American Composers and Their Public: A Critical Look.

Abstract

In all of the writings about twentieth-century American art music, scarcely any attempt has been made to examine the relationship between the composer and the general audience, and least of all what composers and members of the music public have had to say about each other. The consequences of the elimination of common guidelines agreed to by artist and audience, the lack of balance between rights and responsibilities of all concerned with retaining the viability of new music, and the indifference of modern composers and the general music public to each other have proved disastrous. Yet there continue to be composers who write qualitatively excellent works that do please many listeners. Tawa addresses these issues. Anyone interested in the course taken by twentieth-century American music and the crisis now facing art music will find Tawa's analysis of great value. The book is recommended for musicians, music lovers, and educators.