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Following his English edition of Alma Mahler-Werfel's Diaries 1898-1902, Antony Beaumont presents both the first comprehensive biography of the composer and conductor Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942) and a critical assessment of his works. "Zemlinsky--all hail to you!" wrote the young Alma. "All hail to you and your art." When she first met him, Zemlinsky was the most promising Viennese composer of his generation. In 1901, when Alma abruptly ended their passionate love affair in order to marry Gustav Mahler, the crisis served to transform Zemlinsky's talent into mastery. Only long after his death, however, did his music begin to receive its due. Zemlinsky was central to the musical life of Vi...
Experimental music has been called "difficult," perhaps more in relation to the open-mindedness needed to let it settle between your ears than the break from traditional technique required to play it. But does that explain the scarcity of critical writing about this music form relative to visual arts -- film, photography, sculpture, painting -- that also use experimentation as a main creative force? Arcana: Musicians on Music is an answer to that call. Delving into recent development in avantgarde music, this long overdue anthology looks at the current generation of experimental players and composers. Collecting writings, working notes, scores, interviews, and manifestos, editor John Zarn ge...
This book is the first study of John Zorn’s ‘file card’ works, with special focus made on the pieces Godard (1985), Spillane (1986), Interzone (2010), and Liber Novus (2010). It explains the unique creative process behind these compositions, contextualizing them in relation to the history of file cards, the ‘open work’ concept, cinematic listening, and uncreative aesthetics. Semiotic, hermeneutic, and ekphrastic analyses draw hypertextual links between the four file card compositions and the worlds of their respective dedicatees: author Mickey Spillane, filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, novelist William S. Burroughs and painter Brion Gysin, and psychiatrist C. G. Jung. This book will appeal not only to those interested in Zorn’s music, but also to scholars of music semiotics and hermeneutics, intermedia studies, and avant-garde music.
Initiated in 1997 and now in its eighth installment, John Zorn's acclaimed Arcana series is a major source of new music theory and practice in the 21st century. This special anniversary edition presents writings spanning classical music, jazz, rock, improvisation, world music, film soundtracks and more by exciting young artists, established masters and visionary mavericks, including Jad Atoui, Steve Beresford, Per Bloland, Brian Chase, Kris Davis, Robert Dick, Rinde Eckert, Wendy Eisenberg, Harris Eisenstadt, Suzanne Farrin, Dave Fiuczynski, David Garland, Michael Gordon, Simon Hanes, Barbara Hannigan, John Hollenbeck, Matt Hollenberg, Jon Irabagon, Julian Lage, Ava Mendoza, Matt Mitchell, Nicole Mitchell, Vadim Neselovskyi, Linda May Han Oh, Shane Parish, Chris Pitsiokos, Sofia Rei, Ted Reichman, Sara Serpa, Marc Urselli, Ken Vandermark and Dan Weiss.
John Zorn's acclaimed Arcana series, now in its seventh installment, is a major source on new music theory and practice in the twenty-first century. The most varied collection to date, Arcana VII includes personal essays by New Music luminaries Pat Metheny, Bryce Dessner, Irvine Arditti, Thurston Moore, Kenny Werner, Eugene Chadbourne and David Krakauer alongside articles on musical theory and practice by veterans Joe Morris, Matt Shipp, Ben Goldberg, Ches Smith, George Steel, Billy Martin, Hilda Paredes and Gloria Coates and insightful new views by younger musicians Chris Otto, James Moore, Theresa Wong, Shanir Blumenkranz, Jay Campbell, Du Yun, James Ilgenfritz, Chuck Bettis, Aya Nishina and many others. A kaleidoscope of manifestoes, scores, interviews, critical papers, musical studies, rants and more, Arcana VII is a fascinating compendium from first word to last.
Jews and Jazz: Improvising Ethnicity explores the meaning of Jewish involvement in the world of American jazz. It focuses on the ways prominent jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, and Red Rodney have engaged with jazz in order to explore and construct ethnic identities. The author looks at Jewish identity through jazz in the context of the surrounding American culture, believing that American Jews have used jazz to construct three kinds of identities: to become more American, to emphasize their minority outsider status, and to become more Jewish. From the beginning, Jewish musicians have used jazz for all three of these purpose...
Arcana III is the third groundbreaking collection of critical writings on avant-garde and experimental music put together by editor (and experimental music legend) John Zorn. In this volume, 30 distinguished composer/performers illuminate and speculate upon method and practice in the process of making, experiencing and thinking about music. Comprised of essays, scores, manifestoes and interviews both real and imaginary, Arcana III gives voice to a new generation of brave musical explorers who live outside of the mainstream academy. Contributors include John Zorn, Maryanne Amacher, Derek Bermel, Steven Bernstein, Theo Bleckmann, Gavin Bryars, Greg Cohen, Jacques Coursil, Mario Diaz de Leon, T...
In the first book of its kind, John Corbett's A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation provides a how-to manual for the most extreme example of spontaneous improvising: music with no pre-planned material at all. Drawing on over three decades of writing about, presenting, playing, teaching, and studying freely improvised music, Corbett offers an enriching set of tools that show any curious listener how to really listen, and he encourages them to enjoy the human impulse-- found all around the world-- to make up music on the spot.
"Mysticism, magic and alchemy all come into play in the creative process. For centuries musicians have tapped into things spiritual, embracing ritual, spell, incantation and prayer deeply into their life and work. Although the connection of music to mysticism has been consistent, well documented and productive, it is still shrouded in mystery and largely misunderstood. For this special edition, Aracana focuses on the nexus of mysticism and spirituality in the magical act of making music. Far from an historical overview or cold musicologist's study, these essays illuminate a fascinating and elusive subject via the eloquent voices of today's most distinguished modern practitioners and greatest adult thinkers, providing insights into the esoteric traditions and mysteries involved in the composition and performance of the most mystical of all arts."--Book cover.
For eighty years, the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's infant son has gone unsolved. Evidence, opinion, and logic have discredited the notion that Bruno Richard Hauptmann--executed in 1936--acted alone.