Edward MacDowell: A Study

Gilman, Lawrence, 1878-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 236K words
Chapters: 24

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Edward MacDowell: A Study by Lawrence GilmanAuthor: Gilman, Lawrence, 1878-1939,Language: English, Class: ML: Music: Literature of music, Release Date: Nov 21, 2004

Editor's review

Lawrence Gilman's study of MacDowell is a critical biography of the composer written for the general music lover. MacDowell was a representative figure of American Romantic music, and his piano miniatures and orchestral works were once widely popular. In plain prose the book surveys the composer's creative profile and artistic character, combining biographical narrative with commentary on the works; it is short and suited to slow reading in a quiet setting. Readers need no technical knowledge of harmony to take something from the author's descriptions of the music's temperament. As music criticism from the early twentieth century, its language carries the elegance of its era, and to today's reader it has an unhurried charm. For readers who want to understand the roots of American classical music without being overwhelmed by jargon, this is a handy introduction. Note that the book is in the original English and deals with a specific figure in Western music history; readers will find it smoother going if they have a basic interest in that background.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American classical music history and composer biography
Music lovers who want a light introduction to MacDowell and his work
Readers who enjoy the style of early twentieth-century English music criticism
Students of music history seeking supplementary case material on an individual composer

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers expecting systematic score analysis and technical dissection of the works
Readers who are not comfortable with English originals and need a Chinese translation
General readers with no interest in Western classical music

Reading tips

Listen to a few of MacDowell's piano miniatures or orchestral works before turning to the text.
Work through the chapters slowly and note the titles of works mentioned for later listening.
Skip unfamiliar musical names at first and focus on the author's overall judgment of the composer's character.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a Chinese translation?

No. This is an English-language ebook from Project Gutenberg, with the text written in English. Chinese readers will need some English reading ability or reading tools to assist them.

Can I understand it without a music background?

Yes. The book is more of a critical biography than a technical analysis; the author mainly discusses the composer's artistic profile and impressions of the works, and general music lovers should have little trouble following.

Is it suitable as a music history textbook?

Not really. It is a short specialized study that can serve as supplementary reading outside the classroom, helping readers form a concrete impression of MacDowell, but it cannot replace a systematic music history course.

Comments

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About the author

Gilman, Lawrence, 1878-1939 Author

Lawrence Gilman (1878–1939) was an American music critic and writer, though details of his life are difficult to set out fully because public information is limited. Four of his works are held here, all concerned with music: a dedicated study of Debussy's opera Pelléas et Mélisande, an introductory guide for listeners titled Stories of Symphonic Music, a monograph on the composer Edward MacDowell, and Aspects of Modern Opera: Estimates and Inquiries, which examines various questions raised by modern opera. These works show him combining musical analysis, background on the works, and guidance in appreciation, in a clear style suited to both professional readers and general music lovers, giving him a place in early twentieth-century American music popularization and criticism.