Description
Book SynopsisIn Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131, author Nancy November provides an analysis of Beethoven's Op. 131, illuminated by excerpts from a range of sound recordings, geared towards allowing the reader to access earlier modes of listening and interpretation. The book's well-rounded and multifaceted approach blends mainstream, traditional scholarship with popular media.
Trade ReviewNovember's text is informed, critical and provocative, admirably fulfilling the aims of the Oxford Keynotes series. * Robin Stolwell, The Strad *
Led by the perspective of listening, Nancy November offers a comprehensive study of Beethoven's string quartet in C sharp minor Op. 131, in which music lovers, students, and colleagues will find stimulating as well as new, and sometimes unexpected, information. * Christine Siegert, Head of the Beethoven-Archiv Research Centre, Beethoven-Haus Bonn *
Nancy November breaks open the discourse on fragmentation versus unity in Op. 131 with a new interpretive approach that focuses on the special relationship between work, performer, and audience, conceiving Beethoven's composition as a large-scale fantasy that requires sustained, attentive listening. With her thought-provoking view of Op. 131, November undoubtedly offers a welcome enrichment to research on Beethoven's late work. * Christian Speck, Professor Emeritus of Musicology, University of Koblenz *
Table of Contents1. Re-hearing Op. 131 2. The early and popular reception of Op.131 3. "A new kind of part writing" 4. "Like an overly large fantasy" 5. Op. 131 and the Rise of Attentive Listening
