Howard Hanson in theory and practice

Author(s)
    • Cohen, Allen (Allen Laurence)
Bibliographic Information

Howard Hanson in theory and practice

Allen Cohen

(Contributions to the study of music and dance, no. 66)

Praeger, 2004

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [191]-195) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In this exciting new study of a largely overlooked but nevertheless extremely important figure in American music, author Allen Cohen explores the relationship between theory and practice in the works of Howard Hanson, a prominent twentieth-century composer, conductor, and educator. In Hanson's book Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, he proffered a theory of classification of all possible pitch-class collections in the chromatic scale, showing ways of deriving larger collections from smaller ones, and demonstrating significant relationships among them. This theory anticipated in many ways the standard formulations of music set theory, while also influencing Hanson's own compositions. Following an introduction and biographical overview, Howard Hanson: Theory and Practice summarizes its subject's theoretical writings, examines their usefulness for both musicologists and composers, and analyzes in particular two of Hanson's musical pieces. In this way, Howard Hanson represents an exciting and highly educational look at a man and his work, both unacknowledged for too long.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction The Background: Hanson's Life and Career A Summary of Harmonic Materials of Modern Music The Theory Considered as a System The Theory Considered as a Method of Analysis The Two Demonstration Pieces The Influence of the Theory on Hanson's Later Compositions Coda: The Elements of Style Appendices Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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