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Deems Taylor: Selected Writings.

Article Excerpt
Deems Taylor: Selected Writings. Selected and annotated by James A. Pegolotti. New York; Routledge, 2007. [xv, 227 p. ISBN-13 978-0-415-97957-3. .$95.'| Bibliographic references, index.

Deems Taylor (1885-1966) was one of the most visible figures in American art music during the first half of the twentieth century. Known to millions as a composer, critic, author, and radio personality, his appeal during this period of time has been well explained by James Pegolotti who, in the epilogue to his biography, observed that Taylor "had the character to succeed in all the areas of his multiple talents, and circumstances allowed them to fit the cultural needs of the early twentieth century." (Deems Taylor: A Biography [Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2003], 340). Of all his talents, 1 believe that Taylor's greatest gift was his ability to communicate to a broad spectrum of people through the written and spoken word.

In Deems 'I'm/or: Selected Writings. Pegolotti has assembled what he considers to be some of the composer-critic's best literary offerings, with the intent to provide "an opportunity for the reader to rediscover an American writer with an engaging view of life" (p. xv). Deems Taylor: Selected Writings indeed affords those readers unfamiliar with Taylor's work in print, an opportunity to obtain a sampling of what he was about musically and critically. Further, it reinforces Pegolotti's contention that Taylor's success was a consequence of his ability to incorporate into his reviews "a broad band of wit, musical knowledge, and experience as a composer" (p. 340).

The book is divided into seven sections--six chapters plus an "intermission"--and is organized chronologically. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and each individual "piece" within the chapter contains a brief note as well, with the intent to provide...

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