Demonstrates the profound impact of The Poems of Ossian on composers of the Romantic Era and later: Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Massenet, and many others. Beyond Fingal's Cave: Ossian in the Musical Imagination is the first study in English of musical compositions inspired by the poems published in the 1760s and attributed to a purported ancient Scottish bard named Ossian. From around 1780 onwards, the poems stimulated poets, artists, and composers in Europe as well as North America to break away from the formality of the Enlightenment. The admiration for Ossian's poems -shared by Napoleon, Goethe, and Thomas Jefferson - was an important stimulus in the development of Romanticism and the music that was a central part of it. More important still was the view of the German cultural philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, who saw past the controversy over the poems' authenticity to the traditional elements in these heroic poems and their mood of lament. James Porter's long-awaited book traces the traditional sources used by James Macpherson for his epoch-making prose poems and examines crucial works by composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Massenet. Many other relatively unknown composers were also moved to write operas, cantatas, songs, and instrumental pieces, some of which have proven to be powerfully evocative and well worth performing and recording.

"Illustrates, through the continuing popularity of Ossian throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the influence of folk legend on art-culture and popular culture." - JOURNAL OF FOLKLORE RESEARCH

"Porter discloses an intricate network of international lines of influence linking Scotland to the musical cultures of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and America. His study brings to light unsung composers, some of whom were women. Porter makes the most persuasive case for Beethoven himself. Most riveting...is his excursus on Mendelssohn. Porter's intimate knowledge of the source material enables him to gauge the relative degree and success of each...blend of the old and the new." - EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY STUDIES

"To say that the coverage and scope is impressive is almost an understatement. A thoroughly scholarly work, the monograph would find a welcome place in any university or conservatoire collection." - BRIO

"In the musical arena, the [Ossian] poems inspired uncountable compositions in the most varied genres, from opera to piano cycle and from overture to symphony. Porter's descriptions are vivid and well written. His knowledge of the [scholarly] literature goes deep. Porter's study is exemplary in its depth and nuance." - DIE MUSIKFORSCHUNG

"Authoritative and imaginative. Technical analysis is a huge strength throughout. Beyond Fingal's Cave shows exactly why the impact of Macpherson's Ossian transcends genre, period, nation, and performance styles. This book is a scholarly tour de force, erudite and analytically fearless. It is a splendid addition to the growing body of scholarship on Ossian." - EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SCOTLAND

"Offers fresh consideration of the relevance and immediacy of Ossian. The book accomplishes its task admirably. The book covers music from roughly 1770 to the present. Despite this enormous scope, its strength is consistent. Throughout the volume, Porter makes compelling key-related observations. What most impresses me about Porter's book...is how it...make[s] a case for the value of the music he describes." - JOURNAL OF MUSICOLOGICAL RESEARCH

"A fascinating and comprehensive survey. Clear notes on individual responses across most of the nations of Western Europe demonstrate the author's command of the material." - Soundyngs: Conversations on the History of Scottish Music