Careri, Enrico.
(1990)
A controversial musician : the violinist, composer and theorist Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762).
PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
The present thesis is divided into three main sections: the first consists of three chapters dealing wi th Geminiani's lifej the second comprises a chapter on his critical reception from his lifetime onwards and six chapters discussing his musical compositions and treatisesj the third contains footnotes to the chapters, a thematic catalogue of Geminiani's works, two appendices, and a bibliography. The opening, biographical section, which is in large part based on documents discovered by the author in the course of his research, is divided into chapters corresponding to the three main phases of Geminiani's life. The first <1687-1714) discusses the period that Geminiani spent in Italy (Lucca, Rome, and Naples>, his musical apprenticeship with Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti, and the possible factors that induced him to seek his fortune abroad. The second (1714-1732) covers the first period of Geminiani' s residence in London, which saw him achieve his greatest success both as a composer and a violinist, culminating with the publication of his celebrated Op. III concertos (1732). The third (1732-1762> opens with his first sojourn in Paris, an event that marks the beginning of an unset tled period in his 11 fe that persistfJd up to his death. The main portion of the second section is devoted to a descriptive analysis of Geminiani' s works, which comprise three sets of concertos <opp. II, lII, and VII), three sets of sonatas (Opp. I, IV, and V), The Inchanted Forrest, the numerous reworkings and transcriptionc of earlier works, six treatises, and a small amount of vocal music. The analysis is preceded by a chapter discussing Geminiani's controversial reputation among his contemporaries and his Chequered critical fortunes from that time up to the present day. This chapter includes a review of existing scholarly 11 terature on Geminiani and an assessment of his current position in the performing repertory. The analysis of the music pays close regard to the historical circumstances in which each work or collection was written and performed. The author has considered it important to avoid the misinterpretations of much previous criticism, which has taken insufficient account of the chronology of the works and their relation to a wider pat tern of stylistic change. The importance of a historical context for the understanding of the music is particularly marked in the case of The Inchanted Forrest, which can now be viewed in an entirely new light thanks to documents discovered by the author in Parisian libraries. The thematic catalogue, which forms the main part of the third section, contains a full list of original and modern sources of Geminiani's works. It represents the first serious attempt to bring order and comprehensiveness to a previously very confused matter - for although the musical output of Geminiani may at first sight appear rather small, the great number of transcriptions, reworkings, and "corrected" reprintings swells the corpus of works considerably and introduces many complexi ties. The first appendix (A) contains a complete transcription of the reviews of La Forest Enchantee that were written shortly after the work's first performance in 1754; these documents are crucial to our new understanding of Geminiani's last orchestral composition. The second appendix (B) contains a transcription of the part of the correspondence between Thomas Twining d 735-1804) and Charles Burney in which the two musical connoisseurs discuss Geminiani and Corelli: their letters, from which the thesis quotes frequently. reveal to us their opinions about two composers who, together with Handel, were "the only divinities" of their youth.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Oct 2023 10:19 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2023 10:20 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03176123 |
| Copyright Statement: | Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis and any accompanying data (where applicable) are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3176123 |
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