There's a new and no doubt controversial book out on Brahms that, among
other things, declares that "A live recording removes the musical event
from the temporal context." It goes on, that in Brahms's day "much musical
culture depended on reading, on playing oneself; thus, to devote time to
Brahms recordings would contravene the book's intent, namely" to honor the
character of musical life that Brahms himself experienced."

We're talking here about *The Compleat Brahms, A guide of the musical works
of Johannes Brahms*, 472pp.  Norton 039304708 3..  Tightly edited by Leon
Botstein, it comprises the contributions of some 30 scholar specialists.
The posting here draws from a review of the book by the modern composer
Hugh Wood, as published by the Times Literary Supplement of July 23.

On its surface, *The Compleat Brahms* would seem to be a compendious
handbook dealing with all the works of Brahms, though at varying depth
and originality.  It eschews musical notation as well as diagrams and
tabulars.  But Editor Botstein does impose an agenda which, at least
according to TLS's reviewer, lends a deep cogency to the book.  As a
negative part of this agenda, as we have seen, he excises any treatment
of recordings.  As another, he very nearly, but not altogether, excises
biography.  Here the reason adduced is that, " our abiding concern with a
composer's interpersonal relationships is a kind of intellectual residue
of the nineteenth century's excessive investment in the artist as deviant
personality." And therefore, one is led to infer, not worth pursuing in
our more enlightened and utterly mature twentieth century.

Nonetheless, the reviewer opines that the book's "general tone is that of
the more conservative wing of present-day scholarship." But for that, it
sounds to be fastidious and venturesome.  "Perhaps the most original -- and
the most questionable departure in the book," writes the reviewer,"is made
in consideration of some pieces for men's chorus Opp 41-5,'perhaps Brahms's
most neglected works'; the *Triumphlied* Op 55--also long neglected, though
apparently performed often enough in Brahms's lifetime; and the *Fest-und
Gedenksprueche* Op 109 of 1888-9."

In this respect the book certainly would seem to do "honor the character of
musical life that Brahms himself experienced."  Maybe also to help us know
more fully how he reacted to this experience.

Denis Fodor                     Internet:[log in to unmask]