Description
Book SynopsisThis 1990 book is a survey of the critical reaction to Beethoven's music as it appeared in the major musical journals, French as well as German, of his day, and represents the first published history of Beethoven reception. The author discusses the philosophical and analytical implications of these reviews and reassesses what has come to be the accepted view of a nineteenth-century musical aesthetics rooted in Romantic Idealism. Wallace sees Beethoven's critics as in fact providing a link between two apparently antithetical approaches to music: the eighteenth-century emphasis on expression and extra-musical interpretation and the nineteenth-century emphasis on 'absolute' music and formal analysis. This book thus provides, in addition to a carefully documented study of Beethoven's critical reception, a re-evaluation of his oeuvre and its significance in music history. An index of all reviews cited is provided, and a further appendix contains the quoted material in its original language.
Trade Review'Robin Wallace's book is an important addition to the literature in the field, providing a detailed, yet concisely presented examination of the critical reception of Beethoven in contemporary musical periodicals.' Music and Letters
'Beethoven's Critics contains a wealth of fascinating information about the ways in which the composer's contemporaries and the following generation performed, heard, studied and evaluated his music.' Classical Music
Table of ContentsList of abbreviations; Preface; Introduction; 1. The Leipzig Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung; 2. Berlin and A. B. Marx; 3. Other German sources: the controversy over the late music; 4. French Beethoven criticism; 5. The Fifth Symphony; Conclusion; Appendixes; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
