Skyscraper Lullaby: The Life and Music of John Alden Carpenter - Hardcover

Howard Pollack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1560984007 ISBN 13: 9781560984009

Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995

Synopsis

The first biography of Carpenter, Skyscraper Lullaby balances the composer's complex personal and musical likes. Howard Pollack considers all of Carpenter's works, tracing the evolution of his technique and style. Carpenter studied composition with John Knowles Paine at Harvard and Edward Elgar in Rome, but his greatest influence was the Chicago theorist Bernhard Ziehn, one of the most progressive figures in early twentieth-century music. Carpenter became known for incorporating the contributions of various literal artists in his works.

About this title

About the Author

Howard Pollack is an associate professor of music at the University of Houston.

Reviews

Though not well known today, Carpenter (1876-1951), who was born in Chicago and lived there most of his life, was a highly regarded composer during the early 20th century. In this comprehensive, scholarly study, first-time author Pollack, an associate professor of music at the University of Houston, covers Carpenter's career and discusses at length each of his works, analyzing his compositional process and style and including details of performance history and critical reception. He shows that Carpenter, who wrote concert pieces, numerous songs and three ballets, was one of our first composers to be considered uniquely American, for although influenced by Europeans such as Stravinsky and Debussy, he incorporated many American idioms in his work-popular music, spirituals, vaudeville, ragtime and, above all, jazz. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1560984007
• ISBN 13: 9781560984009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 511