Martinu and the Symphony - (Symphonic Studies) by Michael Crump (Hardcover)

About the Book

The first systematic assessment of the symphonic style of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu [1890-1959], tracing the evolution of his musical language and including detailed analyses of all six symphonies.

Book Synopsis

The first systematic assessment of the symphonic style of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu [1890-1959], tracing the evolution of his musical language and including detailed analyses of all six symphonies.

Over the past few decades the music of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) has enjoyed a slow but steady rise in popularity, and his six symphonies, written between 1942 and 1953, have now been recorded many times; concert performances are on the increase, too. But Martinu and the Symphony is not only the first book in English intended to help the music-lover to a deeper understanding of these glorious works - it is by far the most comprehensive work on the subject in any language. Each Symphony is examined in turn, the analyses revealing what makes each creation so individual yet also so clearly part of a close-knit family of works and identifying the elements of his melodic, harmonic and instrumental style which produce Martinu's very personal vibrant and organic symphonic manner.

Martinu and the Symphony is illustrated with almost 200 musical examples, taken not only fromthe Symphonies but also from his other works for large orchestra. His path to symphonic mastery is examined in unprecedented detail: attention is at last paid to the early orchestral works which, although largely unperformed andunpublished even now, afford fascinating glimpses of the composer to come. A study of the late triptychs The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca and The Parables rounds out this appraisal of Martinus enthralling symphonic and orchestral legacy.

Review Quotes

[A] major study of his music, based round his set of six Symphonies, is to be welcomed in the wake of the anniversary of his death. Michael Crump really knows his Martinu, and he obviously wants to share his enthusiasm with us [...] handsomely produced.-- "MUSICAL POINTERS"

Crump provides... a sequence of magnificently enlarged programme essays that will surely resonate with the composer's admirers and also provoke wider interest. ... [Crump's] passion is infectious.-- "TLS"

Crump quotes with approval Martinu's injunction to composers to 'be wary of false magnitude' [...]. He has evidently taken that injunction to heart and applied it to his own writing, and in the process he has produced an engaging book that should do much to enhance the esteem of a unique and treasurable corner of the symphonic repertory.-- "MUSIC & LETTERS"

Crump's comprehensive investigation of Martinu's symphonic legacy is a particularly welcome occasion. ... [the author's] musical descriptions provide a personal perspective that acts as a counterweight to the more formal analysis. This dual approach seems perfectly suitable, and indeed reflects the music of Martinu itself.-- "MLA NOTES"

Dans la langue de Shakespeare (quoique dans un style facilement abordable), Michael Crump nous invite à une exploration très pédagogique des ouvres symphoniques du maître de Poliuka. [...] Crump livre également -en trois chapitres séparés- une brillante synthèse analytique sur le style mélodique, l'harmonie et l'art de l'orchestration de Martinu [...] Cet ouvrage trouve une place de choix dans la bibliothèque des admirateurs de Martinu.-- "CRESCENDO"

This is the first book in English on this topic intended to help the music-lover to a deeper understanding of the Symphonies and orchestral music of Martinu. The author identifies the elements of his melodic, harmonic and instrumental style which produce Martinu's very personal vibrant and organic symphonic manner. The book is illustrated with almost 200 musical examples, taken not only from the Symphonies but also from Martinu's other works for large orchestra.-- "MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL"