american experimental composers

16 Of The Greatest American Composers You Should Know

Great composers are composed of a mix of raw talent and dedicated hard work. They create music that touches listeners because they themselves have been touched by music in some way.

Here are the 16 composers who have contributed the most to the American music scene, from its very beginning until today.

Table of Contents

1. Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a conductor and composer, and he was also a pianist, music teacher, author, and humanitarian.

A first-generation American, Bernstein was born in 1918 in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

On the insistence of his grandmother, he was born as Louis Bernstein, legally changing his name to Leonard as his parents called him shortly after his grandmother passed.

He was the first American conductor to lead an American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and he was the first American conductor to gain international notoriety.

His compositional style ranged from symphonic and orchestral to chamber to choral.

He taught himself piano at the age of 10 and then began taking lessons as soon as possible.

One of his early piano teachers later became his secretary.

He studied at Harvard University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and with the Boston Symphony orchestra.

Bernstein wrote for many ballets, film, and theater and is best known for the musical West Side Story, a modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the music from which originated from his earlier ballet, Fancy-Free.

He is also well known for his opera Candide and his 1950 production of Peter Pan and has won countless Grammys and other awards.

He passed away in 1990 from a heart attack.

2. Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman is a current composer, singer, and songwriter who focuses on pop, new-age genres, and quirky film scores.

He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he still resides and works in television and movies as well as stage theater and concerts.

He is best known for his collaborations with film directors Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant.

Elfman grew up obsessed with sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movies.

He had no interest in music until he started hanging out with a group of peers in high school who were very into jazz and Stravinsky.

Elfman left high school before graduation and joined his musical brother Richard on a tour of France playing the violin.

When the tour ended, he took his own musical journey through Africa.

Upon returning to L.A., Elfman became the musical director for Richard’s theater group called Oingo Boingo.

Fans of this group, Tim Burton and Paul Reubens approached Elfman about beginning to compose movie scores, and the rest is history.

Some of his most notable films include Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and The Nightmare Before Christmas – for which he also voiced the songs sung by the main character, Jack Skellington.

3. Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy Ellington more commonly known as Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C. in 1899.

He was one of the most famous jazz musicians of the 20th century and a fantastic pianist as well as a prolific composer sometimes composing multiple records within a single year.

He was a rare talent that gained enough popularity that he played not only in African-American venues, but ones for whites only as well which was a rare feat at the time.

Ellington is a very decorated musician with 14 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and more even continuing to win awards after his death.

These awards include a Pulitzer Prize and multiple inductions to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Some of his most famous compositions include “Take the A Train,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart.”

Later in his life, Duke Ellington suffered from lung cancer.

Between cancer and contracting pneumonia in 1974, his body couldn’t hold on any longer and the legend died a few weeks after his 75th birthday.

4. Cole Porter

Cole Porter was born in Peru, Indiana in 1891. He was classically trained but was drawn to the theatre side of music from an early age which led to a majority of his compositions being musicals.

Porter composed dozens of highly successful musicals finding success on Broadway beginning with  Paris  in 1928.

By the 1930s, he was one of the most successful composers on Broadway with some of his other works being heard in shows such as  Aladdin , The New Yorkers , High Society , and  Kiss Me, Kate . 

Porter was one of the only songwriters on Broadway to compose both the melody of the song and write the lyrics as well.

Cole Porter had so much success on the Broadway stage that he was also invited to Hollywood on numerous occasions with a number of his productions and songs making it onto the silver screen.

His success led to him having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame dedicated to him after his passing.

Porter developed severe ulcers on his leg in the 1950s which led to him requiring over 30 surgeries. Sadly, however, the surgeries were not enough and in the end, his leg needed to be amputated.

Even though those close to him thought Porter was doing better after the amputation, he never returned to music and lived out his final years in a reclusive state.

He died of kidney failure in 1964 when he was 73.

5. Scott Joplin

African American ragtime composer Scott Joplin was born in 1868 in Texas.

Throughout his life, his family moved around quite a bit though and was located in at least 5 different states throughout the course of his life.

He was among the first freeborn men in his family since his father was a freed slave. Both of his parents were amateur musicians so he gained his passion for music through them.

Joplin was famous for writing ragtime music but he also composed opera and classical pieces as well.

Some of his well-known works include “ Maple Leaf Rag ,” “ The Entertainer “, “ The Cascades ,” and “ Sugar Cane Rag .”

Joplin started recognizing the effects of syphilis in his body in the early 1900s and in 1916, he ended up with dementia as a result of the progressing disease.

In early 1917, he was admitted to a mental institution due to the severity and was never released and died there a few months later at the age of 48.

6. George Gershwin

American Jewish composer George Gershwin, born in 1898 and raised in the Yiddish Theater District of Brooklyn, New York is one of the best-remembered American composers.

During the rise of jazz in America, his work help to transition classical music to the new style of music.

At the age of ten, he started playing the piano originally meant for his brother, Ira, and then left school at 15 to pursue a professional music career.

He is often considered part of a duo alongside his lyricist brother, Ira, with whom he collaborated on many of his best-known works.

He connected with director and songwriter William Daly in his early 20s and started working with him on Broadway.

In 1924, he composed what many would consider being his most popular piece – Rhapsody in Blue.

Gershwin eventually moved to Hollywood, California.

He went on to compose many famous pieces for famous productions, including An American in Paris, Strike Up the Band, I Got Rhythm, and Porgy and Bess.

In the mid-1930s, Gershwin began exhibiting headaches, coordination problems, mood swings, and hallucinations.

Believing he was suffering from mental illness, his wife sent him out of their home.

It was quickly determined that he had a brain tumor, and he passed away shortly after.

7. Florence Price

One of the few famous African American female composers, Florence Price was born in 1887 in Little Rock Arkansas.

She was a pianist, organist, and music teacher in addition to being a composer and was the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer.

Her mother was a music teacher and led her to her first piano recital at age 4 and by the time she was 11, she released her first composition.

Price composed a diverse repertoire of pieces including choral music, symphonies, concertos, piano pieces, and more.

Some of her most cherished pieces include “ Symphony No. 1 in E minor ,” “ Fantasie Nègre ,” “ Ethiopia’s Shadow In America ,” and “ Summer Moon .”

Throughout her career, Price worked extensively with the African-American pianist and composer, Margaret Bonds.

In 1953, Price suffered a stroke which sadly took her life and she was only 66 years old at the time.

Her music has remained largely in circulation but Price’s popularity has been surging again in the 2020s.

This has led to the inaugural Florence Price Festival which is now to be an annual event at the University of Maryland School of Music.

8. Philip Glass

Philip Glass was born in 1937 in Baltimore was another American composer and pianist who is known for embodying minimalism.

Glass has released various types of music including concertos, film scores, symphonies, and string quartets.

He’s received a variety of awards for his music including a Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, National Medal of Arts.

Glass has had such an influence on modern classical music that he’s had 6 documentaries made about him to date.

Some of his most influential works include  North Star , Einstein On The Beach , Notes On A Scandal , and  The Hours .

Glass continues to be active in the classical music community. As of 2021, he’s 84 years old and still both touring and composing.

9. John Cage

John Cage Jr. born in 1912 in Los Angelos was an American composer best known for his experimental work with musical composition likely due to having a semi-diverse background in philosophy, art, and music theory.

His unique style has made many consider him to be one of the most influential composers of the 20th century .

Cage put a huge stamp on modern dance as well which was likely because of his many collaborations with his life partner, Merce Cunningham who was a dancer and choreographer.

He considered music to be mostly for fun as opposed to full of specific purposes with many of Cage’s compositions created by chance instead of by design.

Some of his most influential compositions include “4’33”,”  Sonatas and Interludes,  and  Variations III.

