num_pages: 286
description: Ives's second piano sonata, Concord, Mass., 1845 , stands among the masterpieces of American music. The Essays Before a Sonata was conceived by Ives as a preface of sorts to the composition. Ives's musings also explore the nature of music, discuss the source of a composer's impulses and inspiration, and offer some biting comments on celebrated masters. The writings in this collection―now featuring a comprehensive index-allow readers entry into the brilliant mind that produced some of America's most innovative musical works.
language: English
title: Essays Before a Sonata: The Majority and Other Writings
titlecomplete: Essays Before a Sonata: The Majority and Other Writings
genres: Nonfiction, Music
ratings_count: 48
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company