Contemporary American Composers / Being a Study of the Music of This Country, Its Present / Conditions and Its Future, with Critical Estimates and / Biographies of the Principal Living Composers; and an / Abundance of Portraits, Fac-simile Musical Autographs, and / Compositions

A comprehensive survey of contemporary American musical life that combines critical essays, sketches of current conditions and prospects, and profiles of leading living composers. The text offers musical examples, facsimile autographs and portraits alongside biographical notices, stylistic analyses, and judgments of individual works and tendencies. It traces influences from European models, debates the prospects of a distinct national voice, and highlights efforts to incorporate native themes into larger forms. Evaluations range from close readings of piano and orchestral pieces to remarks on folk and indigenous material, presenting both appreciative commentary and candid criticism while documenting the period’s artistic personalities and practices.