Mathias Spahlinger

Mathias Spahlinger is a German composer who is one of the most important practitioners of contemporary music in Germany. This book is the first book-length study in English of his work, and it provides a critical perspective on his aesthetics and political ideas. The book will be of interest to scholars of new music and twentieth-century modernism, as well as to undergraduates interested in the field.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 26 April 2021
Publisher: Intellect Books

Mathias Spahlinger, a prominent composer in contemporary music from Germany, has been the subject of the first comprehensive book-length study in English. Despite his significant contributions to the German music scene, his work has received limited attention in the Anglophone academic community. Born in 1944, Spahlinger has gradually gained recognition in his homeland, although he was initially considered an outsider within the contemporary music scene. Today, his position as a revered exponent of post-World War II modernism is indisputable, with his music being regularly performed, commissioned by prominent orchestras and new music groups, and receiving prestigious awards such as the Großen Berliner Kunstpreis (Berlin Art Prize – Grand Prize) in 2014.

While Spahlinger's reputation in Germany has been growing, he is also becoming increasingly recognized as a significant figure in later twentieth-century music. In 2015, a festival in Chicago dedicated exclusively to his music was held, and he delivered a keynote speech at a conference on Compositional Aesthetics and the Political at Goldsmiths, University of London. This new book, which offers the first comprehensive English-language study of Spahlinger, fills a gap in the literature. While there are monographs and books of essays in German and books of interviews, this original work provides a more critical perspective on the composer and his aesthetics and political ideas. It includes musical examples to illustrate its points.

The primary target audience for this book will be scholars and researchers in musicology, including academics, composers, and music enthusiasts. It will be an invaluable resource for those seeking to deepen their understanding of Spahlinger's work and its place in the broader context of twentieth-century modernism.

Weight: 566g
Dimension: 253 x 173 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789383348
Edition number: New ed