Beethoven's folksong settings : chronology, sources, style / Barry Cooper.
| Author/creator |
Cooper, Barry (Barry A. R.) |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, ©1994. |
| Description | viii, 270 pages : music ; 24 cm. |
| Subject(s) |
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| Series | Oxford monographs on music Oxford monographs on music. ^A256395 |
| Contents | Enumerating the settings -- Compositional chronology. Groups I-II (1809-10) ; Groups III-V (1811-13) ; Groups VI-VII (1814-15) ; Groups VIII-XII (1816-17) ; Groups XIII-XVIII (1818-20) ; Chronological relationship to other output -- Publication history. Thomson's editions ; Unknown flute parts ; Early attempts at continental editions ; The Schlesinger edition of op. 108 -- Origin of the melodies. Nationality ; Thomson's sources -- Origin and incorporation of the poetic texts. The authors and their contributions ; Early settings (groups I-V) ; Later settings ; Relationship between the poems and Beethoven's settings -- Economics and logistics. Beethoven's earnings ; Communications ; Transmission of melodies -- Aspects of performance: Ad libitum parts and sequence of songs. Optional use of strings ; Sequence of songs -- The accompaniments: general approach and treatment of voices. Beethoven and his immediate predecessors ; Simplicity ; The vocal line ; Lower voices -- The accompaniments: instrumental parts. The role of the right hand ; The role of the strings parts ; Harmonic style and modality ; Motivic use -- The ritornellos. General strategy of Beethoven's predecessors ; Beethoven's strategy: motivic development ; Continuity and phrase-structure ; Integration of ritornellos and accompaniments ; Integration in O Sanctissima -- A reassessment. Barriers to appreciation ; Thomson's role ; Quality and innovation ; Stylistic relationship to other output ; Beethoven's aims and achievement -- Appendices. Chronological list ; Principal music manuscripts ; Numerical index of opus, WoO, and Hess numbers ; Alphabetical index of titles and first lines ; Authors of texts ; Summary of correspondence ; Unpublished versions of two settings. |
| Abstract | Beethoven composed far more folksong settings than any other type of work. Most are British songs, including Auld Lang Syne and The Miller of Dee, with texts by such authors as Burns, Byron, and Scott. Yet Beethoven's settings, commissioned by George Thomson of Edinburgh, have been neglected by performers and scholars alike, and nearly all accounts of them are both superficial and startlingly inaccurate. This book is based on a very elaborate study of a wide range of sources, and dispels the many myths that have been circulating about this music. Each of the 179 settings is dated to within a few weeks, and an account is given of the sources of the melodies and texts, the difficulties of sending the music across Europe during the Napoleonic Wars (smugglers were even called upon to assist!), the fees Beethoven received, and when and how the texts were added. By comparing Beethoven's settings with those of his predecessors Pleyel, Haydn, and Kozeluch, Cooper demonstrates that Beethoven comprehensively transcended the bounds of convention, producing settings of extraordinary quality and originality. He also suggests ways of overcoming the problems of performing these songs. |
| Local note | Little-291171--305130044991$ |
| Local note | Little-291171--305130044991$ |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-257) and indexes. |
| LCCN | 94005055 |
| ISBN | 0198162839 : |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | ML410.B42 C67 1994 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |