Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 1
Myths, Narratives, and Cold War Cultural Diplomacy

The Element explores the power structures that enabled Elliott Carter, a highly modernist composer, to succeed in his music.

Laura Emmery (Author)

9781009537131, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 January 2025

84 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 1.2 cm, 0.27 kg

This Element offers a critical analysis of the history of Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 1 and the composer's rise to public acclaim, not through the study of the work itself but through intriguing and captivating narratives that surround this quartet and their socio-cultural-political context, which led Carter to become one of the most dominant voices in the post-1945 American music scene. Carter's road to success was meticulously paved by powerful institutions and individuals, including critics, scholars, festival and radio programming directors, and the US government, for whom, in the context of the Cold War, Carter was chosen to represent an exemplary American triumphant story. The author argues that it is not the quartet itself that contributed to Carter's reception and legacy, but the inextricable narratives that we associate with this work.

Introduction: history and reception of Elliott Carter's string quartet no. 1
1. The desert myth narrative
2. Intertextuality and extra-musical associations
3. Musical borrowings and homages
4. Liège competition
5. Political ideals of individualism and freedom
Epilogue: the paved road to success
References.

Subject Areas: Music [AV]