Brahms and the scherzo
Subtitle: studies in musical narrative
By: Ryan McClelland.
Publisher: Ashgate
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Burlington, VT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780754668107; 9781409404170
Subjects: Brahms, Johannes, -- 1833-1897 -- Criticism and interpretation; Scherzo
Description: "Despite the incredible diversity in Brahms's scherzo-type movements, there has been no comprehensive consideration of this aspect of his oeuvre. Professor Ryan McClelland provids an in-depth study of these movements that also contributes significantly to an understanding of Brahms's compositional language and his creative dialogues with musical traditions. McClelland especially highlights the role of rhythmic-metric design in Brahms's music and its relationship to expressive meaning. In Brahms's scherzo-type movements, McClelland traces transformations of primary thematic material, demonstrating how the relationship of the initial music to its subsequent versions creates a musical narrative that provides structural coherence and generates expressive meaning. McClelland's interpretations of the expressive implications of Brahms's fascinating intricate musical structures frequently engage issues directly relevant to performance. This illuminating book will appeal to music theorists, musicologists working on nineteenth-century instrumental music and performers."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : theoretical and repertorial contexts; title: The early minor-mode scherzos : ghosts of Schumann and Beethoven; title: Minuets, scherzos, and neoclassicism; title: The pastoral scherzos; title: Some intermezzos; title: The late minor-mode scherzos; title: Waltzing away with the minuet; title: Three imposters; title: The case of the Fourth symphony and some concluding thoughts.