The Ellington Century
Breaking down walls between genres that are usually discussed separately—classical, jazz, and popular—this highly engaging book offers a compelling new integrated view of twentieth-century music. Placing Duke Ellington (1899–1974) at the center of the story, David Schiff explores music written during the composer’s lifetime in terms of broad ideas such as rhythm, melody, and harmony. He shows how composers and performers across genres shared the common pursuit of representing the rapidly changing conditions of modern life. The Ellington Century demonstrates how Duke Ellington’s music is as vital to musical modernism as anything by Stravinsky, more influential than anything by Schoenberg, and has had a lasting impact on jazz and pop that reaches from Gershwin to contemporary R&B.
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The Ellington Century
Breaking down walls between genres that are usually discussed separately—classical, jazz, and popular—this highly engaging book offers a compelling new integrated view of twentieth-century music. Placing Duke Ellington (1899–1974) at the center of the story, David Schiff explores music written during the composer’s lifetime in terms of broad ideas such as rhythm, melody, and harmony. He shows how composers and performers across genres shared the common pursuit of representing the rapidly changing conditions of modern life. The Ellington Century demonstrates how Duke Ellington’s music is as vital to musical modernism as anything by Stravinsky, more influential than anything by Schoenberg, and has had a lasting impact on jazz and pop that reaches from Gershwin to contemporary R&B.
36.95 In Stock
The Ellington Century

The Ellington Century

by David Schiff
The Ellington Century

The Ellington Century

by David Schiff

Hardcover(First Edition)

$36.95 
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Overview

Breaking down walls between genres that are usually discussed separately—classical, jazz, and popular—this highly engaging book offers a compelling new integrated view of twentieth-century music. Placing Duke Ellington (1899–1974) at the center of the story, David Schiff explores music written during the composer’s lifetime in terms of broad ideas such as rhythm, melody, and harmony. He shows how composers and performers across genres shared the common pursuit of representing the rapidly changing conditions of modern life. The Ellington Century demonstrates how Duke Ellington’s music is as vital to musical modernism as anything by Stravinsky, more influential than anything by Schoenberg, and has had a lasting impact on jazz and pop that reaches from Gershwin to contemporary R&B.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780520245877
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication date: 02/21/2012
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.30(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

David Alan Schiff is R.P. Wollenberg Professor of Music at Reed College. He is a composer, journalist whose articles have appeared in publications including the New York Times and the Atlantic, and the author of George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue and The Music of Elliot Carter.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

Part I: Overture: Such Sweet Thunder
1. “Blue Light”: Color
2. “Cotton Tail”: Rhythm
3. “Prelude to a Kiss”: Melody
4. “Satin Doll”: Harmony

Part II: Entr’acte: “Sepia Panorama”
5. “Warm Valley”: Love
6. Black, Brown and Beige: History
7. “Heaven”: God

Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"'The Ellington Century' redefines the Duke's place in American music. . . . It's a must-read for music students and enthusiasts."—The Oregonian

"Schiff makes you yearn to be a part of the ongoing flow of all music, not just jazz, or classical, or pop, or anything else. And that is one of the highest compliments I can pay the book."—Music
Industry Newswire

"The most stimulating contribution to the Ellington literature I have encountered since Eddie Lambert's Listener's Guide."—Dems Bulletin

"This book will be a must read for Ellingtonians and any musician interested in jazz-classical theory."—All About Jazz

"An important milestone in Ellington scholarship, a one-of-a-kind substantive, in-depth study that opens possibilities for better understanding and appreciation of Duke Ellington the composer."—Ellingtonia

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