
Carl Maria von Weber
Oberon and Cosmopolitanism in the Early German Romantic
Joseph E. Morgan(Author)
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published on 11. September 2014
Book
Hardback
328 pages
978-1-4422-3594-6 (ISBN)
Description
Renowned music historian Philipp Spitta has written that "of all the German musicians of the 19th century, none has exercised a greater influence over his own generation and that succeeding it than Weber." Spitta's statement reflects Weber's popularity at the end of the nineteenth 19th century-both for his place as a foundational figure of German Romantic opera and for his role in the early German Nationalist movement in music. Indeed, Weber's Der Freischuetz is still considered the first German Romantic opera, enjoying a place of privilege in the modern operatic repertoire with performances held the world over and at least two cinematic productions.
Despite its enormous popularity throughout the 19th nineteenth century, however, Weber's swan song, Oberon, has remained separate from the mainstream thrust of our modern understanding of German Romantic opera. In Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon and the Cosmopolitanism in the Early German Romantic, music historian and theorist Joseph E. Morgan reassesses Weber's work and aesthetics not just for their influence but also as an expression of the aesthetics and cosmopolitanism that underlay the early Romantic and Nationalist movement in Germany.
In a discussion with analyses that features nearly one- hundred musical examples, Morgan tracks the development of Weber's musical style across his career. The investigation culminates with Weber's last and long-misunderstood work, explaining its thematic and harmonic organization, its stylistic idiosyncrasies, and the tenuous place that it holds on the margins of the operatic canon. The discussion is enhanced and corroborated by frequent attention to correlating developments in other art from the period, including painting, poetry, and literature.
This text will be of interest to students, scholars, and connoisseurs wishing to acquire a new insight on the performance, reception, and aesthetics of early German Romantic opera. Further, because of the interdisciplinary nature of the investigation, anyone researching the early Romantic and Nationalist movement in Germany will also certainly find valuable insights in this book.
Despite its enormous popularity throughout the 19th nineteenth century, however, Weber's swan song, Oberon, has remained separate from the mainstream thrust of our modern understanding of German Romantic opera. In Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon and the Cosmopolitanism in the Early German Romantic, music historian and theorist Joseph E. Morgan reassesses Weber's work and aesthetics not just for their influence but also as an expression of the aesthetics and cosmopolitanism that underlay the early Romantic and Nationalist movement in Germany.
In a discussion with analyses that features nearly one- hundred musical examples, Morgan tracks the development of Weber's musical style across his career. The investigation culminates with Weber's last and long-misunderstood work, explaining its thematic and harmonic organization, its stylistic idiosyncrasies, and the tenuous place that it holds on the margins of the operatic canon. The discussion is enhanced and corroborated by frequent attention to correlating developments in other art from the period, including painting, poetry, and literature.
This text will be of interest to students, scholars, and connoisseurs wishing to acquire a new insight on the performance, reception, and aesthetics of early German Romantic opera. Further, because of the interdisciplinary nature of the investigation, anyone researching the early Romantic and Nationalist movement in Germany will also certainly find valuable insights in this book.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
18 Tables, 94 BW Illustrations, 8 BW Photos
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
685 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4422-3594-6 (9781442235946)
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

E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€111.99
Available for download

E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€111.99
Available for download
Person
Joseph E. Morganis assistant professor of musicology at Middle Tennessee State University. He has also served on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, Brandeis University, and Boston University. His research focuses on the dramatic music, theory and aesthetics of Germany in the early nineteenth century, and he has presented and published articles on E. T. A. Hoffmann, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Carl Maria von Weber.
Content
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction-The Problem with Oberon
Chapter 1: Early German Nationalism
Chapter 2: The Development of Weber's Adult Style
Chapter 3: Romantic Transformations
Chapter 4: Why London? Why Wieland? Why Oberon?
Chapter 5: Planche and the Libretto
Chapter 6: Sir Huon's Adventure
Chapter 7: Sir Huon and Reiza's Bond of Love
Chapter 8: Fulfillment of the Oath
Chapter 9: The Reception of Oberon
Epilogue: The Decline of Cosmopolitan Nationalism
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction-The Problem with Oberon
Chapter 1: Early German Nationalism
Chapter 2: The Development of Weber's Adult Style
Chapter 3: Romantic Transformations
Chapter 4: Why London? Why Wieland? Why Oberon?
Chapter 5: Planche and the Libretto
Chapter 6: Sir Huon's Adventure
Chapter 7: Sir Huon and Reiza's Bond of Love
Chapter 8: Fulfillment of the Oath
Chapter 9: The Reception of Oberon
Epilogue: The Decline of Cosmopolitan Nationalism
Bibliography
Index
About the Author