In the late 1980s, Cage began to slow down with his work and 1987 was the last year that he was highly active.

This is likely because, throughout the 80s, Cage’s health began to decline, and eventually he was diagnosed with sciatica and arteriosclerosis.

He survived through 2 strokes however, he passed away in the hospital the day after the second stroke in 1992, just a few weeks before his 80th birthday.

10. Aaron Copland

Anyone who watched American television in the ‘90s probably remembers the “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner” commercial.

The dramatic instrumental build-up to that iconic line is the climax of the Rodeo suite, one of Aaron Copland’s most famous compositions.

Copland was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1900 and was the youngest of five first-generation children.

Copland inherited his musicality from his mother, who made sure all five children had music lessons.

Copland took the most interest in composition, writing his first songs at only 8 years old.

Copland studied at the Fontainebleau School of Music in Paris rather than attending college – to his mother’s delight and father’s chagrin.

In 1925, he returned to New York City to compose full-time.

Supporting himself with Guggenheim Fellowships, he worked hard with mentors, including Boston Symphony Orchestra director Segre Koussevitzky.

One by one, orchestra directors started featuring his music.

Copland went on to compose many famous pieces, including ballets and movie scores.

One of my favorite pieces of his is Appalachian Spring which you can listen to below.

He started classical and added jazz elements as this movement gained momentum in the USA.

Along with Rodeo, he described Billy the Kid as one of the most esteemed pieces of his career.

He passed away from Alzheimer’s and respiratory failure in 1990.

11. Clara Edwards

Born in 1880 in Decoria Township, Minnesota, Clara Edwards was a singer and pianist in addition to being a composer.

But, almost every piece that she composed was released using the pen name, Bernard Haigh.

Edwards originally began her career as a singer right out of music school and she found decent success, giving concerts all over the US and Europe.

However, financial necessity required her to switch paths when her husband died and she became a single mother.

The unfortunate event took a toll on her singing career and triggered her to begin composing in the 1920s.

Even though she started her work a lot later than most composers, Edwards composed over 100 works throughout her career.

Some of the most popular include “By The Bend Of The River,” “With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair,” and “Into The Night.”

Clara Edwards died in her New York City home in 1974. She was 93 years old at the time.

12. James Horner

James Roy Horner was a composer and conductor of film scores best known for combining electronic, choral, and Celtic sounds.

This unique blend stars in the scores of Titanic, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Avatar, The Land Before Time, The Legend of Zorro, and so many others.

Even though he passed in 2015, some of his music will be used in future Avatar films.

Horner was born and raised in Los Angeles, California in 1953.

He played the piano and violin from an early age and earned a degree in Music Theory from UCLA while composing through the American Film Institute.

He composed his first score in 1979, The Lady in Red.

He rose to notoriety for his 1982 score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Titanic is his all-time best-selling soundtrack.

Many renowned directors and producers sought out Horner’s talent, including James Cameron, Ron Howard, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg.

In his lifetime, Horner won two Academy Awards, six Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, and several others.

Horner passed away tragically in 2015.

He was an avid recreational pilot and crashed in a solo flight over the Los Padres National Forest in California.

His death was determined to be an accident.

13. Steve Reich

Steve Reich is a minimalist American composer born in New York City in 1936.

Reich has been actively composing since the 1960s and has worked on film soundtracks in addition to doing more independent work. He’s also composed music for varying instrumentations throughout his career.

Reich has even released a couple of books based on his creative writing process.

Some of his most commonly heard works include  It’s Gonna Rain , Different Trains , Music For 18 Musicians , and  Pendulum Music.

Reich remains actively composing to this day although his composing has slowed a little bit with age, having last released an album in 2019 he is still relevant in modern classical music.

14. Charles Ives

Charles Ives, born in 1874 in Danbury, Connecticut was one of the original composers to use experimental music techniques and he was also one of the first Americans to become a world-renowned composer.

Some of Ives’ most renowned works include “Variations on America,” “Three Places In New England,” “Central Park In The Dark,” “Concord Sonata,” and “Symphony No. 4.”

Charles Ives had a stroke in 1954 which he didn’t survive and died at the age of 79.

While Ives eventually gained a lot of fame, he remained mostly unknown throughout his career with his music only really beginning to gain traction after his years of work.

Ives didn’t earn any notable awards during his life but received multiple after his death including a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize. His music seems to continually gain popularity in modern days.

15. Samuel Barber

Born in 1910 in West Chester, Pennsylvania Samuel Barber II was a musical prodigy who composed his first piece at the age of 7.

In addition to being a composer, Barber was also a pianist, baritone singer, conductor, and music teacher.

Barber was one of the few composers who received positive attention throughout the entirety of his career and his music remains celebrated in modern days as well.

He composed music for various instrumentations, but he primarily composed for piano and voice.

He also collaborated with his life partner, Gian Carlo Menotti a decent amount, especially when composing operas. 

Barber’s compositions were successful internationally and some of his famous works include “ Vanessa” , “ Symphony In One Movement ,” “ Piano Sonata in E Flat Minor ,” “ Adagio for Strings ,” and “ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra .”

He was well-decorated in awards throughout his career including 2 Pulitzer Prizes, a Rome Prize, a Henry Hadley Medal, and a Gold Medal for Music at the American Academy and Institute of Arts.

He also served as the president of the International Music Council Of UNESCO in an attempt to help other musicians.

Barber stopped composing in 1978, around the same time that he was diagnosed with cancer.

He spent three years in and out of the hospital going through treatment, however, Barber was never able to enter remission and died from the disease in early 1981 at the age of 70.

16. John Adams

John Coolidge Adams, not to be confused with the late American President, is a composer and conductor credited as the leader in contemporary classical music.

He is famous for writing operas such as The Death of Klinghoffer, film scores such as Call Me by Your Name, and many other single pieces.

Adams was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1947 and began learning clarinet from his father, and composed his first piece at age 10.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, where he was the first student permitted to submit a musical composition as his senior thesis.

His son Samuel is also a well-known American composer.

There has been a history of controversy surrounding the Death of Klinghoffer.

Many, including the Klinghoffer family, find the piece to be anti-Semitic.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra pulled sections of the piece from its lineup after the September 11 attacks in 2011.

Despite the controversy, Adams continues to produce work and earned both a Pulitzer Prize for Music and an Erasmus Prize.

Summing up the Best American Composers

As you can see, there are so many amazing composers from American covering all sorts of genres from classical to jazz music and this list doesn’t even scratch the surface.

We’ll be adding to this list so let us know who you think we’ve missed off.

Dan Farrant

Dan Farrant, the founder of Hello Music Theory, has been teaching music for over 15 years, helping hundreds of thousands of students unlock the joy of music. He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. He plays the guitar, piano, bass guitar and double bass and loves teaching music theory.

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21 Greatest American Composers in Musical History (Must Hear)

Home > Music History > Composers > 21 Greatest American Composers in Musical History (Must Hear)

From the iconic melodies of George Gershwin and the patriotic anthems of John Philip Sousa to the innovative sounds of John Cage and Philip Glass, American composers have left an indelible mark on the world of music.

This article explores the lives and legacies of the greatest American composers, highlighting their enduring contributions to the art form.

