ABSTRACT
The death-knell for classical music has been tolling relentlessly for nearly a century now. Despite signs to the contrary, the death of classical music is a myth of persistent fascination. The death-of-classical-music myth persists despite the vibrancy of these events of contemporary music, and despite the presentation of old and new classical music in recital and concert halls throughout North America and Europe. Western classical music still registers as one of the world's great musical traditions that can shape the sonic imagination of listeners. But more often than not, it is European music of 1830 or 1730 that is evoked by the adjective classical. The concept of musical structure and the methods of revealing it through analysis and theory took on new and significant roles in musical creation and research. Reconceiving Structure begins with this issue of how recent music is often equated with its compositional technique, demonstrating the historical circumstances of its origins.
