Music Biographies Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Incontri con Beethoven recupera dal passato un racconto collettivo dal tocco lieve ma frutto di una seria ricerca, che conserva tutto il suo valore di suggestivo breviario biografico. Grazie a una nuova traduzione, alla verifica delle... more
Incontri con Beethoven recupera dal passato un racconto collettivo dal tocco lieve ma frutto di una seria ricerca, che conserva tutto il suo valore di suggestivo breviario biografico. Grazie a una nuova traduzione, alla verifica delle fonti e alla contestualizzazione degli episodi narrati, un brillante mosaico di documenti storici permette alla figura di Ludwig van Beethoven, nel duecentocinquantesimo anniversario della nascita, di riemergere in una dimensione inattesa.
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- Biography, Beethoven, Fin de siècle Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven
A critical review of how key texts since the 1960s have shaped journalistic and also academic representations of The Beatles. The chapter also includes discussion of a little-known area in The Beatles' history: their various affiliations... more
A critical review of how key texts since the 1960s have shaped journalistic and also academic representations of The Beatles. The chapter also includes discussion of a little-known area in The Beatles' history: their various affiliations with and possible debt to local black musicians working in Liverpool c.195801962.
La figura de Luigi Boccherini ha acaparado, en estos quince últimos años, la atención de un gran número de investigadores. Multitud de artículos y libros relacionados con diferentes cuestiones relativas al compositor han salido a la luz.... more
La figura de Luigi Boccherini ha acaparado, en estos quince últimos años, la atención de un gran número de investigadores. Multitud de artículos y libros relacionados con diferentes cuestiones relativas al compositor han salido a la luz.
También, han aparecido biografías recientes que han aportado nuevos datos y documentación y que han acabado con errores y mitos muy extendidos acerca del músico.
Los biógrafos, tanto los actuales como los antiguos, han acometido la tarea en diferentes contextos, con diferentes intereses y con distintos medios, de ahí sus variados recorridos y resultados. Además, muchos de ellos, han asumido los datos de los anteriores autores sin plantearse su autenticidad.
La variedad y diversidad de las biografías escritas proporcionan una
perspectiva dispersa e incluso confusa sobre los datos y hechos de la vida del compositor.
Since the composer’s death, Max Reger’s music has received much criticism. His compositions tend to be perceived as knotted, dense, and academic. The extreme use of chromaticism coupled with his own unique harmonic language has been said... more
Since the composer’s death, Max Reger’s music has received much criticism. His compositions tend to be perceived as knotted, dense, and academic. The extreme use of chromaticism coupled with his own unique harmonic language has been said to express the personality of the man behind the music. As a result, his works have primarily been eschewed from the concert hall.
However, I believe that the understanding of the man and his music, since his death, has been led astray because of poor performances, a lack of understanding of Reger’s mindset, his emotional state, and his use of “difficult” chromaticism and dissonance.
Starting with the latter, music psychology studies show that chromaticism and dissonance can be displeasing to listeners. Studies show correlations between the emotional cognition and musical perception of emotions in music through shared experiences, between the composer, performer, and listener. Furthermore, Reger’s individuality, personality and sociability were constantly in battle with his fight to make a name for himself - he was his own best propagandist - while facing the German critics. A lack of expressive playing in performance has also, undoubtedly, dampened his musical public image, as audience members had been led to believe his music was dull and boring.
Ultimately, the intent of this project is to provide an outlook into Max Reger and his life; how he was perceived as a person, musician, and composer whilst he was alive; how his music was perceived during his time; and how it is being perceived today (in the English-speaking community). In doing so, this project will highlight the variability and whims of his reception through history – in other words, “how do some composers become great?”, while others lie in the periphery of the standard repertory - a purgatory, of sorts.
By understanding the man, his music, his personality, and the struggles he dealt with throughout his entire life, the goal is that this project may guide the listener to further comprehending Reger and his musical language.
John Mainwaring's "Memoirs" (1760), the first major biography of a composer, capture the lofty reputation and immense impact of George Frideric Handel in Georgian Britain. This first modern transcription of the text incorporates comments... more
John Mainwaring's "Memoirs" (1760), the first major biography of a composer, capture the lofty reputation and immense impact of George Frideric Handel in Georgian Britain. This first modern transcription of the text incorporates comments and criticism from Handel's surviving friends.
