Books by Kyle Gann

Tuning is the secret lens through which the history of music falls into focus, says Kyle Gann. Yet in Western circles, no other musical issue is so ignored, so taken for granted, so shoved into the corners of musical discourse. A classroom essential and an invaluable reference, The Arithmetic of Listening offers beginners the grounding in music theory necessary to find their own way into microtonality and the places it may take them. Moving from ancient Greece to the present, Kyle Gann delves into the infinite tunings available to any musician who feels straitjacketed by obedience to standardized Western European tuning. He introduces the concept of the harmonic series and demonstrates its relationship to equal-tempered and well-tempered tuning. He also explores recent experimental tuning models that exploit smaller intervals between pitches to create new sounds and harmonies. Systematic and accessible, The Arithmetic of Music provides a much-needed primer for the wide range of tuning systems that have informed Western music.

A bold innovator who redefined contemporary opera

First performed at the midpoint of the twentieth century, John Cage's 4'33", a composition conceived of without a single musical note, is among the most celebrated and ballyhooed cultural gestures in the history of modern music. This title offers the reader both an expert's analysis and highly personal interpretation of Cage's most divisive work.

Conlon Nancarrow has written the most rhythmically complex music the world has ever known, so complex that it can only be realized on a mechanical player piano. His music has achieved international fame only recently, and this book details his life and compositional achievements.

A collection that represents the cream of the more than five hundred articles written for the "Village Voice" by Kyle Gann, a leading authority on experimental American music of the late twentieth century. It also includes interviews with Yoko Ono, Philip Glass, Glenn Branca, and other leading musical figures.