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Arcana: Musicians on Music Paperback – January 2, 2000

by John Zorn (Editor)

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Answering a need for critical attention towards experimental and avant-garde music, Arcana is a ground-breaking work--as far-ranging and dynamic as the current generation of musicians. Through manifestoes, scores, interviews, notes and critical papers, performer/composers address composing, playing, improvising, teaching and thinking in and through music, Rather than an attempt to distill or define musicans' work, Arcana is a remarkable book--challenging and original--essential for composers, musicians, theorists and fans alike. Edited by John Zorn, it includes contributions from Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot (on earplugs), Ikue Mori (on drum machines), Bob Ostertag (on a string quartet) There's a discussion on plunderphonics with John Oswald, an overview from Elliott Sharp on his group Carbon, and David Mahler expounds his responses to a set of nine questions posed by Pauline Oliveros. The writings range from brief 2 or 3 page entries (Mike Patton's "How We Eat Our Young," Marilyn Crispell's "Elements of Improvisation") to long and elaborate essays (Scott Johnson's "Counterpoint," David Rosenboom's "Propositional Music"). Some of the contributions are more unusual, such as Zorn's "Treatment for a Film in Fifteen Scenes," Fred Frith's notebook extracts, or Peter Garland's journal of his trip to Australia's Northern Territory. All of them provide for inspiring and thought-provoking reading, making this an invaluable book for both fans of these artists and aspiring musicians of the avant garde. An appendix of brief bios for each artist ends the book, along with short lists of recommended listenings.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hips Road/Tzadik
Publication date

January 2, 2000
Dimensions

6.5 x 0.9 x 9.9 inches
ISBN-10

188712327X
ISBN-13

978-1887123273
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Zorn is a central figure in New York's music community. Instrumental in developing venues for experimental music such as The Knitting Factory and Tonic, Zorn is a composer and performer credited with having widely expanded the audience for challenging, free-form music. His projects range from his own musical outfits, Masada, Cobra, and Naked City among others, to composing a piece for the New York Philharmonic and producing a Burt Bacharach tribute album.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hips Road/Tzadik; First Edition (January 2, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 188712327X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1887123273
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.9 x 9.9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,492,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,650 in Music Reference (Books)
- #1,683 in Jazz Music (Books)
- #3,881 in Music History & Criticism (Books)

Customer Reviews:
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Jdamazon

Still inspiring, still lots of typos and editing issues

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 8, 2022

I recently finished this one. I've read all of the previous editions and have already purchased IX and X. As a composer, musician and sound artist, I find these essays very inspiring. The series is worth adding to my reading in the course of the year, sprinkled between other topics of interest.

Not every essay will appeal to everyone, which is part of the charm. Some are ultra technical, while others are more fun and more down to earth. But you can take away something from all of them if you have an open mind. I almost always end up bookmarking something for later listening or further research.

There are lots of typos throughout, and bad editing. This has plagued the entire series. You can tell everyone writing cares deeply about sound and music. It's just a shame that the written word is not as valued to help make a better end product. In addition, the sheet music samples are not very large, so it's hard to appreciate them. Wish they were bigger.

Helpful

jmaso

Why no preview of table of contents?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 3, 2020

If the publisher doesn't want to share any of the content of the book as a preview, fine. But for those of us considering buying it, it would be helpful to be able to see the table of contents, at least, especially for a collection of essays all by different authors. What's the harm in that?

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

We need more words! in the avant-garde not sounds.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 3, 2001

largely this is a oblique promo book for Zorn & Company,and other CD labels Tzadik,Hat Art, RecRec, Avant,Atavista etc., as already noted in other reviews, well the avant-garde gotta survive, some do and some don't.
Some are erased from history,
Most of the contributors here play outta The NYC Big Apple,anyway,although writers were selected from all over.It'll be interesting now to see how the cultural scene in NYC develops in light of the World Trade Bombings,especially the free improvisors.
Zorn's a good editor,however, and books like this bring a sense of solidarity in what remains a asymmetrical culture, with no one knowing what each other does and responds to. The musical world is notorious for this social/cultural fragmentation.
I suppose George Lewis,who doesn't now live in Chicago represents the Midwest since his long time,'lontano' long ago association as a kid with Chicago's own AACM. Well that don't cut it.There are other in Chicago who contribute greatly to the scene as the CUBE Ensemble,and Chicago free improvisors. I guess we should get our own promo book.
Garland,Ochs,Rosenboom represents the West Coast, Yeah I guess!<I'm just waxin negative, but there's some useful stufffff here; as Francis Marie Uitti's sketches on double stops for the violoncello possibilities,not much,how bout Franny tell us about the difficultuies in playing Cage or Scelsi,it's stuffff like that, where you learn, wish there was more of this,
Bill Frisell offered renderings on different guitar fingerings was useful, although quite brief,like something he wrote on the bus on the way to the Gig.Likewise Guy Klucevek,Accordeonist/composer as well added some notes,real music notes,I never read anything he wrote,but again something on timbral poossibilities of the Squeeze Box for composers might have been incredibly useful. and,pianists S.Drury and Marilyn Crispell should of talked more about how they play,they play great!, and varied,I'd like to know in print what excites? them why they choose the music they do?, Yes we all know why they choose it, but a little explanation for us unwashed- dispossessed out here who pluck down our Bucks to buy the stuff would have been helpful, a little.

