Understanding the Leitmotif
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: May 14, 2015
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 356
Description: The musical leitmotif, having reached a point of particular forcefulness in the music of Richard Wagner, has remained a popular compositional device up to the present day. In this book, the author explores the background and development of the leitmotif, from Wagner to the Hollywood adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. Analyzing both concert music and film music, he explains what the leitmotif is and establishes it as the union of two aspects: the thematic and the associative. He goes on to show that Wagner's Ring cycle provides a leitmotivic paradigm, a model from which we can learn to better understand the leitmotif across style periods. Arguing for a renewed interest in the artistic merit of the leitmotif, the author reveals how uniting meaning, memory, and emotion in music can lead to a richer listening experience and a better understanding of dramatic music's enduring appeal.--