In world renowned conductor and composer Gunther Schuller's highly provocative critique of modern conducting, he castigates many of this century's most venerates conductors for using the podium to indulge their own interpretive idiosyncrasies, rather than devote themselves to reproducing the composer's stated intentions. 937 music examples. 35 tables.
Gunther Schuller has written a wide range of orchestral and chamber music, as well as jazz compositions. As an educator, he was associated with the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood for twenty-two years, mostly as its artistic director, and he was president of the New England Conservatory of Music from 1967 to 1977. He is also the author of two landmark studies of the history of jazz, Early Jazz and The Swing Era. He was also a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant.