Shakespeare and Music

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Shakespeare and Music by Christopher Wilson, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher Wilson ISBN: 9781465588104
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Christopher Wilson
ISBN: 9781465588104
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English
When I first contemplated writing these articles it seemed to me to be a very interesting, amusing, and pleasant job indeed. I had seen a great number of Shakespeare's plays, read some of them, and written or conducted music for most. All I had to do, I thought, was to jot down a few notes of what I had heard or read, and out of them make a readable couple of columns. I began to make the notes, and swiftly it dawned upon me what an enormous task I had taken on. I found that nearly every composer, great or small, since Shakespeare's time had been inspired, directly or indirectly, by our poet. True, Handel avoided him (I can find no trace of Shakespeare in the opera Julius Cæsar), and I don't suppose Bach ever heard of him; but I feel sure that Beethoven's "Coriolan" Overture owes something to Shakespeare as well as to von Collin, the direct author of the play. But when the plays began to be translated and circulated abroad, composers all over Europe came under his extraordinary influence, and began composing music to his plays or about characters in them. No music to the plays by contemporary composers has survived. Most people associate him with Purcell, Locke, Robert Johnson, Bannister, or Pelham Humphrey; but all these were born some years after his death, except Johnson, whose settings of "Where the Bee Sucks" and "Full Fathom Five" are supposed to be the original; but, as Johnson was only twelve years old when Shakespeare died, The Tempest must have been produced without these songs, or Johnson must have been more than usually precocious. The Encyclopaedia Britannica definitely says that Johnson's settings are the original.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
When I first contemplated writing these articles it seemed to me to be a very interesting, amusing, and pleasant job indeed. I had seen a great number of Shakespeare's plays, read some of them, and written or conducted music for most. All I had to do, I thought, was to jot down a few notes of what I had heard or read, and out of them make a readable couple of columns. I began to make the notes, and swiftly it dawned upon me what an enormous task I had taken on. I found that nearly every composer, great or small, since Shakespeare's time had been inspired, directly or indirectly, by our poet. True, Handel avoided him (I can find no trace of Shakespeare in the opera Julius Cæsar), and I don't suppose Bach ever heard of him; but I feel sure that Beethoven's "Coriolan" Overture owes something to Shakespeare as well as to von Collin, the direct author of the play. But when the plays began to be translated and circulated abroad, composers all over Europe came under his extraordinary influence, and began composing music to his plays or about characters in them. No music to the plays by contemporary composers has survived. Most people associate him with Purcell, Locke, Robert Johnson, Bannister, or Pelham Humphrey; but all these were born some years after his death, except Johnson, whose settings of "Where the Bee Sucks" and "Full Fathom Five" are supposed to be the original; but, as Johnson was only twelve years old when Shakespeare died, The Tempest must have been produced without these songs, or Johnson must have been more than usually precocious. The Encyclopaedia Britannica definitely says that Johnson's settings are the original.

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book The Bookbinder of Hort by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Our Sailors: Gallant Deeds of the British Navy during Victoria's Reign by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Casa Grande Ruin: Thirteenth Annual Report of The Bureau of Ethnology to The Secretary of The Smithsonian institution, 1891-92 by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book The Romance of War: The Highlanders in Spain, France, and Belgium (Complete) by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Quantity Cookery: Menu Planning and Cooking for Large Numbers by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Masterpieces of Mystery: Mystic-Humorous Stories, Ghost Stories, Riddle Stories and Detective Stories by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Great Hike or, The Pride of The Khaki Troop by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Montaigne and Shakespeare by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Begumbagh: A Tale of the Indian Mutiny by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Moorish Literature by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Enamels and Cameos and Other Poems by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book In Hostile Red by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book Cripps, the Carrier: A Woodland Tale by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book The Siege of Norwich Castle: A Story of the Last Struggle Against the Conqueror by Christopher Wilson
Cover of the book The Syrian Goddess by Christopher Wilson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy