| Contents |
Adams: Harmonium -- Bach: The passions (Saint John Passion, Saint Matthew Passion); Magnificat; Mass in B minor -- Beethoven: Missa solemnis -- Berlioz: Requiem -- Brahms: A German requiem; The shorter choral works (Schicksalslied = Song of destiny, Nänie = Lament, Gesang der Parzen = Song of the fates) -- Britten: War requiem -- Cherubini: Requiem in C minor -- Dallapiccola: Canti di prigonia = Songs of captivity -- Dvořák: Stabat Mater -- Elgar: The dream of Gerontius -- Fauré: Requiem -- Handel: Messiah, Der Messias (arr. Mozart) -- Haydn: Harmoniemesse (wind-band mass); Two great oratorios (Der Schopfung = The creation; Die Jahreszeiten = The seasons) -- Honegger: Le Roi David = King David -- Janáček: Glagolitic Mass -- Kodály: Psalmus hungaricus -- Mendelssohn: Elias = Elijah -- Mozart: The shorter choral works; Mass in C minor; Requiem -- Orff: Carmina burana -- Rachmaninoff: The bells -- Schmidt: Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln = The book With seven seals -- Sessions: When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd -- Stravinsky: The wedding, Perséphone, Symphony of Psalms, Mass, Canticum sacrum = Scared canticle, Requiem canticles -- Tippett: A child of our time -- Vaughan Williams: A sea symphony, Sancta civitas -- Verdi: Requiem -- Walton: Belshazzar's feast -- Wuorinen: Genesis. |
| Abstract |
Michael Steinberg's highly successful listener's guides--The Symphony and The Concerto--have been universally praised for their blend of captivating biography, crystal clear musical analysis, and delightful humor. Now Steinberg follows these two greatly admired volumes with Choral Masterworks:A Listener's Guide, the only such guide available to this most popular of musical forms. Here are more than fifty illuminating essays on the classic choral masterworks, ranging from Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, to works by Haydn, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and many others. Steinberg spans the entire history of classical music, from suchgiants of the Romantic era as Verdi and Berlioz, to leading modern composers such as Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and Stravinsky, to contemporary masters such as John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. For each piece, Steinberg includes a fascinating biographical account of the work's genesis,often spiced with wonderful asides, such as the true story of Mozart's Requiem--Salieri had nothing to do with the composition of it, nor did he poison Mozart, who most likely died of rheumatic fever. The author also includes an astute musical analysis of each piece, one that casual music lovers caneasily appreciate and that musicians and more serious fans will find invaluable. The book also includes basic information such as the various movements of the work, the organization of the chorus and orchestra, and brief historical notes on early performances. More than twenty million Americans perform regularly in choirs or choruses. Choral Masterworks will appeal not only to concert goers and CD collectors, but also to this vast multitude of choral performers, an especially engaged and active community. |