21 Greatest Composers from America That You Need to Know

• 1 21 Greatest Composers from America That You Need to Know
• 2 #1 George Gershwin (1898–1937)
• 3 #2 Aaron Copland (1900–1990)
• 4 #3 Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)
• 5 #4 John Williams (b. 1932)
• 6 #5 Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
• 7 #6 Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
• 8 #7 Charles Ives (1874–1954)
• 9 #8 Philip Glass (b. 1937)
• 10 #9 Steve Reich (b. 1936)
• 11 #10 John Cage (1912–1992)
• 12 #11 Scott Joplin (1868–1917)
• 13 #12 Henry Mancini (1924–1994)
• 14 #13 Jerome Kern (1885–1945)
• 15 #14 John Philip Sousa (1854–1932)
• 16 #15 Morton Feldman (1926–1987)
• 17 #16 Elliott Carter (1908–2012)
• 18 #17 Richard Rodgers (1902–1979)
• 19 #18 Cole Porter (1891–1964)
• 20 #19 Virgil Thomson (1896–1989)
• 21 #20 John Adams (b. 1947)
• 22 #21 George M. Cohan (1878–1942)
• 23.1 Which American composer is known for blending jazz and classical music, famously composing Rhapsody in Blue?
• 23.2 Who composed the iconic film scores for Star Wars and Jaws?
• 23.3 Which American composer is credited with creating the distinctly American sound in classical music, with works like Appalachian Spring?
• 23.4 Who is the “King of Ragtime,” known for composing The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag?

These composers have each made significant contributions to the music world, influencing a wide range of genres and leaving a lasting legacy on both American and global music.

Here’s a list of 21 of the greatest American composers, known for their contributions to classical, jazz, film scores, and popular music:

#1 George Gershwin (1898–1937)

George Gershwin was a pioneering American composer and pianist known for his ability to seamlessly blend classical music with jazz influences. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gershwin began his career as a song-plugger in Tin Pan Alley before achieving fame with his Broadway musicals.

His most famous works include Rhapsody in Blue (1924), which became an iconic piece that symbolized the fusion of classical and jazz music. Gershwin also composed An American in Paris and the opera Porgy and Bess, which introduced the classic song Summertime. Gershwin’s innovative approach to music bridged the gap between popular and classical genres, and his work continues to influence composers and musicians across the world. His untimely death at the age of 38 left the world wondering what more he could have accomplished.

#2 Aaron Copland (1900–1990)

Aaron Copland, often referred to as the “Dean of American Composers,” was instrumental in creating a distinctly American sound in classical music. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Copland studied in Paris under Nadia Boulanger, where he was influenced by modernist techniques. He became known for works that evoke the American landscape and spirit, such as Appalachian Spring (1944), Rodeo (1942), and Fanfare for the Common Man (1942).

Copland’s music is characterized by its open, spacious harmonies and incorporation of American folk themes. His work in film scores, ballets, and orchestral compositions earned him widespread acclaim, including a Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award. Copland’s influence on 20th-century American music is profound, and his works remain staples in the concert repertoire.

#3 Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)

Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, and educator, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century music. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Bernstein studied at Harvard and the Curtis Institute of Music. He gained international fame as a conductor, particularly as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, where he introduced audiences to a wide range of classical and contemporary works.

As a composer, Bernstein is best known for his Broadway musicals, including West Side Story (1957), which combined classical music, jazz, and Latin rhythms to create a groundbreaking score. His other notable works include the operetta Candide (1956) and the symphony Jeremiah (1942). Bernstein was also a passionate educator, known for his Young People’s Concerts and his efforts to make classical music accessible to a broader audience. His legacy as both a composer and conductor continues to inspire musicians worldwide.

#4 John Williams (b. 1932)

John Williams is one of the most celebrated and prolific film composers in history, known for creating some of the most iconic scores in cinema. Born in New York City, Williams studied music at UCLA and Juilliard before beginning his career as a jazz pianist and studio musician. His collaboration with director Steven Spielberg led to some of his most famous works, including the scores for Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993).

Williams is also renowned for his work on the Star Wars franchise, composing the music for all nine of the main saga films, as well as the Indiana Jones series and the Harry Potter films. His music is characterized by its grand orchestral style, memorable themes, and ability to enhance the emotional impact of the films he scores. Williams has won five Academy Awards and numerous other accolades, making him one of the most successful composers in the history of film music.

#5 Samuel Barber (1910–1981)

Samuel Barber was an American composer known for his lyrical melodies and rich harmonies, making him one of the most beloved figures in 20th-century American music. Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Barber showed early promise as a composer, entering the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 14. His most famous work, Adagio for Strings (1936), has become one of the most performed pieces of American music, known for its deep emotional resonance and beauty.

Barber’s compositional output includes operas, such as Vanessa (1958), which won a Pulitzer Prize, and Antony and Cleopatra (1966), as well as orchestral works like the Violin Concerto (1939). His music, often described as neo-Romantic, is characterized by its expressive lyricism and structural clarity. Barber’s ability to convey profound emotion through his compositions has earned him a lasting place in the canon of American classical music.

#6 Duke Ellington (1899–1974)

Duke Ellington was a towering figure in American music, known for his contributions to jazz as a composer, pianist, and bandleader. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington began his music career in the 1920s and quickly became a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He led one of the most renowned big bands in jazz history, creating a vast body of work that included hits like It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), Mood Indigo, and Sophisticated Lady.

Ellington’s compositions were groundbreaking, blending jazz, blues, classical, and popular music into a sophisticated and innovative style. He was also known for his ability to showcase the unique talents of his band members, creating compositions tailored to their strengths. Ellington’s influence on jazz and American music is immeasurable, and he is celebrated not only as a performer but also as one of the greatest American composers of the 20th century.

#7 Charles Ives (1874–1954)

Charles Ives was a pioneering American composer whose innovative approach to composition has made him a central figure in 20th-century music. Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Ives worked as an insurance executive while composing in his spare time, creating works that often went unrecognized during his lifetime. His music is known for its complexity, incorporating elements such as polytonality, polyrhythms, and quotes from American folk tunes, hymns, and marches.

Notable works include The Unanswered Question, Three Places in New England, and Concord Sonata. Ives’s ability to blend American musical traditions with experimental techniques laid the groundwork for future generations of composers, and he is now celebrated as one of the most original and influential American composers.

#8 Philip Glass (b. 1937)

Philip Glass is a leading figure in the minimalist music movement and one of the most influential composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Glass studied at the Juilliard School and later in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. His early works, such as Einstein on the Beach (1976), are characterized by repetitive structures and a focus on rhythmic and harmonic development.

Glass’s music has reached a wide audience through his numerous film scores, including Koyaanisqatsi and The Hours, as well as operas, symphonies, and chamber music. His minimalist style, often described as “music with repetitive structures,” has had a profound impact on contemporary classical music and popular culture, making him one of the most recognized composers of his generation.

#9 Steve Reich (b. 1936)

Steve Reich is a seminal American composer who, along with Philip Glass, is a key figure in the development of minimalist music. Born in New York City, Reich studied philosophy at Cornell University before turning to music, where he was influenced by both Western classical traditions and non-Western music, particularly African drumming and Indonesian gamelan. His works are characterized by the use of repetitive patterns, phasing techniques, and gradual harmonic changes.

Notable compositions include Music for 18 Musicians (1976), Drumming (1971), and Different Trains (1988). Reich’s music has been widely influential across genres, impacting not only classical music but also electronic, pop, and experimental music. His innovative use of rhythm and texture has made him one of the most important composers of the 20th century.

#10 John Cage (1912–1992)

John Cage was an avant-garde composer and philosopher who profoundly influenced 20th-century music through his experimental approach to composition and sound. Born in Los Angeles, California, Cage studied with Arnold Schoenberg but soon developed his own path, rejecting traditional musical structures. He is best known for his composition 4’33” (1952), in which performers remain silent for four minutes and thirty-three seconds, challenging conventional notions of music and listening.

Cage also pioneered the use of chance operations in composition, as seen in works like Music of Changes (1951). Additionally, he experimented with prepared piano, altering the instrument’s sound by placing objects on or between the strings. Cage’s ideas about indeterminacy, silence, and the role of the composer have had a lasting impact on both classical music and broader artistic practices.

