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Celebrating its 100th anniversary, this extraordinary series continues to amaze and captivate its readers with detailed insight into the lives and work of music's geniuses. Unlike other composer biographies that focus narrowly on the music, this series explores the personal history of each composer and the social context surrounding the music. In a precise, engaging, and authoritative manner, each volume combines a vivid portrait of the master musicians' inspirations, influences, life experiences, even their weaknesses, with an accessible discussion of their work--all in roughly 300 pages. Further, each volume offers superb reference material, including a detailed life and times chronology, a complete list of works, a personalia glossary highlighting the important people in the composer's life, and a select bibliography. Under the supervision of music expert and series general editor Stanley Sadie, Master Musicians will certainly proceed to delight music scholars, serious musicians, and all music lovers for another hundred years.
This volume investigates the life and creative output of Claudio Monteverdi, examining how his innovations bridged the gap between Renaissance polyphony and the emerging Baroque style. Denis Arnold, a noted musicologist, utilizes primary source documents and historical records to reconstruct the composer's career in Mantua and Venice. The work argues that Monteverdi's personal experiences and the shifting social structures of 17th-century Italy were fundamental to his development of the seconda pratica. By situating the composer within his specific cultural milieu, Arnold provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolution of Western vocal music.
What You Will Find
Experts recognize this volume as a foundational text for students of music history due to its balance of biographical detail and technical musical analysis. Readers frequently note the clarity of Arnold's prose, which makes complex musicological concepts accessible to both scholars and enthusiasts.
Page Count:
264
Publication Date:
2001-11-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0198164653
ISBN-13:
9780198164654
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