Notations 21 [Hardcover]

Theresa Sauer (Author), Mike Perry (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2009

Drawing inspiration from John Cage's Notations, Notations 21 features illustrated musical scores from more than 100 international composers, all of whom are making amazing breakthroughs in the art of notation. These spectacularly beautiful and fascinatingly creative visual pieces make not only for exciting music, but for inspiring visual art as well. The scores are accompanied by written contributions from the artists that explore every facet of their creative processes, from inspiration to execution. Contributors include the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Earle Brown, Halim El-Dabh, Joan La Barbara, and Yuji Takahashi, as well as emerging composers whose compositions are visually astounding and important. In the spirit of honoring the 40th anniversary of Cage's seminal book, while furthering it in a 21st century context, a portion of the sales will be donated to the Foundation for Contemporary Performing Arts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mark Batty Publisher (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979554640
• ISBN-13: 978-0979554643
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.5 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Notations21 is brilliant and gorgeous, May 10, 2009

By 

Dennis Bathory-Kitsz (Northfield, VT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Notations 21 (Hardcover)

"Notations21" is gorgeous, and worth the wait. It was announced in early 2008, and I had ordered a copy through Amazon in May 2008 and it arrived today (May 9, 2009) -- almost exactly 40 years after John Cage's legendary "Notations" collection, which has been on my shelf since then.

The design of "Notations21" is spectacular ... subtle, lovely, comprehensive, with a wonderful feel, in full color and full-size. Each page is full of ideas from scores and essays through the design of the page itself. (The word "full" keeps coming to mind.)

The Moller/Shim/Stabler "SoundVisions" (published in 2005 and quickly out of print) was an attempt to fill the years since Cage's "Notations", and kept to the square, monochrome format. I was pleased to discover "SoundVisions", but "Notations21" is a very special book, taking advantage of both the technology and the expectations that have changed since 1969.

With 165 composers represented, "Notations21" is at last a worthy and thorough successor to "Notations".

(Disclaimer: I am one of the composers in this book. But whether I had been selected or not, I would still feel this book is remarkable.)

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great idea poorly executed, June 11, 2009

By 

Harry Philips (Encinitas, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Notations 21 (Hardcover)

I eagerly looked forward to receive this book because composer Trevor Bac'a was included and because of my general interest in contemporary music. I must say that the idea intrigued me not only as a interesting compilation of new 'scoring' practices but as a useful reference and entertaining 'cocktail table' volume. However, I found the reproductions of scores to be less than accurate and virtually all of the accompanying write-ups to be almost entirely illegible .... due to poor selections of backgrounds and inks. After working hard to read the material, I finally gave up and sent it on to a musicologist with younger eyes. It could have been a excellent project if well executed ... my final thought, as stated in the title, - a truly super idea gone astray because of too much artsy-craftsy and lack-luster reproduction. Maybe next time!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Book, May 23, 2009

By 

P. Paccione - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Notations 21 (Hardcover)

"Notations 21" is a stunning book. In addition to being an excellent compendium/anthology of the different types of musical notation that can be found in many modern musical scores, it is also a book on the "art" of musical notation. The wide variety of musical scores, the essays, the superb reproductions (in both black and white, and in color), the paper on which the scores are printed, the typesetting, the visual layout and the overall organization, all amount to one highly significant contribution to modern music. In an age of highly standardized music copying programs, "Notations 21" is a breath of fresh air - both a reminder and encouragement of the many creative possibilities that are inherent in musical notation. (I was very pleased to have one of my own scores included in such an anthology.) This project was surely a labor of love by both the editor, and the publisher. "Notations 21" is both a homage to John Cage's now out-of-print 1968 landmark collection of musical scores, "Notations," and it is its more than worthy successor.