This is a web page devoted to musical examples from the works of Robert Ashley. It is meant to accompany Kyle Gann's book Robert Ashley in the American Composers series from University of Illinois Press (2012).

Chapter Two:

Row and excerpt from Ashley's Piano Sonata (1959)

Chapter Five:

Partial transcription of "Blue" Gene Tyranny's improvisation in "The Backyard" from Perfect Lives

Chapter Six:

Analysis of the Max Anecdote scene from Atalanta

Chapter Seven:

Structural chart for the opera Improvement: Don Leaves Linda

Harmonic structure of the opera eL/Aficionado

Harmonic structure of the opera Now Eleanor's Idea

Chapter Eight:

An excerpt from Outcome Inevitable

Harmonic structure of the opera Celestial Excursions

Much thanks to Robert Ashley and Lovely Music
for permission to use the examples.
All information © 2011 Kyle Gann. Please quote only with attribution.

Robert Ashley and Kyle Gann in Ashley's Tribeca apartment, August 2010
(photo by Mimi Johnson)

Go to Kyle Gann's home page