Customer Reviews

Contemporary Composers On Contemporary Music

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This ambitious work attempts a comprehensive view of XX Century music as expressed by the composers. Some chapters are esthetically nauseating (e.g. the chapters concerning a couple of straight-line Soviet composers, and some Western charlatans as well), but the historical value of these texts is undeniable. At last could I read the "scandalous" text by Babbit "Who cares if you listen?" However, it seems that in many cases the Editors just put together what was readily available instead of trying further to obtain what would be desirable to publish. Considering that this reviewed edition was published in 1998 maybe some younger composers with appreciable international projection could have been included (e.g. Rihm, Essl). Some very important composers are missing (Berio, Messiaen, Boulez).

A very nice compilation of essays, speeches, and excerpts. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in composition, later 20th century music, or just music in general. Some essays are insightful, and some are... not, but that's to be expected when you get artists together into one "place."