#11 Scott Joplin (1868–1917)

Scott Joplin, known as the “King of Ragtime,” was an American composer and pianist who played a crucial role in popularizing ragtime music at the turn of the 20th century. Born in Texas, Joplin was a classically trained musician who fused classical techniques with African American musical traditions to create a unique and enduring style. His most famous compositions include Maple Leaf Rag (1899) and The Entertainer (1902), both of which became iconic examples of the ragtime genre.

Joplin’s work laid the foundation for later developments in American music, including jazz. His compositions were rediscovered in the 1970s, leading to a revival of interest in his music and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize awarded in 1976. Joplin’s contributions to American music continue to be celebrated for their rhythmic innovation and cultural significance.

#12 Henry Mancini (1924–1994)

Henry Mancini was a prolific American composer and arranger, best known for his work in film and television music. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mancini studied at the Juilliard School before serving in the Army during World War II. He gained widespread fame in the 1950s and 1960s with his distinctive scores for films such as The Pink Panther (1963) and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), which featured the iconic song Moon River.

Mancini’s music is characterized by its melodic inventiveness and sophisticated orchestration, blending elements of jazz, pop, and classical music. Over his career, Mancini won four Academy Awards and twenty Grammy Awards, making him one of the most celebrated composers in Hollywood history. His work has had a lasting impact on film music, and many of his themes remain instantly recognizable.

#13 Jerome Kern (1885–1945)

Jerome Kern was a pioneering American composer of musical theater, often credited with helping to shape the modern American musical. Born in New York City, Kern began his career in London before returning to the United States, where he became one of Broadway’s most successful composers. His work on the musical Show Boat (1927) marked a significant turning point in American musical theater, blending serious themes with popular music and setting a new standard for Broadway productions.

Kern composed over 700 songs, including classics like Ol’ Man River, The Way You Look Tonight, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. His music, known for its lyrical beauty and sophisticated harmonies, has become an integral part of the American Songbook. Kern’s influence on the development of American musical theater is profound, and his songs continue to be performed and cherished today.

#14 John Philip Sousa (1854–1932)

John Philip Sousa, often called “The March King,” was an American composer and conductor known for his military and patriotic marches. Born in Washington, D.C., Sousa began his musical career as a young apprentice in the U.S. Marine Band, eventually becoming its conductor in 1880. He composed some of the most famous marches in American history, including The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896), Semper Fidelis (1888), and The Washington Post (1889).

Sousa’s music became synonymous with American patriotism, and his marches are still played at parades, military ceremonies, and public events around the country. In addition to his marches, Sousa composed operettas, waltzes, and orchestral works. His influence on American band music is immense, and his legacy as one of the most significant American composers of patriotic music endures to this day.

#15 Morton Feldman (1926–1987)

Morton Feldman was an avant-garde American composer known for his minimalist and abstract compositions. Born in New York City, Feldman was a key figure in the New York School, a group of composers that included John Cage and Earle Brown. His music is characterized by its quiet dynamics, extended durations, and emphasis on tone color and texture over traditional melody and rhythm.

Feldman’s works, such as Rothko Chapel (1971) and For Philip Guston (1984), often create a meditative atmosphere, inviting listeners to experience sound in a new, introspective way. His innovative approach to composition has had a lasting impact on contemporary classical music, influencing a generation of composers interested in exploring the boundaries of sound and silence.

#16 Elliott Carter (1908–2012)

Elliott Carter was a leading figure in contemporary classical music, renowned for his complex and rhythmically intricate compositions. Born in New York City, Carter studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and developed a style that combined European modernism with American experimentalism. His music is known for its use of metric modulation, where tempo shifts occur gradually within a piece, creating a sense of fluidity and dynamism.

Carter’s works, including his String Quartets and the Double Concerto for harpsichord and piano, are celebrated for their intellectual rigor and technical challenges. Over his long career, Carter received numerous accolades, including two Pulitzer Prizes, and continued composing well into his 90s, solidifying his reputation as one of the most significant American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

#17 Richard Rodgers (1902–1979)

Richard Rodgers was one of the most successful and influential composers in the history of American musical theater. Born in New York City, Rodgers first gained fame through his collaboration with lyricist Lorenz Hart, producing hit musicals such as Pal Joey (1940) and Babes in Arms (1937). After Hart’s death, Rodgers formed a legendary partnership with Oscar Hammerstein II, creating some of Broadway’s most enduring classics, including Oklahoma! (1943), The Sound of Music (1959), and South Pacific (1949).

Rodgers’s music is known for its memorable melodies, emotional depth, and seamless integration with lyrics. His contributions to musical theater have earned him numerous awards, including an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, making him one of the few individuals to achieve EGOT status. Rodgers’s work has had a profound impact on the development of musical theater, shaping the genre into a quintessentially American art form.

#18 Cole Porter (1891–1964)

Cole Porter was an American composer and songwriter known for his sophisticated, witty lyrics and elegant melodies. Born in Peru, Indiana, Porter was educated at Yale and Harvard, where he honed his craft before becoming one of Broadway’s most beloved composers. His musicals, such as Anything Goes (1934) and Kiss Me, Kate (1948), are filled with songs that have become standards of the American Songbook, including I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Night and Day, and Begin the Beguine.

Porter’s music is characterized by its clever wordplay, urbane humor, and intricate harmonies, reflecting his cosmopolitan lifestyle. Despite facing significant personal challenges, including a debilitating horse-riding accident, Porter continued to compose prolifically, leaving a lasting legacy as one of America’s greatest songwriters.

#19 Virgil Thomson (1896–1989)

Virgil Thomson was an American composer and critic known for his contributions to both modern classical music and music journalism. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Thomson studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and became associated with the expatriate American community, including figures like Gertrude Stein. His music is noted for its clarity, wit, and incorporation of American folk elements, as seen in works like The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) and Four Saints in Three Acts (1928), an opera with a libretto by Stein.

Thomson also served as a music critic for the New York Herald Tribune, where his writing influenced the direction of American music criticism. His dual legacy as a composer and critic has made him a pivotal figure in 20th-century American music, bridging the gap between European modernism and American vernacular traditions.

#20 John Adams (b. 1947)

John Adams is a prominent contemporary American composer known for his minimalist style and politically charged operas. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Adams studied at Harvard University before moving to San Francisco, where he became associated with the minimalist movement. His music is characterized by its driving rhythms, repeated patterns, and incorporation of popular and classical elements.

Adams’s best-known works include the operas Nixon in China (1987) and The Death of Klinghoffer (1991), both of which explore complex historical and political themes. His orchestral work Short Ride in a Fast Machine (1986) and the choral piece On the Transmigration of Souls (2002), a response to the 9/11 attacks, have also received widespread acclaim. Adams’s ability to blend minimalist techniques with expressive, narrative content has made him one of the most influential composers of his generation.

#21 George M. Cohan (1878–1942)

George M. Cohan, often referred to as the “father of American musical comedy,” was a composer, playwright, and performer whose work helped shape the development of American theater. Born into a vaudeville family in Providence, Rhode Island, Cohan began his career in show business at a young age. He is best known for his patriotic songs, such as Yankee Doodle Dandy, Give My Regards to Broadway, and Over There, which became anthems during World War I.

Cohan’s musicals, including Little Johnny Jones (1904) and George Washington, Jr. (1906), introduced a uniquely American style of musical theater, characterized by lively tunes, humorous dialogue, and a strong sense of national pride. Cohan’s contributions to the Broadway stage earned him the Congressional Gold Medal, making him the first person from the performing arts to receive this honor. His legacy as a pioneer of American musical theater continues to be celebrated in both the theater world and popular culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which american composer is known for blending jazz and classical music, famously composing rhapsody in blue.

