Acknowledgements

During the course of work on this book, I have benefitted greatly from the advice and support of several scholars, colleagues and friends. First of all, I am very thankful for the trust Jacob Derkert placed in me when I returned to the academic world; for the observations from Amalia Collisani, which were always lucid and attentive; and for the philosophical precision in the comments by Sven-Olov Wallenstein.

There are many people I would like to thank for reading the whole work or parts of it. Heartfelt thanks to the composer Tommie Haglund, the dearest of friends, whose music urged me to start reflecting upon Stimmung. Summons to a radicalized approach from Peter Trawny, Giampiero Moretti and Lawrence Kramer have been a worthwhile challenge. Arnfinn Bø-Rygg’s judgement at a critical moment was redemptive. Important observations have been made by Owe Ander, Tobias Dahlkvist, Michela Garda, Anders Hallengren, Mattias Lundberg, Per Mårtensson, Tobias Pontara, Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback, Johan Tralau and Bertil Wikman. I have profited from two musicological milieux: that of Stockholm University, with its healthy scepticism and supportive attitude; and l’Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, with all its brilliant minds. Kate Maxwell has acted as a kind of personal trainer in linguistic matters – without her exacting eyes, this study would never have become a book.

During the years of research, I have received invaluable support from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation and the Sten d’Aubigné Foundation, which made possible – among other things – the many journeys between the universities of Stockholm, Palermo and Rome.

Gunnar Ternhag’s enthusiasm and generosity were vital to me in the last two years of the work. In the final stages, B. Tommy Andersson designed the most complicated music examples (Bruckner and Mahler) and, along with Magnus Svensson, spent hours with those I thought that I could manage myself. They saved me from too many sleepless nights. My editors Heidi Bishop, Emma Gallon and Philip Stirups at Ashgate have been splendid to work with.

Most of all, I would like to express my endless gratitude to my family: my beloved wife Rosa Maria and our dear children Giorgio and Paolo, too often far away in geography but never in my heart.