Customer Reviews

Chamber Music

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Ulrich writes beautifully and helpfully about music, not something of which every writer is capable. His book on chamber music, as the one on symphonic music, truly is a classic. That said, however, I really much prefer the initial edition of this fine work (1948). The earlier edition has more "personality" and is more original in estimating the place and worth of chamber music and of its composers. The comments about Johann Rosenmüller, for example, in the 1948 edition are truly revelatory, Ulrich assessing that (gay) man`s chamber music as being as wonderfully original and expressive as it truly is. By contrast, the second edition`s comments are more guarded and lacking in force. That is typical of the second edition`s relatively bland impersonality, being more an academic textbook, whereas Ulrich`s writing is much more vivid and individual in the 1948 edition, aimed then, it would seem, at a wider public, much of which would be, surely, musically informed and skilled amateur instrumentalists as well as the practising music professionals among the book`s readers.

Personally, I like having both editions, but if forced to choose between them, it is the first edition which I would keep and that I would commend more to others.

Lots of information on chamber music. Very nice for people like me that lives in Brazil, cause we don't have such well done book like this.