George Gershwin is renowned for blending jazz and classical elements, with Rhapsody in Blue being one of his most famous works. His ability to bridge these genres has made him a key figure in American music.

Who composed the iconic film scores for Star Wars and Jaws?

John Williams is the composer behind the iconic film scores for Star Wars, Jaws, and many other classics. His work is celebrated for its memorable themes and grand orchestral style.

Which American composer is credited with creating the distinctly American sound in classical music, with works like Appalachian Spring?

Aaron Copland is credited with creating a distinctly American sound in classical music, most notably with Appalachian Spring. His compositions often reflect the American landscape and spirit.

Who is the “King of Ragtime,” known for composing The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag?

Scott Joplin, known as the “King of Ragtime,” composed The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag. His work was instrumental in popularizing ragtime music in the early 20th century.

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The best American composers of all time... and the definitive recordings to add to your collection

Daniel Jaffé explores the lives and works of the USA's greatest ever composers

Daniel Jaffé

With any list of the best American composers, you're likely to find some deliciously eclectic soundworlds.

That's because, in a relatively short time since the mid 19th century, the United States has developed a distinctive and rich heritage of music performed in concert halls and opera houses around the world. Indigenous songs, spirituals, hymns, popular songs of the prairie, ragtime , jazz and bluegrass have all added flavour to a recognisable if well-varied style.

Another crucial element is America’s internationally renowned film industry, which has nurtured not only specialist composers such as Bernard Herrmann and John Williams (both of whom have also attempted to make inroads in the concert hall), but also such leading concert hall composers as Aaron Copland , Leonard Bernstein (who was so much more as well), and John Corigliano.

A truly international musical landscape

A significant number of Hollywood composers – such as Korngold , Steiner, and Waxman – also represent a broader influx of composers whose parents, or the composers themselves, had fled persecution or repressive regimes, principally Russia (both Tsarist and Soviet) and Nazi Germany.

• Best Latin American composers of all time
• 25 greatest French composers of all time

Some refugees only temporarily settled in America, but nonetheless did their part while in that country to train a talented generation. These composers included Darius Milhaud, from whom the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen , Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass , Burt Bacharach, and Iannis Xenakis learned their craft. Other significant émigrés who helped educate a generation of American composers include Bohusłav Martinů (who also taught Bacharach, as well as Alan Hovhaness) and Arnold Schoenberg (Dave Brubeck again, plus John Cage, Lou Harrison and others).

Nadia Boulanger and the Paris scene

Another ‘foreign’ teacher we should mention is Nadia Boulanger . A legend among American composers (and composers of other nations), Boulanger taught several generations at The American Conservatory at Fontainebleau (originally established to improve the standard of American band players stationed in France during World War I ). Her pupils included Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Elliott Carter and many others.

So here is a representative selection of composers who have significantly contributed to all that is characteristic and best in ‘classical’ American music. We suggest at least one recommended recording for each composer – in some cases, as a bonus, we suggest a second ‘Something non-mainstream’ which either offers a lesser-known gem by that composer or a different aspect of their style.

Best American composers: late 19th and early 20th centuries

John philip sousa (1854-1932).

Today most widely remembered for his marches, this composer and bandmaster created around a hundred, including Liberty Bell (1893) and The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896). Just a year before writing Liberty Bell , Sousa formed his own military band, which toured Europe at least four times and undertook a world tour in 1910-11.

It was for his band that the sousaphone – a type of bass tuba designed to circle the player’s body, so making it more convenient for marching bands – was invented. Sadly, his band became victim of the Depression in 1931, just a year before its founder’s death. However, Sousa gained further posthumous fame when in the late 1960s the BBC comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus appropriated Liberty Bell as its signature tune.

John Philip Sousa recommended recording

A Sousa Celebration Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi Chandos CHSA5182

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Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Almost by any measure – let alone the fact she was a woman making her career against considerable odds – Amy Beach is a major composer. A child prodigy, she gave her first public recital aged seven, playing works by Handel , Beethoven and Chopin , as well as her own compositions. When she moved with her family to Boston in 1875, her parents were advised that their eight-year-old daughter could enter a European conservatory. Given her age, they understandably decided to get the best musical education for her closer to home, getting professional training as a pianist, and taking a year of lessons in harmony and counterpoint.

She also effectively taught herself orchestration (working with Berlioz ’s treatise) and fugue. She made several successful appearances performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, though when she married Dr HHA Beach, in deference to her husband’s wishes, she ceased performing. Instead, she devoted herself to composition: in her married years she wrote such major works as the ‘Gaelic’ Symphony, with its striking wind-swept opening, and her Piano Concerto.

• We named Amy Beach one of the best female composers of all time

'Bold and adventurous'

After her husband’s death, Beach went to Europe in 1911 to establish herself both as a composer and performer, impressing German audiences and critics on both counts before she had to return to the States with the outbreak of World War I. Her music, bold and adventurous, absorbed elements from Scottish and Irish folk music .

• Five classic Scottish songs you can't help singing along to
• The story of Irish classical music

Her String Quartet of 1929, which quotes Inuit themes, was the first work to move away from triadic harmonies in favour of more linear textures with a level of harmonic tension that at times approaches Alban Berg in its intensity. Today Beach is recognised as the first American woman to achieve success as the composer of large-scale works including symphonies, concertos and choral works – in all she created more than 300 works in various genres.

Amy Beach recommended recording

Gaelic Symphony; Piano Concerto Alan Feinberg (piano); Nashville Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Schermerhorn Naxos 8.559139

Scott Joplin (?1868-1917)

One of the first Afro-American composers to now be widely celebrated, Scott Joplin started as a pianist in brothels in St Louis and Chicago, where he created the ragtime style – exemplified by his popular Maple Leaf Rag . Joplin registered the copyright of that piece in 1889, so securing a steady if never spectacular income.

He used the ragtime style in his opera A Guest of Hono r, forming the Scott Joplin Ragtime Opera Co. in 1903 specifically to perform it, opening in St Louis and subsequently toured to five cities. Though admired it was never published, and the music now appears to be lost.

But perhaps encouraged by its apparent success, Joplin then wrote a second opera, the three-act Treemonisha , completed in 1911 with a piano score published that year. Its single concert performance in Harlem in 1915, with just piano accompaniment, was a flop. Heartbroken, Joplin died just two years later.

He and his music almost slipped into obscurity until 1970 when he was rediscovered and championed by the musicologist Vera Brodsky Lawrence, and a two-volume edition of his music published the following year. With Joplin’s rags featured in the 1973 film The Sting , his popularity was secured and Treemonisha finally given a full professional staging by Houston Grand Opera in 1975.

• We named Scott Joplin one of the best black composers ever

Scott Joplin recommended recording

The Entertainer: The Very Best of Scott Joplin Joshua Rifkin (piano) Nonesuch 7559794492

Off the beaten track Treemonisha Paragon Ragtime Singers & Orchestra/Rick Benjamin New World NW 80720

Best American composers: between the wars

Charles ives (1874-1954).

Born in the same year as Arnold Schoenberg, Charles Ives in his way was just as much a pioneering modernist. Raised in the small New England town of Danbury, Ives received an unconventional musical education from his father, the local bandmaster.

George Ives encouraged his son to ‘use your ears like a man!’ He relished accidental musical effects: for instance, the effect of two bands at an outdoor event playing different pieces – all the better if they were in different keys! By the time Charles came to Yale University to study composition, he had made major advances in his experiments in writing bi-tonal and polytonal music (in which musicians play music written in contrasting keys simultaneously). Taking composition lessons from Horatio Parker, Ives composed his First Symphony while still a student.

