Drawing on newly available archival material, key works, and correspondence of the era, Australian Music and Modernism defines and "Australian Music and " as an idea that emerged through the lens of the modernist discourse of the 1960s and 70s. At the same time that the new and "Australian Music and " was distinctive of the nation, it was also thoroughly connected to practices from Europe and shaped by a new engagement with the music of Southeast Asia. This book examines the intersection of nationalism and modernism at this formative time.During the early stages of and "Australian Music and " there was disagreement about what the idea itself ought to represent and, indeed, whether the idea ought to apply at all. Michael Hooper considers various perspectives offered by such composers as Peter Sculthorpe, Richard Meale, and Nigel Butterley and analyzes some of the era's significant works to articulate a complex understanding of and "Australian Music and " at its inception.