I thoroughly recommend anybody to plete output of composer and poet together is many writers seem unable to do. From there
whom the St. Matthew Passion is a problem to most welcome. we move into a highly detailed consideration
spend £9.99 on this beautifully common sense Davidson is known for his Mozart and the of all 47 of Schubert’s Mayrhofer songs in
book. Pianist (MO December 2001) and The chronological order spread over seven chapters.
Incidentally, the latest issue in Continuum Classical Piano Sonata (March/April 2005) First in each case is the title and Deutsch
International Publishing Group Ltd Magnum and, although this book contains no music number, dates of composition and publicat-
Opus Series is devoted to Beethoven’s Fifth and examples, one recognises his characteristic thor- ion, details of comparative recordings with up-
Seventh Symphonies, Handel’s Messiah, and Brahms’ oughness here. Hillenaar is emeritus professor to-date catalogue numbers. Under Back-
Symphonies. DENBY RICHARDS of French literature at Groningen University ground come the circumstances under which
in Holland and obviously is extremely well each song was composed with mention of
SCHUBERT versed in German literature as well. He wrote other pieces he was writing at that time. Next
AND about each of the Mayrhofer poems Schubert are Mayrhofer’s text in parallel with David-
MAYRHOFER: set and Davidson was responsible for all the son’s translation, this being followed by
By Michael rest of this text including the translations. Hillenaar’s very sensitive remarks – sometimes
Davidson and Henk Born in 1787, Mayrhofer was ten years almost an analysis - of the thoughts, language
Hillenaar older than Schubert and had a difficult temp- and imagery of each poem. This is succeeded
Kahn & Averill erament, gloomy, even misanthropic, yet a by Davidson’s point-by-point account of every
280 pp classical scholar and passionate lover of music. significant detail of the music of each song,