1st Edition
Perspectives on Anton Bruckner
A century after his death Anton Bruckner still remains one of the most complex and enigmatic creative personalities of the nineteenth century. A leading avant-garde figure of his generation, he was an accomplished performer and teacher in addition to being a great composer; few people in the history of western music can boast his level of achievement in all these areas combined. This book, a collection of essays written by an international group of scholars, offers diverse theoretical and musicological perspectives on Bruckner the composer-teacher-performer. Facets of his formidable theoretical training and his application of it as part of the compositional process are explored. A variety of analytical methodologies is used to examine the Second through to the Ninth Symphonies, the heart of the composer’s mature repertoire. Finally, aspects of Bruckner’s career as a teacher and performer, his complex personality, his influence and dissemination of his music are considered.
Biography
Crawford Howie
"There is a wealth of material here, and the depth and breadth of learning make this a book to return to for information and stimulation. The fruit of close study, it repays close study and sheds more light on an endlessly fascinating composer." The Bruckner Journal 'Musical examples and charts are clearly printed, while the seven manuscript plates included are superbly reproduced on art paper. Footnotes, included at the end of each chapter, are as relevant and scholarly as one would expect from a publication of this importance. For an in-depth, technical and only rarely abstruse volume on all aspects of Bruckner, this can be confidently recommended' International Record Review '...the volume is immensely valuable in its new insights into his approaches to composition.' The Organ 'Anyone with a scholarly interest in Bruckner will certainly want to search this book out and music libraries should add it to their collection.' American Record Guide
