Geck, Martin

Overview

Works:	460 works in 1,172 publications in 7 languages and 12,869 library holdings
Genres:	Criticism, interpretation, etc Biographies Thematic catalogs (Music) Scores Psalms (Music) Songs Sacred music Chorale preludes Bibliographies Pictorial works
Roles:	Author, Editor, Contributor, Honoree, Other, dgs, Performer, htt, Composer, Author of introduction, Creator
Classifications:	ML410.B1, 780.92

Publication Timeline

Most widely held works by Martin Geck

Johann Sebastian Bach : life and work by Martin Geck( Book )

11 editions published between 2000 and 2006 in 3 languages and held by 1,303 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most compelling figures in classical music. This study of the composer's life and work follows the course of Bach's career in rich detail - from his humble beginnings as an organ tuner and self-taught musician, to his role as Kapallmeister and cantor of St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig

Robert Schumann : the life and work of a romantic composer by Martin Geck( Book )

25 editions published between 2010 and 2014 in 3 languages and held by 957 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"Robert Schumann (1810-56) is one of the most important and representative composers of the Romantic era. Born in Zwickau, Germany, Schumann began piano instruction at age seven and immediately developed a passion for music. When a permanent injury to his hand prevented him from pursuing a career as a touring concert pianist, he turned his energies and talents to composing, writing hundreds of works for piano and voice, as well as four symphonies and an opera. Here acclaimed biographer Martin Geck tells the fascinating story of this multifaceted genius, set in the context of the political and social revolutions of his time. The image of Schumann the man and the artist that emerges in Geck's book is complex. Geck shows Schumann to be not only a major composer and music critic -- he cofounded and wrote articles for the controversial Neue Zeitschrift für Musik -- but also a political activist, the father of eight children, and an addict of mind-altering drugs. Through hard work and determination bordering on the obsessive, Schumann was able to control his demons and channel the tensions that seethed within him into music that mixes the popular and esoteric, resulting in compositions that require the creative engagement of reader and listener. The more we know about a composer, the more we hear his personality in his music, even if it is above all on the strength of his work that we love and admire him. Martin Geck's book on Schumann is not just another rehashing of Schumann's life and works, but an intelligent, personal interpretation of the composer as a musical, literary, and cultural personality."--The dust-jacket front flap

Beethoven's symphonies : nine approaches to art and ideas by Martin Geck( Book )

22 editions published between 2015 and 2021 in 3 languages and held by 505 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

In the years spanning from 1800 to 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven completed nine symphonies, now considered among the greatest masterpieces of Western music. Yet despite the fact that this time period, located in the wake of the Enlightenment and at the peak of romanticism, was one of rich intellectual exploration and social change, the influence of such threads of thought on Beethoven's work has until now remained hidden beneath the surface of the notes. Beethoven's Symphonies presents a fresh look at the great composer's approach and the ideas that moved him, offering a lively account of the major themes unifying his radically diverse output. Martin Geck opens the book with an enthralling series of cultural, political, and musical motifs that run throughout the symphonies. A leading theme is Beethoven's intense intellectual and emotional engagement with the figure of Napoleon, an engagement that survived even Beethoven's disappointment with Napoleon's decision to be crowned emperor in 1804. Geck also delves into the unique ways in which Beethoven approached beginnings and finales in his symphonies, as well as his innovative use of particular instruments. He then turns to the individual symphonies, tracing elements--a pitch, a chord, a musical theme--that offer a new way of thinking about each work and will make even the most devoted fans of Beethoven admire the symphonies anew. Offering refreshingly inventive readings of the work of one of history's greatest composers, this book shapes a fascinating picture of the symphonies as a cohesive oeuvre and of Beethoven as a master symphonist

Richard Wagner : a life in music by Martin Geck( Book )

11 editions published in 2013 in English and held by 499 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Best known for the challenging four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung, Richard Wagner (1813-83) was a conductor, librettist, theater director, and essayist, in addition to being the composer of some of the most enduring operatic works in history, such as The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, and Tristan and Isolde. Though his influence on the development of European music is indisputable, Wagner was also quite outspoken on the politics and culture of his time. His ideas traveled beyond musical circles into philosophy, literature, theater staging, and the visual arts. To befit such a dynamic figure, acclaimed biographer Martin Geck offers here a Wagner biography unlike any other, one that strikes a unique balance between the technical musical aspects of Wagner's compositions and his overarching understanding of aesthetics. Wagner has always inspired passionate admirers as well as numerous detractors, with the result that he has achieved a mythical stature nearly equal to that of the Valkyries and Viking heroes he popularized. There are few, if any, scholars today who know more about Wagner and his legacy than Geck, who builds upon his extensive research and considerable knowledge as one of the editors of the Complete Works to offer a distinctive appraisal of the composer and the operas. Using a wide range of sources, from contemporary scholars to the composer's own words, Geck explores key ideas in Wagner's life and works, while always keeping the music in the foreground. Geck discusses not only all the major operas, but also several unfinished operas and even the composer's early attempts at quasi-Shakespearean drama. Richard Wagner: A Life in Music is a landmark study of one of music's most important figures, offering something new to opera enthusiasts, Wagnerians, and anti-Wagnerians alike [Publisher description]

Beethoven by Martin Geck( Book )

