During the last several years, the Library of Congress's I Hear America Singing collection has expanded its online presence, and this latest addition will be of special interest to aficionados of contemporary classical music. This particular online collection is drawn from the Roger Reynolds Collection at the Library of Congress, and offers a multimedia perspective on this influential American composer. Mr. Reynolds was the recipient of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for composition and is well known for his experiments incorporating a host of new technologies and spatial approaches into his compositions. One such piece is "The Emperor of Ice Cream", which includes such directions as "Begin inflating paper sack" and also uses either a "fire-cracker or cap-gun" as a percussive instrument. Visitors will want to read the biographical essay about Reynolds offered here and also view a complete list of his compositions. The site also contains a very nice interview with Reynolds, which was done by Stephen Soderberg of the Library of Congress in October, 2000.
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