Elliott Carter's Late Music

A comprehensive study of the late music of one of the most influential composers of the last half century.

John Link (Author)

9780521769761, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 January 2022

510 pages
25.2 x 17.7 x 2.9 cm, 1.08 kg

'… absorbing, frequently demanding but always rewarding reading.' Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone

The first comprehensive study of the late music of one of the most influential composers of the last half century, this book places Elliott Carter's music from 1995 to 2012 in the broader context of post-war contemporary concert music, including his own earlier work. It addresses Carter's reception history, his aesthetics, and his harmonic and rhythmic practice, and includes detailed essays on all of Carter's major works after 1995. Special emphasis is placed on Carter's settings of contemporary modernist poetry from John Ashbery to Louis Zukofsky. In readable and engaging prose, Elliott Carter's Late Music illuminates a body of late work that stands at the forefront of the composer's achievements.

Part I. Context: 1. Carter's career and reception history
2. The elements of an aesthetic
3. Harmony
4. Rhythm and form
Part II. A Literary Imagination (Text Settings): 5. Sense and sensibility- opera
6. A kind of light -song cycles and other text settings
Part III. Instrumental Music: 7. Illusions -music for orchestra
8. Social aspirations -music for instrumental soloist and ensemble
9. A free society- music for large chamber ensemble
10. Social relations- music for small chamber ensemble
11. Reflections- short instrumental pieces.

Subject Areas: Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 [HBLW3], 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6], Music [AV]