Dreaming and Thinking in Music: Exercises for Exploring Inspiration and Imagination in Musical Creativity

Author:   Bruce Adolphe (Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts, Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780197821640


Pages:   168
Publication Date:   18 November 2025
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Dreaming and Thinking in Music: Exercises for Exploring Inspiration and Imagination in Musical Creativity


Overview

In Dreaming and Thinking in Music, Bruce Adolphe harnesses his wide-ranging experiences as a composer and educator to tackle one of the more elusive questions in music composition: how to get from technical ability to creative creation. Unlike standard composition textbooks that focus on writing melody, harmony, counterpoint, and rhythm, Dreaming and Thinking in Music guides readers to explore the rarely discussed problems of how to get ideas, and how to follow up with the appropriate techniques to realize those ideas. Exercises throughout the book prepare readers to receive, recognize, and seize moments of inspiration or musical vision through a variety of concepts to prompt imaginative musical thinking. Essays introduce and further explore topics such as hypnagogic dreams, improvisation, personal voice, composing based on lived experiences, and the influences of visual art, poetry, film, theater, and science. Adolphe's playful, erudite, yet fundamentally accessible approach serves as a guide for any composer, musician, or student interested in exploring their musical creativity from a non-technical viewpoint.

Full Product Details

Author:   Bruce Adolphe (Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts, Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 12.70cm , Height: 17.70cm , Length: 1.20cm
Weight:   0.210kg
ISBN:  

9780197821640


ISBN 10:   0197821642
Pages:   168
Publication Date:   18 November 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Foreword by Reena Esmail Preface: Using This Book 1. Prelude 2. Images and Emotions 3. Experiences, Lived and Imagined 4. Tradition and Text 5. Visual Art and Science 6. Dreaming Music 7. A Series of Endings Bibliography Selected Recordings of Music Mentioned in the Text About the Author Index

Reviews

Author Information

Bruce Adolphe is a composer of international renown and Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Concerts for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He is also widely known as the Piano Puzzler on public radio's Performance Today.

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