Reviving Haydn

Reviews / Votes

[Proksch goes beyond previous studies by Botstein and Garratt by illustrating] how the nineteenth-century degradation and the twentieth-century revival of Haydn's music are both linked to the championing of newer music by composers and critics. Proksch's historical narrative...is certainly compelling. Haydn enthusiasts and scholars alike will greatly appreciate this story told in a reasonably comprehensive, single-volume account. -- Melanie Lowe * FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE * Sensitively outlines the progression in which Haydn came increasingly to be viewed as a mere stepping-stone toward Ludwig van Beethoven. Heinrich Schenker's diverse approaches to the composer are explored . . . most persuasively. Proksch's drawing on diverse primary sources allows for precious insights into the American musical scene. A thoughtfully written and overall very useful addition to the Haydn literature. Forcefully reminds us that Haydn's historical and aesthetic relevance is not an absolute given, but something his advocates must fight for day by day in the concert halls, in the general press, and in scholarly publications. -- Balazs Mikusi * MLA NOTES * Proksch masterfully untangles the various agendas that marked Haydn's reception, especially those involved in rebuilding the composer's reputation in the post-Romantic era. Reception historians must take up the challenge to explore that mind and ferret out hidden significance and meaning; to do less is simply to report what has already been printed or said. Proksch answers the call admirably and tells a fascinating story in the process. -- Jess Tyre http://haydnjournal.org * HAYDN JOURNAL * Haydn scholarship has long been in need of a comprehensive account of the composer's reception. One of Proksch's most striking insights is that both the decline and the revival of the composer's critical fortunates were connected to the claims of new music. The case studies cover France, Austria and Germany, the United States, and Great Britain, and involve figures such as d'Indy, Saint-Sae'ns, Schenker, Schoenberg, and Tovey. Bryan Proksch offers plenty of fresh material to chew on, especially for his focal period of the first half of the twentieth century. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY [W. Dean Sutcliffe] -- W. Dean Sutcliffe * JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY *