Gerald Abraham (1904–1988)

First published in 1939, On Russian Music was conceived by Gerald Abraham as a sequel to his earlier Studies in Russian Music, and complements the previous work in many useful respects. Glinka moves to the forefront via close study of both of his operas. A historical account of the composition of Borodin's Prince Igor enriches the critical study made in the first book. And chapters on Mlada and Tsar Saltan round out Abraham's appreciations of the major operas of Rimsky-Korsakov.

There are also critical and historical essays on works by Mussorgsky, Dargomïzhsky, Tchaikovsky and other composers, and analyses that, in their time, threw new light on the programmatic meaning of such well-known compositions as Scheherazade and the Pathétique symphony.… (mais)

The Concise Oxford History of Music, written by one of the world's most respected musicologists, is the one-volume history for anyone seriously interested in the subject. This comprehensive work covers the whole history of music by genre from its first recorded emergence in Egypt to the death of Stravinsky.

Over three hundred musical examples, illustrations, and suggestions for further reading enrich this authoritative volume, and the style id as clear and attractive as all of Abraham's previous writing.… (mais)