Celestial Music?: Some Masterpieces of European Religious Music [Hardcover]

Wilfrid Mellers (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0851158447 | ISBN-13: 978-0851158440 | Publication Date: May 15, 2002

Wilfrid Mellers, who occupies a special place among music critics, describes himself as a non-believer; but his preference for music that 'displays a sense of the numinous' (in his words) will strike a chord with many who listen to religious music nowadays, and who share his view that music that confronts first and last things is likely to offer more than music that evades them. The essays form five groups, which together offer a survey of religious music from around the first millennium to the beginning of the second, in the context of the difficult issues of what religious music is, and, for good measure, what is religion? The parts are: The Ages of Christian Faith; The Re-birth of a Re-birth: From Renaissance to High Baroque; From Enlightenment to Doubt; From 'the Death of God' to 'the Unanswered Question; and The Ancient Law and the Modern Mind. Musical discussion, with copious examples, is conducted throughout the book in a context that is also religious - and indeed philosophical, social, and political, with the open-endedness that such an approach demands in the presentation of ideas about music's most fundamental nature and purposes. COMPOSERS: Hildegard of Bingen; Perotin; Machaut; Dunstable, Dufay; William Corniyshes father and son; Tallis; Byrd; Monteverdi; Schutz; J.S. Bach; Couperin; Handel; Haydn; Mozart; Beethoven; Schubert; Bruckner; Berlioz, Faure; Verdi, Brahms; Elgar, Delius; Holst, Vaughan Williams, Howells; Britten; Janacek; Messiaen, Poulenc; Rachmaninov; Stravinsky; Part, Tavener, Gorecki, Macmillan, Finnissy; Copland.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If his opinions are often provocative, his writings also stir one into reflection on even well-known works... Plenty to stimulate and even inspire. GRAMOPHONECelestial Music? does fill a niche and fulfill a need. AMERICAN GRAMOPHONE

About the Author

Wilfrid Mellers is Emeritus Professor of Music, University of York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851158447
• ISBN-13: 978-0851158440
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,200,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch Classical Music Criticism, November 6, 2002

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This review is from: Celestial Music?: Some Masterpieces of European Religious Music (Hardcover)

Wilfrid Mellers, who occupies a special place among music critics, describes himself as a non believer; but his preference for music that `displays a sense of the numinous' (in his words) will strike a chord with many who listen to religious music nowadays, and who share his view that music that confronts first and last things is likely to offer more than music that evades them.
The essays in this book (five of which originally appeared in Choir and Organ) form five groups, which together offer a survey of religious music from around the first millennium to the beginning of the second, in the context of the difficult issues of what religious music is, and, for good measure, what is religion?
The parts are: The Ages of Christian Faith; The Re birth of a Re birth: From Renaissance to High Baroque; From Enlightenment to Doubt; From `the Death of God' to `the Unanswered Question'; and The Ancient Law and the Modern Mind. Musical discussion, with copious examples, is conducted throughout the book in a context that is also religious and indeed philosophical, social, and political, with the open endedness that such an approach demands in the presentation of ideas about music's most fundamental nature and purposes.
The composers whose work is the subject of these eighteen essays are:
Hildegard of Bingen, Perotin, Ntachaut, Dunstable, Dufay, William Cornyshes father and son, Tallis, Byrd, Monteverdi, Schutz, J.S. Bach, Couperin, Hande,l Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Berlioz, Faure, Verdi, Brahms, Elgar, Delius, Holst, Vaughan Williams, Howells, Britten, Janacek, Messiaen, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Part, Tavener, Gorecki, Macmillan, Finnissy, Copland