Composers' Voices from Ives to Ellington: An Oral History of American Music - Tapa dura

"Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve have assembled an amazing range of composers that reflects the diversity of American music... The actual sound of the composers' voices on CD is a unique element that gives us a glimpse into the era and the musical personalities who created it." David Brubeck, composer"

The first decades of the twentieth century were a fertile and fascinating period in American musical history. This book, and the two CDs that accompany it, present an exceptional collection of interviews with and about the most significant musical figures of the era. Tapping the unparalleled materials contained in the Oral History, American Music archive at Yale University, Composers' Voices from Ives to Ellington is a unique account of what it was like for musicians and composers to live and work in those years. It is also the story of the making of the archive, as told by Vivian Perlis, founding director, who personally conducted many of the interviews. Music aficionados can now hear Eubie Blake describe the birth of ragtime or listen to a firsthand account of how Ira Gershwin came to write those famous lines in 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'. In-depth interviews with such figures as Henry Cowell, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and Duke Ellington are included in the book, which also features chapter introductions and fascinating sidebars, illustrations and anecdotes throughout. Two CDs complete the set, enabling today's listener to enjoy the remarkable experience of hearing the actual voices and the music of American composers of the early twentieth century.