Overview
A lavishly-illustrated and meticulously-documented catalogue of the Cobbe Collection, which includes over forty keyboard instruments around half of which were owned and played by composers such as Purcell, Mahler, Chopin and Elgar. The keyboard repertoire comprises one third of the whole of Western music. The very instruments chosen by composers themselves form the heart of the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands. The eighteen owned or played by Purcell, JohannChristian Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Mahler and Elgar, to name a few, are the largest group assembled anywhere of these tangible and audible relics connecting with the musical minds of the past. The collection otherwise comprises a further twenty or so instruments that were chosen to represent instrument-makers who were highly regarded or patronised by composers, all maintained in playing order. Each entry in this lavishly-illustrated catalogue includes a history of the piece, its provenance, technical data and colour photographs of the instrument and notable details. Here, for example, is the piano on which Chopin played his final public concert; we learn of the strips of lead that Mahler had fixed to the hammers in the bass register and that Elgar's Broadwood was delivered to Worcester by river. More than simply a catalogue of a collection, this volume will fascinate anyone with an interest in keyboard music, as well as music historians, instrument makers and restorers, and those concerned with issues of 'authentic' performance. ALEC COBBE has collected musical instruments owned bycomposers for many years. He is also a distinguished designer, and specialises in the decor and hanging of pictures in stately homes; in early 2014 an exhibition of his work was shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Full Product Details
Author: Alec Cobbe (Author) ,
Christopher Nobbs
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint: The Boydell Press
Dimensions:
Width: 20.00cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 21.00cm
Weight: 1.130kg
ISBN: 9781843839576
ISBN 10: 1843839571
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 21 August 2014
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.
Language: English
Reviews
Organologists and amateur music enthusiasts alike can benefit from this volume (and) its specific information on individual instruments and its clear explanations of technical terms. . . . (T)he combination of such a beautiful presentation, clear and often elegant prose, and interesting historical anecdotes and interpretations makes this book ideal for both coffee tables in music lovers' homes or reference sections of well stocked music libraries. MUSIC RESEARCH FORUM Short, eminently readable essays furnish a bit of history about each instrument, along with tabulations of the provenance and technical specifications (sometimes illustrated with additional close-up photographs). The volume is handsomely produced and thoroughly fascinating. AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE Photographs are high quality reproductions. . . . This book will appeal to musicians, cultural geographers, and historians. Recommended. CHOICE
Photographs are high quality reproductions ... This book will appeal to musicians, cultural geographers, and historians. Recommended. CHOICE
Short, eminently readable essays furnish a bit of history about each instrument, along with tabulations of the provenance and technical specifications (sometimes illustrated with additional close-up photographs). The volume is handsomely produced and thoroughly fascinating. AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE Photographs are high quality reproductions. . . . This book will appeal to musicians, cultural geographers, and historians. Recommended. CHOICE
