From Publishers Weekly
Though Henry Cowell (1897-1965) was a composer and a music critic of startling originality (as well as a producer, a promoter, a publisher and an ethnomusicologist), he has remained largely a "background figure" in American music. But editor Dick Higgins's Essential Cowell: Selected Writings on Music promises to bring Cowell's criticism into the spotlight. Gathering together essays on Stravinsky, Bartok, John Cage and many other composers, as well as selections from Cowell's unpublished opus, The Nature of Melody (written while Cowell was serving a four year sentence in San Quentin on a morality charge), this volume will enlighten aficionados of world music and engage anyone interested in innovative composition.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
An American composer and intellectual active in avant-garde music circles from the early 20th century until his death in 1965, Cowell was a pioneer of experimental music and influenced composers like John Cage. Today, his works are not widely played or praised, but music students still read his classic guide to contemporary music, New Musical Resources. Cowell felt that no limits should be placed on the composer, and he incorporated strange piano manipulations and elements of world music into his selections. The late Higgins, an artist, publisher, and composer who studied with Cowell at New York City's New School, collected these 46 essays by Cowell. Included are 18 studies of fellow musicians and composers, from Charles Ives to B?la Bart?k; a section on world music; and essays on musical craft, theory, and history. For the most part, his writing is accessible and perceptive, and even those without extensive knowledge of 20th-century music will find these pieces engaging. Recommended for music and large public libraries. Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
