Carter /

Elliot Carter died in 2012 at the age of 94, and in the wake of his death it would seem that the rich mine of what could be further stated, written, or analyzed about the composer and his works had been exhausted. This book, however, suggests that there is more to understand, particularly by looking at the whole of Carter's life. Carter lived longer than any other American composer, and he continued--even increased--his compositional output right up to the end of his life. Famously reclusive, he preferred to let his compositions speak primarily for themselves, and he was seemingly unconcerned about public approval, critics, or reviews. Also the author of The Music of Elliott Carter (1983; 2nd ed., CH, Jul'99, 36-6212) Schiff was both a student and close friend of Carter, and he wrote the present book to augment understanding of the genesis of, and influences on, Carter's output. Schiff discusses works Carter composed from about 1945 onward, offering contextualizing information, personal anecdotes, and views into Carter's compositional methods. This makes for an absorbing, sometimes amusing portrait of the US's most prolific contemporary composer. Schiff's useful scholarly apparatus includes a time line of Carter's life and compositions, dramatis personae of important people in Carter's circle, and a thorough bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Mary Neil, emeritus, Augustana College (IL)

Elliott Carter may be a great composer, but he's not an easy one to figure out. For a long time, his music didn't seem to have a common univocal personality, and even after he settled in, around the age of 40 with six decades left to compose in, his music wasn't easy to follow. It's not surprising then that a study of his life and music isn't itself an easy read. It's a rewarding one, though, filled with graceful passages and interesting incidences. Schiff (music, Reed Coll.; The Music of Elliott Carter) is well positioned to explain the composer. This is the author's third book on Carter; he studied with him at Juilliard, was a friend for 40 years, and is a composer in his own right. In place of the customary division of Carter's works into "early" and "mature," with the dividing line at the publication of Sonata for Violoncello and Piano in 1948, Schiff argues for lifelong continuity, expressed in the composer's mathematical preoccupation with meter and his recurring use of antagonistic dialog, voices not in harmony but opposition, an unresolved Apollonian-Dionysian linking. VERDICT This is a technical study-a good one-meant for serious musicians.-David Keymer, Cleveland © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.