Gerhard on Music

Catalan-born composer Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970) left significant legacies- both musical and documentary. Exiled in Cambridge with the onset of the Spanish Civil War, he gradually achieved wide recognition by performers and conductors, in both Britain and America, as a composer whose music was essential to the modern repertoire. In this, the first book in English to be devoted to Gerhard, Meirion Bowen collects many of the composer's articles, reviews, lectures and broadcasts to...
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Catalan-born composer Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970) left significant legacies- both musical and documentary. Exiled in Cambridge with the onset of the Spanish Civil War, he gradually achieved wide recognition by performers and conductors, in both Britain and America, as a composer whose music was essential to the modern repertoire. In this, the first book in English to be devoted to Gerhard, Meirion Bowen collects many of the composer's articles, reviews, lectures and broadcasts to demonstrate the full extent and continuity of Gerhard's artistic and creative thinking.The writings have been arranged thematically to emphasise the evolution of Gerhard's musical interests. His early attachment to Spanish and Catalonian traditions broadened into a fascination with folk music of all kinds. His studies with Schoenberg in the mid 1920s gave him the key to his own creative individuality; thereafter, his imaginative vitality led him eventually to experiment with electronic and concrete music and he continued breaking new ground, even in his final years.For those new to Gerhard and his music, this collection will provide an understanding of his intentions and accomplishments. His writings reveal great speculative skill and offer, with humour and humility, fascinating insights into the nature of creativity amongst both artists and scientists. They testify to Gerhard as a composer of enduring international stature and quality.