IDEAS OF FREEDOM IN THE MUSICAL THOUGHT OF HENRY COWELL, AS SEEN IN SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND WRITINGS.
Item
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Title
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IDEAS OF FREEDOM IN THE MUSICAL THOUGHT OF HENRY COWELL, AS SEEN IN SELECTED COMPOSITIONS AND WRITINGS.
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Identifier
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AAI8103959
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identifier
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8103959
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Creator
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SAYLOR, BRUCE STUART.
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Contributor
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Henry Weinberg
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Date
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1978
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music
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Abstract
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The pathfinding and influential American composer Henry Cowell (1897-1965) produced a vast output of compositions and writings. His compositional output employs many divergent styles and novel techniques, and is influenced by turns by a variety of folk and traditional musics. Cowell's writings are similarly wide-ranging; they include theoretical treatises, criticism, and polemical articles supporting the cause of new music. The common thread running through this legacy may be interpreted as a basic attitude of freedom (or permissiveness) in all musical matters: he believed that music may be made from any materials available at any given time, he encouraged a broad spectrum of styles, he fostered less restricted compositional experiences for the young, and he even relinquished much of the control that composers have traditionally retained over the final form of their works. This point of view can be traced through selected compositions and writings from Cowell's youth through the mid-1930's, when he formulated his most radical idea--"elastic form"--his version of indeterminacy. Special attention is given to Cowell's string quartets and to his series of articles on music for Americana Annual from 1928 to 1936.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Music
