The Project Gutenberg EBook of Essays Before a Sonata, by Charles Ives

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Title: Essays Before a Sonata

Author: Charles Ives

Posting Date: April 29, 2009 [EBook #3673]
Release Date: January, 2003
First Posted: July 11, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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ESSAYS BEFORE A SONATA

by

Charles Ives

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
INTRODUCTORY FOOTNOTE BY CHARLES IVES
INTRODUCTION
I--PROLOGUE
II--EMERSON
III--HAWTHORNE
IV--"THE ALCOTS"
V--THOREAU
VI--EPILOGUE
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS E-TEXT EDITION

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BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Charles Ives (1874-1954) was probably one of the most
psycho-intellectually brilliant, imaginative and flexible Americans to
ever "walk the land of freedom." A graduate of Yale, he became a
multi-millionaire in the American insurance industry, introducing
brilliant innovations within that industry. He also, unlike a few
composers, found the time and the money (being a shrewd and practical
businessman) to get married and have children.

His accomplishments for which he is best known, however, are those in
the field of music. At the time of its composition, Ives' music was
probably the most radically modern in history, and by itself had enough
material to serve as the foundation of modern 20th century music. For
example, at the turn of the century, this eccentric composer created
band works featuring multiple melodies of multiple time signatures
opposing and complimenting each other within the same piece. Ives was
also a revolutionary atonal composer, who created, essentially without
precedent, many atonal works that not only pre-date those of
Schoenberg, but are just as sophisticated, and arguably even more so,
than those of the 12-tone serialist.

Among those atonal works was his second, "Concord" piano sonata, one of
the finest, and some would say the finest, works of classical m