Haydn and the Enlightenment

A Dictionary of Latin Words and Phrases is a handy reference for all kinds of writing, as well as an absorbing collection of phrases, mottoes, proverbs and sayings. This new dictionary offers a fresh look at a language which has retained its influence and colour. Thematic indexA comprehensive index will take you to all the words and phrases relating to a particular subject, covering everything from ambition, beauty, and courage to war and wisdom. More than just words and phrasesAlong with clear translations and pronunciation guidance, sources from literature and history are annotated with fascinating descriptions and explanations that place the phrases in context. Mottoes of countries and famous people and institutionsThe American dollar, Henry VIII, Oxford University and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are just a few of the inspiring and sometimes ironic mottoes. ProverbsFamiliar and amusing proverbs are included and easily found in a separate index. Includes literary examplesAn A-Z listing of all Latin authors cited includes outlines of their lives and works.Schroeder here sets out to challenge the widely held view of Haydn as an inspired instrumental musician who composed in isolation from 18th-century enlightened thinking. By means of both documentary and musical investigation the author seeks instead to present him as a culturally and politically sensitive representative of the Age of Englightement. Haydn's awareness of contemporary aesthetic opinion and the tenets of the Enlightenment is reflected by the transformations in his own compositional style, and there are fascinating implications here for our understanding of instrumental music from the second half of the eighteenth century. Of fundamental importance in this survey is Haydn's relationship with his audience, which, it is argued, had a significant bearing on the nature of the works. The author suggests that Haydn was wellacquainted with the contemporary view that works of literature or music should serve a moral function and he points to numerous instances in the late symphonies where this end is effectively pursued. For the eighteenth century, however, morality did not imply dullness; indeed, its goals were best servedthrough wit, humour, popular appeal, and beauty, as well as through intellectual challenge.