Edward Elgar and the Nostalgic Imagination - Hardcover

Riley, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521863619 ISBN 13: 9780521863612

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007

Synopsis

During his lifetime, and in the course of the twentieth century, Edward Elgar and his music became sites for a remarkable variety of nostalgic impulses. These are manifested in his personal life, in the content of his works, in his critical and biographical reception, and in numerous artistic ventures based on his character and music. Today Elgar enjoys renewed popularity in Britain, and nostalgia of various forms continues to shape our responses to his music. From one viewpoint, Elgarian nostalgia might be dismissed as escapist, regressive and reactionary, and the revival in Elgar's fortunes regarded as the symptom of a pernicious 'heritage industry' in post-colonial, post-industrial Britain. While there is undeniably a grain of truth to that view, Matthew Riley's careful treatment of the topic reveals a more complex picture of nostalgia, and sheds light on Elgar and his cultural significance in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

About this title

Review:

Review of the hardback: '... a heavyweight and widely researched production, at its most distinguished when close descriptive musical analysis focuses ideas and sets off fascinating trains of thought.' Musical Times

Review of the hardback: 'It is built round various abstracts nouns, each applied to Elgar in turn.' The Times Literary Supplement

Review of the hardback: 'There is a particularly limpid and acute discussion of the relations between music and literature involved...' The Times Literary Supplement

Book Description:

Elgar is today arguably the most popular British classical composer. During his lifetime, and since his death, Elgar's work has become closely associated with nostalgia of various forms. A controversial topic in contemporary Britain, nostalgia has been condemned as escapist, but here Riley offers a cautious defence of Elgarian nostalgia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0521863619
• ISBN 13: 9780521863612
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 254