We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 December 2009
Marx wrote his famous treatise on composition as a result of his experiences teaching composition at the University of Berlin. The first two volumes were published in 1837 and 1838; they were already in their second editions when he published the next two volumes in 1845 and 1847.
After the foregoing excerpts on the nature and goals of Marx's progressive theory of music pedagogy, the purpose of the following excerpts is to demonstrate its initial application within his compositional method. I have omitted and paraphrased some of the more abstract notions of form that appear in these pages, since Marx handles them explicitly in the essay entitled “Form in music,” which can be found in Part II of this volume.
INTRODUCTION
SECTION ONE: CHIEF MANDATE OF THE COMPOSITIONAL METHOD
{1} The compositional method has first and foremost the purely practical goal of providing direction for musical composition, of enhancing ones compositional skill – presuming aptitude and practice on the part of the student. It entirely fulfills this mandate only when it teaches everything, when it enhances all the skills that a composer true to the calling is obliged to attain; it comprehends nothing less than the whole of musical art.
To this end it must first present an array of positive information (e.g. on the technical usefulness of instruments). At the same time, it may presume a certain degree of general education, certain supplemental information and skills, and an elementary knowledge of musical rudiments – or else it may indicate the means to attain such knowledge.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
