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Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-Bibliography.

Article Excerpt
Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-Bibliography. By Ellen. K. Grolman. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007. [vii, 221 p. ISBN-10: 0810856530; ISBN-13: 9780810856530. $60.] Bibliographic references, index, discography, illustrations.

Composer Joan Tower's bold and colorful personality is readily apparent in her music. Her life has been anything but dull, from an upbringing in South America to a long career as a performer, which overlapped with an equally impressive career as a composer (one that isn't over yet!). Hallmarks of her work include the prominent role of rhythm (p. 36) and the influence of South American cultures (p. 38). Tower often writes for a specific performer, with his or her abilities and style in mind (p. 10). Her history as a performer with the Da Capo Chamber Players gives her the enviable opportunity to see the musical process from both sides--creation and performance (p. 10). Ever conscious of the role of women in music and more specifically the role of women composers, Tower has been an advocate for her female colleagues throughout her career.

In Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-Bibliography, Ellen K. Grolman draws from almost 600 sources concerning Tower, including interviews previously conducted with Tower by six separate interviewers and a seventh one Grolman conducted herself. Grolman also utilizes solicited reflections by Tower's peers to illustrate her career and body of work, at the same time...

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