He is author of many books including Percy Grainger OSC (OUP, 1992); Bach and the Dance of God (1980); Beethoven and the Voice of God (1684); Music in a New Found Land (1987); Man and his Music (1987); François Couperin (1987); Vaughan Williams and the Vision of Albion (1988)
`Affectionate, perceptive commentary'
BBC Music Magazine
`by far the best of this book is its tender regard for its subject
and the biographical and cultural sensitivity by which it is
realised. It can be treasured for its affection, and for the
apparently artless evocation by means of quotation, allusion, and
felicitous original writing of, for instance, the strong if
fugitive line of quintessential Frenchness to which Poulenc is
heir'
Musical Times
`Reading Francis Poulenc by Wilfred Mellers is like having a
conversation with a culutred nad intelligent man of great
experience. Mellers writes with wit and conviction about Poulenc's
compositiions and effortlessly alludes to a wide variety of works
by notable authors and composers...The informal tone of many of the
analyses draws the reader not only closer to the music, but invites
an ever more intimate association with Mellers...Meller's book is
a
welcome addition to the Oxford Studies of Composers series and to
the body of work on Francis Poulenc'
The French Review
`At his best, as in the chapter on Poulenc's theatre music, with
its expansive account of the Dialogue des Carmélites, Mellers is
unsurpassed ... this book does go to the heart of Poulenc and it
deserves to be read.'
Times Literary Supplement
`the glimpses are powerful'
Roderic Dunnett, Church Times
`Mellers has that rare gift of being able to talk about music. His
chatty descriptions of pieces are so thorough that you feel you've
already heard them - or don't need to - and he's never at a loss
for words. Excerpts from Mellers's Francis Poulenc surely will find
their way into program notes for at least the next decade.'
American Organist, June 1994
`Drafting the book was, he says, a labour of love; and he is a
perspicacious scholar ... the glimpses are powerful.'
Roderic Dunnett, Church Times
'It can be treasured for its affection, and for the apparently
artless evocation by means of quotation, allusion, and felicitous
original writing of, for instance, the strong if fugitive line of
quintessential Frenchnes to which Poulenc is heir,'
Robin Holloway. The Musical Times
'Mellers one of the most respected and articulate writers on music,
has produced a gem. The author leaves many song text and other
quotations in the original French, so a modest knowledge of the
language will be helpful but not entirely necessary for enjoyment
of the book. This volume will be a pleasure to anyone, from general
reader to specialist.'
W. Ross, University of Virginia. Choice May '94
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