Chris Fifield's new book...

[eschiss1]

Leaving out Austrian symphonists who wrote symphonies between 1830 and 1876 leaves out a few, though...

(Austrian composer Gottfried Preyer's first symphony in D minor, published 1839, does get a footnoted mention, as a subject of an anonymous (assumed by Fifield to be by Schumann) negative article in NZM (Fifield, p.6.))

[Alan Howe]

While Emilie Mayer might have been worth a mention, so might many, many others. It's a question of where one stops, otherwise a book like this becomes more like a list. It may also have been my fault as I omitted to include Mayer when informing Chris about available recordings...

[dwshadle]

(Random fact side bar: the composer/critic Richard Storrs Willis, who wrote the tune for "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," studied with Schnyder von Wartensee.)

[Wieland]

I received today my copy of Fifield's book and after having read 1 1/2 chapters I know that this is the book I was looking for for a long time. So thanks for bringing this book to my attention. I have just dug out my copy of Dahlhaus Music history of the 19th century which I never fully read and now I know why. There are way too many names missing in that book. And yes, it will require a lot of listening time to follow (as far as possible) all what Fifield wrote. In preparation of my vacation, I am currently loading many symphonies onto my ipod to take along with the book.

[Alan Howe]

Frankly, I doubt whether Dahlhaus knew as much as we know now. Knowledge of the repertoire has increased hugely in the post-Dahlhaus era (he died in 1989), so his thesis is fatally out of date. Fifield is the new standard - and, if programme or 'characteristic' symphonies were included and the range expanded to encompass composers in the wider Austro-German tradition, the picture would be even fuller.

[hyperdanny]

I would just like to thank mr.Fifield for his books..I have owned the Bruch one for a couple years, and the "German symphonies" for a year or so, and they are invaluable to me.
Even if I cannot appreciate them in their totality (I don't read music, so I don't "get" the musical examples) they are so wonderfully written,  and they have added immeasurably to my appreciation of the UCs.
Only side-effect is exponentially increased expenditure on cd's , sometimes rare or out-of-print, but that's ok.

[christopherfifield]

I am most grateful for the positive responses which my book 'The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms' has elicited from members. My only regret is that the book is so expensive but I suspect the number of music examples is the reason, while the publishers probably target libraries rather than individual purchasers is another.  My best wishes for a happy and healthy 2018 go out to you all.

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks. Your book is superb, a great and very informative read. Thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in the Unsung of the 19th century.

[Pyramus]

As reported elsewhere, I acquired this book a couple of years ago after discovering Felix Draeseke's quintet for horn strings and piano. I moved on to his symphonies and read the long treatise by Alan Krueck. At some stage Chris Fifield's book came up in my search and this led to a period of discovery, listening to symphonies (mostly) by composers whose names were unfamiliar - Grimm, Dietrich, Gernsheim and Goetz. Some of the composers he covers are not German (e.g. Gade), who qualifies as he spent time living and working in Germany. Definitely money well spent!