This is a virtual who s who of musical modernism and post-modernism in America. The author focuses primarily on the Cagean, experimental downtown tradition, as is clear from the array of composers cited above and the relative weight he devotes to them. Some readers might question, for instance, why Gershwin arguably the most famous American composer ever is dismissed in less than two pages of text, while the talented but less significant Anthony Braxton commands six, a bold heading, full-length picture, and a musical example. Likewise, Barber garners only a half-page against Partch s seven. Gann s teacher, microtonalist Ben Johnston, has five plus an excerpt, compared to a goose egg for serialist Charles Wourinen.
Cage is clearly the pivotal figure, lording over thirteen pages.
The book s refreshing concentration on experimentalism and the under-reported contemporary scene is by no means exclusive, though, and requires no apology only a caveat for those possibly expecting a more traditional uptown approach. Gann s personal experience as a journalist and composer is what makes this book tick. Whatever the reason, the relative dearth of comprehensive footnotes and bibliographic references detracts from the intellectual heft of his study. Most theorists may find the analytic payload in Gann s examples light fare, probably intentionally so. His analysis of Babbitt s complex partitions and arrays, for instance, merely scratches the surface, thus avoiding confusion.