The Late Baroque Era: From the 1660s to 1740
1995; Volume: 15; Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2291-2436
Autores Tópico(s)Musicology and Musical Analysis
ResumoGeorge J. Buelow, editor. Late Era: From 1660s to 1740. and Society. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1993. xii, 522 pp. ISBN 0-13-104340-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-13-529983-7 (paperback), referred to below as II: 1. George J. Buelow, Music and Society in Late Era; 2. Malcolm Boyd, Rome: Power of Patronage; 3. Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Venice in an Era of Political Decline; 4. Carolyn Gianturco, Naples: a City of Entertainment; 5. Julie Anne Sadie, Paris and Versailles; 6. George J. Buelow, Hamburg and Lubeck; 7. George J. Buelow, Dresden in Age of Absolutism; 8. Bernd Baselt, Brandenburg-Prussia and Central German Courts; 9. George B. Stauffer, Leipzig: a Cosmopolitan Trade Centre; 10. Robert Munster, Courts and Monasteries in Bavaria; 11. Susan Wollenberg, Vienna under Joseph I and Charles VI; 12. Donald Burrows, London: Commercial Wealth and Cultural Expansion; 13. Rudolf Rasch, The Dutch Republic; 14. Louise K, Stein, The Iberian Peninsula; 15. Milos Velimirovid, Warsaw, Moscow and St Petersburg. These two books take a fresh look at period by abandoning usual emphasis on musical analysis, and concentrating instead on context in which music was composed. Both books begin with excellent introductions by editors, Curtis Price and George Buelow. Both give an overview of different aspects of baroque period, putting musical developments in perspective and dispelling myths concerning, for example, dissemination of musical styles. Price discusses move from so-called ars perfecta of late Renaissance to expressive vocal and instrumental music of 'second practice (I: 1). He then concentrates on two areas of baroque music: The diffusion of Italian musical culture, including a look at development of continue; and Opera: an international perspective. Buelow, on other hand, begins with a general introduction to late baroque period, noting origins and meaning of term baroque. He outlines problems with the very notion of a single 'Baroque' style because of diversity of styles found within period covered by Baroque (II: 2). Buelow's discussion looks at a number of different areas: Music and patronage; Style as a focus of creativity; Instrumental music in late Baroque; The legacy of in music; and Bach and Handel. These introductory chapters are representative of volumes as a whole in that they assume a certain amount of musical knowledge, but explain important concepts, such as continue, for non-specialist readers. A careful balance between writing for general reader and writing for early music specialist is, on whole, maintained. Although interrelated (with cross-references to earlier chapters), each chapter has its own particular structure. This type of approach creates problems for editor attempting to ensure a degree of continuity and consistency with such diverse styles of writing and choices of topic. It means, however, that authors are not forced into discussing issues that are not relevant. Since each chapter (almost without exception) reads well and abounds with interesting material, problem of overall consistency becomes almost irrelevant. reader can enjoy one chapter at a time, without needing to read whole book at one sitting. Each chapter is subdivided into sections, and it would have been useful to have had these listed in table of contents for ease of reference. emphasis upon geographical centres does not allow for a traditional chronological approach and results in certain anomolies. Each chapter concentrates on a particular city or region and each covers a slightly different chronological period. For example, there is a chapter on Florence: Musical Spectacle and Drama, 1570-1650 (I: 121-45), followed by a chapter on Vienna, 1580-1705 (I: 146-63). …
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