
Reflections of an American Composer
Arthur Berger(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 28. November 2002
Book
Hardback
277 pages
978-0-520-23251-8 (ISBN)
Description
In this engrossing collection of essays, distinguished composer, theorist, journalist, and educator Arthur Berger invites us into the vibrant and ever-changing American music scene that has been his home for most of the twentieth century. Witty, urbane, and always entertaining, Berger describes the music scene in New York and Boston since the 1930s, discussing the heady days when he was a member of a tight-knit circle of avant-garde young composers mentored by Aaron Copland as well as his participation in a group at Harvard University dedicated to Stravinsky. As Virgil Thomson's associate on the New York Herald Tribune and founding editor of the prestigious Perspectives of New Music, Berger became one of the preeminent observers and critics of American music. His reflections on the role of music in contemporary life, his journalism career, and how changes in academia influence the composition and teaching of music offer a unique perspective informed by Berger's abundant intelligence and experience.
More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
8 b-w photographs, 29 music examples
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-23251-8 (9780520232518)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Arthur Berger
Reflections of an American Composer
E-Book
11/2002
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€39.49
Available for download
Person
Arthur Berger is Irving Fine Professor of Music Emeritus at Brandeis University and Fellow of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of Aaron Copland (1990) and composer of orchestral, piano, choral, and chamber music.
Content
Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Contractions Introduction 1. Composers and their Audience in the Thirties 2. Nationalism 3. Is Music in Decline? 4. Rendezvous with Apollo: Form Is Feeling 5. Reinventing the Past: Pastiche, "Criticism," or Collage? 6. Serialism: Composer as Theorist 7. Rapprochement or Friendly Takeover? 8. Postmodern Music 9. Virgil Thomson and the Press 10. Music on My Beat 11. PNM and the Ph. D. 12. Do We Hear What We Say We Hear? 13. New Linguistic Modes and the New Theory 14. Backstage at the Opera 15. A Tale of Two Critics: Rosenfeld and Haggin 16. A Tale of Two Conductors: Koussevitzky and Mitropoulos 17. Octatonic Scale 18. Brief Encounters: From My Diary NOTES