Haydn biography amazon

Peter Mercer-Taylor
-- University of Minnesota
"Calvin Stapert here provides an encounter with Joseph Haydn's life and work that is at once broad in its cultural outlook, confident in its musical explorations, and intimate in its portrayal of the composer's human experience. The music scholar will find an array of Haydn's works, both canonical and farther from the beaten path, revisited with thoughtfulness and keen musical insight. The more casual reader is guided with the gentlest hand toward a rich understanding of what made Haydn's compositional voice so uniquely significant to his era. And Stapert's own voice -- that of a consummate storyteller -- carries the tale of Haydn's remarkable life swiftly along."

John Nelson
-- founding artistic director of Soli Deo Gloria
"A wonderful and loving work on a great but often sidelined composer. Stapert captures Haydn's marvelous effervescence as he distills volumes of musicological detail into a manageable and enjoyable read. If one wants to explore the vast variety of opinions on Haydn written over the last two centuries, go no further. Ultimately, Stapert makes a strong case that Haydn belongs in the highest echelons of composers."

Kenneth Slowik
-- Smithsonian Institution
"This excellent study gives a detailed yet eminently readable survey of Haydn's life and brilliant output. . . . Stapert's analyses of important works can be appreciated by readers armed with either scores or recordings, and his glossary entries clearly explain the four dozen or so technical terms he cannot avoid employing. Playing Before the Lord makes a cogent case that, as Stapert so pithily puts it, 'listening to Haydn's music gives us cause to rejoice because it is a revelation of grace, a case in point of the way things really are.'"

Choice (American Library Association)
"This is a nice introduction to the career and music of Joseph Haydn. . . . One extremely

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"£25.99","priceAmount":25.99,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"25","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SmXNFLIHHhMGWe8DBePKV5epY7uVwPv1VkqX70Ao2TRKN6pJLkUfXHIiHJ0oRua%2B7OlV7DbO7vTpcNd6e69Imohyh4wYm%2BaWBwTokv734NDuQ%2Boic1e8KKfMtbsO53SC","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"£14.18","priceAmount":14.18,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"18","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"SmXNFLIHHhMGWe8DBePKV5epY7uVwPv1jujMEwyHdYY3kClv91rkPYt%2BorS0ugr3aw8G9Ig5VuUk%2B5cBG7BlESfNRbyc8h%2Fovrvyv3twuuHAn73o%2B3DUWUTatWPTSKRuc99eT4nu5sX8sLpk5QNWP9V4tUViM9pLtgYbCgXcq7jYB940lyRn%2BWAD4SXYkjA%2F","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

The son of an 18th century Austrian wheelwright, Haydn is acknowledged for refining the symphony and string quartet and praised for his oratorios and masses. Deeply involved in the evolution of the Classical style, its subsequent growth can be seen in his own music. Indeed, he is considered to be one of the most significant composers of the Classical Period. Under his care the symphony and string quartet came to life, and the oratios and masses of his late years belong to the consummation of the classical spirit in music. This biography of Joseph Haydn is one in a new series of composer biographies, derived and adapted from the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. These newly written biographies bring the best of the book-length pieces in The New Grove to a wider audience. Each title provides fresh new insights into the life and works of a major composer, derived from the most recent scholarship. In addition to a detailed and informative view of the subject's life and works, written by an expert in the field, each book includes comprehensive, tabular work-lists and a fully revised and updated bibliography.