Overview

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9780810877429

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Reviews

Slayton (Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt Univ.) has assembled extensive and exciting materials on nine significant American composers. For each--Elizabeth Austin, Susan Botti, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Tania Leon, Cindy McTee, Marga Richter, and Judith Shatin--he provides an essay (he contributes two of the nine), a transcribed interview, analysis of a work, a coda, notes, a list of works, and a discography. Those interested in researching any of these women will find that the materials gathered offer a good first step in a larger research construct. The conversations (i.e., interviews) shed light on biographical and aesthetic issues specific to the composer and simultaneously demonstrate her sense of humor. For example, speaking about her earliest musical experiences, McTee says, In high school I played piano for the choir, and even when we sang Brahms, I continued to improvise--much to the director's displeasure. I was presumptuous enough to think I knew better than Brahms! Now, of course, I hope those who play my music will have greater respect for what's on the page than I did. Karin Pendle's foreword-- Who Are These Women? --is one of the best features of the volume. Summing Up: Recommended Choice

Author Information

Michael K. Slayton is associate professor and chair of the Department of Music Composition and Theory at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music.

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