Music Composition in the 21st Century: A Practical Guide for the New Common Practice

Description

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 guide for composers and students that helps them navigate the often daunting complexity and prolificity 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 Carol identifies an emerging common practice, that allows creators to make more informed aesthetic and technical decisions, and also fosters an inherently positive openness to new methods. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1: What’s in a Name? Chapter 2: The Gift That Keeps on Giving Chapter 3: Left to Our Own Devices Chapter 4: A Ringing in Our Ears Chapter 5: Open the Window Chapter 6: A Bigger Playground Chapter 7: All Together Now Chapter 8: Message in a Bottle Chapter 9: Re Me Chapter 10: Postscript as Poem Notes Bibliography Index