First nights : five musical premieres
By: Thomas Forrest Kelly.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Number of pages: 387
Subjects: Monteverdi, Claudio, 1567-1643; Handel, George Frideric, 1685-1759; Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827; Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1869; Stravinsky, Igor, 1882-1971; Music -- First performances
Description: "This book takes us back to the first performances of five famous musical compositions: Monteverdi's Orfeo in 1607, Handel's Messiah in 1742, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 1824, Berlioz's Symphonic faulaslique in 1830, and Stravinsky's Sacre du printemps in 1913.

Thomas Forrest Kelly sets the scene for each of these premieres, describing the cities in which they took place, the concert halls, audiences, conductors, and musicians, the sound of the music when it was first performed (often on instruments now extinct), and the popular and critical responses. He explores how performance styles and conditions have changed over the centuries and what music can reveal about the societies that produce it."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references, discographies, and index.
Table of contents: title: Claudio Monteverdi, Orfeo, Saturday, February 24, 1607; title: George Frideric Handel, Messiah, Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 noon; title: Ludwig van Beethoven, Ninth symphony, Friday, May 7, 1824, 7:00 p.m.; title: Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, Sunday, December 5, 1830, 2 p.m.; title: Igor Stravinsky, Le sacre du printemps, Thursday, May 29, 1913, 8:45 p.m.