Speziell für Kinder und Jugendliche geschriebene Musikerbiographien können für deren musikalische Sozialisation von großer Bedeutung sein, denn sie können den Weg zu einer intensiveren Beschäftigung mit Musik bahnen. Auch aus diesem Grund... more
Speziell für Kinder und Jugendliche geschriebene Musikerbiographien können für deren musikalische Sozialisation von großer Bedeutung sein, denn sie können den Weg zu einer intensiveren Beschäftigung mit Musik bahnen. Auch aus diesem Grund haben Komponistenbiographien stets ihren Platz im schulischen Musikunterricht behauptet, seitdem dieser nicht mehr nur gesangspraktische Fertigkeiten, sondern vor allem grundlegende Kenntnisse der Musiklehre vermittelt. Der vorliegende Aufsatz beschäftigt sich jedoch weder mit biographischen Darstellungen in Schulbüchern, noch mit Komponistenporträts auf Musikkassetten oder in Filmen, da dies seinen eng gesteckten Rahmen sprengen würde. Im Mittelpunkt der Betrachtung stehen vielmehr zehn Bilder- und Kinderbücher für den außerschulischen Gebrauch, deren Intention es ist, Kinder zwischen dem fünften und elften Lebensjahr mit dem Leben Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts vertraut zu machen. Diese Mozart-Biographien werden anhand der Kriterien 'Auswahl der Ereignisse', 'Erzählperspektive', 'Aspekte des Kindgerechten', 'vermitteltes Mozartbild', 'Fakt und Fiktion' sowie 'Illustrierung' eingehender analysiert. Den Abschluss bilden Überlegungen der zweiten Autorin bei der Entstehung der von ihr verfassten Mozart-Biographie "Meine Reisen mit Familie Mozart".
Swiss anthropologist Alois Bucher, unknown to most of his colleagues, certainly spent more time doing fieldwork among nomadic and formerly nomadic groups of interior Borneo than any other. Between 1965 and 1975 he crisscrossed the Müller... more
Swiss anthropologist Alois Bucher, unknown to most of his colleagues, certainly spent more time doing fieldwork among nomadic and formerly nomadic groups of interior Borneo than any other. Between 1965 and 1975 he crisscrossed the Müller mountain range, collecting among these groups a variety of data – ethnographic, historical, oral literature, music – hardly any of which was ever located, let alone published. In 1981, one of us (BS) submitted to this Bulletin a short article (unpublished) partly based on the oral testimonies of the local people, among which Bucher had reached the status of a legendary figure. Twenty-seven years later, new, follow-up research (by AL) in Switzerland unexpectedly allowed for a considerably enriched reconstruction of Alois Bucher's life and deeds in Borneo. Young Alois' deeply religious background, rich and complex inner life, and mystical inclination led him to wish to become a missionary. After two years in a Swiss seminary and higher theological studies, he took a PhD in Ethnology (1963) at Fribourg University, and some time later left for Borneo as a mission school teacher. Then, in the course of an exotic decade marked by restless travel, quixotic tricks and manic antics, he turned away from teaching to focus on agricultural extension work, anthropological and linguistic research among Punan. Back in his native Alps, he became Büchel-Wisi, an itinerant missionary, original musicologist, and well-known folk musician performing on streets and in churches from central Switzerland until St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This article makes use of all available information to explore an extraordinary character's many facets.
Drawing on his own experiences in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in the 1980s and contextualizing them within a later research project which ran from 2008 to 2011, the author recalls the existence of a politically neutral creative... more
Drawing on his own experiences in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in the 1980s and contextualizing them within a later research project which ran from 2008 to 2011, the author recalls the existence of a politically neutral creative space made possible by two bands in Ulster during “The Troubles.” In particular, his study examines two early compositions by the Enniskillen-based heavy rock band Mama’s
Boys (“Belfast City Blues” and “Freedom Fighters”) and a later piece by Celtus (“Portrait”), which, in their call for a cessation to violence, resonated with his disillusioned generation. The author situates the attitudes and music of the McManus brothers (who made up both bands) within a wider literature pertaining to cultural production and consumption in the border regions of Northern Ireland, and suggests that rock offered much needed respite, at grass-roots level, to Protestants and Catholics alike.
Ce volume constitue la première édition critique des deux biographies musicales que Romain Rolland fit publier en volume, qui restent parmi les plus populaires de ses œuvres et qui expriment, à travers la diversité de leurs approches, le... more
Ce volume constitue la première édition critique des deux biographies musicales que Romain Rolland fit publier en volume, qui restent parmi les plus populaires de ses œuvres et qui expriment, à travers la diversité de leurs approches, le don d’empathie de leur auteur à l’égard des musiciens.
