… the way it all goes along: A tribute to Elliott Carter by Stephen Soderberg
On December 11th, Elliott Carter will turn 100. In 1971 Aaron Copland said of his friend,
"Most composers hit their stride fairly early. Elliott Carter was an exceptional case. He had reached the age of forty before he began producing music that aroused special attention. Since then, during the past twenty years, he has gradually produced a body of work so original in conception and so imaginative in execution that we can proudly point to it as among the finest examples of musical creation that we in America have -- or that any other country has."
Now, in 2008, it has been sixty years since Carter "began producing
music that aroused special attention" -- sixty years creating music
that continues to astonish and challenge performers and audiences
worldwide. Image: Elliot Carter Happy 10oth Birthday, Elliott Carter!
from The musical languages of Elliott Carter by Charles Rosen. (Washington, DC: Music Division, Research Services, Library of Congress, 1984). Performing Arts Reading Room, Library of Congress.
