Description:
A prolific American master whose work is rooted in the tonal tradition of nineteenth-century Romanticism, Robert Ward has had a long, varied, and successful musical career. Ward is noted for his keyboard and chamber music, songs and choral works, orchestral compositions, and operas, especially his musical rendering of The Crucible, which has become an established feature of the contemporary operatic repertoire. In this latest volume in the Bio-Bibliographies in Music series, Kenneth Kreitner presents a comprehensive bibliographic guide that includes the composer's complete works, recordings of his music, and relevant critical literature.
In the introductory biographical section, Kreitner discusses Ward's life and career and examines the influence that have shaped his musical style. The complete list of works is arranged chronologically and supplies basic bibliographic data such as information on premieres and other selected performances. A discography offers data on commercially-produced recordings and an annotated bibliography lists writings by and about Ward and his music. The different sections are fully cross-referenced, and several indexes are provided. An important tool for scholars engaged in research on contemporary classical music, this volume will also be of interest to reference librarians and performing organizations.Brief description:
KENNETH KREITNER, is currently completing a Ph.D. program in musicology at Duke University with a dissertation on music in fifteenth-century Barcelona.
Review Quotes: "An 18-item discography and a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of 373 citations (most with carefully chosen excerpts from reviews) comprise the complementary sections. Two appendixes, one listing works by genre and the other by title, and a general index provide additional access points. As in other volumes in Greenwood's Bio-Bibliographies in Music series, the biographical essay at the beginning is brief, but it provides more information on Ward than can easily be located elsewhere, and it is well organized and written, with many a piquant phrase. Those who do scholarly/critical work on Ward will find this an essential tool."-ARBA