In the Realm of Tones: A Composer's Memoir

A poignant, compelling and clear-eyed memoir of a life in music, with the dogged pursuit of composing at its center.


Perhaps no art form has ever splintered into as many factions, genres, languages, philosophies, and mutually exclusive audiences as the art of music did in the mid-twentieth century.
Allen Shawn's memoir fascinatingly evokes this tumultuous time, while weaving together his art and his life, hinting at their unexpected and sometimes paradoxical interconnections.
Shawn grew up in ...