1996/04/01 by Ruud Welten
Arts and Humanities · #Scottish History and National Identity
paper · doi:10.1017/s0040298200004940
crossref issued 1996/04/01 · crossref published 1996/04/01 · crossref published-print 1996/04/01 · openalex publication_date 1996/04/01 · crossref created 2009/11/23 · crossref published-online 2016/01/22 · crossref deposited 2019/05/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's fascination for madness is clearly reflected in at least three of his works: Eight Songs for a Mad King (1969), Miss Donnithonie's Maggot (1974) and Caroline Mathilde (1991). What are the consequences of this fascination for his music? How can madness in Davies's oeuvre be understood? In this article I will argue that, in spite of all his modernistic aspirations, Sir Peter's work shows a postmodernist tendency expressed iii the regular occurrence of the theme of madness, and the way it is disseminated through his music.