Korngold and his world

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) was the last compositional prodigy to emerge from the Austro-German tradition of Mozart and Mendelssohn. He was lauded in his youth by everyone from Mahler to Puccini and his auspicious career in the early 1900s spanned chamber music, opera, and musical theater. Today, he is best known for his Hollywood film scores, composed between 1935 and 1947. From his prewar operas in Vienna to his pathbreaking contributions to American film, this book provides a substantial reassessment of Korngold's life and accomplishments. Korngold struggled to reconcile the musical language of his Viennese upbringing with American popular song and cinema, and was forced to adapt to a new life after wartime emigration to Hollywood. The book examines Korngold's operas and film scores, the critical reception of his music, and his place in the milieus of both the Old and New Worlds. It also features numerous historical documents—many previously unpublished and in first-ever English translations—including essays by the composer as well as memoirs by his wife, Luzi Korngold, and his father, the renowned music critic Julius Korngold.

Korngold father and son in Vienna's prewar public eye / David Brodbeck -- "You must return to life" : notes on the reception of Das Wunder der Heliane and Jonny spielt auf / Charles Youmans -- Acoustic space, modern interiority, and Korngold's cities / Sherry Lee and Sadie Menicanin -- Korngold and Jewish identity in concert / Lily E. Hirsch -- New opportunities in film : Korngold and Warner Bros. / Ben Winters -- "The caverns of the human mind are full of strange shadows" : disability representation, Henry Bellamann, and Korngold's musical subtexts in the score for Kings row / Neil Lerner -- American and Austrian ruins in Korngold's Symphony in F-sharp / Amy Lynn Wlodarski -- Recollections of Zemlinsky from my years of study / Erich Wolfgang Korngold and David Brodbeck -- Notes for an interview / Erich Wolfgang Korngold -- A farewell to Vienna / Luzi Korngold and Kevin C. Karnes -- Composing for the pictures : an interview / Daniel Goldmark -- "Give up your plans of coming home" : letters of a Viennese father to his son / Julius Korngold and Bryan Gilliam -- Some experiences in film music / Erich Wolfgang Korngold -- Faith in Music! / Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Kevin C. Karnes …