Research Catalog

Title

Magician of sound : Ravel and the aesthetics of illusion / Jessie Fillerup.

Author

Fillerup, Jessie, 1976-

Publication

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2021]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xiv, 282 pages : illustrations, music; 24 cm.

Summary

"French composer Maurice Ravel was described by critics as a magician, conjurer, and illusionist. Scholars have been aware of this historical curiosity, but none so far have explained why Ravel attracted such critiques or what they might tell us about how to interpret his music. Magician of Sound examines Ravel's music through the lens of illusory experience, considering how timbre, orchestral effects, figure/ground relationships, and impressions of motion and stasis might be experienced as if they were conjuring tricks. Applying concepts from music theory, psychology, philosophy, and the history of magic, Jessie Fillerup develops an approach to musical illusion that newly illuminates Ravel's fascination with machines and creates compelling links between his music and other forms of aesthetic illusion, from painting and poetry to fiction and phantasmagoria. Fillerup analyzes scenes of enchantment and illusory effects in Ravel's most popular works, including Boléro, La Valse, Daphnis et Chloé, and Rapsodie espagnole, relating his methods and musical effects to the practice of theatrical conjurers. Drawing on a rich well of primary sources, Magician of Sound provides a new interdisciplinary framework for interpreting this enigmatic composer, linking magic and music"--

Series Statement

California studies in 20th-century music ; 29

Uniform Title

California studies in 20th-century music ; 29.

Subject

• Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937 > Criticism and interpretation
• Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937
• Music and magic

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-269) and index.

Contents

Introduction -- Misdirection, or image, illusion, and musical motion -- Emblems of enchantment -- The machine bewitched -- Illusions of form and void -- Motion, illusion, and phantasmagoria in La Valse -- Conclusion : time, space, sortilèges.

Call Number

JME 21-341

ISBN

• 9780520379886
• 0520379888

LCCN

2020032179

OCLC

1191457437

Author

Fillerup, Jessie, 1976- author.

Title

Magician of sound : Ravel and the aesthetics of illusion / Jessie Fillerup.

Publisher

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2021]

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

California studies in 20th-century music ; 29

California studies in 20th-century music ; 29.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-269) and index.

Other Form:

Online version: Fillerup, Jessie, 1976- Magician of sound Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2021] 9780520976962 (DLC) 2020032180

Research Call Number

JME 21-341