Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: the new and the experimental; 2. In Re Con Moto Et Al: experimentalism in the works of Charles Ives; 3. 'On Dissonant Counterpoint': the development of a new polyphony, primarily by Charles Seeger, Carl Ruggles and Ruth Crawford; 4. New Musical resources: radical innovation in the music of Henry Cowell; 5. 'The Future of Music: Credo': the development of a philosophy of experimentation in the early works of John Cage; 6. Conclusion: unity through diversity; Select bibliography; Appendix: musical editions and selected readings.

Promotional Information

Examines the most influential figures in the development of American experimental music at the end of the nineteenth century.

Reviews

"...musicians will enjoy seeing a British composer/scholar trace an American experimental movement with an objectivity that only a transatlantic outsider could muster." Kyle Gann, Voice

"...a coherent guide to the inner workings of compositions by Charles Ives, Charles Seeger, Carl Ruggles, Ruth Crawford, Henry Cowell and John Cage. Nicholls writes eminently readable prose- no small acheivement in an analytic text- and provides insightful findings. Notes