A composer’s journal (1998-1999).
For the past twenty-five years composer John Luther Adams has made his home in the boreal forest near Fairbanks, Alaska. From there he has created a unique musical world, grounded in the elemental landscapes and indigenous cultures of the North. Each winter— which, he says, “is the season when I burrow most deeply into my music”—he keeps a daily journal as he tries to understand where the music is leading him. The winter of 1998–99 was a time of change, as he com- posed a major new piece entitled The Immeasurable Space of Tones. The present article comprises journal selections from that period and is excerpted from Winter Music: Selected Writings 1974–2000 - a book in progress that includes journals, essays, and other writings by John Luther Adams.