Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is acknowledged as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Western tradition. More than any other musical work it has become an international symbol of unity and affirmation. Yet early critics rejected it as cryptic and eccentric, the product of a deaf and aging composer. Nicholas Cook's guide charts the dramatic transformation in the reception of this work. The story begins in Vienna, with the responses of listeners at the first performance, and ends in contemporary China and Japan, where the symphony has acquired diametrically opposed interpretations. The account embraces many of the major figures of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, among them Wagner and Schenker. Including an account of the sketches, an examination of the performance tradition, and a suggested new interpretation, this book opens up new dimensions in our understanding of Beethoven's last symphony.
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"A key problem with the Ninth, Cook notes, is that we've heard it so often that we no longer truly hear it. This book is an antidote; by examining the difficulties the work has caused auditors right from its premiere, Cook undermines our facile familiarity." Bernard D. Sherman, Fanfare
Book Description
Rejected by early critics as cryptic and eccentric and the product of a deaf and aging composer, the symphony's dramatic later reception is related in an account that embraces many of the major figures of nineteenth- and twentieth-century music.
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Cambridge Music Handbooks are awesome,
By Joe Murray (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (Cambridge Music Handbooks) (Paperback)
Superb series of explorations on this great work. Took me a week to get through the whole thing, but it added immeasurably to my enjoyment of the symphony.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
One of the best known facts about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, if it is a fact, is that the work was many years in the making. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
horror fanfare, instrumental finale, second bassoon, instrumental recitative, ninth symphony, autograph corrections, choral finale, absolute music, melodic content, double fugue Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Philharmonic Society, Quarterly Musical Magazine, The Harmonicon, Edinburgh Review, First World War, Caroline Unger, Schiller's Ode New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
One of the best known facts about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, if it is a fact, is that the work was many years in the making. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
horror fanfare, instrumental finale, second bassoon, instrumental recitative, ninth symphony, autograph corrections, choral finale, absolute music, melodic content, double fugue Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Philharmonic Society, Quarterly Musical Magazine, The Harmonicon, Edinburgh Review, First World War, Caroline Unger, Schiller's Ode New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 38
books:
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- Prose Works (8 Volumes) (Music Book Index) by Richard Wagner on 7 pages
- Beethoven and England by Pamela Willetts in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- My Life by Richard Wagner in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Great Conductors by Harold C. Schonberg in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Beethoven Essays by Maynard Solomon in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 38 books this book cites
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