Mosco Carner
Encyclopedia
Mosco Carner (15 November 1904 – 3 August 1985) was an Austrian-born British musicologist, conductor
and critic. He wrote on a wide range of music subjects, but was particularly known for his studies on the life and works of the composers Giacomo Puccini
and Alban Berg
.
to Rudolf and Selma Cohen, Carner was educated at the Vienna Conservatory and at the University of Vienna
, where he studied musicology under Guido Adler
. He received his doctorate there in 1928, with a dissertation on the sonata
form in the works of Robert Schumann
. He then worked as an opera conductor in Opava
(now in the Czech Republic
) from 1929 to 1930 and in the Free City of Danzig
from 1930 to 1933. In 1933, he settled in London, where he was to live for the rest of his life. In London, he initially worked as a guest conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
, BBC Symphony Orchestra
, and London Symphony Orchestra
and as a free-lance music correspondent for several continental European papers. He went on to become the music critic for the British magazine Time and Tide
(1949–1962) and the London Evening News (1957 to 1961). He was also a frequent contributor to The Times
and the Daily Telegraph.
Carner became a naturalised British subject in 1940 and in 1944 married the composer and pianist, Helen Lucas Pyke. In the 1940s he also began publishing scholarly articles and monographs, most notably Volume 2 of A Study of Twentieth-Century Harmony in 1944 (Volume 1 was written by René Lenormand). In 1958, he published one of his most important works, Puccini: a Critical Biography. The book was dedicated to the memory of his wife, Helen, who had died in 1954. Translated into several languages, and published in multiple editions (the last revised edition was published posthumously in 1992), it was described by Stanley Sadie
in the 2001 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians as having "long stood as the most important book on Puccini in English." Carner also edited a volume of Puccini's letters as well as writing two volumes on Puccini's operas for the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, Madame Butterfly (1979), and Tosca
(1985). Another key work by Carner was his 1975 Alban Berg: the Man and his Work. Carner also published two collections of essays and reviews, Of Men and Music (1944) and Major and Minor (1980).
Mosco Carner died of a heart attack at the age of 80 while on vacation in Stratton, Cornwall
. He was survived by his second wife, Hazel Carner (née Sebag-Montefiore), whom he had married in 1976. Hazel Carner wrote the preface to and helped prepare the third edition of Puccini: a Critical Biography which contains the revisions and additions that Carner had left at the time of his death.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and critic. He wrote on a wide range of music subjects, but was particularly known for his studies on the life and works of the composers Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
and Alban Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
.
Biography
Born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Rudolf and Selma Cohen, Carner was educated at the Vienna Conservatory and at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, where he studied musicology under Guido Adler
Guido Adler
Guido Adler was a Bohemian-Austrian musicologist and writer.His father Joachim, a physician, died of typhoid fever in 1857...
. He received his doctorate there in 1928, with a dissertation on the sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
form in the works of Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
. He then worked as an opera conductor in Opava
Opava
Opava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava, located to the north-west of Ostrava. The historical capital of Czech Silesia, Opava is now in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005....
(now in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) from 1929 to 1930 and in the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
from 1930 to 1933. In 1933, he settled in London, where he was to live for the rest of his life. In London, he initially worked as a guest conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
, BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
, and London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
and as a free-lance music correspondent for several continental European papers. He went on to become the music critic for the British magazine Time and Tide
Time and Tide (magazine)
Time and Tide was a British weekly political and literary review magazine founded by Margaret, Lady Rhondda in 1920. It started out as a supporter of left wing and feminist causes and the mouthpiece of the feminist Six Point Group. It later moved to the right along with the views of its owner...
(1949–1962) and the London Evening News (1957 to 1961). He was also a frequent contributor to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and the Daily Telegraph.
Carner became a naturalised British subject in 1940 and in 1944 married the composer and pianist, Helen Lucas Pyke. In the 1940s he also began publishing scholarly articles and monographs, most notably Volume 2 of A Study of Twentieth-Century Harmony in 1944 (Volume 1 was written by René Lenormand). In 1958, he published one of his most important works, Puccini: a Critical Biography. The book was dedicated to the memory of his wife, Helen, who had died in 1954. Translated into several languages, and published in multiple editions (the last revised edition was published posthumously in 1992), it was described by Stanley Sadie
Stanley Sadie
Stanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
in the 2001 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians as having "long stood as the most important book on Puccini in English." Carner also edited a volume of Puccini's letters as well as writing two volumes on Puccini's operas for the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, Madame Butterfly (1979), and Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
(1985). Another key work by Carner was his 1975 Alban Berg: the Man and his Work. Carner also published two collections of essays and reviews, Of Men and Music (1944) and Major and Minor (1980).
Mosco Carner died of a heart attack at the age of 80 while on vacation in Stratton, Cornwall
Stratton, Cornwall
Stratton is a small town situated near the coastal resort of Bude in north Cornwall, UK. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall - see "Hundreds of Cornwall"...
. He was survived by his second wife, Hazel Carner (née Sebag-Montefiore), whom he had married in 1976. Hazel Carner wrote the preface to and helped prepare the third edition of Puccini: a Critical Biography which contains the revisions and additions that Carner had left at the time of his death.
Selected bibliography
- "The Church Music" in Antonin Dvořák: his Achievement, V. Fischl (ed.), Lindsay Drummond, 1942
- A Study of Twentieth-Century Harmony, Vol. 2, Joseph Williams, 1944
- Of Men and Music, Joseph Williams, 1944
- The Waltz (Vol. 5 of The World of Music), Parrish, 1948
- "Béla Bartók" in The Concerto, Ralph Hill (ed.), Pelican Press, 1952
- "Béla Bartók" in Chamber Music, A. Robertson (ed.), The White Friars Press. 1957
- Puccini: a Critical Biography, Gerald Duckworth, 1958
- "The Mass from Rossini to Dvořák c.1835–1900" in Choral Music, A. Jacobs (ed.), Pelican Press, 1963
- "Music in the Mainland of Europe: 1918–1939" in New Oxford History of Music, Martin Cooper (ed.), Oxford University Press, 1974
- Letters of Giacomo Puccini (as editor), Harrap, 1974
- Alban Berg: the Man and his Work, Gerald Duckworth, 1975
- Major and Minor, Gerald Duckworth, 1980
- Hugo Wolf Songs, University of Washington Press, 1983
- Giacomo Puccini: Tosca, Cambridge University Press, 1985
Sources
- Brook, Donald, Conductors' Gallery: Biographical sketches of well-known orchestral conductors, Rockliff, 1947
- Kennedy, Michael and Bourne, Joyce (eds.), "Carner, Mosco", The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 153. ISBN 0198691629
- Mosse, Werner Eugen and Carlebach, Julius, Second Chance: Two Centuries of German-speaking Jews in the United Kingdom, Mohr Siebeck, 1991. ISBN 3161457412
- New York Times, "Mosco Carner, Musicologist; Wrote Biography on Puccini", August 7, 1985
- Who's Who in the World, 1978-1979, "Carner, Mosco", Marquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's WhoMarquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
, 1978, p. 160. ISBN 0837911044
External links
- Mosco Carner at WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...