Of Poetry and Song

Reviews / Votes

[The essays] fit together naturally -- even rhyme with one another -- because of each author's dedication to uncover the 'network of communicative meaning' between linguistic and musical structures in lieder. . . Seelig writes with passion and precision. . . The shining star . . . is by Juergen Thym. . . . These essays exhibit an impressive level of intellectual rigour . . . [and] offer us a standard by which we can now measure our own efforts. -- Karen M. Bottge * NINETEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC REVIEW * [A] rich banquet of critical essays . . . , making us palpably aware of the active role that lied composers played as sensitive and penetrating readers of their chosen poems. . . . [Special praise for] Juergen Thym's exemplary text-music analysis of Schumann's 'Fruehlingsfahrt.' Both musicologists and performers will find considerable intellectual and artistic stimulation by wrestling with the arguments in this book. -- Benjamin Binder * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES * The authors elevate the role of the poem in the creation of the Lied . . . [and delve into] the deeper meanings of the songs and cycles presented. . . . [Includes] musical examples and easy-to-read diagrams and tables. . . . Summing Up: Highly Recommended. -- Jennifer Trost * Choice * The authors argue passionately for treating song as the complex phenomenon it is, one in which the relations between linguistic and musical structures are the focus. A rich and important book. --Susan Youens, J. W. Van Gorkom Professor of Music, University of Notre Dame -- Susan Youens, J. W. Van Gorkom Professor of Music, University of Notre Dame An approachable, engaging, and polished study of the mechanics of song composition. . . . [Important essays] written in prose so clean, precise, and direct that upper-level students will appreciate their insights as much as seasoned scholars. . . . A generous number of clean and polished music examples . . . makes this compilation both attractive and convenient. . . . Hallmark's opening essay . . . [is] theperfect way to open a seminar on song. -- Blake Howe * MUSIC AND LETTERS * [An] important and engaging collection of essays. . . . As an approachable, engaging, and polished study of the mechanics of song composition and analysis, this book has few peers. * MUSIC & LETTERS, November 2011 * [P]roves to be more than just a . . . collection of . . . previously unpublished essays; indeed, one might read it as the scholarly equivalent of a successful Liederabend. * GOETHE YEARBOOK, Vol 12, 2012 *