Mahler

By George Michael Sinclair Kennedy and Michael Kennedy

Book Overview

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 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.
In this revised edition, Michael Kennedy has drawn on new documentary evidence which has enabled him to give a much fuller account of Mahler's childhood and youth, and of his years as an opera conductor in Cassel, Prague, Leipzig, Budapest, Hamburg, and Vienna. All Mahler's works are discussed, and the latest research on the Eighth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde has been incorporated.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198164807
• ISBN13: 9780198164807
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

excellent introduction

Two books in one, because it divides sharply into two parts. The first half, running about 110 pages, is a very readable biography. The second half, running about 75 pages, provides analysis of what you'll hear in each of Mahler's compositions. For example, one chapter is devoted to "The Song of the Earth" and it runs 11 pages. This makes the book a very useful reference for getting to know each of Mahler's works.

A Good Read...

. In the hackneyed phrase, this seems a "fair and balanced" presentation and critique of Mahler's life and works. It's not exhaustively long, which makes it a pleasant read. By the way, Kennedy rates Das Lied von der Erde as Mahler's greatest overall work Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde / Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra ; he also highly esteems the Kindertotenlieder, and rates the Sixth as Mahler's greatest symphony Mahler: Symphony No6; Rückert Lieder : I think he's pretty close to being right on all scores. .