• How Charles Ives immortalised Louisa May Alcott

An early piece - but an eerily timeless one

After graduating, Ives moved to New York where he worked in insurance, eventually setting up his own successful business. He composed his increasingly experimental music in his spare time, including his remarkable, eerily timeless piece The Unanswered Question of 1906. He also wrote several songs, and two piano sonatas (the better known being No. 2, ‘Concord’ , a portrait of some of the illustrious inhabitants of that Massachusetts town including the writer Louisa May Alcott).

There were also three further symphonies, of which No. 3 ‘The Camp Meeting’, with its fond mix of old hymn tunes, barn dances and Civil War songs, is the most approachable. Copland completed 'The Camp Meeting' in 1910. It did not, however, see its first performance until 1946, when a certain Lou Harrison (more on him anon) conducted. As a result, Ives earned the 1947 Pulitzer Prize, which he scorned – ‘prizes are for boys, and I’m all grown up!’ – and gave all the prize money away, half of it to Harrison.

We named Charles Ives one of the best composers of all time

Charles Ives recommended recording

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Ives Sony 19439788332

Off the beaten track: Romanzo di Central Park and other songs Gerald Finley (baritone), Magnus Johnston (violin), Julius Drake (piano) Hyperion CDA 67644

Florence Price (1887-1953)

Florence Beatrice Smith Price is the first Afro-American woman composer of national importance, noted particularly for her symphonic works. Having studied composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston, followed by private lessons with George Chadwick, she taught in various colleges in the South, eventually becoming head of the music department of Clark College, Atlanta until 1912, when she married. In 1927, she and her husband moved to Chicago – presumably to escape the increasing racial oppression of the South. Price played a major role in Chicago’s musical life as a concert pianist, organist and composer.

• Six of the best works by Florence Price

In 1932, she won first prize in the Wanamaker competition for her Symphony in E minor: with its premiere in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Frederick Stock, she became the first Afro-American woman to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. Her music was taken up by other orchestras, and her fame was secured by Marian Anderson’s performance of her Songs to the Dark Virgin , a setting of words a poem by Langston Hughes, a noted leader of the Harlem Renaissance, which was hailed by the Chicago Daily News as ‘one of the greatest immediate successes ever won by an American song’.

We named Price one of the greatest female composers ever

Florence Price recommended recording

Symphonies 1 & 3 Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin Deutsche Grammophon 486 2029

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Ferde Grofé (1892-1972)

Born into a musical family, Grofé was one of the first Americans to successfully bridge popular and classical music; he is perhaps most famous for making the orchestral arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue that made that work so famous.

In the 1910s, the young Grofé played viola in the Los Angeles Symphony, while also performing in theatre pit bands and with his own dance band. After making some band arrangements for drummer Art Hickman, Grofé’s abilities won recognition from bandleader and conductor Paul Whiteman, who commissioned him to make several big band arrangements for his band in the 1920s – including orchestrating the original two-piano version of Rhapsody in Blue for its 1924 premiere.

Grofé established the big band convention of having intricately composed sections interleaved with episodes of improvisation. As a composer, he is mostly remembered for his five movement Grand Canyon Suite (1931), an extravagant technicolor orchestral evocation comparable to similarly grandiose canvases by Respighi.

Grand Canyon Suite best recording

Grand Canyon Suite ; Mississippi , etc Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/William Stromberg Naxos 8.559007

Howard Hanson (1896-1981)

Of Swedish ancestry, in 1921 Howard Hanson became the first American to win the Prix de Rome. This resulted in three years at the American Academy in Rome where he composed his Symphony No. 1, ‘Nordic’. His more famous ‘Romantic’ Symphony No. 2 followed in 1930. Originally composed to celebrate the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 50th anniversary (as was Stravinsky’ s Symphony of Psalms and Prokofiev ’s Fourth Symphony), Hanson’s ‘Romantic’ is now the work he is perhaps best known for. That's largely since Ridley Scott used the end of its first movement with its soothing strains as balm for the end of his nerve-jangling film Alien (1979).

Hanson was a powerful figure in American music. He founded the annual American Music Festival, and served as director of the Eastman School of Music for 40 years from its foundation in 1924 until his own retirement in 1964. Under his leadership, the Eastman became one of America’s most prestigious conservatories.

• 15 of the best Romantic composers

Howard Hanson recommended recording

Symphony No. 2 ‘Romantic’ Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz Naxos 8.559701

Henry Cowell (1897-1965)

Henry Cowell was one of the earliest of the great pioneers of American classical music, inventing what is now called ‘extended techniques’ for piano playing. He not only introduced tone clusters, created by playing the keyboard with forearm or the flat of the hand, but also altered the sound of the piano by muting its strings with pieces of cardboard or metal – a technique usually associated with much later composers such as John Cage (a pupil of Cowell’s) and George Crumb.

He made several tours of Europe between 1923 and 1933, making friends with Bartók and Berg and taking lessons from Schoenberg. In the 1930s he started using elements of indeterminacy in his music, suggesting that parts of his score could be performed in any order determined by the players, and leaving some bars open for improvisation. He wrote no less than 21 symphonies.

• Five of the best musicians who use extended technique
• Six of the best pieces for prepared piano

Henry Cowell recommended recording

Quartet for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord, etc Continuum Naxos 8.559192

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

Any discussion of the best American composers must include the legendary George Gershwin . This prodigiously gifted composer and songwriter began his career as one of the most successful writers in New York’s Tin Pan Alley, and ended arguably the first American to write an operatic masterpiece with Porgy and Bess . His first great hit was the song ‘Swanee’ (1919), and a number of successful Broadway musicals starting with Piccadilly to Broadway followed.

Talented and highly ambitious, the sensation caused by Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (as orchestrated by Grofé) spurred him to aspire to be a great classical composer. He famously approached at least three leading European composers asking for composition lessons. These were Ravel , Stravinsky and Schoenberg, who all told him in effect that he was already pursuing his own valid and successful path.

Nonetheless, Gershwin finally secured lessons with Joseph Schillinger in the 1930s. Schillinger’s influence on Gershwin has been much disputed, particularly by his lyricist brother Ira, and certainly Gershwin’s highly characteristic orchestral style is to heard particularly in his Piano Concerto (1925) and An American in Paris (1928), both written before his lessons with Schillinger. Yet there are hints of greater harmonic adventurousness in his post-Schillinger Variations on ‘I got rhythm’ for piano and orchestra (1934), and a consummate range of musical expression in his opera.

Rhapsody in Blue best recording

Rhapsody in Blue; An American in Paris; Piano Concerto in F Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/André Previn (piano) Decca

• Six of the best works by George Gershwin
• The best recordings of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
• Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue…What to listen to next

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-53)

Trained as a pianist at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Ruth Crawford in the 1920s met Henry Cowell through one of her piano teachers, Djane Lavoie Herz (herself a disciple of Scriabin ). Cowell put Crawford on the board of his New Music Society, and published several of her works.

Crawford wrote about two-thirds of her compositions between 1924 and 1929, in that time also becoming a founder member of the Chicago chapter of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM). Her works from that period show her already developed taste for dissonance and post-tonal harmonies inspired by Scriabin’s music.

However, her stature as an American modernist rests more on the works she created in New York from 1931. These followed her year abroad, on a Guggenheim Fellowship awarded for her compositions (the first woman to be so honoured), spending her time in Berlin and Paris where she particularly valued her encounters with Berg and Bartók.

