This book puts the reader as close as anyone is likely to get to the mind of a practising composer. Reynolds, probably the most adventurous winner of the coveted Pulitzer Prize, works out each piece in a surprisingly detailed way that is never the same from one project to the next. Here he reveals to us what he is doing and why, through an on-going narrative which he interplays with illustrations and a wealth of musical examples, including some of his own working sketches which are fascinating in their own right. Although he is direct, practical, and explicit, Reynolds rejects a doctrinaire approach: he weaves a thread of his philosophical musings throughout his book, showing his wider views.Form and Method: Composing Music offers us a unique testing ground on which a meaningful exchange can now begin about how recognized composers actually work, runnning against the grain of covertness that has become the norm in recent decades. Understanding the condition of music in contemporary society requires insight into how composers actually do what they do. This book is an important first step in this regard, and will be of interest to composers, theorists, cognitive and perceptual scientists, as well as the general reader.