Xenakis
eBook - ePub

Xenakis

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

About this book

Iannis Xenakis revolutionized post-war music more forcefully than any other 20th-century composer. A Resistance leader in World War II, he escaped from Greece to Paris under sentence of death. He became one of Le Corbusier's chief architects, and a pioneer of the computer age in music and the arts. Milan Kundera called him 'the prophet of insensibility'.

Xenakis harnessed chaos theory and invented 'stochastic music'. He freed the sound spectrum from western scales and based music on natural principles. He combined architecture, light and sound in a radical new art form to create a boundless aesthetic in music. Shunned by contemporaries, this influential thinker created over 150 vast compositions imbued with elemental passion, and brilliantly reinvented the landscape of music forever.

Since it was first published in 1981, Nouritza Matossian's perceptive book on Xenakis has helped students, musicians and audiences appreciate his music. She shares his Greek culture and interest in philosophy, and has chronicled vital discoveries in his work. A reserved man, he spoke frankly to her about his mysterious methods of composition, and his relationships with Varèse, Messiaen, Le Corbusier and Boulez.

Xenakis' prophecy that computers, science and art would converge makes this book essential reading for understanding the digital revolution of our time. Matossian's well-researched biography is an unrivalled classic on modern music. This new edition includes an unpublished interview and essays, and is illustrated with musical and architectural sketches, scores and recently released archival photos.

----

The New Yorker • 'An intelligent book.'

The Independent • 'A revealing contribution to the history of post-war avant-garde.'

Le Monde • 'An accessible biography … and an excellent introduction.'

Library Journal • 'An authoritative choice. Fascinating. Highly recommended.'

Journal de Genève • 'Written only after Matossian tamed the savage inventor of

stochastic music.'

Perspectives of New Music • ' Xenakis is a work that has a truly wide range of appeal … an asset to any library's collection on contemporary music.'

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Xenakis by Nouritza Matossian in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Credits
  2. Preface to the Second Edition
  3. Introduction
  4. Chapter one | In Childhood and Resistance
  5. Chapter two | Awakening in Paris
  6. Chapter three | The Eruptive Unconscious
  7. Chapter four | Stochastic Music
  8. Chapter five | The Philips Pavilion
  9. Chapter six | The Break with Le Corbusier
  10. Chapter seven | Formalizing Music
  11. Chapter eight | The Way of Truth and the Way of Seeming
  12. Chapter nine | Symmetry under Cover
  13. Chapter ten | Total Theatre
  14. Chapter eleven | The Polytopes
  15. Chapter twelve | Branching Out
  16. Essay | Artisan of Nature
  17. Of Being and Necessity
  18. Afterword | Visible and Invisible Universes
  19. In memoriam | A Man to Melt the Icecaps
  20. List of Compositions
  21. Architectural Projects
  22. Bibliography