Crawford returned to New York in November 1931, and married the American folklorist and musicologist Charles Seeger the following year (their children include the folk singers Mike and Peggy Seeger). In 1936, the Seegers moved to Washington, where Ruth’s interest shifted from composition to the preservation and promotion of American folk music. Her one original composition of that time, Rissolty Rossolty , is a wonderfully playful and accessible ‘American Fantasia for Orchestra’ based on folk tunes.

• The pieces of music inspired by American folk tunes

Ruth Crawford Seeger recommended recording

Ruth Crawford Seeger: Portrait Schönberg Ensemble/Oliver Knussen Deutsche Grammophon 449 9252

Best American composers: World War II and after

Roy harris (1898-1979).

Possibly because he started life as a farmer in Nebraska, and only pursued music after World War I , Roy Harris may have been recognised but too often with a degree of condescension. For example, Wilfred Mellers in his mighty tome Music in a New Found Land judged hm as ‘essentially a primitive and naïf’. Such an assessment seems meaningless in the face of the mastery presented by the thrilling musical journey that is Harris’s Symphony No. 3 (1937-38, revised 1939), which – rather like a work by Sibelius – morphs as you listen from a deceptively folksy beginning to a wonderfully orchestrated tidal flow.

Perhaps the essence of Harris’s music is that he was never ashamed of his background, which he never forsook even after training under the formidable Nadia Boulanger. Rather, he embraced and integrated the folkish music he knew so well from childhood (in that sense, Harris was closer to the folk style of his country than even Vaughan Williams was to his).

A great deal of his music, such as the relatively early but characteristic Piano Trio of 1934, is still to be recorded. However, his rugged, widescreen Third Symphony, the dreamy modality of his Violin Concerto (composed in 1949, but not performed until 1984), and the Symphony for Voices, his striking and effective setting Walt Whitman, are well worth discovering.

Roy Harris recommended recording

Symphony No. 3 Colorado Symphony/Marin Alsop Naxos 8.559227

Off the beaten track: Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 1* Gregory Fulkerson (violin); Louisville Orchestra/Lawrence Leighton Smith, *Jorge Mester First Edition LOU-786

Duke Ellington (1899-1974)

The ‘Duke’, in total contrast to poor Harris, quickly earned the respect of the classical world. He was hailed by Constant Lambert in his influential book Music Ho! (published 1934) as ‘a real composer, the first jazz composer of distinction, and [erroneously] the first negro composer of distinction’. Similarly, a whole 14-page chapter was devoted to his career and work in Mellers’ landmark Music in a New Found Land (published 1964).

Born in Washington, DC, Edward Kennedy Ellington, unlike other celebrated black musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, was from a well-to-do family. He moved to New York, the city of his idol: the pianist-composer James P Johnson (1894-1955). The pioneer of ‘stride’ piano, Johnson was a key figure in the evolution of ragtime into jazz . There, Ellington established his band at the Cotton Club.

The band’s first hit, East St Louis Toodle-oo (1926), was essentially an Ellington composition based on a tune created by his first trumpeter, Bubber Miley: as Mellers points out, its ‘shuffling ostinato ’ represents ‘an old man shuffling monotonously down a dusty road’, the ostinato suggesting ‘man’s everyday destiny, from which the improvised solos speak yearningly’. Ellington’s music continued to speak potently to generations of listeners, as he composed an estimated 3,000 works, all distinctive in sound and haunting in their melodiousness.

We named Duke Ellington one of the greatest jazz pianists ever

Duke Ellington recommended recording

The Essential Duke Ellington (recordings 1927-60) Columbia

Aaron Copland (1900-90)

Though based in New York, Aaron Copland effectively distilled the essence of rural America in his cowboy ballets. Two of these in particular, Billy the Kid and Rodeo with their robust orchestrations, lively rhythms and penny-plain harmonies, helped define the sound of Hollywood’s Wild West. Copland’s style was widely imitated in scores for films starring John Wayne and Gary Cooper.

His formula was to take a number of genuine folk and popular songs from that late-19 th -century world, and set them in a clean-cut, muscular style derived from Stravinsky’s neo-classical works (a style very much promoted by his teacher, Nadia Boulanger).

• Five essential works by Aaron Copland

'Copland effectively distilled the essence of rural America'

Copland refined this style for another evocation of historic Americana, Appalachian Spring , composed during the Second World War in 1944. As if in reaction to the fraught events taking place in Europe and around the Pacific, his new ballet mythologises America’s past. It evokes a lush green pastoral of rural Pennsylvania (notwithstanding the ballet’s evocative title, which it was given after it had been composed), in which a young couple plan to settle upon their marriage. The wartime spirit is more directly addressed in his defiant Symphony No. 3 – started during World War II but completed shortly after its end – from which ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ is taken.

• Six of the best American ballets

This is not quite the full measure of Copland, however. He started off as a bold modernist in the style of Bartók and Prokofiev, causing a sensation with his Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, written in 1924 for his former teacher Nadia Boulanger to make her American debut as organist. In the 1950s and ‘60s he incorporated serial techniques in Stravinsky’s manner into a number of his own works, including the orchestral works Connotations (1961) and Inscape (1967).

Aaron Copland recommended recording

A Copland Celebration London Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Columbia Chamber Ensemble, Columbia String Ensemble/Aaron Copland

Off the beaten track: Music for the Theatre; Connotations; Inscape New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein Sony

Elliott Carter (1908-2012)

In his mind-bogglingly long life and career, Elliott Carter studied under Gustav Holst at Harvard during the composer’s lectureship there in 1932. He then managed to outlive almost an entire generation of post-World War II modernists including Stockhausen, Nono and Berio ( Pierre Boulez being one notable exception). And he continued to compose years after his 100th birthday.

His music, likewise, seems set fair to outlive all of theirs, being admired and championed by such musicians and conductors as the Kronos Quartet , pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and the conductors Daniel Barenboim and especially Oliver Knussen (who, alas, died far too young, only outliving Carter by about six years).

A good, approachable introduction is his Holiday Overture , written in his neo-classical style in 1944 to celebrate the liberation of Paris – breezy and typically American in its airy, brassy textures. Carter’s tougher modernist style followed in the 1950s, after he had edited Charles Ives’ music and started to explore the parameters of music. His Variations for Orchestra (1955) well illustrates his change of style.

Where to start with Elliott Carter

Symphony No. 1; Piano Concerto; Holiday Overture Mark Wait (piano); Nashville Symphony Orchestra/Kenneth Schermerhorn Naxos 8.559151

Something a bit different: Late works: Controversies and a Conversation, etc BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oliver Knussen Ondine ODE 12962

Samuel Barber (1910-81)

Though remembered above all for his Adagio for Strings – a movement originally part of his String Quartet, Op. 11 (1935-36) – Samuel Barber was also one of America’s greatest writers for voice, composing many beautiful songs. His aunt, Louise Homer, regularly graced New York’s Metropolitan Opera with her fine contralto voice, and was married to the song composer Sydney Homer, who mentored his young nephew.

Barber entered the Curtis Institute aged 14, and while a student there became a lifelong friend and partner of fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Barber himself developed a fine baritone voice, which to an extent explains the mastery of his setting of Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach (1931) for baritone voice and strings, much admired by Vaughan Williams. He also wrote several fine songs for voice and piano, such as the cycle Hermit Songs of 1953. Then there were fine choral works, including the set of three titled Reincarnations (1939-40), and three operas including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Vanessa (1958).

What is Samuel Barber's masterpiece?

We haven’t even started talking about his orchestral music, including a beautiful Violin Concerto , and his instrumental works including his formidable Piano Sonata (1949). Perhaps his greatest masterpiece, though, is again written for voice, though with full orchestral accompaniment. Knoxville: Summer of 1915 , composed in the spring of 1947, is Barber’s setting of a quintessential American scene.

