Composers On Music: Eight Centuries of Writings

This volume is a greatly expanded version of the classic 1956 anthology by Sam Morgenstern. The editor has added 30 composers to the roster, mostly in the pre-Baroque and contemporary eras, and has taken advantage of recent scholarship to prune and update the entries. The result is a glimpse into the writings of 103 major composers, from Marchetto of Paduo (14th century) on the definition of musician, to the contemporary British composer Oliver Knussen on much the same topic, and Bach's famous memorandum to the Town Council of Leipzig, as well as new discoveries, such as the elegant, cryptic prose of Toru Takemitsu.