Bücher der Reihe Modern Traditionalist Classical Music

The Classical Revolution studies the recent emergence of a new brand of classical music, one rooted in ';pre-modern' tonal traditions. Through polemical essays on the conflict between re-emergent tradition and the usual, bland ';modern music' in which academic atonalism, process music and attempts to borrow some life from pop and world music form a rather isolated territory, Borstlap examines both the philosophical and aesthetic positions of these new classical composers, positions too often misunderstood because they create a new and unexpected category, not in the margins of music life but directly related to the central performance culture.As Borstlap points out, part of the ongoing problem of contemporary music, a problem first created by modernism, is a profound misunderstanding of musical modernism itself. At the heart of his argument is the distinction between music and ';sonic art' a distinction that renders superfluous the loaded labels of ';progressive' and ';conservative' in disputes over music. Addressing questions of cultural identity, musical meaning, and the aesthetics of beauty, The Classical Revolution closely examines the institutional biases of the modern-music establishment and its all-too-solid grip on the production and reception of new music. By drawing attention to new classical composers in a traditionalist mold, Borstlap illustrates how their increasing success in the realm of performanceas opposed to academic studybespeaks a broader set of trends in serious contemporary composition.The Classical Revolution is an accessible and informative polemic for music lovers with an interest in the meaning of classical music in general, and the classical tradition in particular which seems to be re-emerging in the 21st century. It should equally interest academics, music directors, promoters, programmers, musicians, and music students alike since here, a wide field of new musical experience opens itself up, with a hopeful perspective on the future of music.

Despite the Modernist search for new and innovative aesthetics and rejection of traditional tonality, several twentieth century composers have found their own voice while steadfastly relying on the aesthetics and techniques of Romanticism and 19th century composition principles. Musicological and reference texts have regarded these composers as isolated exceptions to modern thoughts of composition-exceptions of little importance, treated simplistically and superficially. Music critic and scholar Walter Simmons, however, believes these composers and their works should be taken seriously. They are worthy of more scholarly consideration, and deserve proper analysis, assessment, and discussion in their own regard. In Voices in the Wilderness, the first in a series of books celebrating the "e;Twentieth-Century Traditionalist,"e; Simmons looks at six Neo-Romantic composers:Ernest Bloch Howard Hanson Vittorio GianniniPaul CrestonSamuel BarberNicolas FlagelloThrough biographical overviews and a comprehensive assessment of musical works, Simmons provides readers with a clear understanding of the significance of the composers, their bodies of work, and their placement in musicological history. The chapters delve deeply and objectively into each composer's oeuvre, addressing their origins, stylistic traits and consistencies, phases of development, strengths and weaknesses, and affinities with other composers. The composers' most representative works are identified, and each chapter concludes with a discography of essential recordings. Visit the author's website to read samples from the book and to listen to representative excerpts of each composer's work.

In Neoclassical Music in America: Voices of Clarity and Restrain, music reviewer and scholar, R. James Tobin explores the origins and fate of neoclassicism, arguing how efforts to define musical neoclassicism as a style largely fail because of the stylistic diversity of the music that fall within its scope. Tobin surveys the careers of various figures, drawing especially on early reviews of performances before offering his own critical assessment of individual works. His examination includes such European influencers, as Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, and Nadia Boulanger, before he turns his attention to Edward Burlingame Hill, Walter Piston, Harold Shapero, Irving Fine, early Lukas Foss, Alexei Haieff, Ingolf Dahl, Louise Talma, John Lessard, Nicolai Lopatnikoff, and Aaron Rabushka

Schuman, Persichetti, and Mennin were three of the most significant American composers of the 20th century; yet their music has largely disappeared from view since their respective deaths. This book provides a thorough examination of their lives and work, and thereby clarifies their considerable individuality, both as composers and as human beings.

Written for the both the scholar and amateur enthusiast interested in modern classical music and American social history, Nationalist and Populist Composers creates a contextual frame through which all audiences can better understand such eternal works as Rhapsody in Blue, Appalachian Spring, and West Side Story.