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From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of World War I, the oratorio was Britain's most important and accesible musical genre. Understanding Elgar's four oratorios within this history should add a great deal to our understanding of Elgar, musical life at the time, and the differences between the public and private spaces of Britain's religious worship.
In Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor, historian Nicholas Tarling surveys the landscape of choral works, some standard masterpieces that are commonly performed by choruses around the world, others deserving a second, closer look. As noted in the foreword by Uwe Grodd , music director of the Auckland Choral Society, this work “is a collection of essays about a number of outstanding works, including Beethoven’s Miss Solemnis and Britten’s War Requiem, but he also invites attention to lesser masterpieces. If the choral movement, which includes both singers and listeners, is to survive, new works must be created and repertory expanded. The book is an easy and captivating read even if you are not a chorister.” Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor features short essays on over 28 works, from major masterpieces such as Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion to off-the-beaten path choral works such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha and Frederick Delius’ A Mass of Life. Throughout, Tarling offers assessments that sparkle with unique insights and at the same time ground listener’s in the historical contexts of the work’s production and performance. Each work is transformed in Tarling’s able hands from musical work into a window into the mind and milieu of the composer. Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor mixes choral mainstays with works that demand revisiting. Choral singers and their audiences, as well as choral societies and their directions and promoters, will find ample food for thoughts in these meditations on the choral tradition.
With this volume, Howard Smither completes his monumental History of the Oratorio. Volumes 1 and 2, published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1977, treated the oratorio in the Baroque era, while Volume 3, published in 1987, explored th
Edward Elgar occupies a pivotal place in the British cultural imagination. His music has been heard as emblematic of Empire and the English landscape. The recent success of Anthony Payne's elaboration of the sketches for Elgar's Third Symphony has prompted a critical revaluation of his music. This Companion provides an accessible and vivid account of Elgar's work in its historical and cultural context. Established authorities on British music and scholars new in the field examine Elgar's music from a range of critical perspectives, including nationalism, post-colonialism, decadence, reception and musical influences. There are also chapters on interpretation, including his own (Elgar was the first major composer to commit a representative quantity of his own work to record), and on Elgar's relationships with the BBC and with his publishers. The book includes much new material, drawing on original research, as well as providing a comprehensive introduction to Elgar's major musical achievements.
"This title was first published in 2002: From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of World War I, the oratorio was Britain's most important and accesible musical genre. Understanding Elgar's four oratorios within this history should add a great deal to our understanding of Elgar, musical life at the time, and the differences between the public and private spaces of Britain's religious worship. The study explores Elgar's four works as part of the British oratorio tradition. Only by examining the English oratorio in general at the end of the 19th century should we be able to appreciate how revolutionary Elgar's works are. Each one moved away from the typical oratorio formats to portray a drama, based not on action, but characterization. Analyzing these four compositions through narrative reveals that "The Light of Life" and "Gerontius" gave Elgar the tools he needed to create a musical epic of Wagnerian proportions within "The Apostles" and "The Kingdom". Central to the author's discussion are the issues of Wagnerism's effect on Elgar's music, and Elgar's reaction to being labeled Wagerian. Locating Elgar's oratorios in this context and examining them individually should allow for a more measured understanding of the complexities, contradictions, and subleties of the melding of public music and public religion in the late Victorian age, as well as the clash of conservative musical genres with more modern methods. These investigations hope to show that Elgar, in the oratorio's last triumph, transcended the genre's limitations in a new, unique manner."--Provided by publisher.
With this volume, Howard Smither completes his monumental History of the Oratorio. Volumes 1 and 2, published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1977, treated the oratorio in the Baroque era, while Volume 3, published in 1987, explored the genre in the Classical era. Here, Smither surveys the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century oratorio, stressing the main geographic areas of oratorio composition and performance: Germany, Britain, America, and France. Continuing the approach of the previous volumes, Smither treats the oratorio in each language and geographical area by first exploring the cultural and social contexts of oratorio. He then addresses aesthetic theory and criticism, treats libretto and music in general, and offers detailed analyses of the librettos and music of specific oratorios (thirty-one in all) that are of special importance to the history of the genre. As a synthesis of specialized literature as well as an investigation of primary sources, this work will serve as both a springboard for further research and an essential reference for choral conductors, soloists, choral singers, and others interested in the history of the oratorio. Originally published 2000. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
This volume contains a detailed biography of Elgar, and is part of the 'Master Musicians' series written by W. H. Reed. In writing this biography, Reed was aided by Elgar's daughter who helped him piece together the various incidents in Edward Elgar's life in chronological order from her personal knowledge and from old diaries. This biography offers the reader a unique insight into the life of this master musician, and it will be of considerable value to those with an interest in Elgar's personal life. The chapters of this book include: 'Childhood and Youth', 'In Search of a Career', 'The Teaching of Experience', 'Marriage and Artistic Progress', 'Growing Mastery', 'Gradual Recognition and Fame', 'Full Maturity', 'Creative Activity', 'Fame at Home and Abroad', 'The Elgar Festival and Knighthood', and more. We are republishing this antiquarian text now in a modern, affordable edition complete with a new prefatory biography of the author.