The Concerto: A Listener's GuideMichael Steinberg's 1996 volume The Symphony: A Reader's Guide received glowing reviews across America. It was hailed as "wonderfully clear...recommended warmly to music lovers on all levels" (Washington Post), "informed and thoughtful" (Chicago Tribune), and "composed by a master stylist" (San Francisco Chronicle). Seiji Ozawa wrote that "his beautiful and effortless prose speaks from the heart." Michael Tilson Thomas called The Symphony "an essential book for any concertgoer." Now comes the companion volume--The Concerto: A Listener's Guide. In this marvelous book, Steinberg discusses over 120 works, ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach in the 1720s to John Adams in 1994. Readers will find here the heart of the standard repertory, among them Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, eighteen of Mozart's piano concertos, all the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, and major works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Bruch, Dvora'k, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Elgar, Sibelius, Strauss, and Rachmaninoff. The book also provides luminous introductions to the achievement of twentieth-century masters such as Arnold Schoenberg, Be'la Barto'k, Igor Stravinsky, Alban Berg, Paul Hindemith, Sergei Prokofiev, Aaron Copland, and Elliott Carter. Steinberg examines the work of these musical giants with unflagging enthusiasm and bright style. He is a master of capturing the expressive, dramatic, and emotional values of the music and of conveying the historical and personal context in which these wondrous works were composed. His writing blends impeccable scholarship, deeply felt love of music, and entertaining whimsy. Here then is a superb journey through one of music's richest and most diverse forms, with Michael Steinberg along as host, guide, and the best of companions. |
Contents
ADAMS | 3 |
BACH | 11 |
BARBER | 20 |
BARTÓK | 33 |
BEETHOVEN | 50 |
BERG | 92 |
BRAHMS | 106 |
BRIDGE | 132 |
MARTIN | 252 |
MENDELSSOHN | 261 |
MOZART | 271 |
NIELSEN | 331 |
PERLE | 337 |
PROKOFIEV | 343 |
RACHMANINOFF | 356 |
RAVEL | 371 |
BRITTEN | 138 |
BRUCH | 149 |
CARTER | 155 |
Chausson | 171 |
COPLAND | 175 |
DVORÁK | 180 |
ELGAR | 185 |
GRIEG | 200 |
HINDEMITH | 204 |
KORNGOLD | 215 |
LALO | 220 |
LIGETI | 224 |
LISZT | 237 |
LUTOSLAWSKI | 244 |
REGER | 380 |
SAINTSAËNS | 386 |
SCHOENBERG | 394 |
SCHUMAN | 405 |
SCHUMANN | 409 |
SESSIONS | 429 |
SHOSTAKOVICH | 434 |
SIBELIUS | 444 |
STRAUSS | 449 |
STRAVINSKY | 463 |
TCHAIKOVSKY | 473 |
WALTON | 492 |
ZIMMERMANN | 502 |
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Common terms and phrases
Adagio Allegro Andante B-flat Bach Bach's Barber Bartók bassoons Beethoven began begins Berg Brahms Brahms's brilliant Bülow cadenza Carter cellist Cello Concerto certo chords Clara Schumann clarinet coda composer composer's composition conducting conductor cymbals doubling Dvořák Elgar Elliott Carter finale flute four horns harmonic harp harpsichord hear heard Hindemith idea instrument invention Joachim Joseph Joachim keyboard later Ligeti Liszt Lutosławski lyric major March measures melody Mendelssohn minor moderato molto Mozart musician notes oboes octaves opening opera Opus passage performance Philharmonic phrase pianissimo pianist Piano and Orchestra Piano Concerto piccolo piece played players premiere Prokofiev Rachmaninoff Ravel recapitulation repertory rhythmic Rondo Saint-Saëns scherzo Schoenberg Schumann score second movement Shostakovich slow movement snare drum Solo piano solo violin soloist Sonata song sound Strauss Stravinsky String Quartet Symphony Tchaikovsky tempo theme three trombones timpani trombones trumpets variations Vienna viola Violin Concerto violinist virtuosity woodwinds writing written wrote