Word Like a Bell: John Keats, Music and the Romantic PoetMusic was supremely important to the Romantic poets, particularly to John Keats. In this first book-length study on the subject, John A. Minahan explores Keats's work in relation to the art of music. Word Like a Bell considers Keats's major poems as well as his letters and minor verse. Writing in a jargon-free style, Minahan examines the relationship between the musical and literary manifestations of Romantic theory, and the connection between that theory and Keats's work. He then offers new insights into Keats's poetry and his era, among them a detailed explanation of why the "Great Odes" ought to be considered a single extended piece. Also receiving extensive treatment are Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, whose ideas and creations illustrate how music influences every aspect of Romantic thought. In his exploration of the relationship between different but related arts, Minahan both locates Romanticism in its historical and aesthetic context and expands the capabilities of literary criticism. He finds that music enables Romanticism to voice its fundamental concern about time and its passage, and shows us that an understanding of poetry's relation to music can enrich our appreciation of both arts while deepening our own experiences of time. This interdisciplinary study will appeal to readers of poetry and literary criticism and to professional musicians who would increase their understanding of an age's art, songwriters interested in word/music relations, and poets who crave an extensive discussion of poetic technique and craft that uses music as a way to clarify such points. |
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Page 37
... song as simple celebration ( 1.136 , 3.933 ) , of needing sometimes to be lulled by a " velvet summer song " that re- freshes the " o'er - sweeten'd soul " ( 4.297 , 3.445 ) . As Keats well knew , problems arise when such escapism is ...
... song as simple celebration ( 1.136 , 3.933 ) , of needing sometimes to be lulled by a " velvet summer song " that re- freshes the " o'er - sweeten'd soul " ( 4.297 , 3.445 ) . As Keats well knew , problems arise when such escapism is ...
Page 80
... song are bound to disagree at certain points , and the song- writer has to know how to make such disagreements contribute to , rather than detract from , the song . More to the point , poetry and music may not need each other to act ...
... song are bound to disagree at certain points , and the song- writer has to know how to make such disagreements contribute to , rather than detract from , the song . More to the point , poetry and music may not need each other to act ...
Page 174
... song , I feel sure , will go on . Time always moves forward . This forward motion is precisely the source of the song's beauty - and , in fact , its timelessness : though music must unfold over a certain duration , the song has survived ...
... song , I feel sure , will go on . Time always moves forward . This forward motion is precisely the source of the song's beauty - and , in fact , its timelessness : though music must unfold over a certain duration , the song has survived ...
Contents
The Varieties of Musical Experience | 29 |
Words Music and Interpretation | 59 |
The Romantic Uses of Sound | 98 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
achieve allows argued artist attention awareness Bate beauty becomes Beethoven begins called combination comes composed consciousness creates critical described difference dream early effect emotion empty enacts experience fact feel finally follow forward gives hear Heath ideas imagination important interpretation John Keats Keats's kind language lead less live loss lyric materials meaning melos memory mind move nature never notes odes once opposition ordinary organized particular passing past pattern perhaps poem poem's poet poet's poetic poetry possible present provides question re-collection reference region relation remains rhetorical rhyme rhythm Romantic Romantic poets says seeks seems sense shape Shelley song sonnet sound Special stanza structure suggests temporal theme thing thought tonal tone truth understand unfolding usual verbal verse voice wanted Wordsworth writing written