Edgard Varèse: Composer, Sound Sculptor, Visionary

by Felix Meyer (Editor)

Edgard Varese, the pioneering composer of electronic music, formed the subject of a major exhibition in Basel in 2006; it displayed many previously unknown documents from the composer's estate, including manuscripts, letters, and other material. This volume contains detailed commentaries on all the items on display, as well as thirty-two essays by leading authors from Europe and America. Varese's life and music are discussed under the following headings: Influences - Points of Orientation; Conductor and Initiator in New York; Probing Uncharted Territory; Impact and Reception. Many previously unknown documents from the composer's estate, recently acquired by the Paul Sacher Foundation, form the basis of a nuanced picture of Varese's life, musical thought, and compositional output. The book is lavishly illustrated with facsimiles of manuscripts, letters, and other documents from the composer's collection, as well as reproductions of paintings, drawings and sculpture documenting Varese's close ties to the visual arts. Contributors: Jonathan W. Bernard, Gianmario Borio, Diane Bouchard, Austin Clarkson, Hermann Danuser, Michael Duchesneau, Sabine Feisst, Kyle Gann, Fritz Gerber, Theo Hirsbrunner, Anne Jostkleigrewe, Matthais Kassel, Sylvia Kahan, Klaus Kropfinger, Ernst Lichtenhahn, Malcolm Macdonald, Guido Magnaguagno, Olivia Mattis, Ulrich Mosch, Helga de la Motte-Haber, Felix Meyer, Dieter Nanz, Robert Piencikowski, Wolfgang Rathert, David Schiff, Anne C. Shreffler, Heinz Stahlhut, Jurg Stenzl, Denise von Glahn, Chou Wen-Chung, Heidy Zimmermann. Published in cooperation with the Paul Sacher Foundation.

Genres: Music, Essays

507 pages, Hardcover

First published April 20, 2006

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe David Schiff's essay on Varese was ever published. Interpreting an anti-war organization as necessarily "pro-nazi" is a ridiculous claim.