Description
Book SynopsisAn original study of the history of the symphony in Vienna during Beethoven's lifetime, this 2006 book explores the context in which the composer worked. Based on an extensive study of the wider symphonic repertoire of the period and of the characteristics of musical life that shaped the changing fortunes of the genre, from manuscript and printed dissemination to concert life, David Wyn Jones provides a multi-faceted account of the development of the symphony in one of the most crucial periods in its history. The volume offers a wide perspective on musical development in the period, and will be of interest to musicologists and cultural historians. As well as dealing with unfamiliar works by Czerny, Eberl, Krommer, Reicha, Anton Wranitzky, Paul Wranitzky and others, it charts the changing reception of the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, and offers insights into the symphonic careers of Beethoven and Schubert.
Trade Review'… a worthy contribution to our newly broadening view of this pivotal moment in European music.' The Times Literary Supplement
'This is an exemplary study, with valuable illustrations, tables and music examples; there are details of sources, thematic catalogues and modern editions, a bibliography and a good index.' Peter Branscombe, University of St Andrews
'…David Wyn Jones has assembled an account that provides an excellent overview of the whole picture of symphonic writing in Vienna and its neighbourhood from the 1970s to the late 1820s, enabling Beethoven's symphonies to be seen in their more immediate context for the first time…and there is much excellent and original research embodied here. Yet the book remains very lucid and readable.' Music and Letters
'Remarkable both for the uniquely accessible quality of writing and the depth of scholarship, The Symphony in Beethoven's Vienna by David Wyn Jones, Reader of Music at Cardiff University, is an excellent addition to the world of research on Beethoven's life and times for both the amateur and the more serious Beethoven scholar. …This book puts so many things into perspective that it seems each page leads to a new revelation. …I feel safe in saying this is a magnificent, rare look at the composers who were working in and around Vienna just prior to and during Beethoven's tenure in that city. It puts Beethoven into a unique historical context.' Notes
Table of Contents1. Setting the scene; 2. Selling symphonies; 3. Performing symphonies; 4. A tale of two brothers: Anton and Paul Wranitzky; 5. Loose ends and false beginnings; 6. A rare and rarefied genre; 7. Beethoven and the decline of the symphony; 8. The reformulation of the symphony and Beethoven; List of sources, thematic catalogues and modern editions; Bibliography.
