into forgetting past; present and future?"Surely no one has written more beautifully and with more insight about the sea than Mr. Blythe.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Interesting; but!By Dr. D. R. LundWhile the subject matter is interesting the presentation is disjointed. The writing is a bit below the standard I expected having read other Blythe books.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Gracious view of an appealing time.By S. SouthallRonald Blythe is a wise and gentle observer and his remembrances of his time at the Aldeburgh Festival in the 1950s rest easily with his studies of the botany; the sea; the seasons; and the painters and writers he lived with and knew in East Anglia. Above all he values the local and particular; and he writes with intimacy and graciousness. Blythe is distinguished by his respect for the individual voices of those he encounters and his sense of reverence towards the natural world. His recollections of Britten; Imogen Holst; E.M. Forster; and John Nash; among others; give fresh insights to bring alive an appealing past. A graceful and delightful book.