Charles Ives and His Road to the Stars: a New Interpretation, Assessment and Guide to the Music and the Man

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: NEW UPDATED EDITION; June 27, 2013. In 'Charles Ives and his Road to the Stars, ' Antony Cooke brings a fresh new approach to the music of America's iconic composer in this accessible account of what lay behind the music of this modern titan. It has been over a quarter of a century since the period of indulgent revisionism impacted his ascending star, leading to the much touted 'reassessment' of his contributions. With a comprehensive approach and detailed examination of a broad cross section of the music itself, the real Ives finally is revealed, all the many myths, misconceptions, faulty impressions, and incorrect conclusions at long last stripped away. With clear indications that Ives' encoded in his music a spiritual link to the cosmos, the special destination and purpose leading to his legendary and almost tragically mythic Universe Symphony finally become clear, this focal work receiving an in-depth examination. If all too often the composer has been kept from the broader public by an elitism that Ives would have abhorred, or by the many tangled analyses that tell us more about the writers than they do about Ives, Cooke steers the reader toward a clear understanding of this iconic figure - an American treasure, one whose music and life brings vividly to mind the almost forgotten time of the golden age of America's emergence as a dominant presence in its own right - while treating Ives with the respect earned but often denied.