THE NEW GROVE SCHUBERT

by Maurice J. E. with Eric Sams Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 1983

By the late author of an authoritative, full-length critical biography of Schubert: the fourth in the New Grove Composer Biography Series--and just-slightly livelier reading than the dry-as-dust entries for Handel and Haydn. Brown blends in a bit of critical appreciation with the brief (70 pp.) life-history--while correcting some Schubert-bio myths and offering his theory about the unfinished state of the ""Unfinished"" symphony: Schubert contracted syphilis while composing it, became desperately ill, and ""the association of the composition of the symphony with the events which led to his illness might have made a return to it repugnant."" And, following the mini-biography, there are brief assessments of Schubert's theater music (Brown suggests revivals of a few operas), his sacred music (it ""rarely arouses. . . immediate feelings of presence or participation""), his songs, song cycles, and instrumental music. With, as always in this series, a definitive work-list and bibliography: a compact reference--but too colorless to serve as an introduction for the casual listener or the curious enthusiast.

Pub Date: April 11, 1983

ISBN: 039331586X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION