Goethe and Zelter: Musical Dialogues

This book presents to the English-speaking reader a critical translation of the discussion of music in the correspondence between Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the composer Carl Friedrich Zelter. 891 letters passed between these two artists, and yet there has never been a complete English translation of their correspondence. Spanning a period of over thirty years, the letters document, in Goethe's own words, his musical development and growth, from his journey to Italy to the final months of his life, and trace Zelter's influence on the development of music in Berlin.Goethe's correspondence with Zelter, which began in 1799 and lasted until 1832, the year in which both friends died, is an important source for the poet's understanding of music, and testifies to his musical interest and intelligence. Dr Lorraine Byrne, author of Schubert's Goethe Settings, sets out to restore each man to his own voice. We hear discussion of the cult of the virtuoso, Rossini's popularity, the Bach revival, the boy Mendelssohn's and young Fanny's development, and much more. Goethe's correspondence with Zelter not only records the poet's own constant musical activity and sincere concern to understanding the art, but his interest in the history of music as part of the chronicle of human culture. His consultation with Zelter about the music he heard provides valuable information about concert life in Germany at the beginning of the nineteenth century and yields insight into the reception of contemporary music and musicians. While the beginning of Goethe's correspondence with Zelter is marked by his dependence on the composer, frequently Goethe opens up their musical discussion and gradually this reliance diminishes. At the end of their correspondence Zelter himself recognized the reversal in their roles and in a letter to the poet, he admits: 'you are the only person I know, whose musical judgement offers unique insight and value'.Zelter's musical ability is continually called into question by scholars, yet his letters to Goethe reveal a reflective musician. The composer's artistic growth can now be traced and the huge impact he had on the musical life of Berlin truly recognized. Zelter's love for the melismatic melodies of Bach reveals his independence of the musical judgement of others at that time and suggests he was not as conservative as is traditionally maintained. The correspondence provides a fascinating account of Mendelssohn's and Goethe's discovery of Bach through Zelter, and throughout the letters Zelter's encouragement of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn is continually affirmed.The book will appeal not only to musicologists and literary scholars, but also to anyone with an interest in nineteenth-century cultural history.