Karol Szymanowski (1881-1937), the most important Polish composer after Chopin, wrote only two operas, the second of which, King Roger, completed in 1924, is a masterpiece. After decades of neglect this magnificent work has begun to receive more attention around the world, and this first extended study of King Roger investigates its origins, uncovers its ideology, examines its music and documents its history. The book opens with an outline of the role the theatre played in Szymanowski's career, from his early operetta, Lottery for Husbands, and the rousing ballet panotmime, Harnasie, based on legends from the Polish highlands. In tracing the evolution of King Roger from conception to completion, Alistair Wightman, one of the leading Szymanowki scholars, examines the contribution of the co-librettist, Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, and serveys the various strands which make up its ideology, from Euripides The Bacchae and Plato Phaedrus and The Symposium to works by Pater, Nietzsche, Merezhkovsky and Micinski. He charts Szymanowski's fascination with the historical background of the opera, the world of the twelfth-century ruler of Norman Sicily, Roger II (1095-1154). Szymanowski's own novel, Efebos, written in 1918-19 and only partially preserved offers intriguing parallels with his opera.

Szymanowski's King Roger: The Opera and its Origins

Arts & Photography

Wightman, Alistair

Music

Toccata Press

Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work

The music of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years. Despite wide recognition in his own lifetime, Szymanowski’s works were somewhat overlooked in the decades following his death. Outside Poland, changing fashions militated against acceptance of his achievement, and subsequent generations of Polish composers regarded his music as too reactionary to provide a basis on which to found a national musical identity. In this full-scale study of Karol Szymanowski’s life and music, Alistair Wightman explores the composer’s position as a constant outsider in his own country, yet a ’good European’ in the ways in which he responded positively to a diverse range of musical talents, in particular as Stravinsky, Strauss, Berg, Hindemith, Prokofiev and Ravel. The book throws light on Szymanowski’s relationship to the Polish musical establishment, the reception of his works at home and abroad, his work as an educationalist, and the essentially European dimension of his art, drawing on letters, polemical writings, verse, theatrical sketches and the memoirs of family, friends and contemporaries. All of Szymanowski’s significant works are discussed, illustrated with nearly 140 music examples. Evaluation is made of the close links existing between the composer’s musical and literary works from the earliest stages of his career, as well as the various ideological strands that went together to form the unique, humanistic synthesis, characteristic of his mature work.

Reference

Routledge

Written in a clear and concise manner by an experienced examiner and teacher, it includes: an introduction to the exam that explains what you'll be expected to know; a succinct revision section that presents all of the key facts for each set work, broken down into individual segments on the elements of music; sample essay questions, mark schemes and answers; helpful hints on how to improve your own written answers in the exam; and a comprehensive glossary.

EDEXCEL A2 Music Revision Guide

Omnibus Press

Written in a clear and concise manner by an experienced examiner and teacher, it includes: an introduction to the exam that explains what you'll be expected to know a succinct revision section that presents all of the key facts for each set work, broken down into individual segments on the elements of music sample essay questions, mark schemes and answers helpful hints on how to improve your own written answers in the exam a comprehensive glossary.

Edexcel: A2 Revision Guide

Music Sales Ltd

This revision guide presents all of the key information you will need to know for the written exam (Component 3 - Appraising) of the 2016 AS Level specification, first being assessed in 2017. It includes:* The most important facts about each of the AS Level set works* Extensive practice for the main essay question in the exam (Section B, essay 2), including sample answers and 'examiner's points'* Top tips for preparing for the exam* A guide to the terminology you will need to know, to help you prepare for questions on the set works and 'unfamiliar' works.

Edexcel AS Level Music Revision Guide

Rhinegold Education

Writing About Music Workbook

Rhinegold

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wightman, Alistair. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wightman, Alistair

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wightman, Alistair. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Szymanowski's King Roger: The Opera and its Origins

Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work

EDEXCEL A2 Music Revision Guide

Edexcel: A2 Revision Guide

Edexcel AS Level Music Revision Guide

Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work

Writing About Music Workbook