Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context

"Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context" provides professional and amateur musicians, and music lovers generally, with a complete survey of Beethoven's chamber music and the background to each individual work -the loyalty of patrons, musicians and friends on the one hand; increasing deafness and uncertain health on the other. Attention is paid to the influence of such large-scale compositions as the "Eroica" Symphony and "Fidelio" on the chamber music of his middle years and the "Missa Solemnis" and the Ninth Symphony on his late quartets. The author also lays stress on Beethoven's ever-increasing freedom of form -largely a result of his mastery of improvisation and a powerful symbol of the fusion of classical discipline with the subversive spirit of romantic adventure which characterises his mature music.

"The book benefits richly from the fact that its wisdom is grounded in the experience of a professional string player who has played and lived, note by note, the music he writes about with such deep and searching insight" (David Cairns)

Angus Watson, himself a professional string-player, has (...) written an excellent book on Beethoven's complete chamber music. (...) Watson writes very well indeed, perceptively, without a hint of dryness, and aided by a generous number of music examples. (...) This book deserves a whole-hearted recommendation." (Classical Music)

"'Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context' (...) is an excellent, comprehensive, authoritative and extremely enjoyable study of a subject about which most readers are sure to emerge better informed for reading the book. Musicians, listeners and even those interested in artistic endeavour in general (...) will all find the book rewarding. (...) [It's] likely to remain standard for some long time." (classical.net)

CONTENIDO:

Foreword by David Cairns

Part I. Context
1. Arrival and Re-launch in Vienna, 1792
2. Beethoven, Pianist and String Player
3. Amateurs, Patrons and Professionals
4. "The Spirit of the Composition"

Part II. 1793-9
5. 1793-5. Three Piano Trios, op.1
6. 1796. Two Cello Sonatas for Cello
7. 1797-8. Three Violin Sonatas, op. 12
8. 1794?-1798. Five String Trios, op. 3, op. 8, op. 9
9. 1795?-1799. Chamber Music for Wind, Strings and Piano
10. 1798-1800. Six String Quartets, op. 18

Part III. 1800-1803
11. 1800-1801. Two Violin Sonatas, op. 23 and op. 24
12. 1801. String Quartet in C major, op. 29
13. 1802. Three Violin Sonatas, op. 30
14. 1802-3. Violin Sonata in A major, op. 46 ("Kreutzer")

Part IV. 1804-9
15. 1804-6. In the wake of "Fidelio"
16. 1806. Three String Quartets, op. 59 ("Razumovsky")
17. 1807-8. Cello Sonata in A major, op. 69
18. 1808. Two Piano Trios, op. 70
19. String Quartet in E flat major, op. 74 ("Harp")

Part V. 1810-15
20. 1810. String Quartet in F minor, op. 95 ("Quartetto serioso")
21. 1810-11. Piano Trio in B flat major, op. 97 ("Archduke")
22. 1812. Violin Sonata in G major, op. 96
23. 1815. Two Cello Sonatas, op. 102

Part VI. 1816-27
24. 1815-24. The Late String Quartets: Background and Context
25. 1824-5. String Quartet in E flat major, op. 127
26. 1825. String Quartet in A minor, op. 132
27. 1825-6. String Quartet in B flat major, op. 130
28. 1825-6. "Grosse Fuge", op. 133
29. 1826. String Quartet in C sharp minor, op. 131
30. 1826. String Quartet in F major, op. 135

Appendix
1. Early Chamber Music for Strings and Piano
2. Variations
3. Chamber Music for Wind
4. Arrangements

Bibliography
Index of Beethoven's Music by Opus Number
Beethoven Index
General Index