No one composer is at the centre of this fascinating story, but a larger
picture emerges of a shift in musical scenery, from the world of the
innocent Romanticism of Berlioz and Schumann to the more potent musical
politics of Wagner, and of his antidote (as many saw him), Brahms.
Why 1853? For many leading composers this year brought far-reaching
changes to their lives: Brahms emerged from obscurity to celebrity,
Schumann ceased to be an active composer, and both Berlioz and Wagner
became active again after long silences. By limiting the perspective to
a single year yet extending it to a group of musicians, their constant
interconnections become the central motif: Brahms meets Berlioz and
Liszt as well as Schumann; Liszt is a constant link in every chain;
Joachim is close to all of them; Wagner is on everyone's mind. No one
composer is at the centre of the story, but a network of musicians
spreads across the map of Europe from London and Paris to Leipzig and
Zurich.
Music in 1853 shows how musicians were now more closely connected than
ever before, through the constant exchange of letters and the rapidly
expanding railway network. The book links geography and day-to-day
events to show how international the European musical scene had become.
A larger picture emerges of a shift in musical scenery, from the world
of the innocent Romanticism of Berlioz and Schumann to the more potent
musical politics of Wagner and of his antidote (as many saw him) Brahms.
HUGH MACDONALD is Avis H. Blewett Professor Emeritus of Music at
Washington University, St Louis. He has authored books on Skryabin and
Berlioz and has previously published Beethoven's Century: Essays on
Composers and Themes with Boydell/URP.
