Through a range of musical examples, Rosen details the array of stylistic devices and techniques used to represent or convey sentiment. This is not, however, a listener's guide to any 'correct' response to a particular piece. Instead, Rosen provides the tools and terms with which to appreciate this central aspect of musical aesthetics, and indeed explores the phenomenon of contradictory sentiments embodied in a single motif or melody.

These essays cover a broad range of musical forms, historical periods, and issues -- from Bach through Brahms to Carter and Schoenberg, from contrapuntal keyboard music to opera, from performance practices to music history as a discipline. They revisit Rosen's favorite subjects and pursue some less familiar paths. They court controversy (with strong opinions about performance on historical instruments, the so-called New Musicology, and the alleged...

Michael Gielen, Charles Rosen, and Carl E. Schorske, historian, analyze the complexities of Schoenberg's atonal Opus 16. "This work embodies Schoenberg's early efforts to artistically plunge into the self, and its dissonance, subtle shadings of timbre, and pervading sense of agony are discussed." Includes biographical background, film clips, photographs and period art.--Container.