Temporaries and Eternals: The Music Criticism of Aldous Huxley, 1922-23

Description

Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), Temporaries and Eternals focuses on the music column that Huxley wrote for The Weekly Westminster Gazette in 1922-23. Readers of Huxley's novels, essays and travel writing will be aware of the wealth of musical detail in these works, and this book suggests that such references can only be fully understood in the context of the opinions voiced in Huxley's music criticism. Not only does Huxley's column offer a fascinating snapshot of musical life in 1920s Britain, but several of the themes that Huxley explores continue to have contemporary relevance. These include music and technology, the composer-performer relationship, the nature of the child prodigy, musical tradition and innovation, the suitability of opera libretti, and how to write about music effectively. However, Huxley's central theme, reflected in the title of this book, is the problematic question of how to judge the significance and potential longevity of specific composers and their works, from Palestrina to Schoenberg. After an extended introduction placing Huxley's music criticism in the context of his other writings, the book reproduces all 64 of Huxley's weekly articles, with footnote commentary to help the reader appreciate his wide-ranging textual references. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A NOTE ON THE TEXT INTRODUCTION THE CRITICISM BRAHMS BUSONI, DR. BURNEY, AND OTHERS THE INTERPRETER AND THE CREATOR GOOD-POPULAR MUSIC INSTRUCTION WITH PLEASURE EMOTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS THE WEEK’S NEW MUSIC LIGHT OPERA AND THE NEW STRAVINSKY THE MYSTERIES OF MUSIC SOME EASTER MUSIC MUSIC AND MACHINERY BEETHOVEN’S QUARTETS SINGING AND THINGS SUNG PATRIOTISM AND CRITICISM THE CRITICISM OF MUSIC THE QUESTION OF FORM LITERARY MUSIC A PROBLEM OF MUSICAL HISTORY A FEW COMPLAINTS MR. LAWRENCE’S MARCHIONESS SUPPLEMENTING THE CONCERTS ORIENTALISM IN MUSIC MUSIC IN A MUSEUM POPULAR TUNES–PAST AND PRESENT LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS MEN THAYER’S BEETHOVEN THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL–I THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL–II THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL–III MOZART AT SALZBURG POPULAR MUSIC IN ITALY SOME VERY YOUNG MUSIC REFLECTIONS IN THE PROMENADE BUSONI AGAIN REFLECTIONS IN THE CONCERT ROOM NEW FRIENDS AND OLD VARIATIONS MUSIC AND POLITICS AN ORLANDO GIBBONS CONCERT THE ARNOLD BAX CONCERT TEMPORARIES AND ETERNALS VERDI AND PALESTRINA ROUND ABOUT DON JUAN DELIUS AND THE NATURE-EMOTION BAD MUSIC MUSIC IN THE ENCYCLOPÆDIA GOING TO THE OPERA HANDEL, POLLY, AND OURSELVES MUSIC CLUBS CHERUBINI–EMOTION AND FORM MADRIGALS AND PROGRAMME MUSIC THE HYMN AND THE DREAM BARBARISM IN MUSIC NOTES ON A PIANIST AND ON PIANOS A MOZART PROGRAMME CONTEMPORANEOUSNESS BACH AND HANDEL THE LIED BOOKS ABOUT MUSIC WHAT ARE THE WILD WAVES SAYING? BRAHMS’S BIRTHDAY OPERA, MARIONETTES, AND BATTISTINI ECLECTICISM MUSIC AND THE INTERPRETATIVE MEDIUM SELECT DISCOGRAPHY INDEX