Book Review
Sep. 24th, 2023 07:02 pmBrahms: Symphony No. 1
by David Lee Brodbeck
This book is a brief but deep dive into Brahms' first symphony, covering his process in writing it, harmonic and thematic analysis of the work itself, and an examination of its early reception. I especially liked the sections about Brahms' creation of the symphony and the early reception of it. I always enjoy reading about the context of music I like. Broadbeck's harmonic analysis is clear and thorough, if a bit dry to read. I would have liked it better if I had bothered to drag out my score and more closely follow the analysis, but I confess to being a bit lazy. I really liked the discussion of all the allusions to other works in the fourth movement and what the meaning behind it may have been.
by David Lee Brodbeck
This book is a brief but deep dive into Brahms' first symphony, covering his process in writing it, harmonic and thematic analysis of the work itself, and an examination of its early reception. I especially liked the sections about Brahms' creation of the symphony and the early reception of it. I always enjoy reading about the context of music I like. Broadbeck's harmonic analysis is clear and thorough, if a bit dry to read. I would have liked it better if I had bothered to drag out my score and more closely follow the analysis, but I confess to being a bit lazy. I really liked the discussion of all the allusions to other works in the fourth movement and what the meaning behind it may have been.