A Brief History of New Music

Book excerpt: Following the success of A Brief History of Curating this publication gathers together interviews with pioneering musicians of the 1950s to the 1980s.The book brings together avant-garde composers such as Elliot Carter, Pierre Boulez, and Karlheinz Stockhausen; originators of electro-acoustic music such as François Bayle, Pauline Oliveros, Iannis Xenakis, and Peter Zinovieff; Minimalist and Fluxus-inspired artists such as Tony Conrad, Henry Flynt, Phil Niblock, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley; as well figures such as Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Arto Lindsay, and Gaetano Veloso.Their contributions map the evolution of the musical field, from early experiments in concrete and abstract music, to the electronic development and the hybridisation between Pop and avant-garde culture.This book is part of the Documents series, co-published with Les presses du réel and dedicated to critical writings.