Search results for ""author glenda dawn goss""

This biography of Carol Robinson (1889-1979) presents the life of a serious American pianist within the larger context of American intellectual life in the first decades of the twentieth century. An active participant in the avant-garde, Robinson established close ties with literati Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap of The Little Review; with artist Pavel Tchelichev and architect Frank Lloyd Wright; with dancers Elizabeth Delza and Henri; with composers George Antheil, Bohuslav Martinu, and Henry Cowell; and with the spiritual leader Georgi Gurdjieff. The author considers Robinson's life as a pianist and teacher as well as the larger issues raised by her choice of pianistic repertory, by her own compositions, and by the music manuscripts composers gave her (Antheil sent his Jazz Sonata; Martinu, the little gem Par T.S.F.; and Ives, his Sonata No.3 for Piano and Violin). The book is intended for those interested in America's intellectual life in the twentieth century and for scholars concerned with the dissemination of contemporary music literature. To that end, an appendix lists Robinson's extensive repertory with dates and places where each work was performed. Robinson's works in score are also included. Illustrated, with selected bibliography.

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One of the twentieth century's greatest composers, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) virtually stopped writing music during the last thirty years of his life. Recasting his mysterious musical silence and his undeniably influential life against the backdrop of Finland's national awakening, "Sibelius" will be the definitive biography of this creative legend for many years to come. Glenda Dawn Goss begins her sweeping narrative in the Finland of Sibelius' youth, which remained under Russian control for the first five decades of his life. Focusing on previously unexamined parts of Sibelius' life, Goss explores the composer's formative experiences as a Russian subject and a member of the Swedish-speaking Finnish minority. She goes on to trace Sibelius' relationships with his creative contemporaries, with whom he worked to usher in a golden age of music and art that would endow Finns with a sense of pride in their heritage and encourage their hopes for the possibilities of nationhood. Skillfully evoking this artistic climate - in which Sibelius emerged as a leader - Goss creates a dazzling portrait of the painting, sculpture, literature, and music it inspired. To solve the deepest riddles of Sibelius' life, work, and enigmatic silence, Goss contends, we must understand the awakening in which he played so great a role.

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One of the twentieth century's greatest composers, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) virtually stopped writing music during the last thirty years of his life. Recasting his mysterious musical silence and his undeniably influential life against the backdrop of Finland's national awakening, "Sibelius" will be the definitive biography of this creative legend for many years to come. Glenda Dawn Goss begins her sweeping narrative in the Finland of Sibelius' youth, which remained under Russian control for the first five decades of his life. Focusing on previously unexamined events, Goss explores the composer's formative experiences as a Russian subject and a member of the Swedish-speaking Finnish minority. She goes on to trace Sibelius's relationships with his creative contemporaries, with whom he worked to usher in a golden age of music and art that would endow Finns with a sense of pride in their heritage and encourage their hopes for the possibilities of nationhood. Skillfully evoking this artistic climate - in which Sibelius emerged as a leader - Goss creates a dazzling portrait of the painting, sculpture, literature, and music it inspired. To solve the deepest riddles of Sibelius' life, work, and enigmatic silence, Goss contends, we must understand the awakening in which he played so great a role. Situating this national creative tide in the context of Nordic and European cultural currents, "Sibelius" dramatically deepens our knowledge of a misunderstood musical giant and an important chapter in the intellectual history of Europe.

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