Leon Plantinga
Beethoven's Concertos
History, Style, Performance
The first full-length book about Beethoven's concertos.
Beethoven's concertos for piano and for violin rank among the most famous and beloved works in the concert literature. The composer regarded the piano concertos, which he himself premiered, as very personal vehicles for conveying his musical thought and performance style. In this pathbreaking book, Leon Plantinga brings to bear his years of scholarship in Romantic-era music, establishing the circumstances surrounding the composition and first performances of all of Beethoven's concertos. He locates the works in their social and musical context, and discusses their form, style, and affect, highlighting their expressive individuality. Finally, Plantinga looks at the vexing questions about performing this repertoire today.
Leon Plantinga is professor of music at Yale University. He has written books on Schumann and Clementi, and is the author of Romantic Music and Anthology of Romantic Music, both from Norton. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
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