Mozart and his piano concertos
The 23 concertos written by Mozart for the piano are as important to the history of the concerto as Beethoven's nine masterpieces are to the history of the symphony; they established the lines along which the whole genre of the concerto was to develop. They are also extremely important for the light they shed upon the technical and inspirational growth of their creator. In their variety of conceptual and constructive power, these concertos reveal Mozart, as no other form does, at every stage in the development of his artistry. This book was the first full-length study devoted exclusively to these works. It begins with a brief discussion of the evolution of the concerto up to Mozart's day and of the influential contributions of K. P. E. Bach and J. C. Bach. This is followed by general considerations of structure and the relation and role of both piano and orchestra in Mozart's concertos. The major part of the text consists of detailed critical analyses of the 23 concertos, starting with two chapters covering the first nine (the Salzburg galant concertos and the three concertos of 1782). The other 14 concertos receive a chapter each. The author gives full, concrete musical analyses, making liberal use of musical examples (417 in all) and providing authoritative material on the form of the concertos, their general tone and style, balance, circumstances of composition, and similar matters. These analyses are remarkably detailed, and in some instances they are carried out on a stanza-by-stanza basis. He compares and contrasts each work with other compositions by Mozart and with works of Beethoven, K. P. E. Bach, Haydn, J. C. Bach, and other composers. A definitive scholarly text for the musicologist and musician, this book is written with a clarity and a personable tone that make it highly pleasurable reading for any Mozart lover, regardless of musical training
Print Book, English, [1964]
Dover Publications, New York, [1964]