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Joel Sachs offers the first complete biography of one of the most
influential figures in twentieth-century American music. Henry
Cowell, a major musical innovator of the first half of the century,
left a rich body of compositions spanning a wide range of styles.
But as Sachs shows, Cowell's legacy extends far beyond his music.
He worked tirelessly to create organizations such as the highly
influential New Music Quarterly, New Music Recordings, and the
Pan-American Association of Composers, through which great talents
like Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Ives first became known in
the US and abroad. As one of the first Western advocates for World
Music, he used lectures, articles, and recordings to bring other
musical cultures to myriad listeners and students including John
Cage and Lou Harrison, who attributed their life work to Cowell's
influence. Finally, Sachs describes the tragedy of Cowell's
life-his guilty plea on a morals charge, which even the prosecutor
felt was trivial, but brought him a sentence of 15 years in San
Quentin, of which he served four.
Joel Sachs offers the first complete biography of one of the most
influential figures in twentieth-century American music. Henry
Cowell, a major musical innovator of the first half of the century,
left a rich body of compositions spanning a wide range of styles.
But as Sachs shows, Cowell's legacy extends far beyond his music.
He worked tirelessly to create organizations such as the highly
influential New Music Quarterly, New Music Recordings, and the
Pan-American Association of Composers, through which great talents
like Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Ives first became known in
the US and abroad. As one of the first Western advocates for World
Music, he used lectures, articles, and recordings to bring other
musical cultures to myriad listeners and students including John
Cage and Lou Harrison, who attributed their life work to Cowell's
influence. Finally, Sachs describes the tragedy of Cowell's life,
being sentenced to fifteen years in San Quentin - of which he
served four - after pleading guilty to a morals charge that even
the prosecutor felt was trivial. Providing a wealth of insight into
Cowell's ideas and philosophy, Joel Sachs lays out a much-needed
perspective on one of the giants of twentieth-century American
music.
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