Talking music
Subtitle: conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and five generations of American experimental composers
By: William Duckworth.
Publisher: Schirmer Books; Prentice-Hall International
Published: 1995
Place of publication: New York; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 489
Subjects: Composers -- United States -- Interviews; Music -- United States -- 20th century -- History and criticism; Avant-garde (Music)
Description: William Duckworth, a cutting-edge composer and musicologist himself, spent more than a decade visiting the leading lights of new American music, beginning with the music's spiritual godfather, John Cage, and progressing through the latest innovators. His goal was to let the composers talk about their work in their own words; to show how their personal lives and struggles to create their art colored their output; to discuss seriously their aesthetic goals; and to analyze their influences.

The discussions that result are free-ranging but always focused, revealing the many radically new approaches pioneered by these artists.

The life of the composer is one of struggle, often against incredible odds, in pursuit of an individual vision that is often misunderstood if not openly maligned by mainstream culture. It is rare that a sympathetic ear is given to the composer's concerns; rarer still that the composer gets a chance to discuss craft with another craftsperson.

These enlightening interviews, filled with personal revelations and the unique voice of each composer, will delight fans of twentieth-century music and the avant-garde, as well as anyone interested in the life of the arts.
Notes: Interviews with John Cage, Conlon Nancarrow, Milton Babbitt, Lou Harrison, Ben Johnston, Pauline Oliveros, Christian Wolff, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson, "Blue" Gene Tyranny, Glenn Branca, and John Zorn.
Includes index.