Presentation of Opus sorabjianum: The Life and Works of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji and Download Link

Presentation

Opus sorabjianum: The Life and Works of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji is the long-awaited biography of the English composer, pianist, and critic by the musicologist Marc-André Roberge, author of the Sorabji Resource Site (launched in August 2010). It was finally made available on the day of the composer’s 121st birthday (14 August 2013) in the form of a fully searchable PDF file that can be downloaded free of charge and read on screen or printed and bound for easier reading. It is regularly updated to correct problems and take account of new discoveries; there have been thirteen releases in the first two years of its existence, and usually one in each of the following years.

Statistics: A book of truly Sorabjian proportions, Opus sorabjianum (as of version 4.00, 27 June 2023; previous version: 3.00, 21 May 2021) consists of:

• 23 chapters divided into 5 parts
• 4 appendices containing
  • a list of works (with dedicatees) for quick reference
  • a complete catalogue of works
  • a complete discography with 69 entries
  • 102 musical examples (created using Avid Technology®’s Sibelius 6.2)
  • an extensive bibliography of approximately 785 titles
• 48 preliminary pages
• 659 pages of text
• 339,841 words
• 2,545 footnotes
• 24-page index on 2 columns (prepared using 11,193 hidden index codes)

Bookmarks: While the text file has a detailed index of names and subjects, the PDF file has bookmarks for each entry of the table of contents to allow quick navigation. The internal links make it possible to move between the reference to a musical example and the example itself, and between the section discussing a work and the catalogue entry.

Table of contents: A detailed table of contents (see the abridged version) shows the sections devoted to biographical information and thematic discussions. Presentations of works may include all of the following:

• an account of the peculiarities of the manuscript (dedications or inscriptions, various notes);
• an explanation of the musical and extramusical references;
• a presentation of the compositional history of the work and of the composer’s assessment, as found in letters and prepared statements;
• information about the relationships between the composer and dedicatee;
• a description of the main features of the formal structure and the compositional language, in addition to — when applicable — an account of the first performance, if given by the composer himself or during his years of public life.

Dedication: Opus sorabjianum is jointly dedicated to Paul Rapoport and Alistair Hinton, whose importance in the shaping of my Sorabjian activity cannot be underestimated. They have provided essential help from the very beginning of this huge research project. A full dedication will be found in the appropriate section of the book.

In 1985 Rapoport graciously offered me a printout of a preliminary version of his catalogue of Sorabji’s works. This gave me a head start in my knowledge of the details of the composer’s vast output, much of which was then completely unknown. A few years later, he gave me the initial impetus to embark on this major project.

Hinton, the composer’s residual legatee, most generously opened the doors and documentary treasures of the Sorabji Archive and answered more queries and questions than anyone could have imagined. Our correspondence since 1990, and especially since 1996, when we switched to email, fills hundreds of pages.

Acknowledgements: In addition to Rapoport and Hinton, many people and institutions (about 160 in fact) have helped me over the years by answering questions, offering nuggets of information, providing copies of documents such as letters, giving permission to use, etc. Full acknowledgements can be found in the relevant section of the book.

Index: The index was created using two custom macros written in PerfectScript, the macro language of WordPerfect™ by Corel. Unlike my other macros published on WordPerfect Universe and on my personal page, these macros are too task-specific to be published (and are unlikely to be made available). Screenshots of the dialog boxes are available here: Add Markers and Index Codes to “Opus sorabjianum” and Index Generator for “Opus sorabjianum”. The number of options gives an idea of the complexity of the task of extending the somewhat limited capabilities of the word processor to create a usable index.

Relationship to Sorabji: A Critical Celebration: Any reader familiar with Paul Rapoport’s Sorabji: A Critical Celebration (1992) will quickly see how much Opus sorabjianum (which is not the work of a professional book designer) owes to it in terms of layout and format. Nevertheless, the new book should never be seen as a replacement for Rapoport’s pioneering symposium, which laid the foundations for serious research on Sorabji, but rather as a continuation, drawing on a wider range of sources.

Warning about printing: Readers who are considering taking the PDF file to a copy shop for printing and binding should make sure that they have the latest version. They should also read the section “Internet Edition and Printing Instructions” in the preface and experiment before starting a print job.

Sound Files and Illustrations

Sound clips for the musical examples (in MP3 format) are available, as are several Sorabji-related illustrations, in most cases photographs taken by the author during his research trips.

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Last modified: 2024-01-01
© Marc-André Roberge 2024

The contents of this website dedicated to the English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji may be freely used for documentary purposes in a research context, provided that due credit is given, but may not be mirrored on any other server. Links to external or third-party websites are not guaranteed to be or remain valid or persistent and their content is not guaranteed to be or remain accurate or appropriate.