The Cambridge Companion to Arvo Pärt

An authoritative guide to Arvo Pärt, this Companion provides a rounded picture of the man and his music.

Andrew Shenton (Edited by)

9780521279109, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 May 2012

274 pages, 8 b/w illus. 3 tables 45 music examples
24.4 x 17.3 x 1.5 cm, 0.54 kg

'… furnishes a fascinating portrait of the composer as a 'cosmopolitan persona of global renown' …' Scott Ordway, MAKE Literary Magazine

Arvo Pärt is one of the most influential and widely performed contemporary composers. Around 1976 he developed an innovative new compositional technique called 'tintinnabuli' (Latin for 'sounding bells'), which has had an extraordinary degree of success. It is frequently performed around the world, has been used in award-winning films, and pieces such as Für Alina and Spiegel im Siegel have become standard repertoire. This collection of essays, written by a distinguished international group of scholars and performers, is the essential guide to Arvo Pärt and his music. The book begins with a general introduction to Pärt's life and works, covering important biographical details and outlining his most significant compositions. Two chapters analyze the tintinnabuli style and are complemented by essays which discuss Pärt's creative process. The book also examines the spiritual aspect of Pärt's music and contextualizes him in the cultural milieu of the twenty-first century and in the marketplace.

Chronology
1. Introduction: the essential and phenomenal Arvo Pärt Andrew Shenton
2. A narrow path to the truth: Arvo Pärt and the 1960s and 1970s in Soviet Estonia Immo Mihkelson
3. Arvo Pärt after 1980 Jeffers Engelhardt
4. Musical archetypes: the basic elements of the tintinnabuli style Leopold Brauneiss
5. Analyzing Pärt Thomas Robinson
6. Arvo Pärt: in his own words Andrew Shenton
7. Bells as inspiration for tintinnabulation Marguerite Bostonia
8. Arvo Pärt and spirituality Robert Sholl
9. The minimalism of Arvo Pärt: an 'antidote' to modernism and multiplicity? Benjamin Skipp
10. Arvo Pärt in the marketplace Laura Dolp
Appendices: A. Radiating from silence: the works of Arvo Pärt seen through a musician's eyes Andreas Peer Kähler
B. Greatly sensitive: Alfred Schnittke in Tallinn Arvo Pärt
C. Remembering Heino Eller Arvo Pärt
D. Acceptance speech for the International Bridge Prize of the city of Görlitz Arvo Pärt
E. Acceptance speech given for the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2008 Arvo Pärt
Works list
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH], 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6], Music reviews & criticism [AVC]