John Milton The Elder And His Music

At the head of the Cambridge Milton series stand two general books: John Milton: Introductions and Paradise Lost: Introduction. These set the tone for and give the background to the editions of individual books. John Broadbent and the contributors to the present volume provide original studies on different aspects of John Milton's life, times, work and ideas. There are chapters on his relation to the music, science and visual arts of the age and there is ample material to stimulate further reading, thought and research. The book can be used by a wide range of readers and students of Milton as an original work of reference - a bank of ideas and resources on which to draw and to develop.

Columbia University Studies In Musicology No. 2.

Excerpt from John Milton the Elder and His Music In the embarrassing splendor of this company the elder Mil ton held a position that was far from humble. His work was rated, and printed, with the best. He was a genius in his Own right long before he had any children. That, at least, is the thesis of the present essay, a thesis which has emerged from a fresh examination of contemporary documents and from the pleasant labor of scoring and hearing all his music which is known to have survived, in print or in manuscript. More than half of it has hitherto been completely ignored. The story of his career, frag mentary and obscure as much of it is, brings us into contact with the characteristic intellectual color and humor of the age of Gloriana and James. An analysis of the music itself, ranging from the simple to the architecturally complicated and grandiose, from deep pathos and lamentation to the most winning frivolity, should dissipate the notion that a dabbling tinkerer or a dour puritan was here at work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Marjorie Nicolson—one of the foremost authorities on Milton—examines Milton's work, beginning with the famous Minor Poems, "L'Allegro," "II Penseroso," "Comus" (and "Arcades"), and "Lycides." She explores Milton's middle years, when he was diverted from poetry to become Latin Secretary under Oliver Cromwell. Finally, she looks at the great poems, including a book-by-book analysis of Paradise Lost and a careful reading of Milton's poetic "closet drama," Samson Agonistes.

This nine volume set presents in easily accessible format the extensive information now available about John Milton. It has grown to be a study of English civilization of Milton's time and a history of literary and political matters since then.

For the first time in an approachable, affordable volume this study treats the whole literary career of England's most distinguished protestant-republican poet and writer, considering the miscellaneous output in the light of contexts and political functions. It highlights self-presentational and persuasive characteristics, pays attention to the sense of vocation and also describes Milton's distinctive achievement in social genres. Milton's competitive humanist training is seen to accomodate uneasily to the specific demands of some public works. The book features unfamiliar texts, whilst canonical texts are set in the story of his long endeavours during a turbulent period in English history.