Author Description

The evolution of the symphony is one of the greatest achievements of the Western musical mind. Its 250-year history--how it began to challenge the traditional superiority of vocal music to eventually become regarded as one of the most fulfilling genres in music--is rich and fascinating. From the early symphonies of seventeenth century through the greatest symphonist of all, Beethoven, to the present day, A Guide to the Symphony is a comprehensive and readable guide for anyone who listens to classical music at concerts, on disc, or on the radio.Here, Robert Layton and an international team of scholars present a detailed guide to the history of symphony following its growth and development up to the age of Beethoven, and charting its divergent course in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries throughout the world. Among the distinguished contributors, each a specialist in his own field, are H.C. Robbins Landon, well known for his regular television appearances throughout Britain and his many books on Mozart and Haydn; David Brown, the world's leading authority on Tchaikovsky and nineteenth-century Russian music; Richard Osborne, presenter of the BBC's Saturday Review, biographer of Gioachino Rossini and acclaimed Beethoven expert; and Robert Layton himself, Britain's leading authority on Scandinavian music. Every major symphonist is covered, including such greats as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler Jean Sibelius, and Carl Nielsen.With nearly 120 musical examples, and a list of over 500 recommended recordings, A Guide to the Symphony is must reading for any serious music lover. Whether you want a fresh view of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, an assessment of Schumann's contributions to the symphony, or an introduction to more forbidding composers like Henze and Tippett, this informative and accessible work will guide, illuminate, and stimulate.