Two significant works emerged from this period,Sil-
ver Ladders(1986) and the firstFanfare for the Uncom-
mon Woman(1986).
Impact The composers of the 1980’s used a combi-
nation of old resources and new techniques to bring
audiences back into the concert halls. Minimalism
and postmodernism in music would serve to soothe
the listener’s ears while maintaining the integrity of
each individual composer. The music of female com-
posers also emerged as a standard, rather than an ex-
ception, in classical performance.
Further Reading
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude
V. Palisca.A Histor y of Western Music. 7th ed. New
York: W. W. Norton, 2006. One of the leading mu-
sic history texts used by academic institutions.
Material is presented chronologically.
Gann, Kyle.American Music in the Twentieth Centur y.
New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. Survey of music
movements and their significant leaders from the
beginning of the century through the 1990’s.
Hall, Charles J.A Chronicle of American Music, 1700-
1995. New York: Schirmer Books, 1996. Extensive
listing of highlights in American music, listed by
year.
Simms, Bryan R.Music of the Twentieth Centur y: Style
and Structure. 2d ed. New York: Schirmer Books,
- Excellent survey of important twentieth
century music styles, structure, influential com-
posers, and specific masterpieces.
P. Brent Register
See also Art movements; Compact discs (CDs);
Film in the United States; Glass, Philip; Jazz; Music.
Close, Glenn
Identification American actor
Born March 19, 1947; Greenwich, Connecticut
Throughout the 1980’s, Glenn Close’s prestige as a dra-
matic actor continued to increase. By the end of the decade,
she had won a Tony Award and been nominated for three
Oscars.
Born to a highly religious physician who operated a
charity clinic in the Belgian Congo, Glenn Close
spent her early years in Switzerland and Africa. Sent
home for high school, she attended a private acad-
emy, Rosemary Hall. (Michael Douglas, her co-star
inFatal Attraction, attended Choate; the two schools
would merge in 1974.) During her high school years,
Close, who was driven to act, organized a touring
repertory theater group. She then attended William
and Mary College, majoring in anthropology but
also studying acting. At William and Mary, Close be-
came a member of the distinguished honor society
Phi Beta Kappa. In her youth, she also became inter-
ested in baseball and became a lifelong fan of the
New York Mets, singing the National Anthem at the
opening of the 1986 World Series. Close is a second
cousin to actor Brooke Shields and a distant relative
of Princess Diana.218 Close, Glenn The Eighties in America
Glenn Close poses with her People’s Choice Award for best actress
in March, 1988.(AP/Wide World Photos)