front cover of Elliott Carter
Elliott Carter
James Wierzbicki
University of Illinois Press, 2011
This compact introduction to the life and works of composer Elliott Carter provides a fresh perspective on one of the most significant American composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A leading voice of the American classical music tradition and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, Carter was initially encouraged to become a composer by Charles Ives, and he went on to learn from Walter Piston at Harvard University and Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Drawing on Carter's voluminous writings and compositions, James Wierzbicki provides a clear discussion of Carter's evolving understanding of musical time and the influence of film on his work. Celebrating his 100th birthday in 2008 by premiering a number of new compositions, Carter has been a powerful presence on the American new music scene, an important connection to American music's foundational figures, and a dynamic force in its continuing evolution.
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front cover of Elliott Carter Speaks
Elliott Carter Speaks
Unpublished Lectures
Elliott Carter. Edited and with an Introduction by Laura Emmery
University of Illinois Press, 2021
These previously unpublished lectures by Elliott Carter date to the summer of 1967, when the acclaimed composer taught at the Contemporary Music Workshop held by the University of Minnesota. Leading an introductory course on orchestra repertoire, Carter gave nine hours of lectures covering principal topics like how to live with the musical present and whether the symphony orchestra was a relic of the past or a possible active force for new music. But Carter's observations and prompts by audience questions broadened the discussion into areas ranging from electronic music to analyses of works by other artists and himself. Laura Emmery presents the complete text from each session alongside introductions, commentary, and annotated examples that provide valuable context for readers.

Expansive and essential, Elliott Carter Speaks opens up the artist's teaching and introspection to new contemporary perspectives on his thought and art.

Please note that the order and arrangement of materials in this book differs from that of Elliott Carter’s original lectures.

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