The name is absent

CONCLUSIONS

Over the course of her career, Libby Larsen has granted numerous interviews to
musicians interested in performing and researching her works and has written many
articles and speeches relating to her compositional philosophy and musical language. In
these various publications and interviews, mostly dating from the period between her
residency with the Minnesota Orchestra in the mid 1980’s and the turn of the twenty first
century,¹ she outlines her inspirations and influences, her views on the role of the
contemporary composer, her thoughts on the function of music in modem society, and
insights into her approach to composition. In addition, she is forthright and forthcoming
about the origins of each of her pieces, and also quick to point out any weaknesses that
she perceives in her work.

Throughout this study of selected viola music, several general trends relating to
both Larsen’s compositional style and her incorporation of extramusical material in her
chamber music have become evident. On a large scale, there is a change in the focus of
her instrumental music away from programmatic works towards abstract compositions.
This does not mean, however, that the composer has completely abandoned the wealth of
innovative and creative subjects that informed her earlier compositions. Indeed, Larsen’s
outside influences are as important as ever, yet the way in which she incorporates her
ideas into her pieces has become less explicit. Newer compositions, such as the Viola
' For more recent musings, she has developed a website with a “library” section. This
library includes frequently asked questions, speeches and lectures, and articles she has
written. Libby Larsen, “Library” http://libbylarsen.com/index.php?contentID=221
(accessed 7 Febmary 2010).

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