
Isaac Albeniz
Portrait of a Romantic
Walter Aaron Clark(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 23. May 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
358 pages
978-0-19-925052-3 (ISBN)
Description
Walter Aaron Clark's detailed and accurate account (the first in English) of one of the most intriguing figures of the Romantic period is now available in paperback. Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), a renowned concert pianist, created a national style of Spanish piano music and also fostered the growth in Spain of the concerto, orchestral music, and opera. His career was to become the stuff of legend: a touring child prodigy who supposedly stowed away on a steamer to the New World, he later studied with Liszt, and eventually became ensnared in a 'Faustian pact' with the wealthy English librettist Frances Burdett Money-Coutts. Based on a wealth of new and previously overlooked documentary evidence, this biography debunks the mythology surrounding Albeniz's career--much of it spun by the composer himself--and reveals a complex individual who was able to capture the mystery of Spain in his music yet who in reality felt estranged from his homeland.
Reviews / Votes
This is not only the most but the first factually reliable biography of Alberniz ever published. Clark is not only entertaining but admirably concise. This is a book without waffle, without academic jargonese, without pretension of any kind. Clark calls it a 'portrait'. It is very much more. * Bettina Neumann, Bookshelf * Walter Clarke's book is so much more than a portrait. He makes this a journey thourhg the fascinating world of the great virtuoso, a journey to amaze, to shock and to impress. The photos are very interesting and the list of his works is staggering ... genius at work. Mr Clark is to be complimented for bringing to life this gigantic personality...Albeniz would today have been Hollywood material today. I am sure the book will sell and sell and sell. * Neil Smith, Classical Guitar Magazine * Clark makes a convincing case for a revision of received opinion in a clear, scholarly but readable narrative that is refreshingly untrendy ... Clark's biography has much to recommend it. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of fin-de-siecle European musical life that forms a kind of incidental accompaniment to the main story. * Tess Knighton, Times Literary Supplement *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
numerous music examples, 16pp halftone plates, frontispiece and 1 map
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
555 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-925052-3 (9780199250523)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
04/1999
Oxford University Press
€220.11
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
04/1999
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€87.49
Available for download
Person
Author
, Assistant Professor of Musicology, Department of Music and Dance, University of Kansas
Content
1. THE PHENOMENON (1860-75); APPENDIX 1: GENEALOGICAL TREE; APPENDIX 2: LIST OF WORKS; GENERAL INDEX