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Listening and Understanding

The Language of Music and How to Interpret It. Translated by Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch

by Constantin Floros (Author)
©2017 Monographs 254 Pages

Summary

To grasp music in its depth dimension is an art that can be learned and perfected. Categories of formal analysis here play a subordinate role – at least as important it is to be consciously aware of timbres, dynamic processes, musical characters and expressions. Following general reflections about the art of listening, the volume in hand presents exemplary work analyses. The roster of composers introduced extends from Mozart to Bernstein, that of the genres discussed from the piano piece to the opera. A detailed register and a survey of the chief works referred to make this book an indispensable companion for both scholars and laymen.
About the German edition of this book:
«In Floros’ book all these details unite to form a magnificent mosaic. Individual works discussed meet us in an entirely new light, and we begin to decipher the language of music with a different set of tools.»
(Helmut Peters)

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the authors
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Table of Contents
  • Preface
  • Principles
  • Listening – not merely an “inner vision”
  • Prerequisites for Active Listening
  • Historical Aspects
  • Dimensions of the Musical – Ravel’s Boléro and Messiaen’s Chronochromie
  • “My Language is Understood all over the World” – the Linguistic Aspect of Music
  • Stirring and Calming Music
  • Emotional Listening
  • Exemplary Analyses
  • Psychological Categories
  • Mirth and Melancholy in Mozart
  • “Feeling New Strength” – An Archetypal Situation in Beethoven
  • Symphony
  • Beethoven’s Seventh – the Second Eroica
  • Tragic Overtures and Symphonies
  • Schubert’s “Great” Symphony in C Major and the Austrian Element in Music
  • Love Lyrics in Symphonic Form – Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony
  • Symbolism in Symphonic Music
  • Chamber Music
  • Beethoven’s Late String Quartets
  • Opera and Music Drama
  • The Wolf Gorge Scene in Weber’s Freischütz – a Phantasmagoria of the Satanic
  • Wagner as Epic Poet – the Web of Leitmotifs in The Ring of the Nibelung
  • Fatality of Love – Bizet’s Carmen
  • The Dance of the Seven Veils in Strauss’ Salome
  • Program Music
  • How Relevant are Concealed Programs for the Listener?
  • Chopin’s Nocturne after Hamlet
  • Tchaikovsky’s Symphony pathétique
  • Rachmaninov – Music of Experience
  • Sibelius’ Swan of Tuonela – a Symphonic Legend
  • Strauss’ Tone Poems
  • Ballet Music
  • Tone Color Magic – Stravinsky’s Firebird
  • Impressionist Music
  • Coopting Synesthesia – How to Listen to Debussy
  • Spatial Listening
  • From Antiphony to Stereophony
  • Sacred Music
  • Verdi’s Requiem
  • Religious Ideas through the Medium of Music – From Wagner to Bernstein
  • Epilogue: On Silence – an Essay in Cultural Criticism
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • List of Musical Examples

Constantin Floros

Listening and Understanding

The Language of Music and How to Interpret It
Translated by Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch

About the authors

Constantin Floros is professor emeritus of Musicology at the University of Hamburg. Among his works are volumes on the origin of Gregorian neumes, about Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alban Berg and György Ligeti.

Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch is professor emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Indiana University. He has translated several books by Constantin Floros.

About the book

To grasp music in its depth dimension is an art that can be learned and perfected. Categories of formal analysis here play a subordinate role – at least as important it is to be consciously aware of timbres, dynamic processes, musical characters and expressions. Following general reflections about the art of listening, the volume in hand presents exemplary work analyses. The roster of composers introduced extends from Mozart to Bernstein, that of the genres discussed from the piano piece to the opera. A detailed register and a survey of the chief works referred to make this book an indispensable companion for both scholars and laymen.

About the German edition of this book:
“In Floros’ book all these details unite to form a magnificent mosaic. Individual works discussed meet us in an entirely new light, and we begin to decipher the language of music with a different set of tools.” (Helmut Peters)

This eBook can be cited

This edition of the eBook can be cited. To enable this we have marked the start and end of a page. In cases where a word straddles a page break, the marker is placed inside the word at exactly the same position as in the physical book. This means that occasionally a word might be bifurcated by this marker.

Table of Contents

Preface

Principles

Listening – not merely an “inner vision”

Prerequisites for Active Listening

Historical Aspects

Dimensions of the Musical – Ravels Boléro and Messiaens Chronochromie

“My Language is Understood all over the World” – the Linguistic Aspect of Music

Stirring and Calming Music

Emotional Listening

Exemplary Analyses

Psychological Categories

Mirth and Melancholy in Mozart

“Feeling New Strength” – An Archetypal Situation in Beethoven

Symphony

Beethovens Seventh – the Second Eroica

Tragic Overtures and Symphonies

Schuberts “Great” Symphony in C Major and the Austrian Element in Music ←5 | 6→

Love Lyrics in Symphonic Form – Zemlinskys Lyric Symphony

Symbolism in Symphonic Music

Chamber Music

Beethovens Late String Quartets

Opera and Music Drama

The Wolf Gorge Scene in Webers Freischütz – a Phantasmagoria of the Satanic

Wagner as Epic Poet – the Web of Leitmotifs in The Ring of the Nibelung

Fatality of Love – Bizets Carmen

The Dance of the Seven Veils in Strauss Salome

Program Music

How Relevant are Concealed Programs for the Listener?

Chopins Nocturne after Hamlet

Tchaikovskys Symphony pathétique

Rachmaninov – Music of Experience

Sibelius Swan of Tuonela – a Symphonic Legend

Strauss Tone Poems

Ballet Music

Tone Color Magic – Stravinskys Firebird

Impressionist Music

Coopting Synesthesia – How to Listen to Debussy

Spatial Listening

From Antiphony to Stereophony ←6 | 7→

Sacred Music

Verdis Requiem

Religious Ideas through the Medium of Music – From Wagner to Bernstein

Epilogue: On Silence – an Essay in Cultural Criticism

Bibliography

Index

Details

Pages
254
Publication Year
2017
ISBN (PDF)
9783631723234
ISBN (ePUB)
9783631723241
ISBN (MOBI)
9783631723258
ISBN (Hardcover)
9783631720486
DOI
10.3726/b11490
Language
English
Publication date
2017 (December)
Keywords
Active Listening Historical Aspects Emotional Listening Exemplary Analyses Psychological Categories
Published
Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2017. 254 S., 8 s/w Abb.

Biographical notes

Constantin Floros (Author)

Constantin Floros is professor emeritus of Musicology at the University of Hamburg. Among his works are volumes on the origin of Gregorian neumes, about Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alban Berg and György Ligeti. Ernest Bernhardt-Kabisch is professor emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at Indiana University. He has translated several books by Constantin Floros.

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