38 editions published between 1977 and 2020 in 3 languages and held by 481 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This is one title in a series of short, illustrated biographies. They tell the stories of those who have shaped our present and our past, from Beethoven to Dietrich, from Einstein to Churchill and are suitable for students and the general reader

Wagner, Werk-Verzeichnis (WWV) : Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke Richard Wagners und ihrer Quellen : erarbeitet im Rahmen der Richard Wagner-Gesamtausgabe by John Deathridge( Book )

13 editions published in 1986 in German and held by 456 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Johann Sebastian Bach : Johannespassion : BWV 245 by Martin Geck( Book )

36 editions published between 1991 and 2020 in 5 languages and held by 368 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Bach by Martin Geck( Book )

20 editions published between 2000 and 2010 in 3 languages and held by 321 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This is one title in a series of short, illustrated biographies. They tell the stories of those who have shaped our present and our past, from Beethoven to Dietrich, from Einstein to Churchill. Suitable for students and the general reader, they contain a chronology, full index, and guide to further reading

Geistliche Harmonien : 1665 by Christoph Bernhard( )

9 editions published in 1972 in German and Undetermined and held by 278 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Die Wiederentdeckung der Matthäuspassion im 19. Jahrhundert. Die zeitgenössischen Dokumente und ihre ideengeschichtliche Deutung by Martin Geck( Book )

10 editions published in 1967 in German and Undetermined and held by 226 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Beethoven der Schöpfer und sein Universum by Martin Geck( )

12 editions published between 2017 and 2020 in German and held by 212 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Um 1800 ereignet sich nicht weniger als eine musikalische Revolution: Ludwig van Beethoven erschafft mit der Eroica, dem Fidelio oder der 9. Sinfonie die Welt ein zweites Mal. Martin Geck vermisst in seinem Werk das Universum dieses Jahrhundertgenies auf unkonventionelle Weise. In Porträts erschließt er die Vorbilder Beethovens, seine Zeitgenossen und Nachfahren: Welchen Einfluss hatten Shakespeare und Rousseau auf Ludwig van Beethoven, der keineswegs ein Wunderkind war? Welches Verhältnis pflegte er zu seinen Zeitgenossen wie Goethe, Napoleon und Schubert? Und wie wichtig war Beethoven seinerseits für Richard Wagner, Glenn Gould oder Aldous Huxley?

Die Vokalmusik Dietrich Buxtehudes und der fruḧe Pietismus by Martin Geck( Book )

14 editions published between 1962 and 1965 in German and English and held by 198 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Matthias Claudius Biographie eines Unzeitgemäßen by Martin Geck( Book )

6 editions published in 2014 in German and held by 187 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Die große Biographie zum 200. Todestag. Sein Abendlied "Der Mond ist aufgegangen" kennt noch heute jedes Kind, doch der Autor dieser Zeilen, der Dichter und Journalist Matthias Claudius, droht in Vergessenheit zu geraten. Dabei lohnt es sich, Claudius und seine Welt neu zu entdecken, wie uns Bestsellerautor Martin Geck in seiner großen Biographie eindrucksvoll zeigt. Denn in Matthias Claudius, dem umtriebigen Redakteur des berühmten "Wandsbeker Boten", spiegeln sich die widersprüchlichen Strömungen jener Ära zwischen Romantik und Aufklärung: Er war zugleich loyaler Untertan und Kämpfer gegen Fürstenwillkür, frommer Christ und Freimaurer, er schien wenig lebenstüchtig und gehörte doch zu den einflussreichsten und meistgelesenen Autoren des 18. Jahrhunderts. In einer Epoche, in der vor allem Kopf und Vernunft zählten, appellierte er an Herz und Gefühl und schrieb stets mit einer scheinbar kindlichen Naivität. Das trug ihm zwar eine enorme Popularität bei seinen Lesern, mitunter aber auch die Herablassung seiner Zeitgenossen ein. Doch wie viel Kluges und Zeitkritisches in Claudius' vermeintlich naiven Zeilen steckt und warum es sich lohnt, diesen Dichter und sein Werk wiederzuentdecken, zeigt Martin Geck in seiner neuen Biographie - das Porträt eines Unzeitgemäßen und seiner Zeit

Bach-Interpretationen by Martin Geck( Book )

13 editions published in 1969 in 3 languages and held by 187 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Die Bildnisse Richard Wagners by Martin Geck( Book )

10 editions published in 1970 in German and English and held by 186 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Von Beethoven bis Mahler : die Musik des deutschen Idealismus by Martin Geck( Book )

9 editions published in 1993 in German and held by 185 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Mozart : eine Biographie by Martin Geck( Book )

14 editions published between 2005 and 2019 in German and Undetermined and held by 178 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Zwischen Romantik und Restauration : Musik im Realismus-Diskurs der Jahre 1848 bis 1871 by Martin Geck( Book )

15 editions published in 2001 in German and held by 157 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Deutsche Oratorien 1800 bis 1840 : Verzeichnis der Quellen und Aufführungen by Martin Geck( Book )

6 editions published in 1971 in German and held by 150 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Orgelwerke by Nicolaus Bruhns( )

11 editions published between 1939 and 1968 in 3 languages and held by 149 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Music Books and Printed Music