Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work - Hardcover

Wightman, Alistair

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1859283918 ISBN 13: 9781859283912

Publisher: Routledge, 1999

Synopsis

The music of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years. Despite wide recognition in his own lifetime, Szymanowski’s works were somewhat overlooked in the decades following his death. Outside Poland, changing fashions militated against acceptance of his achievement, and subsequent generations of Polish composers regarded his music as too reactionary to provide a basis on which to found a national musical identity. In this full-scale study of Karol Szymanowski’s life and music, Alistair Wightman explores the composer’s position as a constant outsider in his own country, yet a ’good European’ in the ways in which he responded positively to a diverse range of musical talents, in particular as Stravinsky, Strauss, Berg, Hindemith, Prokofiev and Ravel. The book throws light on Szymanowski’s relationship to the Polish musical establishment, the reception of his works at home and abroad, his work as an educationalist, and the essentially European dimension of his art, drawing on letters, polemical writings, verse, theatrical sketches and the memoirs of family, friends and contemporaries. All of Szymanowski’s significant works are discussed, illustrated with nearly 140 music examples. Evaluation is made of the close links existing between the composer’s musical and literary works from the earliest stages of his career, as well as the various ideological strands that went together to form the unique, humanistic synthesis, characteristic of his mature work.

About this title

Review:

'...substantial critical biography...Wightman presents this extraordinary life with balance and finesse...the story is a fascinating one and is excellently told.' BBC Music Magazine '... this well-documented volume will expand appreciation for Szymanowski's music and artistic achievement.' Slavic Review

Synopsis:

Despite wide recognition during his own lifetime, the works of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) were somewhat overlooked in the decades following his death. In this study of Szymanowski's life and music, Alistair Wightman explores the composer's position as a constant outsider in his own country, yet as a "good European" in the ways in which he arrived at an accommodation with such diverse figures as Stravinsky, Strauss, Berg, Hindemith, Prokofiev and Ravel. The book throws light on Szymanowski's relationship to the Polish musical establishment, the reception of his works at home and abroad, his work as an educationalist, and the essentially European dimension of his art, drawing upon letters, polemical writings, verse, theatrical sketches and the memoirs of family, friends and contemporaries. All of Szymanowkski's significant works are discussed, and illustrated with 200 music examples. Evaluation is made of the close links existing between the composer's musical and literary works from the earliest stages of his career, as well as the various ideological strands that went together to form the humanistic synthesis characteristic of his mature work.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1859283918
• ISBN 13: 9781859283912
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 528