The Music Of Britten And Tippett

A unique double portrait of the two leading composers of their generation.

Sir Michael Tippett is widely considered to be one of the most individual composers of the twentieth century, whose music continues to be performed to critical acclaim throughout the world. Written by a team of international scholars, this Companion provides a wide ranging and accessible study of Tippett and his works. It discusses the contexts and concepts of modernism, tradition, politics, sexuality and creativity that shaped Tippett's music and ideas, engaging with archive materials, relevant literature and models of interpretation. Chapters explore the genres in which Tippett composed, including opera, symphony, string quartet, concerto and piano sonata, to shed new light on his major works and draw attention to those that have not yet received the attention they deserve. Directing knowledge and expertise towards a wide readership, this book will enrich the listening experience and broaden understanding of the music of this endlessly fascinating and challenging composer.

Sir Michael Tippett was born in 1905 and thus celebrated his 90th birthday in 1995. To mark this occasion, Oxford University Press published Tippett on Music, a new and up-to-date compilation of his essays drawing on his two published collections Moving into Aquarius and Music of the Angels but also including much new material.

'A delight to read' Philip Pullman 'Essential reading ... a genuine landmark publication' Tom Service A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' The music of the British composer Michael Tippett - including the oratorio A Child of Our Time, five operas, and four symphonies - is among the most visionary of the twentieth century. But little has been written about his extraordinary life. In this long-awaited first biography, Oliver Soden weaves a century-spanning narrative of epic scope and penetrating insight. Soden has discovered troves of unpublished letters and manuscripts, and recorded moving interviews with Tippett's friends and colleagues. He paints a portrait of a powerful intellect and infectious personality: charming, stubborn, and great fun. But he also uncovers the sorrows and secrets that Tippett stowed away beneath his cheerfulness, not least the darker reaches of some tempestuous and often tragic love affairs. Soden's achievement is to have enriched our understanding not only of Tippett but of his times. Figures such as T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster, Barbara Hepworth, and W.H. Auden jostle in the cast list. An Edwardian world of gaslight and empire cedes to turmoil and warfare; one startling revelation is the extent of Tippett's involvement in the fiery left-wing politics of the 1930s. The narrative roves from the mining villages of the north, blighted by unemployment, to a cell at Wormwood Scrubs, where Tippett was imprisoned as a conscientious objector. Later chapters uncover his operas' game-changing attitudes to gay and civil rights, against a backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race. And singing from the page comes the music, through which Soden charts an exquisitely written course, offering lucid readings of Tippett's most famous works while resuscitating forgotten masterpieces. The result is a landmark in the study of twentieth-century culture, simultaneously an astonishing feat of scholarship and a story as enthralling as in any great novel.

This is a guide to Tippett's widely known wartime oratorio, A Child of our Time.

This book covers all of Tippett's style-periods and many of the key genres within his oeuvre.

This Companion provides a wide ranging and accessible study of one of the most individual composers of the twentieth century. A team of international scholars shed new light on Tippett's major works and draw attention to those that have not yet received the attention they deserve.

An important new reference source for students of western musical culture, this volume directs the user to all pertinent, substantive, and accessible information concerning the life and works of Sir Michael Tippett, widely recognized as one of this century's most significant composers. The book is divided into four main sections: a biography, an annotated list of works and performances, a discography, and an extensive bibliography. Five appendices provide additional information for the researcher including a chronological list of compositions, a classified list of published compositions, honors and awards won by the composer, ballet and television productions, and resources available. The brief biography which begins the volume provides a convenient source for basic factual information about Tippett's life. The works and performances section presents in one alphabetical sequence all known musical works by Tippett, including early unpublished compositions. Each citation includes information about year of composition, duration, genre, instrumentation, additional statements of responsibility, commissions and dedications, location of existing manuscripts, published editions, and a selected list of performances. The discography contains all known commercial recordings of Tippett's music along with information about performers, date and place of recording, and a chronological listing of all issues of the performance. Divided into three sections, the bibliography covers writings by Tippett, books and articles about Tippett, and reviews of his works culled from the Times (London), the New York Times, and a variety of major and local newspapers around the world. Taken as a whole, this is a masterful contribution to the reference works available on the great composers of the twentieth century.