The Musical World of Charles Avison

Melodic Charm and the Powers of Harmony

Simon D.I. Fleming

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Hardback

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English

Routledge
02 December 2024

Western "classical" music; Baroque music (c 1600 to c 1750); Classical music (c 1750 to c 1830); Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups

This book explores the works and influence of the eighteenth-century British composer Charles Avison. Although he spent most of his life in the northern town of Newcastle upon Tyne, Avison went on to have a marked impact on the musical life of Britain during the second half of the eighteenth century. His concertos become part of the national concert repertory, while his critical treatise, An Essay on Musical Expression, shaped debates about musical aesthetics. This book provides the first sustained examination of Avison’s musical works and compositional techniques, and it traces how his music not only drew on influences from European composers but also reworked them and in turn, influenced others.

Considering Avison’s musical compositions, the circumstances around their composition and dissemination, and their place in music history, the author confronts preconceptions about the quality of Avison’s music, reveals new dimensions of his work as a composer, and demonstrates the enduring popularity and impact of his music. The author also draws on Avison’s writings to consider how closely he adheres to his own musical aesthetics. Reassessing Avison’s contribution to British music history, this study makes the case for understanding him as an important figure in the development and spread of musical styles across eighteenth-century England.

By: Simon D.I. Fleming
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 730g
ISBN: 9781032406015
ISBN 10: 1032406011
Pages: 294
Publication Date: 02 December 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Library Sigla List of Figures List of Musical Examples List of Tables Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Avison in Newcastle and London. Chapter 3. Earliest Works: the Opus 1 Trio Sonatas of 1737. Chapter 4. The First Concertos, 1740–47. Chapter 5. Reworkings and the Scarlatti Concertos of 1744. Chapter 6. Avison’s Vocal Music. Chapter 7. William Hayes and the Concertos Opus 3 and 4. Chapter 8. New Directions: The Accompanied Keyboard Sonatas Opus 5, 7 and 8. Chapter 9. Looking forwards: The Opus 6 Concertos of 1758 and Twenty Six Concertos … in Score. Chapter 10. Looking Backwards: The Late Concertos, 1765–69. Chapter 11. The Reception of Avison’s Music during his Lifetime. Chapter 12. The Afterlife of Avison’s Music and his Reputation as a Musician. Chapter 13. Concluding Thoughts. Index

Simon D. I. Fleming is a Durham-based teacher, organist, and musicologist who previously taught in the Music Department at Durham University, UK. His research focuses on music in eighteenth-century Britain, with a particular focus on the north of England. He has published articles in The Musical Times, The Consort, Early Music, The Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle, and Eighteenth- Century Music, and he has spoken at numerous conferences. More recently, he has been working on the topic of music subscription lists and has edited, with Martin Perkins, Music by Subscription: Composers and Their Networks in the British Music-Publishing Trade, 1676–1820 (Routledge, 2022). Together they established the Dataset of Subscribers to Eighteenth-Century Music Publications in Britain and Ireland (musicsubscribers.co.uk). He is currently working on a second edited volume, The Music Trade across Britain, 1650–1800, in partnership with Stephanie Carter. Simon’s extensive collection of early printed and manuscript music is held by Durham University’s Palace Green Library.