Simple Composition

Charles Wuorinen was described as a maximalist", writing music that is luxuriant with events, lyrical and expressive, and strikingly dramatic. His works are characterized by powerful harmonies and elegant craftsmanship, offering at once a link to the music of the past and a vision of a rich musical future.

'Simple Composition', Wuorinen's classic text book, offers a glimpse inside the composer's studio and much practical advice to composer's searching for their own path.

"In writing this book, I intended it primarily as a guide for composers in search of practical advice and models of how one might work compositionally. But since my presentation made extensive use of the twelve-tone system in its simplest and most easily describable form, the book was taken as a primer in that system [...] Perhaps today the book may offer a slightly different contribution than it did originally: to offer a basic outline of a musical system and method that has proved immensely rich since its introduction by Schoenberg, as well as to provide a few practical tips." (Charles Wuorinen)

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Charles Wuorinen (b. 1938, New York) is one of the world's leading composers. His many honors include a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize (he is the youngest composer to receive the award). His compositions encompass every form and medium, including works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, soloists, ballet, and stage.

Wuorien has been described as a "maximalist", writing music that is luxuriant with events, lyrical and expressive, and strikingly dramatic. His works are characterized by powerful harmonies and elegant craftsmanship, offering at once a link to the music of the past and a vision of a rich musical future.

Both as a composer and performer (conductor and pianist) Wuorinen has worked with some of the finest performers of the current time and his works reflect the great virtuosity of his collaborators.

Wuorinen is Professor of Music at Rutgers University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.