American Experimental Music 1890–1940 - Softcover

Nicholls, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052142464X ISBN 13: 9780521424646

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1991

Synopsis

From the end of the nineteenth century a national musical consciousness gradually emerged in the United States as composers began to turn away from the European conventions on which their music had been modeled. It was in this period of change that experimentalism was born and America subsequently became, as it still is, a major source of new musical ideas for European musicians. David Nicholls considers the most influential figures in the development of American experimentalism, including Charles Ives, Charles Seeger, Ruth Crawford, Henry Cowell and the young John Cage. He analyzes the music and ideas of this group, explaining the compositional techniques invented and employed by them and the historical and cultural context in which they emerged. The book is thus an important contribution toward our understanding of some of the most challenging music of the twentieth century.

About this title

Book Description:

Charles Ives, Charles Seeger, Ruth Crawford, Henry Cowell and the young John Cage are considered in this survey of the most influential figures in the development of American experimentalism over a fifty year span.

From the Back Cover:

From the end of the nineteenth century a national musical consciousness gradually emerged in the U.S.A. as composers began to turn away from the European conventions on which their music had hitherto been modeled. It was in this period of change that experimentalism was born and America subsequently became, as it still is, a major source of new musical ideas for European musicians.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 052142464X
• ISBN 13: 9780521424646
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 252