Conventional Wisdom: The Content of Musical Form (Ernest Bloch Lectures)
Based on the Bloch Lectures given at the University of California at Berkeley, McClary's latest book continues her study of the ideas and issues surrounding the relationship between societal forces and music. Using examples of vocal and instrumental music from the 17th to the 20th centuries, McClary (musicology, Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Feminine Endings) analyzes each within a cultural context and examines how that context has helped to define and challenge the concept of musical convention. She argues persuasively that what began as deviations from convention have, in turn, become conventional. In addition, her assertion that analysis focusing on the purely musical does not address the inherent complexities of music history will no doubt spark much debate. While her conclusions may spark disagreement, McClary's detailed analysesDparticularly of the aria "Figlio! Tiranno!" from Alessandro Scarlatti's opera Griselda and of the first movement of Beethoven's String Quartet in A minor, op. 132Dare enlightening and follow her practice of looking at music in a critical light. Recommended for public and academic libraries.DTeresa M. Neff, Boston Univ.Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.