The Gesualdo Hex : Music, Myth, and Memory

W. W. Norton, USA, 2010. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Hardcover. 384 pages. *** PUBLISHING DETAILS: W. W. Norton, USA, 2010. First Edition. *** CONDITION: The book itself is in fine condition and comes in near fine dust jacket. More specifically: Boards have no wear, rubbing or soiling. Dust jacket has superficial rubbing. Dust jacket is unclipped. Pages are clean and unmarked and in excellent condition. *** ABOUT THIS BOOK: A riveting investigation of one of the most provocative musicians of the Renaissance, who continues to captivate composers, artists, and audiences today. In this vivid tale of adultery and intrigue, witchcraft and murder, Glenn Watkins explores the fascinating life of the Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo - a life suffused with scandal and bordering on the fantastical. An isolated prince, Gesualdo had a personal life that was no less eccentric and bewildering than the music he composed; his biography has often clouded our perception of his oeuvre, which music scholars have periodically dismissed as a late Renaissance deformation of little consequence. Today, however, Gesualdo's music, once deemed so strange as to be unperformable, stands as one of the most vibrant legacies of the late Italian Renaissance with an undeniable impact on a host of twentieth-century musicians and artists. The incendiary details of Gesualdo's life recede, and his grip on our musical imagination comes to the fore. Watkins challenges our preconceptions of what has become a nearly mythic persona, weaving together the cumulative experience of some of the most vibrant artists of the past century from Stravinsky and Schoenberg to Abbado and Herzog. *** Quantity Available: 1. Category: Biography & Autobiography; ISBN/EAN: 9780393071023. Inventory No: 24010261.. 9780393071023