The Music of James MacMillan (e-book) (used book) | bookbook.eu

Description

Known for his orchestral, operatic and choral works, James MacMillan (b. 1959) appeals across the spectrum of contemporary music making. This book is the first scholarly study of MacMillan's life, work and aesthetic. From his beginnings in rural Ayrshire and his early work with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, through the international breakthrough success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990), the continuing success of works such as the percussion concerto Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992) and his corpus of choral pieces, to his current position as one of the most prominent British composers of his generation, the book scrutinises MacMillan's compositional influences over time. It looks closely at his most significant works, setting them in a wider context defined by contemporary composition, culture and the arts in general. The book also considers MacMillan's strong Catholic faith and how this has influenced his work; his left-wing ideals; and his on-going relationship with Scottish nationalism. With the support of the composer and his publisher and unprecedented access to interviews, compositional drafts and previously unpublished materials, the book not only provides an appraisal of MacMillan's work but also insights into what it means to be a prominent composer and artist in the twenty-first century. PHILLIP A. COOKE is a Composer and Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Aberdeen. He has previously co-edited The Music of Herbert Howells for Boydell.