Egon Wellesz in Selbstzeugnissen

"Egon Wellesz (1885-1974) has been and often still is described as a composer, musicologist, byzantinist, emigrant or teacher. But who was Wellesz really? This volume tries to answer this question with the help of Wellesz's correspondence, which is preserved in the Department of Music of the Austrian National Library. Nowhere else can we experience the man Egon Wellesz as directly as in his approximately 9,000 letters, in which one can hear his immediate voice, not retrospective information. This collection of letters, which has hitherto not undergone a scholarly examination, is an especially revealing and extensive legacy. With the help of Egon Wellesz's personal testimonials, the book traces, in great detail, his research activities in Vienna and Oxford, his compositions, his relationship to Austria, as well as his exchange of ideas with the intellectual elite of the 20th century. The letters not only show us the life and work of one of the most versatile composers and musicologists of the last century, but also the musical und university life both in Vienna and - because many of his correspondents did not live in Austria - abroad. Analyzing Wellesz's correspondence thus provides us with a wealth of new insights that will contribute substantially to further research on the history of music. In the appendix, selected letters of Egon Wellesz are reproduced."--Publisher's website.