Music Composition in the 21st Century - by Robert Carl (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An overview of recent developments and the current state of music composition, and a guide for students and composers who are working within these changing practices"--

Book Synopsis

The state of contemporary music is dizzyingly diverse in terms of style, media, traditions, and techniques. How have trends in music developed over the past decades? Music Composition in the 21st Century is a guide for composers and students that helps them navigate the often daunting complexity and abundance of resources and influences that confront them as they work to achieve a personal expression.

From pop to classical, the book speaks to the creative ways that new composers mix and synthesize music, creating a music that exists along a more continuous spectrum rather than in a series of siloed practices. It pays special attention to a series of critical issues that have surfaced in recent years, including harmony, the influence of minimalism, the impact of technology, strategies of "openness," sound art, collaboration, and improvisation. Robert Carl identifies an emerging common practice that allows creators to make more informed aesthetic and technical decisions and also fosters an inherently positive approach to new methods.

Review Quotes

"[A] recent, though-provoking, collection of essays ..." - Gramophone

"Robert Carl picks up the past century's musical threads and weaves a rich tapestry by connecting them with the new trends impacting modern composition. His view of the cultural scene is essential for anyone hoping to understand 21st-century composition." --S. Andrew Granade, Professor of Musicology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA

"With profound insight and sense of history, Carl's Music Composition in the 21st Century examines all aspects of 'new common practice' of music composition. An intriguing book for anyone who cares for exploring music composition in our own time." --Ping Jin, Professor of Music, China Conservatory of Music, China

"Robert Carl is one of those writers who is able to transcend both the pitfall of trying to be cool at the expense of being thorough, as well as the pitfall of trying to be academically airtight at the expense of being readable. Young American composers will want this book." --Joel Hoffman, Special Professor, China Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China, and Professor Emeritus, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, USA

"Vital, personal, and as effortlessly informative as it is humorous, Robert Carl's Music Composition in the 21st Century is chock full of compelling opinions and clear definitions. From serialism and indeterminacy to minimalism and new media, Carl knits together the common threads of music using vastly different materials, celebrating multiplicities as a "practice of openness." As he so aptly summarizes the scene, 'sophistication comes in many forms.' With Carl deftly leading the way, the unsuspecting reader will find much of the 21st-century music he addresses not only survivable but heartening and heartwarming. So read this book to expand your taste and embolden your ears!" --John McDonald, Composer and Pianist, Professor of Music Director of Graduate Music Studies, Tufts University, USA

About the Author

Robert Carl is Chair of the composition program at the Hartt School, University of Hartford, USA, and an internationally performed concert composer. He is the editor of Jonathan Kramer's Postmodern Music, Postmodern Listening (Bloomsbury, 2016), and the author of Terry Riley's In C (2009).