William Walton : muse of fire / Stephen Lloyd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lloyd, Stephen, 1944-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Walton, William, 1902-1983.

Walton, William.

Composers--England--Biography.

Composers.

England.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xi, 332 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Rochester, NY : Boydell Press, 2001.

Summary:

A biography of Walton focusing on his musical output and its reception -- including his music for films.

Facade launched Walton's reputation in 1923, and throughout the 1920s and '30s he was at the forefront of musical life. Using first-hand accounts, this book explodes the myth of Facade's riotous reception, examines Walton's work in both films and radio and, through contemporary correspondence, articles and interviews -- wherever possible in his own words -- explores Walton's life and troubled times. It brings to the fore his complex personality -- 'remote, removed, distant' in Laurence Oliver's words, in dynamic contrast with music of such vitality and drama. Composition for him was an arduous, often painful, process riddled with difficulties, uncertainties and self-doubts, and further complicated by several love affairs (one being with Italy) that inspired his finest works.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-321) and index.

ISBN:

085115803X

OCLC:

45248270