Musical Lives and Times Examined: Keynotes and Clippings, 2006–2019

Description

In this new and final collection, Richard Taruskin gathers a sweeping range of keynote speeches, reviews, and critical essays from the first twenty years of the twenty-first century. With twenty-three essays in total, this volume presents five lectures delivered in Budapest on Hungarian music and ten essays on Russian music. Reviews of contemporary work in musicology and reflections on the place of music in society showcase Taruskin’s trademark wit and breadth. Musical Lives and Times Examined is an essential collection, a comprehensive portrait of a distinguished figure in music studies, illuminating the ideas that have transformed the discipline and will continue to do so. Contents In Lieu of Dedication: Fine Friends, Presiding Spirits 1. The Many Dangers of Music Laci része (Laci’s Part) 2. Liszt and Bad Taste 3. Goldmark’s Queen: On Signifiers 4. Why You Cannot Leave Bartók Out 5. Liszt’s Problems, Bartók’s Problems, My Problems 6. Kodály’s Pitiful Lament—and Mine милина часть (Mila’s Part) 7. Russian Responses to Bach 8. So Much More Than a Composer 9. Rimsky-Korsakov Catches Up 10. Prokofieff’s Problems—and Ours 11. Коле посвящается (for Kolya) 12. In from the Cold 13. Flesh and Blood Juke Box 14. Tales of Push and Pull 15. Was Shostakovich a Martyr, or Is That Just Fiction? 16. How to Win a Stalin Prize: Shostakovich and His Quintet pars ricardi primi (Ricardus Primus’s Part) 17. Shooting a White Elephant 18. Is This a Thing? 19. Exoticism and Authenticity 20. Pathos Is Banned 21. Everybody Gotta Be Someplace: On Context 22. Alluring Failure, Exhilarating Defeat 23. Envoi: All Was Foreseen; Nothing Was Foreseen Acknowledgments Index