Brahms: The Four Symphonies [Hardcover]

Walter Frisch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0028707656 | ISBN-13: 978-0028707655 | Edition: 1st

This book is the definitive guide to Johannes Brahms's four symphonies. It presents an engaging and thorough treatment of the genesis, structure, reception, and performance history of these internationally admired and frequently performed works. Walter Frisch provides a sensitive analytical commentary on the symphonies as well as a consideration of their place within Brahms's oeuvre, within the symphonic repertory of his day, and within the broader musical culture of nineteenth-century Germany and Austria. Frisch also pays particular attention to the evolution of performance style since Brahms's symphonies were first heard. The book begins with an investigation of the different ideologies of the symphony in the decades leading up to Brahms's First. Brahms's early development as a composer is also examined. Frisch then devotes a detailed chapter to each of the four symphonies, including an in-depth analysis of each movement. A separate chapter treats the reception of Brahms's symphonies, and the book concludes with a history of the performances of the symphonies in the concert hall and in early recordings.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is both rich and concise. Frisch notes that there hasn't been a book on Brahms's symphonies published in English since 1939; this superb book was worth the wait, and is not likely to be superseded any time soon. Brahms lovers should not miss it." Bernard D. Sherman, Fanfare --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Yale Music Masterworks Series --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Pub Co; 1st edition (October 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028707656
• ISBN-13: 978-0028707655
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,206,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but out of print, May 5, 2003

By 

Thomas J. Busse "Gibarian" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brahms: The Four Symphonies (Hardcover)

I am always amazed how books that actually tell you something somehow go out of print. There has not been a single decent analytic study of the complete Brahms Symphonies since Julius Harrison's Survey in 1939. That work is written in a period style that tells the student of these symphonies very little. This is symptomatic of a problem with English music literature in general. There are not enough general purpose guides to single pieces of music.

The density of Brahms's symphonies is such that many details can be easily overlooked without guidance. Walter Frisch is one of the foremost English-speaking experts on Brahms's music. One can try to work out all the thematic ideas of the symphonies without a guide. I have conducted three of these works myself, and before reading this work, I had missed several details that now redefine how I interpret them (for example, I was never able to articulate reason for the magical of the second movement of the Third Symphony, until I read Frisch's comments on how the tonic chord can be the dominant of the subdominant.)

This last comment is music-speak. Regrettably, it is only comprehensible by a small percentage of the concert/recording audience. For those fortunate enough to know German, there are several good guides on individual pieces of music in that language. Otherwise, the closest thing one has in English is the Cambridge Music Handbook series. The problem with that series is that many of the entries are not analytic enough (ie. they fail to provide a measure by measure breakdown of the piece) and the books are overpriced for what they provide ...

Luckily, Rheinhold Brinkmann's Late Idyll is still available for the reader. He restricts his discussion to the Brahms 2cd symphony, but it is a wonderful work indeed. Frisch attempts a similar approach with all the symphonies. It could use more detail, but I'm sure he was limited to a certain length by his editors.