Alberto Ginastera

Alberto Ginastera: A Research and Information Guide is the first bio-bibliographic study of the composer and the only published book on the subject in English. This work fills a critical gap in contemporary music studies by enriching our knowledge of one of the most compelling creative voices of the Americas. Given the lack of prior systematic attention to Ginastera, this book establishes a firm foundation for future scholarship. It includes a detailed biographical sketch of the composer that quotes extensively from his letters. It summarizes the defining features of his style and encompasses his infrequently explored late works. It offers the most comprehensive catalogue of Ginastera’s music to date and provides an annotated list of his published writings. This book contains over 400 annotated bibliographic entries that refer to critically selected sources in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. The last chapter offers new information about archival holdings and internet resources that facilitates research on this composer. An appendix featuring a detailed chronology of Ginastera’s career completes this work.

University of Miami, USA

The great Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) began composing in his teens. He gained a reputation for an innovative style and for championing other experimental composers and bringing them to Latin America. His grand opera Don Rodrigo (1963-64) incorporating serialism, structural symmetry, microtones, and extended vocal techniques brought him international attention and regular commissions. After completing his second opera, Bomarzo (1966-67), he experienced a troubled period of little productivity. A marriage to cellist Aurora Nitola and subsequent move to Switzerland fuelled a creative burst in his last twelve years including the composition of his monumental work Turbae ad passionem gregorianam (1974) and a significant body of cello works. Over 200 commercial recordings of his work are currently available. Given Ginastera's importance, this research guide on him and his music is overdue. It examines all published and unpublished writing by Ginastera, the scholarly secondary materials and the important collections. The complete catalogue of Ginastera's works with an inventory of the source materials quoted, prove an invaluable resource since much of the composer's work is in manuscript form or out-of-print.

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