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Listening Out Loud: Becoming a Composer
1988, Harper & Row, NY, hardcover edition, 208 pages. Author Swados is a master class teacher and conducts workshops in composition and performance.
Paperback
First published October 1, 1989
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About the author
Elizabeth Swados
61 books4 followersElizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician and theatre director. While some of her subject matter is humorous, such as her satirical look at Ronald Reagan (Rap Master Ronnie) and Doonesbury — both collaborations with Garry Trudeau — much of her work deals with darker issues such as racism, murder and mental illness.
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
Born February 5, 1951 in Buffalo, New York, Swados wrote about her life in her 1991 autobiography, The Four of Us, A Family Memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Her father, Robert O. Swados, was a successful attorney who helped Seymour H. Knox III convert the local Buffalo Sabres hockey club into a full National Hockey League team. His autobiography, Counsel in the Crease: A Big League Player in the Hockey Wars was published by Prometheus Books in 2005.
Her mother struggled with depression, while her older brother (and only sibling) Lincoln developed schizophrenia. Her mother committed suicide in 1974, and Lincoln died in 1989. Swados suffered from depression, a condition she discussed in her book, My Depression: A Picture Book.
She studied music at Bennington College in Vermont, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. In 1980, the Hobart and William Smith College awarded her an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters.
Swados died from complications following surgery for esophageal cancer on January 5, 2016. She was 64.
(from Wikipedia)
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February 11, 2024
As someone who is not a composer but is pursuing a career in performing arts, I found this be an insightful look at what it takes to craft a life in the creative industry. The chapter on “Surviving until…” felt particularly true and helpful. In it, Swados talks about how to remain afloat financially and creatively until some kind of success is achieved. There’s a lot of talk about balance between meeting your material needs while also honoring your creative spirit and carving out ample space and time to let it flourish.
This book was published in the 1980s, so I also found it interesting to compare the concerns and struggles of working in a creative industry then to what the struggles of today look like. Some aspects have gotten marginally better, such as greater opportunities for women and other marginalized groups in creative fields. But there are other concerns Swados shares in this book that seem to have gotten worse, specifically with how commercialized and focused on exponential growth the performing arts industry has become. There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from this book, even though it was written almost four decades ago.
This book was published in the 1980s, so I also found it interesting to compare the concerns and struggles of working in a creative industry then to what the struggles of today look like. Some aspects have gotten marginally better, such as greater opportunities for women and other marginalized groups in creative fields. But there are other concerns Swados shares in this book that seem to have gotten worse, specifically with how commercialized and focused on exponential growth the performing arts industry has become. There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from this book, even though it was written almost four decades ago.
Displaying 1 of 1 review