Choral Masterworks from Bach to Britten: Reflections of a Conductor / Edition 1

by Robert J. Summer, Daniel Moe

Overview

Sixteen of classical music's greatest choral compositions are discussed at length in Choral Masterworks from Bach to Britten: Reflections of a Conductor. Pieces such as Bach's Mass in B Minor and St. Matthew's Passion, Schubert's Mass in G, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Verdi's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Britten's War Requiem are examined and analyzed in an effort to help performers, students, and listeners more fully understand and appreciate these significant works. Choral professor and conductor Robert J. Summer has combined his personal observations with shared ideas from some of the greatest choral conductors of our time, including Robert Shaw, Sir David Willcocks, Donald Neuen, Julius Herford, and Robert Page. His experiences with some of these conductors, such as his collaboration with Robert Shaw on the recording of Mahler's 8th Symphony, are captured in detail, paying homage to the conductor, the composer, and the work.

Each chapter focuses on an individual work and presents musical analysis, structure, textual symbolism, and identification of traits that endear the work to performers and listeners. Summer comments on the function and relationship of solos, recitatives, and choruses, offering suggestions and considerations for preparing the works for performance. The textual organization of many works is included in appendixes, and the book concludes with a bibliography and a selected discography. Choral Masterworks from Bach to Britten is appropriate both as a textbook for choral literature classes and as a listening guide for the general music lover.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810859036
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/23/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	7.08(w) x 10.07(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Robert J. Summer is professor of choral studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa and founding conductor of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay.

Table of Contents

Part 1 List of Figures
Part 2 List of Musical Examples
Part 3 Foreword by Daniel Moe
Part 4 Preface
Part 5 Acknowledgments
Part 6 1. Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Part 7 2. George Frideric Handel: Messiah
Part 8 3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626
Part 9 4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339
Part 10 5 Franz Joseph Haydn: The Creation
Part 11 6. Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis, Op. 123
Part 12 7. Franz Schubert: Mass in G Major, D. 167
Part 13 8. Felix Mendelssohn: Suggestions for Abridged Versions of Elijah
Part 14 9. Johannes Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45
Part 15 10. Giuseppe Verdi: Manzoni Requiem
Part 16 11a. Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand")
Part 17 11b. Recording the Mahler Eighth with Robert Shaw
Part 18 12. Gabriel Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48
Part 19 13. Maurice Daruflé: Requiem, Op. 9
Part 20 14. Igor Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Part 21 15. Benjamin Britten: Relationships of the Latin Requiem Mass to Wilfred Owen's Poetry in the Britten War Requiem
Part 22 Appendix A: Text Organizational Chart for Handel's Messiah
Part 23 Appendix B: Text Organizational Chart for Mendelssohn's Elijah
Part 24 Appendix C: The Textual Organization of Johann Sebastian Bach's The Passion according to St. Matthew
Part 25 Appendix D: Translation of the Text of the Ordinary of the Mass
Part 26 Appendix E: Translation of the Text of the Requiem Mass
Part 27 Selected Discography of CD Recordings
Part 28 Selected Bibliography
Part 29 Index of Names
Part 30 About the Author

What People are Saying About This

Thomas Shaw

Your account of the rehearsal and the performance of Mahler Eighth was both illuminating and deeply moving. I can't tell you how much I value reading or hearing about other musicians' experiences with my father; the stories form a bridge to his memory, and through them his spirit is kept alive.

Daniel Moe

No matter how long we have been working as teachers/conductors, we continue to need inspiration and nourishment. This volume contains precisely the nourishment we need. For anyone who wants to know choral masterworks in greater depth, here is the source you have been waiting for.

Doreen Rao

Happily, the writing connects analysis with practice! It does so easily and consistently, making the writing approachable and attractive to those who practice the art of teaching and conducting choral music.

Bruce Chamberlain

The book gains validity from the fact that the author has actually conducted all of these works and "lived and breathed" them from the practical standpoint of a conductor, bringing them to life in performance, and not just as an academic pouring over the scores in the privacy of the studio....The scholarship is of the finest order, referencing classic established sources side-by-side with the most current musicological publications. The author has a wonderful way in whetting the reader's appetite for further study.

Editorial Reviews

No matter how long we have been working as teachers/conductors, we continue to need inspiration and nourishment. This volume contains precisely the nourishment we need. For anyone who wants to know choral masterworks in greater depth, here is the source you have been waiting for.

Daniel Moe

Summer (choral studies, U. of South Florida, Tampa) discusses 15 choral compositions in depth for performers, students, and listeners. Pieces include Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah , Haydn's Creation , Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem , Mahler's Symphony No. 8, requiems by Duruflé and Fauré, and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. He analyzes each piece and discusses conducting considerations, historical context, and textual elements.

Reference and Research Book News

Robert Summer has written a book that should be considered for every choral conductor's library....It could also serve as an ideal textbook for an undergraduate choral literature class....A practical resource written from the vantage point of a performing musician. I strongly recommend this text.

Choral Journal

The book gains validity from the fact that the author has actually conducted all of these works and "lived and breathed" them from the practical standpoint of a conductor, bringing them to life in performance, and not just as an academic pouring over the scores in the privacy of the studio....The scholarship is of the finest order, referencing classic established sources side-by-side with the most current musicological publications. The author has a wonderful way in whetting the reader's appetite for further study.

Dr. Bruce Chamberlain

Your account of the rehearsal and the performance of Mahler Eighth was both illuminating and deeply moving. I can't tell you how much I value reading or hearing about other musicians' experiences with my father; the stories form a bridge to his memory, and through them his spirit is kept alive.

Thomas Shaw

Recommended.

Choice Reviews

Happily, the writing connects analysis with practice! It does so easily and consistently, making the writing approachable and attractive to those who practice the art of teaching and conducting choral music.

Dr. Doreen Rao

Offers insightful, handy, and readable observations about a range of commonly known and loved large works. Those who would ordinarily collect such titles will find it indispensable.

The American Organist

Recommended.

Choice

Recommended.

CHOICE

Robert Summer has written a book that should be considered for every choral conductor's library....It could also serve as an ideal textbook for an undergraduate choral literature class....A practical resource written from the vantage point of a performing musician. I strongly recommend this text.

November 2007 Choral Journal

Summer (choral studies, U. of South Florida, Tampa) discusses 15 choral compositions in depth for performers, students, and listeners. Pieces include Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah , Haydn's Creation , Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem , Mahler's Symphony No. 8, requiems by Duruflé and Fauré, and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms . He analyzes each piece and discusses conducting considerations, historical context, and textual elements.

May 2007 Reference and Research Book News