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The Cambridge Companion to Composition

The Cambridge Companion to Composition

The Cambridge Companion to Composition

Toby Young, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
May 2024
Available
Hardback
9781108831697

    There are as many ways of creating music as there are composers in the world, with a vast array of possible methods and practices. This book provides essential critical and practical tools for composers as they try to navigate this complex landscape, whilst also offering provocations for practitioners discovering their own voices and solidifying their place in their musical communities. Designed to be a companion in the truest sense, the book offers practical support throughout the creative process and thought-provoking insights on technical questions for a range of compositional approaches.

    • Covers a range of creative process, techniques, conventions, and styles of music composition
    • Includes 'real world' advice about developing a career as a composer
    • Supports practitioners to discover their own musical voices and ideas

    Product details

    May 2024
    Hardback
    9781108831697
    360 pages
    250 × 176 × 25 mm
    0.78kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Contents
    • List of music examples
    • List of figures
    • List of tables
    • List of contributors
    • Introduction
    • Part I. Creative Processes:
    • 1. Inspiration Howard Skempton
    • 2. Compositional unfolding Robert Saxton
    • 3. Out of one, many: aspects, relationships, and attitudes to linearity Kenneth Hesketh:
    • 4. Instruments and invention Tonia Ko
    • 5. From sketch to score Julian Anderson
    • Part II. Technique(s):
    • 6. Composing for ensemble Cheryl Frances-Hoad
    • 7. Composing for orchestra Roberto Sierra
    • 8. Composing for voice Toby Young
    • 9. Composing for choir David Bednall
    • 10. Composing for stage Nico Muhly
    • 11. Composing for the screen Debbie Wiseman
    • Part III. Styles, Conventions, and Issues:
    • 12. Dots, squiggles, and words: notation in recent music Christopher Fox
    • 13. Sonorities and spectra Christian Mason and Jon Hargreaves
    • 14. Electronic composition: histories and affordances Lauren Redhead
    • 15. Transcultural composing Raymond Yiu
    • 16. Nothing new under the sun: composition as adaptation Cecilia Livingstone
    • 17. Composition and ecological listening Liza Lim
    • Part IV. Building a Career:
    • 18. Finding your voice Eleanor Alberga
    • 19. Beyond the notes: how to tell your story, and who needs to know Naomi Belshaw
    • 20. Practical advice for emerging composers Hollie Harding and Toby Young
    • Further reading
    • Index.
    Resources for
    Type
    Young 9781108831697 Errata URLs
    Size: 76.03 KB
    Type: application/pdf
      Contributors
    • Howard Skempton, Robert Saxton, Kenneth Hesketh, Tonia Ko, Julian Anderson, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Roberto Sierra, Toby Young, David Bednall, Nico Muhly, Debbie Wiseman, Christopher Fox, Christian Mason, Jon Hargreaves, Lauren Redhead, Raymond Yiu, Cecilia Livingstone, Liza Lim, Eleanor Alberga, Naomi Belshaw, Hollie Harding

    • Editor
    • Toby Young , Guildhall School of Music and Drama

      Toby Young is Professor of Composition at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. An award-winning composer and producer, his music has been performed by ensembles and orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Academy of Ancient Music, and he has written top-ten hits with pop and jazz artists including the Rolling Stones, Chase & Status, Duran Duran, Florence Welch, Kano, Snow Ghosts, MOKO, and Jacob Banks.