Morton Feldman (1926-1987) is today widely regarded as one of America's foremost experimental composers. His unique body of compositions, as well as his numerous writings and interviews, provide a vast amount of source material for scholarly research. Yet, few have seriously examined his work. This collection of essays will help rectify this situation.
This book begins with a brief work by John Cage written in honor of Morton Feldman. It is followed by a series of essays that challenge some views of Feldman's music and clarify many others. The collection concludes with a selection of essays written by the composer himself; these essays reveal as much about Feldman's own work and attitudes as they do about the work and thought of the many composers and artists about whom he wrote. The volume concludes with a list of Feldman's compositions, a bibliography, and a discography. This study, the first of a series of Profiles of American Composers, will be invaluable to musicologists and all involved with the music of the 20th century.