A most wondrous babble : American art composers, their music, and the American scene, 1950-1985
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
A most wondrous babble : American art composers, their music, and the American scene, 1950-1985
（Contributions to the study of music and dance, no. 9）
Greenwood Press, 1987
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Note
Discography: p. [251]-261
Bibliography: p. [263]-274
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Tawa considers the musical and social ramifications influencing the American composer between 1950 and 1985. He draws information from composers, music reviewers, and from his own listening experiences. Tawa's common theme is the gulf between what the composer (or critic) says about the music and how the public experiences it. . . . More than 50 composers are considered. . . . Tawa . . . goes beyond biographical detail to help the reader to `understand the reasons for the deep abyss separating contemporary composer and listener'. Choice
The decades following World War II witnessed an explosion of musical creativity in America. Unfortunately, they also witnessed a widening abyss between the contemporary composer and his or her audience. Confusion on the part of the modern listener is an all-too-frequent phenomenon when he or she is confronted by the extraordinary profusion of contemporary musical styles. This useful volume is intended to relieve some of that confusion. Insightful commentaries and a highly readable text combine to focus on all contemporary musical styles from the most traditional to the most experimental in relation to modern American life. Taking the position that music is a transaction between creator/composer and listener, the author considers ways in which each faction may become more aware of the other's imperatives, thereby sponsoring a new and mutually meaningful music.
Table of Contents
Preface Postwar Turbulence and Change The World of the Modern Composer The Music of Serialism and Atonality Musical Countercurrents Modern Music, Visionary Connections The Traditional Mainstream Venturesome Composers of the Traditional Mainstream Reconciliations Discography of Works Referred to in Chapters 3 through 7 A Selective Bibliography of Works Consulted
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