Music Minus One

Expertly arranged Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello by Robert Schumann from the Kalmus Edition series. This Trio is from the Romantic era.

"A selection of unabridged works from 'Serie IV. F'ur Streichinstrumente' and 'Serie V. F'ur Pianoforte und andere Instrumente' of the Collected Works Edition (Robert Schumann's Werke. Herausgegeben von Clara Schumann), originally published by Breitkopf & H'artel"--T.p. verso.

Robert Schumann is one of the most intriguing-and enigmatic-composers of the nineteenth century. Extraordinarily gifted in both music and literature, many of his compositions were inspired by poetry and novels. For much of his life he was better known as a music critic than as a composer. But whether writing as critic or composer, what he produced was created by him as a reflection of his often turbulent life. Best known was the tempestuous courtship of his future wife, the pianist Clara Wieck. Though marriage and family life seemed to provide a sense of constancy, he increasingly experienced periods of depression and instability. Mounting criticism of his performance as music director at Dusseldorf led to his attempted suicide in 1854. Schumann was voluntarily committed to an insane asylum near Bonn where, despite indications of improvement and dissatisfaction with his treatment, he spent the final two years of his life. Drawing on original research and newly published letters and journals from the time, author Eric Frederick Jensen presents a balanced portrait of the composer with both scholarly authority and engaging clarity. Biographical chapters alternate with discussion of Schumann's piano, chamber, choral, symphonic, and operatic works, demonstrating how the circumstances of his life helped shape the music he wrote. Chronicling the romance of Robert and Clara, Jensen offers a nuanced look at the evolution of their relationship, one that changed dramatically after marriage. He also follows Schumann's creative musical criticism, which championed the burgeoning careers of Chopin, Liszt, and Brahms and challenged the musical tastes of Europe.

Alun Hoddinott is the most important living Welsh composer and one of the most distinguished and prolific composers of his generation internationally. His works have been performed in major centres as far afield as Tokyo and Berlin, Melbourne and Leipzig, New York and Venice as well as the major festivals in Wales and England. He is one of the very few composers to have been commissioned to compose a concerto for Mstislav Rostropovitch. Born in Bargoed, Glamorganshire, in August 1929, Alun Hoddinott started to play the violin and compose at an early age. Some of his works were performed and broadcast whilst he was a student at University College, Cardiff and he later studied with the Australian composer and pianist Arthur Benjamin. His first major success was his Clarinet Concerto No.1, given by Gervaise de Peyer and the Halle Orchestra under John Barbirolli at the 1954 Cheltenham Music Festival. This Source Book lists all Hoddinott's compositions from 1946 to 2005, almost 60 years of phenomenal output, and shows he has achieved a mastery of composition which embraces almost every musical medium. With information given on first performances, manuscript locations and recordings, in addition to details of composition dates, authors/librettists, durations, commissions and dedications amongst much else, this book is a key reference for all those interested in Alun Hoddinott and his music.

For students learning the principles of music theory, it can often seem as though the tradition of tonal harmony is governed by immutable rules that define which chords, tones, and intervals can be used where. Yet even within the classical canon, there are innumerable examples of composers diverging from these foundational "rules." Drawing on examples from composers including J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, and more, Bending the Rules of Music Theory seeks to take readers beyond the basics of music theory and help them to understand the inherent flexibility in the system of tonal music. Chapters explore the use of different rule-breaking elements in practice and why they work, introducing students to a more nuanced understanding of music theory.