HALLELUJAH JUNCTION: COMPOSING AN AMERICAN LIFE by Adams, John - 2008

New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/As New Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008. Hardcover. As New/As New. First Edition/First Printing. 340 pages. The author's breakthrough memoir. One of the most valuable books on contemporary music of our time. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. Presents John Adams' "Hallelujah Junction: Composing An American Life". One of the finest memoirs by a serious composer since well, Berlioz's. "Combining the narrative power of opera, the atonal themes of 20th-century classical music, the spooky modulations of jazz, and the complex rhythms of the Beatles, Adams created a new music that could express the fractiousness of the political scene of the 1960's and 1970's. Adams deftly chronicles his life and times, providing along the way an incisive exploration of the creative process. Reveals the workings of a brilliant musical mind responsible for some of contemporary America's most inventive and original music" (Publishers Weekly). Actually, John Adams is much more than just a brilliant musical mind. By his own account, Adams found his voice by fusing The Old (European classical music) with The New (American jazz and popular music) in ways that were literally unheard-of before he came along. In the process, he has become possibly the greatest American composer of our time. An absolute "must-have" title for John Adams collectors. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. One of the greatest composers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER COPY OF THIS TITLE IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0374281157.