The American composer speaks : a historical anthology, 1770-1965 / edited by Gilbert Chase.
| Other author/creator | Chase, Gilbert, 1906-1992 editor. |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | [Baton Rouge, LA] : Louisiana State University Press, ©1966. |
| Description | ix, 318 pages ; 24 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | To all musical practitioners ; Dialogue, between master and scholar / William Billings -- Dedication to His Excellency George Washington, Esquire / Francis Hopkinson -- Preface to The Dawning of Music in Kentucky ; Letter to Mr. Seaton, Mayor of Washington D.C. / Anthony Philip Heinrich -- Prefatory remarks to Leonora / William Henry Fry -- Letters to E. P. Christy / Stephen Collins Foster -- From Notes of a Pianist / Louis Moreau Gottschalk -- Preface to The Christian Harmony / William Walker -- From Shadows on a Wall / John Hill Hewitt -- Suggestion in music / Edward A. MacDowell -- An affirmation of American music / Arthur Farwell -- The American composer / Henry F. B. Gilbert -- Epilogue from Essays before a Sonata / Charles Ives -- The dilemma of American music / Daniel Gregory Mason -- New musical resources / Henry Cowell -- The composer in the machine age / George Gershwin -- Problems of American composers / Roy Harris -- Jazz music comes from New Orleans / Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton -- Composer from Brooklyn / Aaron Copland -- How composers eat / Virgil Thomson -- Freedom for music / Edgard Varèse -- American musical tendencies / Harry Partch -- Stravinsky and the younger American composers / Arthur Berger -- The future of form in jazz / Gunther Schuller -- Experimental music / John Cage -- Who cares if you listen? / Milton Babbitt -- A further step / Elliott Carter -- The younger generation / William Flanagan -- Problems and issues facing the composer today / Roger Sessions -- Opera and the American composer / Charles Hamm -- Some notes on composing / Earle Brown. |
| Abstract | During the past 175 years American music has undergone notable changes--from the simple singing school strains of the 1770's to the dissonant, avant-garde electronic sounds of the 1960's. In spite of these changes the American composer remains remote and indistinct in the national consciousness. In this anthology the editor brings together essays by thirty men who helped make musical history. Arranged chronologically, the essays represent a wide cross-section of musical thought from colonial times to the present. The collection is designed to answer the questions: Who is the American composer? What are his theories of music and artistic creation? What are the problems the composer faces in our society? The composer emerges as a man independent, always inventive, and often instructive to his fellow artists. Among the thirty composers included are William Billings and Francis Hopkinson of the colonial and early national period; William Henry Fry, Stephen Foster, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and Edward MacDowell of the nineteenth century; and Charles Ives, Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, 'Jelly Roll' Morton, John Cage, and Earle Brown of the twentieth century. A brief biographical sketch precedes each composer's essay. From Hopkinson, who in 1770 pleads against a slavish obedience to rules and for individuality in composition, to Virgil Partch, who in the late 1940's sees the musical situation as a manifestation of the 'general paralysis of individuality' in American life, to John Cage, who in the 1950's says, 'One need not fear about the future of music,' the composer remains the most incisive critic of American music. Here that criticism is placed in clear historical perspective. In his introduction the editor examines the role of the composer in the national culture of the United States. He evaluates aesthetic principles, new directions and musical achievements in America. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-312). |
| LCCN | 66011661 |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML90.C55 A6 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |