A conceptual comparison of American absolute and programmatic music
Joseph Schmissrauter
Contemporary Music in America
Summer 2008
Welcome to my 2008 GST Final Project on Absolute and Program music. The purpose of my studies was not only to enlighten myself, but also to bring to light adapted information on something that I find fascinating. I'm not a musical savvy person in terms of the mechanics of the whole thing, but this topic is more based on the idea behind music instead of the construction of it. I only hope that somehow this can be some kind of stepping stone for people that had never heard of this before and want to know more about it.
Contents
Qualities of Absolute Music
Qualities of Program Music
A Brief History
A Brief History (cont.)
Emergence of Absolute and Programmatic Music
American Absolute and Programmatic Music
References
