Article
The Aria-cum-Chorus "Förkunnom högt hans lof och magt": Using Text to Recover a Lost Work by Joseph Martin Kraus?
Scandinavian Studies
(2014)
Abstract
Within the corpus of music written by any eighteenth-century composer almost certainly lies a certain number of works that have been lost or else have survived only in a fragmentary form. While the bulk of any of these can be said to have originated during that composer’s youth, and thus are of importance primarily in defining the initial development of his or her style, even among the mature late works can be found lacunae, gaps that, if filled, might complete one’s understanding of the complete oeuvre. When added to the fact that, in a number of cases, the missing music may indeed have been distributed or published under the names of other, often better known or more popular figures, the matter of authenticity and recovery becomes a sometimes daunting task. Unless there is prima facie evidence of authorship, that is, a recovered autograph, authentic source, or relevant document, this problem is usually solved only with great difficulty, primarily using such subjective means as style (and stylistic comparison), conjectural source transmission, or a chain of circumstantial evidence. If the latter is logically argued, it can provide persuasive clues from which conclusions can be drawn even without the existence of primary evidence.
Keywords
- Joseph Martin Kraus
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring 2014
DOI
10.1353/scd.2014.0007
Citation Information
Bertil van Boer. "The Aria-cum-Chorus "Förkunnom högt hans lof och magt": Using Text to Recover a Lost Work by Joseph Martin Kraus?" Scandinavian Studies Vol. 86 Iss. 1 (2014) p. 29 - 51 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/bertil_vanboer/6/