Books by Joseph N. (City University of New York) Straus

Twelve-tone composition has played an important role in American music from 1927 to the present day. Through close readings of many twelve-tone works, including pieces by Copland, Babbitt, and Carter, this book places twelve-tone music in a larger theoretical and historical context, and strips away the many myths surrounding it.

This book is the first to be devoted to the music of Stravinsky's last compositional period. Challenging conventional interpretations, the book shows that Stravinsky's serial music is not only of great historical significance, but also of astonishing structural originality and emotional power.

This is the first study of the music of Ruth Crawford Seeger, widely considered to be the most important American woman composer of this century.