Rowat, Malcolm

Dr. Malcolm Rowat holds seven different degrees including an MBA, a J.D., and a post-graduate degree in musicology from King’s College. He has been a lecturer at various universities on an ad hoc basis including spending time teaching at Oxford.

The Origins and Roles of Instrumental Music in the Operas of Richard Strauss: From Concert Hall to Opera House

2012 0-7734-3078-4
The main purpose of this volume is to provide an overview to all of Richard Strauss’s musical and operatic compositions. Usually the operas are ignored by scholars and composers who only perform his instrumental works. This book shows that there is incredible musical value in the operas as well. It also showcases his compositional style and techniques, as the author states, Strauss could compose while riding on a noisy train, he was just that talented.

Because of his involvement with the Nazi Party, Richard Strauss has been ignored by musical scholars for quite some time. Even when he is studied his operas are often viewed as being less important than his instrumental works. This book remedies that misconception by addressing how his operas were created and pin pointing the musical importance by chronicling their compositional qualities. There is also quite a bit about Strauss’s life in this book as well.