En el año 2023 se cumplirá el 50 aniversario de la muerte de Pau Casals i Defilló, nacido en 1876 en El Vendrell, y fallecido en 1973 en San Juan de Puerto Rico. Su figura ha generado numerosas publicaciones de distinto ámbito: desde las... more
En el año 2023 se cumplirá el 50 aniversario de la muerte de Pau Casals i Defilló, nacido en 1876 en El Vendrell, y fallecido en 1973 en San Juan de Puerto Rico. Su figura ha generado numerosas publicaciones de distinto ámbito: desde las biografías escritas en formato de “vidas ejemplares”, hasta los trabajos académicos de distinta índole. Aunque se han realizado estudios sobre Casals músico, estos trabajos no son tan numerosos como sería propio de una figura de su envergadura. Puede que la parte artística de Casals se haya visto eclipsada por su imagen más popular como figura del catalanismo, defensor de la Segunda República Española, luchador contra el fascismo a nivel internacional y contra Franco en particular. En este artículo de revisión, se repasan las biografías publicadas sobre Pau Casals, así como las tesis doctorales y trabajos científicos que han aportado nueva información a tener en cuenta. Se hace especial hincapié en los trabajos académicos que estudian aspectos musicales de Casals relacionados con la interpretación musical, dirección orquestal y/o composición musical, además de estudios científicos que tratan su influencia en otros músicos. Para finalizar, se apuntan ciertas cuestiones a considerar sobre las biografías publicadas y el estado actual de la necesaria revisión de la figura de Casals, además de plantear algunas reflexiones sobre el trabajo pendiente acerca del violonchelista catalán. The year 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Casals i Defilló, born in 1876 in El Vendrell and died in 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several works have been published covering different fields on his figure, including biographies in the form of “exemplary lives”. Although some studies about Casals as musician have been undertaken, the number of this kind of works is not as large as on could possibly imagine taking into account his important social and musical roles. One hypothesis is that his artistic side has been historically overshadowed by his relevance as figure of the Catalanism, defender of the Spanish Second Republic, fighter against fascism at the international level and more specifically against Franco. This review article goes through the biographies devoted to Casals, as well as through the doctoral dissertations and scientific studies providing new information. The article specially highlights the academic papers that examine the musical aspects related to his performance, orchestral conducting and musical composition, as well as his influence on other musicians. Finally, several issues concerning the already published biographies and the need to review the figure of Casals are pointed out, along with some considerations about the existing gaps regarding the artistic life of the Catalan violoncellist.
Slavonic and East European Review 96/2 (April 2018), 355-357
Revue Romantisme n°176 (2/2017), Le Portrait, p.70-79.
Resound, Volume 15, Number 3, October 1996
Swiss anthropologist Alois Bucher, unknown to most of his colleagues, certainly spent more time doing fieldwork among nomadic and formerly nomadic groups of interior Borneo than any other. Between 1965 and 1975 he crisscrossed the Muller... more
Swiss anthropologist Alois Bucher, unknown to most of his colleagues, certainly spent more time doing fieldwork among nomadic and formerly nomadic groups of interior Borneo than any other. Between 1965 and 1975 he crisscrossed the Muller mountain range, collecting among these groups a variety of data-ethnographic, historical, oral literature, music-hardly any of which was ever located, let alone published. In 1981, one of us (BS) submitted to this Bulletin a short article (unpublished) partly based on the oral testimonies of the local people, among which Bucher had reached the status of a legendary figure. Twenty-seven years later, new, follow-up research (by AL) in Switzerland unexpectedly allowed for a considerably enriched reconstruction of Alois Bucher's life and deeds in Borneo. Young Alois' deeply religious background, rich and complex inner life, and mystical inclination led him to wish to become a missionary. After two years in a Swiss seminary and higher theological...
Seit jeher bringen Musikwissenschaftler, Literaten und Filmemacher, aber auch musikalische Laien der Biografie Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts außerordentliches Interesse entgegen. Nicht nur etwa zwei Dutzend Spielfilme für Kino und Fernsehen,... more
Seit jeher bringen Musikwissenschaftler, Literaten und Filmemacher, aber auch musikalische Laien der Biografie Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts außerordentliches Interesse entgegen. Nicht nur etwa zwei Dutzend Spielfilme für Kino und Fernsehen, etliche Dokumentarfilme und drei Fernsehserien, auch einige Novellen, Romane, Theaterstücke und sogar ein Musical sind Beispiele für künstlerisch-narrativ-dramatisierte Auseinandersetzung mit Leben und Werk des Komponisten. Die Forschungsliteratur beschäftigte sich bisher vor allem mit dem Spielfilm Amadeus (USA 1984) von Miloš Forman, aber es existieren auch einige vergleichende Aufsätze bzw. Buchkapitel. Dokumentarische Biografiedarstellungen und biografische Fernsehserien werden gegenüber Künstlerbiografien in Spielfilmform (‚Biopics‘) in der Forschung vernachlässigt. Im Zentrum des vorliegenden Essays steht eine systematische Zusammenschau ausgewählter inszenierter und dokumentarischer Mozartbiografiefilme mit Fokus auf der Verarbeitung biografischer Fakten und das Hinzufügen fiktiver Elemente vor dem Hintergrund sozialpolitischer Strömungen und traditioneller Mythen, dem Umgang mit Musik Mozarts, der Darstellung kreativ-schöpferischer Prozesse, der Rolle von Frauen in seinem Umfeld sowie der Umstände seines Todes. Vorweg geht es jedoch um die Tradition des Komponistenfilms sowie das Mozartbild und Mozartbiografien im Wandel der Zeit.