Music 577 – Composers of the Twentieth Century

This will be a seminar on the movement often described as “American Experimentalism”. The course will begin with an examination of the “ground soil” for the Experimentalist movement – Emerson, Thoreau, William James, John Dewey – before moving into the writings of Charles Ives and Harry Partch. Analysis of works by these composers as well as works by such composers as Conlon Nancarrow and James Tenney will follow. Finally, we consider the meaning of the term “Experimentalism”, whether it is an apt description of aesthetic practice and its social, political and philosophical significance in relation to other Avant-garde movements.