Book Review: Joel Lester
Analytic Approaches to Twentieth Century Music (1989)
1. Presented in a generally informal tone, Lesters book provides
insightful comments about various aspects of twentieth- and pre-twentieth
century music. The book is aimed at advanced undergraduate music majors,
in a class dealing specifically with the theoretical aspects of
twentieth-century music. Lester provides both analytical and
compositional exercises, chapter summaries, bibliographical references,
and indices of terms and musical works discussed. His writing is clear
and articulate without oversimplification.
2. One of Lesters purposes is to provide an outline of all developments
in twentieth-century compositions promoting a survey of analytical
outlines. He defines form in twentieth-century music as "unity that
arises from the marriage of all aspects of a composition - the ordering of
the themes, but also the harmonic-melodic structures, the voice-leadings,
the tonal motions, the phrasings, the textures etc." (p. 56). Lester
illuminates the elements of coherence and balance. He discusses the
Symphony of Psalms in terms of "abrupt textural articulations which set
off sections from one another, creating dramatic contrasts" (p. 168).
3. In the earliest chapters Lester introduces pieces for the purpose of
general listening ("familiarize yourself with these pieces"). Throughout
the book he then discusses parts of their Structure, referring back to
earlier discussions. Further structural questions are posed through a
series of leading questions for students to discover various
relationships.
4. The text is divided into four Units. The first, "Tonality and
Twentieth-Century Music," introduces a range of examples and pertinent
comparisons between "old" and "new." Unit 2, "Pitch Structures," is a
study of basic elements (pitch and pitch class, interval and interval
class) in preparation for an extended discussion of sets. Unit 3 covers
serial music. The last Unit (a brief chapter) gives an account of music
since World War II with comments on extended serialism, electronic music,
aleatory music, and minimalism.
5. With eloquence, Lester defends the musical excellence of the
compositions he chooses to analyze: "To a listener demanding grandiose
effects and high drama, Weberns music can seem uneventful - just a series
of similar and brief sound-patterns. But from another perspective, the
concentration and economy of materials make every single note, slur,
timbral connection, and rest a crucial part of the music. In a fine
performance, each event is a polished gem that radiates in its perfect
setting. The effect is not unlike that of a simple line drawing by a
great artist in which a few pen strokes evoke a vibrant picture" (p. 104).
6. Some minor points: Lester continually refers back to examples but
does not allude to upcoming examples. In this case, it remains unknown if
further discussion of a particular musical example may illuminate an
alternative interpretation of its structure (for example, with the Bartok,
the difference is the diatonic vs. The octatonic framework). Secondly, it
would have been more convenient if Lester included measure numbers in his
extensive musical examples. Third, Lester often integrates terms which
are different from those found in other analytical literature. (for
example, Lesters "lowest ordering" of a pitch-class set is understood as
"prime form" in Joseph Straus Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory).
Translation of terms is at times of utmost necessity.
