Bachs St. Matthew Passion is universally acknowledged to be one of the worlds supreme musical masterpieces; yet in the years after Bachs death it was forgotten by all but a small number of his pupils and admirers. The public rediscovered it in 1829; when Felix Mendelssohn conducted the work before a glittering audience of Berlin artists and intellectuals; Prussian royals; and civic notables. The concert soon became the stuff of legend; sparking a revival of interest in and performance of Bach that has continued to this day.Mendelssohns performance gave rise to the notion that recovering and performing Bachs music was somehow "national work." In 1865 Wagner would claim that Bach embodied "the history of the German spirits inmost life." That the man most responsible for the revival of a masterwork of German Protestant culture was himself a converted Jew struck contemporaries as less remarkable than it does us todaymdash;a statement that embraces both the great achievements and the disasters of 150 years of German history.In this book; Celia Applegate asks why this particular performance crystallized the hitherto inchoate notion that music was central to Germans collective identity. She begins with a wonderfully readable reconstruction of the performance itself and then moves back in time to pull apart the various cultural strands that would come together that afternoon in the Singakademie. The author investigates the role played by intellectuals; journalists; and amateur musicians (she is one herself) in developing the notion that Germans were "the people of music." Applegate assesses the impact on musics cultural place of the renewal of German Protestantism; historicism; the mania for collecting and restoring; and romanticism. In her conclusion; she looks at the subsequent careers of her protagonists and the lasting reverberations of the 1829 performance itself.
2014-02-14 2014-02-14File Name: B00O0VDLUQ
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This looks great so far but I wanted to point out that ...By AshleyThis looks great so far but I wanted to point out that one of the other reviewers is incorrect - someone mentioned that all the songs are arranged in C; and they are not. If youve got the skills you can re-arrange/transpose them into C for your students but dont take it for granted that all these songs are going to be easy. My guess is that my beginner will be able to pick up a few phrases from a few of the songs early on but that itll take a while to get to the point that shell be able to play any in their entirety. Recommend; but have a realistic outlook. "Easy" means probably beginners who are a year or 2 in.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. NOT ONE BIT EASYBy Puff n GruntThese are mostly lovely tunes and mostly faithful to the music in the three films of the "Rings" trilogy but the title of this book is a misnomer. I am a three-year piano student and I practice an hour a day and I am here to tell you there is nothing "easy" about this music book. The notes are clearly marked and the chords are awkwardly achievable but many notes are uncomfortably sited on the staff and after several months of practice they are still too far apart for me to manage performance tempo. Howard Shores earlier 2002 "Rings" music book of "Fellowship" tunes was difficult but somehow much more playable in that the music flowed as I am used to hearing it in the film. I am therefor led to believe Dan Coates arranging skills leave much to be desired. That said; "Evenstar" is hauntingly beautiful and alone is worth the price of the book.76 of 79 people found the following review helpful. Adult re-beginnerBy Karen Tiede"Easy" is a hard word. Im just coming back to the keyboard after 30+ years away and I cant say what level of player I was when I left (past Fur Elise; stalled on the Moonlight Sonata). Have been buying a host of popular music for "easy" piano and it varies. Some is so simplified I have it down on the third time through; others send me to the flash cards to learn what those off-staff notes are. LOTR is right in the middle of the range.--A few songs from each of the three movies. In Dreams and Concerning Hobbits are the ones Im learning first; will go back to the DVD and listen differently to decide which of the remaining songs I liked enough to want to learn.--For the most part; no more than four notes in play at any one time; and a lot places where the music is one note; each hand. A smattering of 16th notes but mostly quarters; some eighths; and half notes.--Easy key signatures; mostly C and the rest two sharps or two flats max.--Lots and lots of 12-note arpeggios without a lot of fingering assistance in the left hand.--Notes range two octaves above and below middle C.In sum? There are enough notes on each page that the song sounds good; yet easy enough to recognize the tune on the first or second time through. Plan: master this book; then buy the individual movie scores one at a time as I get better and want a richer sound.
