by Joan Peyser
Though there are more encyclopedic guides, this volume captures the century's mystical, mono-maniacal spirit by concentrating on three pioneers: Arnold Schoenberg, who developed dodecaphony (a system for giving structure to atonal music); Igor Stravinsky, champion of neoclassicism; and Edgard Varèse, the father of electronic music. In a preface to this new edition of her challenging 1971 book, Peyser, editor of the distinguished Musical Quarterly, laments what she considers the monotony and narcissism of music today. Still, she cautions readers not to think of her narrative as "grim," and her history is at times refreshingly anecdotal. We learn, for instance, that Schoenberg numbered measures 11, 12, 12A, 14, etc. but could not avoid the unlucky number in life. Born September 13, 1874, he died in 1951 on a Friday the 13th. (Schirmer/Macmillan, paperback $5.95)
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