In music of the past, angels have generally been examined either in the context of musica coelestis or as actors in great vocal-instrumental scores. Instrumental compositions referring to angels were rare, limited mainly to some works by Tartini, Berg, Hindemith, Crumb, and Messiaen. The series of instrumental works with titles referring to angels created by the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) therefore seems unique. Wojciech Stepien's interdisciplinary study provides an in-depth analysis and cultural contextualization of five of Rautavaara's instrumental works: the...
In music of the past, angels have generally been examined either in the context of musica coelestis or as actors in great vocal-instrumental scores. I...
