A vast simplicity : the music of Carl Ruggles / by Stephen P. Slottow.
| Author/creator | Slottow, Stephen P. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Hillsdale, NY : Pendragon Press, ©2009. |
| Description | viii, 221 pages : illustrations, music ; 26 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Dimension & diversity ; no. 8 Dimension & diversity ; no. 8. ^A394264 |
| Contents | Introduction. Ruggles and the ultra-modern movement ; A short outline of the book -- Melody. The importance of the line ; The woodpecker melody ; Linear pitch-class nonrepetition ; Pitch-class and interval distribution ; Chromatic completion, aggregates, and near-aggregates ; Contour: crooked lines, straight lines, and cadences -- Motive. Motivic parameters ; Motivic processes ; Sequences: motivic aspects ; Interval combinations and combination cycles: fifths and semitones -- Counterpoint and harmony. The term dissonant counterpoint ; Two-part counterpoint: vertical intervals ; Two-part counterpoint: voice exchange ; Relations between three or more voices ; Canon -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Publication chronology of Carl Ruggles's compositions (including miscellaneous notes). |
| Abstract | The American composer Carl Ruggles (1876-1971) wrote a small number of powerful, finely crafted, intensely dissonant, and utterly individual works. Although sometimes viewed as very much an isolated figure a stubbornly reclusive ruggedly individualist New Englander, painstakingly creating his uncompromisingly dissonant music in the wilds of Vermont Ruggles was in fact an integral member of a close-knit group of composers known as the ultramoderns, which included (among others) Charles Seeger, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Henry Cowell, Edgard Varese, Dane Rudhyar, and Charles Ives (mainly in the role of financier). The ultramoderns were interested in creating a distinctive dissonant American music free of the cultural hegemony of European musical authority and convention. As part of this group, Ruggles formed especially strong ties with Charles Ives each considered the other the world's second-best composer and with Charles Seeger, whose theory of dissonant counterpoint exerted a strong influence on Ruggles' evolving compositional style. Ruggles' music is highly distinctive and personal his works are not easily mistaken for those of any other composer. An individuality so audibly recognizable points to distinctive musical characteristics and compositional procedures. This study examines these in detail, discusses their influences (especially that of Charles Seeger), and places them in the context of Ruggles' spiritual aesthetic of the transcendent and the sublime. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-216) and index. |
| LCCN | 2008006180 |
| ISBN | 9781576471265 (paperback) |
| ISBN | 1576471268 (paperback) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.R9 S56 2009 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |