Robert Ashley (American Composers)
"Gann's new book, without removing any of the essential mystery of the work, ably lays bare Ashley's immense achievement:  the discovery of a new paradigm for opera."--MAKE magazine "Gann makes a persuasive case that Ashley's genius resides in his acute perception of speech as music, and in his rare ability to draw American language into constellations that not only embody musical form but touch listeners in intimate and profound ways."--The Wire"There is unlikely to be a better book that, confined by the limitations of mere words, can provide a comprehensive review of the many things Ashley has achieved.  A real page-turner"--Examiner.com"Robert Ashley is one of the great living American composers,  and Kyle Gann is one of the most active and vital commentators on the  wider scene of which Ashley is a part. Informative and entertaining,  occasionally even shocking, this book will be essential reading for  anyone interested in Ashley, his life and times, and his music."--Bob Gilmore, musicologist, editor of Ben Johnston's"Maximum Clarity" and Other Writings on Music