Schumann's Dichterliebe and Early Romantic Poetics: Fragmentation of Desire (Cambridge Studies in Music Theory and Analysis) [Hardcover]

Beate Julia Perrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0521814790 | ISBN-13: 978-0521814799

Schumann's famous song cycle Dichterliebe of 1840 is one of the most enigmatic works in the Western musical repertoire. This book employs Romantic poetics and recent critical thought to help explain the mysterious magnetism of this essentially fragmentary work. A musico-poetic analysis demonstrates the voice of the "Other" and presents Schumann as the "second poet of the poem" when setting Heine's famous Lyrisches Intermezzo. Methodologically, the analysis attempts to synthesize philosophical, literary-critical, music-analytical and psycho-analytical modes of thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Including wide-ranging discussions of the aesthetic potentials of the interrelations of musical and written languages, this book will best serve specialists." Choice

Book Description

Schumann's famous song cycle Dichterliebe of 1840 is one of the most enigmatic works in the Western musical repertoire. This book employs Romantic poetics as well as recent critical thought as means for understanding the mysterious magnetism of this essentially fragmentary work. A musico-poetic analysis demonstrates the voice of the 'Other' and presents Schumann as the 'second poet of the poem' when setting Heine's famous Lyrisches Intermezzo. Methodologically, it is an attempt to introduce into musicology a hermeneutic that seeks to synthesise philosophical, literary-critical, music-analytical and psycho-analytical modes of thought.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521814790
• ISBN-13: 978-0521814799
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,906,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment!, September 11, 2003

By 

Phil Lacresse (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schumann's Dichterliebe and Early Romantic Poetics: Fragmentation of Desire (Cambridge Studies in Music Theory and Analysis) (Hardcover)

I had high hopes for this book, because the description sounded so intriguing. They're wonderful songs, and the combination of music analysis and critical theory is right up my alley. Well, the music analysis is incompetent -- not pedestrian, but positively amateurish. The critical theory is trite and superficial, feeling as if it had been cut and pasted from an introductory textbook. Cambridge has produced some great books, but this one is embarrassing.