Books in the Master Musicians Series series

This is the largest life-and-works of Musorgsky ever to have appeared outside Russia. Musorgsky created stunning masterpieces in such creations as his opera Boris Godunov and piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition - yet his life was tragic. It is this pathetic tale, interlaced with critical discussion of music, that is this book's concern.

Alban Berg (1885-1935), a student of Arnold Schoenberg and one of the most prominent composers of the Second Viennese School, is counted among the pioneers of twelve-tone serialism. His circle included not only the musicians of the Wiener modern but also prominent literary and artistic figures from Vienna''s brilliant fin-de-siècle. In his short lifetime he composed two ground-breaking operas, Wozzeck and Lulu, as well as chamber works,songs, and symphonic compositions. His final completed work, the deeply moving and elegiac Violin Concerto, is performed by leading soloists across the world.This new life-and-works study from authors Bryan R. Simms and Charlotte Erwin delivers a fresh perspective formed from comprehensive study of primary sources that reveal the forces that shaped Berg''s personality, career, and artistic outlook. One such force was Berg''s wife, Helene Nahowski Berg, and the book provides a unique assessment of her role in the composer''s life and work, as well as her later quest to shape his artistic legacy in the forty-one years of her widowhood. The authorspresent insightful analysis of all of Berg''s major works, bringing into play Berg''s own analyses of the music, many of which have not been considered in existing scholarship. Berg is an accessible and all-encompassing resource for all readers who wish to learn about the life and music of this composer, oneof the great figures in modern music.

Laurenz Lutteken's Strauss presents a new approach to the life and works of Richard Strauss, cutting through the mystery and gossip surrounding the elusive German composer to reveal his complicated role as representative of modernity.

A timeless tale of human strength and weakness set in one of the most vibrant periods of American musical history, MacDowell traces the composer's rise from humble beginnings in lower Manhattan to the pinnacle of musical fame, and the precipitous fall from grace that followed.

A vivid portrait of Mozart, combining a well-reserched account of his life with an introduction to his works: symphonic,chamber, sacred, and theatrical.

A giant in the pantheon of 19th century composers, Tchaikovsky continues to enthrall audiences today. From the Nutcracker-arguably the most popular ballet currently on the boards-Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty, to Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame, to the Symphony Pathetique and the always rousing, canon-blasting 1812 Overture-this prolific and beloved composer's works are perennial favorites. Now, JohnWiley, a renowned Tchaikovsky scholar, provides a fresh biography aimed in classic Master Musicians style at the student and music lover. Wiley deftly draws on documents from imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet era sources, providing a more balanced look at recent controversies surrounding the marriage, death, and sexuality of the composer. The author dovetails thebiographical material with separate chapters that treat the music thoroughly and fully, work-by-work, with more substantial explorations of Tchaikovsky's most familiar compositions. These analyses present new, even iconoclastic perspectives on the music and the composer's intent and expression. Several informative appendices, in the Master Musicians format, include an exhaustive list of works and bibliography.

Cooper's biography illuminates the reality of Beethoven's life, a refreshing departure from the usual star struck admiration of the composer. Accessible to, and essential for, the Beethoven scholar and general reader, this updated edition of Beethoven will enlighten readers through a close examination of both his works and expert commentary.

Vivaldi has emerged during the last decades as a truly major composer of the early eighteenth-century. Taking account of recent research, to which he himself has made important contributions-including the discovery in 1973 of an unknown set of violin sonatas-Michael Talbot examines the life and works of this remarkable musician in their Venetian, Italian, and international settings.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the great icons of Western music. Part of the "Master Musicians" series, this biography of the musical genius offers a portrait of the composer, ranging from Mozart the Wunderkind to the mature author of such classic works as "The Marriage of Figaro", "Don Giovanni", and "The Magic Flute".

Captures the man and the musician - the legendary virtuoso tours, the creator of various types of orchestral and choral music, and of piano works and transcriptions which revolutionized the possibilities of the instrument. This book shows how Liszt, the cosmopolitan, left his mark of many different schools of composition.

