Sonic Mosaics: Conversations with Composers

It is a common misconception that it is difficult or impossible to discuss music, that a piece of music simply speaks to the listener—or not. Paul Steenhuisen, in conversation with composers, offers readers insight into the creative process, and ways of listening and entering into works of new music. Steenhuisen, himself a composer of merit, talks one on one with thirty-two of his contemporaries—twenty-six of whom are Canadian—with a colleague’s candour, sympathy, and expertise. These rare intimations afford fellow composers, musicologists, students, and inquisitive listeners a comparative look into the lives of the people who write some of the most innovative, challenging, and sublime music today.