Search results for ""author lewis lockwood""

The Beethoven symphonies form the core of the classical concert repertoire and remain among the defining works of the Western musical experience. As the heir to Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven possessed an artistic vision that found its most powerful expression in the symphonic form, which he revolutionised and bequeathed to posterity. Beethoven’s Symphonies introduces each symphony and traces the background, set against the contemporary political upheavals, the growth of concert life and his other works. Lewis Lockwood uncovers a creative process of remarkable scope and originality, including reference to ideas sketched out but not realised. From the first symphonies to the monumental Ninth, his passion to compose works of transcendent value is brought to life.

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Beethoven''s many surviving sketchbooks bear witness to the vast creative labor that lay behind the musical masterpieces he left to posterity. Among them, one of the most famous is the ''Eroica'' Sketchbook, containing all the known sketches for the ''Eroica'' Symphony, the ''Waldstein'' Sonata, and other works of 1803–04. These include his first sketches for the opera Leonore (later entitled Fidelio), as well as the unfinished opera Vestas Feuer, the oratorio Christus am Oelberge, the Triple Concerto, songs, keyboard compositions, and early sketches that later bore fruit in the Fourth Piano Concerto and the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies. It also contains ideas for works that were never completed. The ''Eroica'' Sketchbook is essentially a diary of Beethoven''s creative work during one of the great turning points in his career. As such, this edition deepens our understanding of Beethoven''s creative process, and offers new insights into some of Beethoven'

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This brilliant portrayal weaves Beethoven's musical and biographical stories into their historical and artistic contexts. Lewis Lockwood sketches the turbulent personal, historical, political, and cultural frameworks in which Beethoven worked and examines their effects on his music. "The result is that rarest of achievements, a profoundly humane work of scholarship that will—or at least should—appeal to specialists and generalists in equal measure" (Terry Teachout, Commentary). Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. "Lewis Lockwood has written a biography of Beethoven in which the hours that Beethoven spent writing music—that is, his methods of working, his interest in contemporary and past composers, the development of his musical intentions and ideals, his inner musical life, in short—have been properly integrated with the external events of his career. The book is invaluable." —Charles Rosen "Lockwood writes with poetry and clarity—a rare combination. I especially enjoyed the connection that he makes between the works of Beethoven and the social and political context of their creation—we feel closer to Beethoven the man without losing our wonder at his genius." —Emanuel Ax "The magnum opus of an illustrious Beethoven scholar. From now on, we will all turn to Lockwood's Beethoven: The Music and the Life for insight and instruction." —Maynard Solomon "This is truly the Beethoven biography for the intelligent reader. Lewis Lockwood speaks in his preface of writing on Beethoven's works at 'a highly accessible descriptive level.' But he goes beyond that. His discussion of the music, based on a deep knowledge of its context and the composition processes behind it, explains, elucidates, and is not afraid to evaluate; while the biographical chapters, clearly and unfussily written, and taking full account of the newest thinking on Beethoven, align closely with the musical discussion. The result is a deeply perceptive book that comes as close as can be to presenting the man and the music as a unity."—Stanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians "Impressive for both its scholarship and its fresh insights, this landmark work—fully accessible to the interested amateur—immediately takes its place among the essential references on this composer and his music."—Bob Goldfarb, KUSC-FM 91.5 "Lockwood writes like an angel: lucid, enthusiastic, stirring and enlightening. Beethoven has found his ablest interpreter."—Jonathan Keates, The Spectator "There is no better survey of Beethoven's compositions for a wide audience."—Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times Book Review

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Music examples and charts illustrate the analyses, and each essay is fully annotated by the editor. in some cases, the results of the original research by the editor or by others working in the field are published here for the first time. Much of the material has never before appeared in English. A score embodying the best available musical text. Historical background—what is known of the circumstances surrounding the origin of the work, including (where relevant) original source material. A detailed analysis of the music, by the editor of the volume or another well-known scholar. Other significant analytic essays and critical comments, exposing the student to a variety of opinions about the music.

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Neuer Blick auf das Phänomen Beethoven. Der Autor entwirft in seiner erfolgreichen Biografie, die für den Pulitzerpreis nominiert war, ein detailreiches Bild vom Leben und Werk des großen Komponisten. Er zeichnet die musikalische Entwicklung Beethovens nach und legt ein besonderes Augenmerk auf die historischen, politischen und kulturellen Hintergründe. Jedes Kapitel wird mit einem kurzen Überblick über die wichtigsten biografischen Ereignisse eingeleitet, bevor die Musik des jeweiligen Zeitabschnitts mit Verweisen auf Skizzenbücher und Autografe vorgestellt wird. Vielfältige Einsichten für Experten und Interessierte.

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