Updated and refreshed with new biographical information and understanding of Bach's contemporary context, Bach traces the composer's student years, professional career, and family life alongside his most famous compositions.

Mahler's music is an intimate reflection of his life and thought, and his continual self-questioning on matters of belief and the role of mankind. This volume draws on documentary evidence, and gives an account of his childhood and youth, and of his years as an opera conductor in Cassel, Prague, Leipzig, Budapest, Hamburg, and Vienna.

Aimed at students, scholars, and those interested in Baroque music, this work demonstrates how the circumstances of Bach's life helped to shape the music he wrote at various periods. It presents a picture of Bach, his music, and his posthumous reputation and influence.

Part of the "Master Musicians" series, this title is a biography of one of the giants of Italian opera, Giacomo Puccini. Blending musical analysis with an account of Puccini's life, it looks at some of the most popular operas in the repertoire. It also provides an analysis of the operas themselves, examining the music act by act.

The foremost composer under the reign of Elizabeth I and James I, William Byrd (c. 1540 - 1623) produced countless masses, motets, polyphonic songs, and works for keyboard and instrumental consort. In this biography, author Kerry McCarthy explores the musical world in which Byrd grew up and traces his influence on the English musicians of the early Baroque.

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and the first composer to receive the United States National Medal of Arts, Elliott Carter is widely lauded as one of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries' most preeminent figures in classical music and modernism. David Schiff, Carter's former student and lifelong associate, offers here the first full overview of Carter's life and complete oeuvre. This newest addition to the Master Musicians Series paints with a fine brush thefascinating story of one of America's greatest and most prolific composers.

Nearly one hundred years after the death of its composer, the music of Claude Debussy has lost none of its appeal. In this authoritative biography, author Eric Frederick Jensen brings together the most recent biographical research, including a revised catalogue of Debussy's compositions and the first complete edition of his correspondence.

Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the Baroque style, and his career combined the benefits of patronage with a sturdy independence. This biography provides a comprehensive and balanced account of both the man and his music, drawing on the unusually rich legacy of contemporary documentary and musical sources. This newly revised edition of Handel incorporates material resulting from a recent resurgance in scholarly interest in and performances of Handel and hismusic.

Robert Schumann, one of the most beloved composers of the Romantic movement, embodied the passion and imaginative spirit of his age. This biography recreates the dynamics of this man and his music, offering insight into his final years and his musical achievements. It is of interest to general readers as well as music students and historians.

Rossini was one of the most influential, industrious and emotionally complex of the great nineteenth-century composers. From 1810-1829 he wrote 39 operas which transformed opera in Italy and France. Drawing on recent scholarship and performance, this new edition provides the most detailed portrait yet of one of the world's most enigmatic composers.

Rewritten and updated, MacDonald uses recent scholarship, new biographical information, and deeper understanding of Schoenberg's aims and significance in this superb guide to his life and work.

Covering Berlioz's musical style and influence, and drawing on his literary works and extensive correspondence, this is a compelling study of both man and music, from the time when he was a medical student, discovering Parisian music in 1821, through the peak of French Romanticism in the 1830's to the serene compositions of his later years.

Presenting a study of Monteverdi and his works, this book combines social and historical perspectives with critical insight into his music. In relating Monteverdi to the musical activity of his time, it reveals a forward-looking genius whose music receives long-overdue appreciation.

Brahms has long been considered an arch-conservative, the last Classical master, but modern research reveals a troubled and self-critical Romantic whose genius united the emotionalism of his times with Classical principles. Malcolm MacDonald demonstrates how the musical and personal character of this great composer are inextricably intwined: how the man speaks in his music.

Of crucial importance to scholars has been the re-emergence in Krakow of the large number of Mendelssohn manuscripts considered lost since their removal from Berlin for safekeeping during World War II. This title presents the composer's manuscripts.

Marking the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death and the upsurge of interest in his music, this study assesses the operas, ballets and other works against the background of the composer's eventful life: his ill-judged marriage, his pen-friendship with his patron Nadezhda von Meck, and his relationship with Balakirev and other Russian composers.