Music in the 20th century, from Debussy through Stravinsky / [by] William W. Austin.
| Author/creator | Austin, William W. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | [1st ed.]. |
| Publication Info | New York : W.W. Norton, [1966] |
| Description | xx, 708 pages : illustrations, music, portraits ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | "On the edge, trembling with emotion". The adventure and achievement of Debussy -- Catchwords and issues of 20th-century music -- Debussy's 20th-century music: history in the service of "Recruiting unknown friends" -- Contemporaries in America, Australia, Japan -- Contemporaries in Slavic lands -- Contemporaries in England and northern Europe -- Contemporaries in Italy and southern Europe -- Contemporaries in Austria-Hungary -- Contemporaries in Germany -- Contemporaries in France -- "A privilege becoming more exclusive". The emergence of jazz, to about 1923 -- Schoenberg to the twelve-tone technique (1922) -- Bartok to the Dance Suite (1923) -- Stravinsky to the Octet and The Wedding (1923) -- Jazz, mainstream and modern -- Schoenberg to his death (1951) -- Bartok to his death (1945) -- Stravinsky to The Rake's Progress (1951) -- "Horizons still more luminous". Webern -- Varese, Orff, Messiaen, and many others -- "The art of music ... has taken a few steps further". Hindemith -- Further steps in France, Italy, England -- Further steps in the Soviet Union, America, Germany -- "In this sense universal". Prokofiev -- Composers comparable to Prokofiev, born 1892 or earlier -- Successors to Prokofiev -- Stravinsky to his eightieth birthday. |
| Abstract | One of the principal aims of this vast panorama of musical composition in the twentieth century is to arouse in the reader a thirst for contemporary music and to share with him the author's knowledge of and enthusiasm for the many masterworks in different styles that our century has already produced. The emphasis is on the development of the various styles to be found in the music of our time. Beginning with Debussy, the author traces growing freedom in the use of tonality and the different paths this emancipation took. Central to the book are the achievements of Schocnberg, Bartok, Stravinsky, and an insistence on the important role of jazz. Webern, Hindemith, and Prokofiev are also seen as important and seminal figures. The ramifications of their achievements and the individual contributions of many other composers born before 1910 are fully treated. Biographical information is given in so far as it throws light on the music. Many music examples offering representative passages, or even whole works, are analyzed. For readers who wish to pursue any aspect of the subject further, there is a comprehensive and annotated bibliography. |
| Local note | Little-87903 - $12.95 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 552-662) and index. |
| Genre/form | Reference works. |
| LCCN | 65018776 |