Overview
Sir Henry J. Wood (1869-1944), co-founder and chief conductor of the Proms, is often noted for his championing of the leading composers of the day, including Richard Strauss, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Vaughan Williams. He also played pivotal role in advocating and performing the music of J.S. Bach. Sir Henry J. Wood (1869-1944), co-founder and chief conductor of the Proms for nearly half a century, is often noted for his championing of the leading composers of the day, including Richard Strauss, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Ravel,Sibelius, and Vaughan Williams. Less known is the part Wood played in advocating and performing the music of J.S. Bach, much of which, incredibly, was unknown in England at the turn of the twentieth century. This book uncoversWood's pivotal role in the English Bach revival. Wood's performances of works such as the St Matthew Passion and B Minor Mass caused a stir; the Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites became staple fixtures in the musical calendar; and his orchestral arrangements of Bach's solo works and cantata arias were key to the popularisation of the composer in England. Largely untouched, the hundreds of Bach scores individually marked up by Wood, now preservedin his archive at the Royal Academy of Music, London, reveal the minutiae of his thoughts on performance and offer a fascinating parallel to his available recordings from the period. Illuminating a significant new aspect of the musical life of England before World War II, the book also demonstrates that Wood's advocacy continues to influence perceptions of Bach even today. DR HANNAH FRENCH is an academic, broadcaster, and Baroque flautist based in London. She broadcasts regularly on Radio 3 and has appeared as a TV presenter and commentator for the BBC Proms.
Full Product Details
Author: Hannah French (Royalty Account)
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint: The Boydell Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 3.00cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.001kg
ISBN: 9781783273850
ISBN 10: 1783273852
Pages: 353
Publication Date: 21 June 2019
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Engaging and meticulous...provides a vivid picture of the changing public taste as well as a chronicle of Wood's passion for a composer whom he brought into the mainstream...what a heroic tale this splendidly detailed book tells. Both in its story of Henry Wood's enthusiasm to build a public for great music, and its story of the changing reception of Bach, it is a fascinating contribution to the emerging history of the early music revival. * GRAMOPHONE * Utterly absorbing...should be read by anyone with an interest in British music of the 19th and 20th centuries. * SPIRITED * [R]eaders of this book will gain a deep appreciation for the ground-breaking achievements of Sir Henry Wood. With the rich detail of his performance methodology now documented and readily available, he can be remembered not only as a promoter of Bach, but also as a conductor who helped raise the musicianship of England's orchestral performances to the high level enjoyed by 20th- and 21st-century audiences. -- Valerie Walden * EARLY MUSIC AMERICA * Meticulously researched...Wood's vital role in the English Bach revival is revealed for the first time in all its considerable glory. * FIVE STARS. BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE * The timely publication of Hannah French's well documented, researched and carefully compiled account removes all doubts as to Wood's commitment...Here in this excellent and very readable book, due credit is given generously to Sir Henry Wood and his championing of Bach's music pre-WW1 to 1944. * LONDON BACH SOCIETY * This richly drawn and approachable study contributes toward a better appreciation of the significant differences in the practices between the British musical environment of Wood's day and now. In doing so, it throws new light on Wood's own dedication to educate his audiences, and leads to a greater understanding of what his championing of Bach's music actually involved. -- David C. H. Wright * BACH Journal * The concern to document Wood's practice and aesthetic is very impressive and complemented by a clear prose style and Boydell's usual high production values. . . . [A] valuable contribution to the understanding of a neglected but significant field of study, bridging the interval between the relatively well-known aspects of British practice before 1914 and the development of historically informed performances in the post-war period. -- Paul Rodmell * Music & Letters * [P]rovides a detailed archival study of the life and work of the English... [Proms] conductor and co-founder Sir Henry Wood....The book is notable for its deep insights into English concert repertoire during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition it contributes to critical biography, performance practice studies, British cultural history, and Bach reception history. -- Alannah Rebekah Franklin * BACH NOTES *
The timely publication of Hannah French's well documented, researched and carefully compiled account removes all doubts as to Wood's commitment...Here in this excellent and very readable book, due credit is given generously to Sir Henry Wood and his championing of Bach's music pre-WW1 to 1944. LONDON BACH SOCIETY
