Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies

The 1896 corrected and indexed second edition of a classic of musical analysis, exploring this revolutionary body of compositions.

George Grove (Author)

9781108068581, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 January 2014

420 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.4 cm, 0.53 kg

Beethoven's symphonies captured the public imagination from the outset and remain compelling today. Revolutionary in their time, these life-enhancing works now sit at the centre of the classical music repertoire, retaining their ability to delight and inspire. The career of Sir George Grove (1820–1900) ranged from civil engineering to biblical scholarship, but he is best known for editing his celebrated Dictionary of Music and Musicians. A driving force at the heart of nineteenth-century British musical life, Grove organised important concerts at the rebuilt Crystal Palace in Sydenham, and he served as the first director of the Royal College of Music from 1883 to 1894. First published in 1896, and reissued here in its swiftly corrected and indexed second edition, this work is a classic of musical analysis, exploring the composition, structure, performance and reception of each symphony in turn. Intended for 'the amateurs of this country', it represents the culmination of a lifetime's research.

Preface
List of symphonies
1. Symphony no. 1
2. Advertisement
3. Symphony no. 2
4. Beethoven's 'testament'
5. Symphony no. 3
6. Symphony no. 4
7. The love-letters
8. Beethoven at Gneixendorf
9. Symphony no. 5
10. Symphony no. 6
11. Symphony no. 7
12. Symphony no. 8
13. Symphony no. 9
14. Schiller's ode 'An die Freude'
Index.

Subject Areas: Classical music [c 1750 to c 1830 AVGC4]