This authoritative volume of 453 letters written by and to composer Charles Ives (1874-1954) provides unparalleled insight into one of the most extraordinary and paradoxical careers in American music history. The most comprehensive collection of Ives's correspondence in print, this book opens a direct window on Ives's complex personality and his creative process. Though Ives spent much of his career out of the mainstream of professional music-making, he corresponded with a surprisingly large group of musicians and critics, including John J. Becker, Henry Bellamann, Leonard Bernstein, John Cage, Aaron Copland, Henry Cowell, Ingolf Dahl, Walter Damrosch, Lehman Engel, Clifton J. Furness, Lou Harrison, Bernard Herrmann, John Kirkpatrick, Serge Koussevitzky, John Lomax, Francesco Malipiero, Radiana Pazmor, Paul Rosenfeld, Carl Ruggles, E. Robert Schmitz, Nicolas Slonimsky, and Peter Yates.
Tom C. Owens is Associate Professor of Music at George Mason University.
"This is an extremely important work that makes available many hard-to-access primary resources. Owens writes clearly in a straightforward and uncluttered style; his editorial remarks are fresh and insightful. The book expands our understanding of Ives's works within the context of early twentieth century modern musical culture as it humanizes the man and reveals the complexities of his personality."—Denise Von Glahn, author of Sounds of Place: Music and the American Cultural Landscape (2004 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award winner)
414 pp.7 x 10Illus: 31 b/w photographs, 4 music examples
9780520246065$85.00|£71.00Hardcover
Jun 2007