Haydn: The Creation

by Nicholas Temperley

Overview

Haydn's Creation is one of the great masterpieces of the classical period. This absorbing and original account of the work provides an indispensable guide for the concert-goer, performer and student alike. The author places the work within the oratorio tradition, and contrasts the theological and literary character of the English libretto with the Viennese milieu of the first performances. The complete text is provided in both German and English versions as a useful reference point for discussion of the design of the work, the musical treatment of the words, including questions of Haydn's pictorialism, and a detailed examination of the different movement types employed. The book also contains a brief history of the reception of the work with appendices of notes on the changing performance traditions and selected extracts from critical accounts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521378659
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/31/1991
Series:	Cambridge Music Handbooks
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.43(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword; 1. Background; 2. Theology; 3. The libretto; 4. Composition, performance and reception; 5. Design of the work; 6. Musical analysis; 7. Excerpts from critical essays; Appendices; Footnotes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...the book is rich with information drawn from old writings and from new research and combined into one volume for the first time. Some of the information contained in the book will be eye-opening even for the experienced choral conductor well-acquainted with The Creation. However, the book is also written in a way that also makes it accessible to the novice musician." Richard Clemmitt, The Choral Journal

"Nicholas Temperley's excellent short book Haydn: The Creation answers all the questions a non-specialized listener is likely to have." Joseph McLellan, Washington Post

From the Publisher