Concert Music of the Twentieth Century: Its Personalities, Institutions, and Techniques - Softcover

Radice, Mark A.

9780130304667: Concert Music of the Twentieth Century: Its Personalities, Institutions, and Techniques

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130304662 ISBN 13: 9780130304667

Publisher: Pearson, 2002

Written from a multicultural perspective, this unique book traces the history of concert music from the early twentieth century to present day. This book explores the concert repertoires of Asian, Latin, and Eastern European countries. It examines how their politics, economics, and culture influence this genre of music. In addition, this book discusses women composers, composers of diverse sexual and political orientations, as well as Caucasian, male, Western-European and American composers. For the general reader interested in contemporary music and its history.

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From the Back Cover:

Concert Music of the Twentieth Century is about "concert music"—music for contemplation rather than for atmosphere. The repertoire discussed in these pages was written by composers with something important to say and with skills to do so. Many of the works discussed tie in with a long-standing, Western European tradition of art music, but an equal voice is given to culturally and ethnically diverse composers active during the past several decades. Radice provides data about the pieces, the composers who wrote them, and the contexts in which they originated.

Our understanding and evaluation of music is a dynamic process and one that is subject to change. Music only has meaning within its social contexts, and these are expanding daily. Many non-Western nations have long-standing musical traditions and practices that have entered into the Western mainstream just as Western practices and traditions have influenced the musical cultures of the world to produce new and exciting possibilities for music making.

Diversity has been a key element in the selection of topics for discussion, and the examples included here can serve as gateways for other investigations by interested readers. This book is a survey presenting a broad array of representative works. The personalities explored include composers, performers, theorists, teachers, and organizations. In many cases, the information comes directly from composers whom the author has interviewed. The discussions in this book demonstrate that the world of contemporary music is a fascinating one that offers rich rewards to those interested in understanding the vibrant dynamics of concert music.

About the Author:

Mark A. Radice is a Professor of Music History and Literature at the Ithaca College School of Music. He is also the curator of the Karel Husa Archive and Gallery for Contemporary Music at Ithaca College. He has published numerous articles on a wide range of historical music subjects in journals that include Music Review and Musical Quarterly. In addition, he has published two books, Opera in Context: Essays on Historical Staging from the Late Renaissance to the Time of Puccini and Irvine's Writing about Music, Third Edition. He is currently editing a collection of essays devoted to the life and works of the contemporary composer Karel Husa.

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