Henry Cowell, bohemian / Michael Hicks.

Author/creator Hicks, Michael, 1956-
Format Book
Publication InfoUrbana : University of Illinois Press, ©2002.
Descriptionix, 204 pages, 14 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, music, portraits ; 24 cm.
Subjects
Cowell, Henry, 1897-1965.
Composers--United States. --Biography.

SeriesMusic in American life
Music in American life. ^A223005
Contents Easily explained by heredity -- The pulse of chords tremendous and remote -- Trusting his muse to a guiding intellect -- The work of exploration has just begun -- The Bohemian legacy -- Appendixes. Paul Rosenfeld's 1924 review of Henry Cowell's work ; Frederick Whitney's description of the meeting of Henry Cowell and John Varian ; Henry Cowell's 1922 article for the temple of the people ; Henry Cowell's statement in his defense.
Abstract In this first full-length study of Henry Cowell, the author shows how the maverick composer, writer, teacher, and performer built his career on the intellectual and aesthetic foundations of his parents, community, and teachers--and exemplified the essence of bohemian California. This book traces the venerated experimentalist's radical ideas back to his teachers, including Charles Seeger, Samuel Seward, and E.G. Stricklen, the tight-knit artistic communities in the San Francisco Bay area where he grew up and first started composing, and the immeasurable influence of his parents. Mining the published and unpublished writings of Cowell's mother, a politically motivated novelist from the Midwest who carefully monitored the pulse of her son's creativity from birth, Hicks provides insight into the composer's heritage, artistic inclinations, and childhood. Hicks focuses on Cowell's formative and most prolific years, from his birth in 1897 through his incarceration on a morals conviction in the 1930s. The author also examines the philosophical fervor that drove Cowell's whirlwind compositions and tracks the ways the composer's irrepressible bohemian spirit helped foster an appreciation in the United States and Europe for a new brand of American music.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 171-198) and index.
LCCN 2001007064
ISBN0252027515 (cloth : alk. paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML410.C859 H53 2002 ✔ Available Place Hold