Stanford composer Brian Ferneyhough is the subject of the first monograph from Intellect Books' Critical Guides to Contemporary Composers series. Brian Ferneyhough, by Lois Fitch, "examines the critical issues fundamental to understanding the composer as both musician and thinker"--[book cover]

Chapters include: biography; notation; the solo works: 'Black Scherzo'; chamber 'concerts'; chamber music; string quartet; Time and Motion Study Cycle; Carceri d'Invenzione: style and innovation; Shadowtime; works for orchestra and large ensemble; and aesthetics.

"One of contemporary music’s most significant and controversial figures, Brian Ferneyhough’s complex and challenging music draws inspiration from painting, literature, and philosophy, as well as music from the recent and distant past. His dense, multilayered compositions intrigue musicians while pushing both performer and instrument to the limits of their abilities. A wide-ranging survey of his life and work to date, Brian Ferneyhough examines the critical issues fundamental to understanding the composer as a musician and a thinker. Debuting in celebration of Ferneyhough’s seventieth birthday in 2013, this book strikes a rich balance between critical analysis of the music and close scrutiny of its aesthetic and philosophical contexts, making possible a more rounded view of the composer than has been available"--publisher's website.