3 Review(s)

This collection of published and unpublished essays from the 1990s ranges from analyses of classical music to witty arguments about the merits and demerits of modernism and postmodernism to philosophical considerations of time, tempo, and performance. Rather than taking a technical approach accessible only to composers and musicologists, George Edwards addresses a wide audience of musically cultivated readers. His essays include philosophical and critical thoughts on music, as well as broader discussions of Marxism, psychoanalytic theory, and semiotics. Some of the essays were first published in literary journals, and all of them approach their subjects through an array of cultural references buttressed with precise musical insights. Collected Essays on Modern and Classical Music comprises three sections: essays on modern music, essays on postmodern musicology and literary theory, and analytical studies of Haydn and Schubert. Whether dissecting critical assumptions, discussing performance practices, or explicating the process of musical composition, Edwards's lively writing is never less than bracing.