Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor

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In Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor, historian Nicholas Tarling surveys the landscape of choral works, some standard masterpieces that are commonly performed by choruses around the world, others deserving a second, closer look. As noted in the foreword by Uwe Grodd , music director of the Auckland Choral Society, this work is a collection of essays about a number of outstanding works, including Beethovens Miss Solemnis and Brittens War Requiem, but he also invites attention to lesser masterpieces. If the choral movement, which includes both singers and listeners, is to survive, new works must be created and repertory expanded. The book is an easy and captivating read even if you are not a chorister. Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor features short essays on over 28 works, from major masterpieces such as Handels Messiah and Bachs St. Matthews Passion to off-the-beaten path choral works such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylors Hiawatha and Frederick Delius A Mass of Life. Throughout, Tarling offers assessments that sparkle with unique insights and at the same time ground listeners in the historical contexts of the works production and performance. Each work is transformed in Tarlings able hands from musical work into a window into the mind and milieu of the composer. Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor mixes choral mainstays with works that demand revisiting. Choral singers and their audiences, as well as choral societies and their directions and promoters, will find ample food for thoughts in these meditations on the choral tradition.

Author Bio

Nicholas Tarling is former professor of history at the University of Auckland for nearly 30 years. A specialist in the history of Southeast Asia, he has published extensively on the regions history and culture. As a music aficionado, he has programmed broadcasts on opera for Radio New Zealand, reviews regularly for Opera magazine, prepares and conducts pre-concert talks, and writes concert program notes.