The Gesualdo hex : music, myth, and memory / by Glenn Watkins ; preface by Claudio Abbado

New York : W. W. Norton, 2010. First Edition. Hardback. An exceptional copy; fine in an equally fine dw. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Literally as new.; 8vo 8"" - 9"" tall; 384 pages; Physical desc. : xvi, 384 p. : ill. (some col.), map ; 25 cm. Subject: Gesualdo, Carlo, principe di Venosa (c1560-1613) --Criticism and interpretation --Influence --Composers and musicians --Medieval and Renaissance music (c1000 to c1600) --Influence music --History and criticism. Summary: In this vivid tale of adultery and intrigue, witchcraft and murder, Glenn Watkins presents a riveting investigation of one of the most provocative musicians of the Renaissance. He explores the life of Renaissance composer Gesualdo - a life suffused with scandal and bordering on the fantastical - as well as the undeniable impact of his music on a host of later musicians and artists from Stravinsky and Schnittke to Abbado and Herzog. Tracing the vitalising force of Renaissance chromaticism to our own day, this multifaceted account weaves together the cumulative experience of some of the most vibrant musicians of the past half century. ""The Gesualdo Hex"" considers how music inevitably takes on a new guise as it is revisited by subsequent generations and how history plays with the evidence. This compelling book asks us to grapple with our understanding, not only of art and the artists who create it, but also of history itself.