Biography of American Composer Henry Cowell

FAIN: RO-21756-88

Joel A. Sachs
Unaffiliated Independent Scholar (New York, NY 10025-0000)

Funding details:
Original grant (1988) $96,408.00
Supplement (1992) $2,300.00

To support a biography of the life and works of American composer and author, Henry D. Cowell (1897-1965).

Media Coverage

Philip Clark Welcomes the First Biography of Henry Cowell (Review)
Author(s): Philip Clark
Publication: Gramaphone
Date: 8/1/2012
Abstract: Clark praises the book, praises Cowell, and hope this leads to a Cowell revival.
URL: http://www.gramophone.net/

Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music (Review)
Author(s): Ray Olson
Publication: Booklist
Date: 7/1/2012
Abstract: Praise for a book on "not just a great American musician but a great American, period" which was made possible by the archives maintained by three women in Cowell's life: his mother, his second stepmother, and his wife.
URL: http://www.booklistonline.com/Henry-Cowell-A-Man-Made-of-Music-Joel-Sachs/pid=5397373

Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music (Review)
Author(s): Ray Olson
Publication: Booklist
Date: 7/1/2012
Abstract: Praise for a book on "not just a great Americasn musician but a great American, period" which was made possible by the archives maintained by three women in Cowell's life: his mother, his second stepmother, and his wife.
URL: http://www.booklistonline.com/Henry-Cowell-A-Man-Made-of-Music-Joel-Sachs/pid=5397373

Associated Products

Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music (Book)
Title: Henry Cowell: A Man Made of Music
Author: Joel Sachs
Abstract: Joel Sachs offers the first complete biography of one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century American music. Henry Cowell, a major musical innovator of the first half of the century, left a rich body of compositions spanning a wide range of styles. But as Sachs shows, Cowell's legacy extends far beyond his music. He worked tirelessly to create organizations such as the highly influential New Music Quarterly, New Music Recordings, and the Pan-American Association of Composers, through which great talents like Ruth Crawford Seeger and Charles Ives first became known in the US and abroad. As one of the first Western advocates for World Music, he used lectures, articles, and recordings to bring other musical cultures to myriad listeners and students including John Cage and Lou Harrison, who attributed their life work to Cowell's influence. Finally, Sachs describes the tragedy of Cowell's life--his guilty plea on a morals charge, which even the prosecutor felt was trivial, but brought him a sentence of 15 years in San Quentin, of which he served four. Draws upon full range of never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other archival material Presents comprehensive biographical study of Cowell's life not featured in other biographies of the composer
Year: 2012
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/henry-cowell-a-man-made-of-music/oclc/149136921&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Secondary URL: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Music/?view=usa&ci=9780195108958
Secondary URL Description: Publisher's listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780195108958

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