The Music of Stuart Saunders Smith

(Hardback)

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In the music of Stuart Saunders Smith (b.1948), jazz, the avant-garde and sound-text poetry coalesce. Through the years he has concentrated on certain kinds of composition - open form, radio music, trans-media systems, and sound-text poetry. Although Smith considers himself a jazz composer and drummer, his work has been absorbed into a wider range of contemporary musical efforts, both in the United States and Europe. This study of Smith contains six critical analyses, an interview, and bibliographic information containing a list of compositions, a discography, Smith's publications, and research currently available on his music. As Milton Babbitt notes, "All of his music is to be reckoned with..." and, as such, this volume should be of interest to all students and scholars of contemporary composition.

Reviews

For those unfamiliar witht the work of Stuart Saunders Smith, John P. Welsh's analysis of Smith's work provides a nice starting point....a fine tribute to one of the most unique and creative composers of our time...recommended for libraries with strong music collections.-H-Net Reviews
Throughout the book John P. Welsh gives an in-depth and literary explanation of Smith's music, at times comparing it to other contemporary composers such as John Cage and Stockhausen, but for the most part evaluating it on its own merit. This excellent book is well-organized and deals with the intellectual qualities of Smith's music as it relates to contemporary music and ideas.-Percussive Arts Society
"For those unfamiliar witht the work of Stuart Saunders Smith, John P. Welsh's analysis of Smith's work provides a nice starting point....a fine tribute to one of the most unique and creative composers of our time...recommended for libraries with strong music collections."-H-Net Reviews
"Throughout the book John P. Welsh gives an in-depth and literary explanation of Smith's music, at times comparing it to other contemporary composers such as John Cage and Stockhausen, but for the most part evaluating it on its own merit. This excellent book is well-organized and deals with the intellectual qualities of Smith's music as it relates to contemporary music and ideas."-Percussive Arts Society

Author Bio

JOHN P. WELSH has written extensively on Smith, including articles in Percussive Notes, Perspectives of New Music, and Interface.