Table of Contents

Family and Formation
Langlais, and a Beginning
Messiaen, and Friendships
Sonata
A Nietzsche Sequence
Musique Concrete
Foucault
The Death of Virgil
You
Time Regiven
Beyond Chance
Since Debussy
Silence
Citation: Hommage a Claude Debussy
Song after Song
Concerto
The Man Lying Down

About the Author

Paul Griffiths was chief music critic for the London Times (1982-92) and The New Yorker/I (1992-96) and since 1996 has written regularly for the New York Times. He has written books on Boulez, Cage, Messiaen, Ligeti, Davies, Bartok and Stravinsky, as well as several librettos, among them The Jewel Box (Mozart, 1991), Marco Polo (Tan Dun, 1996) and What Next? (Elliott Carter, 1999).

Reviews

Paul Griffiths's telling of Barraqué's life makes for an engrossing read: he does a masterful job in writing up his hearing of the music.
*Robert D. Morris, Professor and Chair of Composition, Eastman School of Music*

Paul Griffiths's long-awaited Barraqué biography explodes with fresh details about the composer's professional and personal relationships.
*Roger Woodward, Director and Professor, School of Music and Dance, San Francisco State University*

Griffiths -- who has published novels as well as many books on music -- strikes a distinctly personal note in search of his subject. . . a real labour of love. . . this is a book to read like a novel rather than keep on the shelf for reference.
*BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE, March 2004*

Griffiths' welcome addition to the literature of 20th-century music opens a window that, though never completely closed, had been sufficiently shuttered to prevent a truly balanced view of mid-century serialism. Current texts certainly do not focus on Barraqué; indeed, many do not even include his name in their indexes. Thanks to this book, all that may change. Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*