Paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (28 Jun. 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521789508
ISBN-13: 978-0521789509
This Companion is an accessible introduction to Schumann: his time, his temperament, his style and his œuvre. An international team of scholars explores the cultural context, musical and poetic fabric, sources of inspiration and interpretative reach of key works from the Schumann repertoire ranging from his famous lieder and piano pieces to chamber, orchestral and dramatic works. Additional chapters address Schumann’s presence in nineteenth- and twentieth-century composition and the fascinating reception history of his late works. Tables, illustrations, a detailed chronology and advice on further reading make it an ideally informative handbook for both the Schumann connoisseur and the music lover. An excellent textbook for the university student of courses on key composers of nineteenth-century Western Classical music, it is an invaluable guide for all who are interested in the thought, aesthetics and affective power of one of the most intriguing figures of a culturally rich and formative period.
“Beate Perrey’s artistic and aesthetic inquiry no doubt ranks among the most eloquent yet concise reviews yet available”
John Michael Cooper, JMC
“An impressive introduction to the many facets of Schumann’s illustrious life and fascinating music.”
Journal for the Society for Musicology in Ireland
“… the overall excellence of the Cambridge series […] is upheld by this Schumann volume.”
Classical Music
“remarkable editorial vision”
John Michael Cooper, JMC
“Expertly compiled and edited […] A very highly recommended, essential addition to the academic and university music department reference collections.”
Midwest Book Review
“This companion is an excellent starting point.”
Reference Reviews
“Perrey’s ‘Schumann’s Lives and Afterlives: An Introduction’ is … a good overview.”
London Review of Books
“a compendium of topnotch scholarship by leading scholars on Schumann, it certainly deserves the widespread influence that it will be accorded as a member of Cambridge’s composer companions series”
John Michael Cooper, Southwestern University, JMC Project MUSE
“Perrey’s insightful overview […] seamlessly interpolates chronological narrative with reflective-interpretive moments.”
Journal for the Society for Musicology in Ireland
“Readers […] will surely finish this volume newly enlightened.”
Classical Music
“an excellent book”
Choice