Simple Composition (Comparative Studies of Political Life)

Wuorinen, Charles

ISBN 10: 0582280591 / ISBN 13: 9780582280595

Published by Longman Publishing Group, 1979

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Simple Composition (Comparative Studies of Political Life)
• Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
• Publication Date: 1979
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0582280591
• ISBN 13: 9780582280595
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

Originally published in 1979, this book was reissued by C. F. Peters Corporation in 1994. The author, the composer Charles Wuorinen, describes the book in this way : "--this book is written by a composer and is addressed to other composers - intending or actual, amateur or professional. Thus it is similar in intent to certain older books on the subject like Thomas Morley's "A Plain and Easie Introduction to Practical Musicke" (1597), for instance...It outlines present practice, and while it can be used for purely didactic purposes, it can also be employed in composing "real" music." "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. The fact that I used twelve-tone relations for convenience and only because of their simplicity was somehow overlooked. Perhaps today in 1994 (the year this book was reissued after its first publication in 1979) the book may make a slightly different contribution than it originally did: to offer a basic outline of a musical system and method that has proved immensly rich since its introduction by Schoenberg seventy-five years ago, as well as to provide a few practical tips."

---Charles Wuorinen

About the Author

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.