Two recently published books celebrate the life and work of prolific composer and musician Wendy Carlos. Amanda Sewell’s Wendy Carlos: A Biography, released as part of Oxford’s “Cultural Biographies” series, is the first attempt at a full-length biography about Carlos’s life and music career, spanning classical, electronic, and film music. Roshanak Kheshti’s Switched-On Bach, released as part of Bloomsbury’s “33 1/3” short-book series on popular music albums, relates the personal and cultural impact of Carlos’s 1968 debut album Switched-On Bach, in which Carlos meticulously and imaginatively renders ten Bach pieces on a Moog analog synthesizer. Given the dearth of comprehensive contemporary scholarship about Carlos, and given that Carlos recently celebrated her eighty-first birthday, these publications are timely—if not, overdue—reflections on Carlos’s illustrious career.

Both publications appeal to a wide readership, spanning music enthusiasts, music and culture scholars, as well as those interested in feminist studies and the...

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