Larry Orchs of Rova Sax Quartet, gets into it, ya might think its pedantic to give licks, noodles and fragments of it, as he does but its a world of use,I sat down ans played all of it, loved it.
Some get into philosophy and the results are abysmal like David Rosenboom's shibboleths,too much science sometimes is a bad thing, and he's a great contributer to the electronic thinking of music,computer base pieces,But I'd rather read Kristeva,Derrida,Baudrillard,or Habermas on the Public Sphere if I wanted to read philosphy.But there was a practical side to his essay on the idea of propositional music.
A bit more useful was Miya Masaoka "Notes from a Trans-Cultural Diary". Since the real operative term is multi-culturalism not postmodernity, this was infinitely useful to read other persepctives, and means of performing and improvising with non-Western instruments.

The most political here was Pauline Oliveros's Questions answered by David Mahler, on how we all survive??, what our music is suppose to do???, how happy are we with the results??, who listens to our stuff?, all this throws quite directly the political question into the discursive/dialogue mix. Whom do we Serve? I believe Rzewski asked many many years ago.
There's also some neat goin exegetical excursions into the real sound timbre experience as Elliott Sharp's CARBONic History, Hey man whatever floats yer boat.
I know it's easy/facile playing 'Monday Morning Quarterback-Composer', But there was nothing on the Voice,Diamanda Galas,or Anna Homler,or Carol Genetti,should have written,scribbled something for this.
Peter Garland,the man of the Desert, is always interesting to read, another who has the guts of throwing the political question into the mix. Since Mickey Mouse and Bill Gates won the Revolution, he has some great stuff to say.
I think there should be more writing like this,no matter what the price, Again the greatest observations of Oliveros is that the avant-garde should serve itself first, we should all help each other work at each other's music,Yeah Right! Well not in this best of all possible Worlds.But it's a neat profound concept to contemplate
I think Charitable behemoths might loosen up on their tight purses for more writing emanating from improvisors,pianists,thinkers,composers,conceptualists, as those in 'Arcana' here,of course, ya all have to learn how to wryite, not like me,ee,Charitable people like to hold onto the objects they throw bucks at(not their's) than the music they will never hear, nor go to a conceert anyways,Music is toooo much part of the ether,rareified air,and it's all part of the hypocrisy we all live by and with.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Shopper

Great Suplement

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 4, 2012

LOVED it! Highly recommended. Professor Korobkin does a great job covering the Topics of Contracts from A to Z in a very comprehensive, effective way. There are video and Audio lectures as well as essays and multiple choice questions and answers.

Helpful

Michael Sean

The Classic Guide to Strategy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2001

As John Zorn outlines in his introduction to the book, he assembled this project as a reaction to the lack of insightful critical writing about the generation of adventurous musicians he is a part of. This group of artists and their work is not easily defined, although critics have tried applying ambiguous terms like 'comprovisation,' 'postmodernism,' and 'totalism." Anyone familiar with the output of record labels like Tzadik, Avant, Atavistic, and Knitting Factory will recognize several names among the contributors. Unlike the usual music essay which dissects an artist's recordings, most of these are very informal and intriguing peeks into the thought processes and compositional practices of the musicians themselves. Bill Frisell provides an approach to guitar fingering, Marc Ribot talks about earplugs, Ikue Mori discusses how she works with drum machines, and Bob Ostertag details how he adapted the sounds of a queer riot for string quartet. There's a discussion on plunderphonics with John Oswald, an overview from Elliott Sharp on his group Carbon, and David Mahler expounds his responses to a set of nine questions posed by Pauline Oliveros. The writings range from brief 2 or 3 page entries (Mike Patton's "How We Eat Our Young," Marilyn Crispell's "Elements of Improvisation") to long and elaborate essays (Scott Johnson's "Counterpoint," David Rosenboom's "Propositional Music"). Some of the contributions are more unusual, such as Zorn's "Treatment for a Film in Fifteen Scenes," Fred Frith's notebook extracts, or Peter Garland's journal of his trip to Australia's Northern Territory. All of them provide for inspiring and thought-provoking reading, making this an invaluable book for both fans of these artists and aspiring musicians of the avant garde. An appendix of brief bios for each artist ends the book, along with short lists of recommended listenings.

26 people found this helpful

Helpful

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Ariel

Probablement très intéressant...

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on February 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

... mais les commentaires sont trompeurs, car ils ne s'appliquent pas à ce volume VIII: donc, les articles auxquels ils font références, vous ne les trouverez pas ici, mais dans une autre des publications de cette série...
Mais laquelle?...

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