The Music of Elliott Carter

by David Schiff

Arguably the most important American composer of the century, Elliott Carter often has been more highly regarded in Europe than in his native land. Interest in his work has grown rapidly in recent years, however, and the celebration of his ninetieth birthday in December, 1998, accompanied by numerous performances and new recordings, undoubtedly will increase the attention of his fellow citizens to this remarkable figure. Authoritative and gracefully written, The Music of Elliott Carter engages composers, performers, and critics, and speaks to concert-goers, whether attuned to or alarmed by the formidable difficulty of Carter's music. David Schiff views the music from the perspective of the composer's development and relates his compositional techniques to those nonmusical arts―contemporary American poetry in particular―with which Carter has been deeply involved. The volume benefits from Schiff's extensive discussions of Carter's works with their most noted performers, including Heinz Holliger, Oliver Knussen, and Ursula Oppens, and from the generous cooperation of the composer himself. This new edition, a thoroughly reorganized, revised, and updated version of the book published in 1983, accounts for the many new works written by Carter since 1980 and accommodates the burgeoning critical literature on his music. Its features include many musical examples and a selected discography. In addition to the new foreword, the composer has provided his listing of three-to-six note chords and a note on "Voyage."

Genres: Music

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Cobertizo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sucinta y algo errática relectura de las idas y venidas del gran poliestilista americano. Destaco enérgicamente su discurso al recoger la medalla Edward MacDowell:

"Siento que de algún modo estas cosas misteriosas están dentro de mí, estas composiciones, que de algún modo no son yo, yo mismo. En realidad son ellas las que merecen la medalla y no yo. Ellas tienen esa vida extraña. No estoy seguro de haberlas inventado. Estos seres extraños acudieron a mi mente e insistieron en que se les escribiera a su manera extraña e inusual, dificil para algunos y profundamente excitante para otros. Yo era sólo una suerte de cosa que acertaba a anotarlo todo"
La ciudad adornada por nubes"

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm marking this as "read," although that's not quite accurate. This book represents a long-term project for me. I read the first few chapters, which concerned Carter's life and his compositional methods and innovations. Beyond that, I'm reading the section about each of Carter's compositions as I listen to that piece.

This is an academic work, to be sure, but it is surprisingly clear and readable. There are many examples of musical notation, so it might me rough going for those who don't read music.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Schiff, who studied composition with Elliott Carter, produced a study of his mentor's music in 1983. Carter's longevity and immense productivity occasioned a second edition in 1998. In the years since, Carter has produced dozens of more pieces, but for the time being those wanting a serious introduction to Carter's mighty oeuvre will have to be content with this 1998 edition.

Schiff goes through every piece that Carter had written to date, but instead of a strictly chronological presentation, the author divides the oeuvre into eleven sections: 1) String Quartets, 2) Chamber Music for Wind Instruments, 3) Chamber Music for Piano and other Mixed Ensembles, 4) Short Instrumental Works, 5) Choral Works, 6) Songs with Piano (or Guitar), 7) Works for Solo Voices and Instruments, 8) Piano Music, 9) Ballets, 10) Concertos and 11) Symphonic Works.

Schiff's analysis of the mature works focuses mainly on two aspects of this music. One is Carter's derivation of pitches from certain chords, and an appendix contains Carter's own listing of all these chords. The other aspect is Carter's polyrhythms and "metric modulation". It is the latter that is really distinguishes Carter's music, with its dizzying interaction between parts that accompany each other but rarely meet. Besides the analysis, there's plenty of interesting facts about the contexts in which the works were written. The "Symphonia" turns out to have provoked a nasty spat between the composer and the New York Philharmonic, for example. Also, Schiff talks about Carter's taste in literature and his ideas of what poems are suitable for setting to music.

While Schiff's book demands a good knowledge of music, I must say that I don't think that Elliott Carter's music requires a knowledge of the theory behind it. With his interest in presenting a dialogue in the form of music between the various instruments, he is one of the more accessible high modernists. Certainly, one can fall in love with certain pieces at first hearing, before one has any idea what is going on beneath the surface (for me these were the Symphonia and A Mirror on Which to Dwell, YMMV). However, with any composer there's bound to be some harder nuts to crack, and for those with a knowledge of music theory, Schiff's analysis may help you gain an appreciation for works that were formerly elusive (for me these were the String Quartet No. 3 and the Triple Duo, but again YMMV).