It's a lazy summer’s evening in the riverside town in the Southern States as described by James Agee, who wrote it in 1938 in recollection of his own childhood in Knoxville. It captures the uncomplicated happiness of a child secure in the love of his parents – significant as Agee depicts the summer before the death of his father. Barber dedicated his setting to his own father, who he knew was terminally ill.

Samuel Barber recommended recording

Samuel Barber: Adagio (100th Anniversary) Barbara Hendricks, Thomas Allen, Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas etc Warner 687 2862

Off the beaten track: Songs Cheryl Studer, Thomas Hampson, John Browning (piano) Deutsche Grammophon 435 8672

Best American composers: the postwar years

John cage (1912-92).

Notorious for his ‘piece’, 4’33 ”, which involves a pianist goes through the ceremony of a performance of a three-movement work without playing a note, John Cage was a far more inventive composer than this one work might suggest. Essentially a restless and cerebral composer, he started as an admirer of Schoenberg, and took lessons with Cowell in 1933 in preparation for lessons with the great master.

However, Schoenberg’s decided opinion of Cage was that ‘he’s not a composer, but he's an inventor – of genius’. One positive outcome of Cage’s lessons with Cowell was his continuation of his teacher’s experiments in modifying the piano’s sound, adding various objects on or in-between its strings including screws and rubber bands, relishing the resulting gamelan -like sounds the piano produced when played.

'He’s not a composer, he's an inventor – of genius’ - Arnold Schoenberg on John Cage

Increasingly interested in dance and percussion, Cage took various teaching positions in San Francisco and Chicago before settling in New York in 1942, where he became music director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1944 until 1968 (Merce and John becoming personal as well as professional partners).

He also immersed himself in Eastern philosophies, and was inspired by Zen Buddhism to make ‘chance’ an important element in his music – hence his creation of 4’33” in 1952. He became friends with several leading avant garde composers including Pierre Boulez and Morton Feldman, and was revered by the avant-garde circle in Moscow during the Soviet era.

John Cage recommended recording

Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano Boris Berman (piano) Naxos 8 554562

Lou Harrison (1917-2003)

Cage’s friend, Lou Harrison, was if anything even more inventive when it came to creating musical instruments, constructing attractively chiming gamelans out of sawn-off ends of gas canisters, and finding new methods of clavichord construction. His music blended Schoenbergian serialism with aleatoric procedures and used quarter tones and involving exotic instruments, often of his own invention. If any of this sounds forbidding, don’t be put off. His music is often gentle and enchanting, no matter how unfamiliar some of its sounds.

Where to start with Lou Harrison

Lou Harrison: A portrait William Banovetz (oboe), Al Jarreau (vocals); California Symphony Orchestra/Barry Jekowsky Argo 455 5902

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Leonard Bernstein (1918-90)

His composing genius was displayed above all in West Side Story (1957), a musical which manages both to be alarmingly challenging in terms of its edgy rhythms and level of violent dissonance yet capturing the flair and exuberance of youth and love in a style that made it a popular hit.

• The best musicals by Leonard Bernstein

If Bernstein hadn’t spent so much of his career as a celebrity conductor, often appearing on TV and lecturing to promote the music he most cared for – notably works by Stravinsky, by such fellow Americans as Copland (whom Bernstein, who never had any formal compositional training, named as his ‘only real compositional teacher’), and above all Mahler – he might have written many more works of equal or even greater achievement. His early Jeremiah Symphony of 1942, commemorating the suffering of European Jews, is a striking work, and his brilliance shines in the musical On the Town (1944), the wry opera on middle class suburban life Trouble in Tahiti (1951) and, fitfully, in his interesting not-quite-hit Candide (1956) with its sparkling overture and its show aria ‘Glitter and be Gay’.

We named Bernstein's West Side Story one of the best stage musicals ever and the film versions one of the greatest film musicals of all time

Best West Side Story recording

West Side Story (original Broadway cast recording) Sony

Off the beaten track: Trouble in Tahiti Soloists; Columbia Wind Ensemble/Leonard Bernstein Dutton 2CDLK4643

Ned Rorem (1923-2022)

Most widely celebrated for his songs (Susan Graham’s Ned Rorem album presents a well-varied selection, beautifully performed), Ned Rorem has also composed seven operas of which the most celebrated is Miss Julie , based on the play by Strindberg. Born in Richmond, Indiana, Rorem studied at the Curtis Institute and Juilliard School, and then with Virgil Thomson.

He gained renown with his song ‘The Lordly Hudson’, which in 1948 won a prize as best song of the year. He later won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for the orchestral suite Air Music . His piano sonatas, including No. 2 with its beguiling ‘Nocturne’, are also well worth investigating.

Ned Rorem recommended recording

Songs of Ned Rorem Susan Graham (mezzo-soprano), Malcolm Martineau (piano) Erato 8573802222

Something a bit different: Piano Sonatas Nos 1-3 Thomas Lanners (piano) Centaur CRC2874

Best American composers: 1960s and beyond

Morton feldman (1926-1987).

Morton Feldman was a rather unconventional minimalist. Born and largely based in New York, Feldman was first inspired by the works of Schoenberg and Bartók, then was profoundly changed by his chance encounter with John Cage in 1950. The two young men had both attended a New York Philharmonic concert where they had both been bowled over by Webern ’s Symphony, leaving before the Rachmaninov work started.

Feldman’s mature works – inspired by his friendship with Cage, and by the paintings of Jackson Pollock – generally are not about virtuosity, nor intended to illustrate anything. Rather, they are all about their own, unhurried processes, sometimes designed for particular acoustics such as that of the Rothko Chapel.

Morton Feldman recommended recording

Rothko Chapel SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart/Rupert Huber Hänssler HAEN93023

George Crumb (1929-2022)

George Crumb continued and developed the ‘extended techniques’ pioneered by Henry Cowell, asking performers to play their instruments in unconventional ways to produce novel and evocative sounds. Yet Crumb’s music is anything but ‘abstract’. From the way it is written down – with staves curved and arranged to represent wheels, or a human eye – to the use of human voices and musical quotations loaded with significance, this is music which vividly captures emotional or psychological states.

A native of West Virginia, Crumb’s roots were essentially in rural America rather than in the city. Unlike his city colleagues, who tend to create sonic canvases to blot out the extraneous sounds of everyday urban life (or, as did Cage, draw attention to them), Crumb’s soundworld seems designed to complement the world in which it is conceived. It grows out of silence, and is meditative and dream-like, blending the familiar (whether it is instrumental sounds, or snatches of music by composers such as Schubert , Bartok or Mahler) with unfamiliar, and ranges in effect from ecstatic bell-like sounds to tenebrous nightmare.

George Crumb recommended recording

Makrokosmos Books I-III Yoshiko Shimizu (piano) Kairos KAI0015029

Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)

There are few composers and lyricists who have had as seismic an impact on the world of musical theatre as Stephen Sondheim. He has written the music and lyrics for some of Broadway’s finest musicals, from Company to Into the Woods , all of which have enjoyed enduring success and are still performed on amateur and professional stages the world over. As well as his solo musicals, he also worked with renowned composers as a lyricist, writing lyrics to the scores of West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959) by Leonard Bernstein and Jule Styne respectively.

• Stephen Sondheim memories: leading musicians and composers share their reflections on the Broadway legend
• Stephen Sondheim: his best musicals

In his early years, Sondheim trained with Oscar Hammerstein II (one half of the Rogers and Hammerstein duo), as well as the avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt. It was always songwriting that appealed to Sondheim most. ‘I’m interested in the theatre because I’m interested in communication with audiences’, he told NPR’s Fresh Air presenter Terry Gross in 2010. ‘Otherwise I would be in concert music. I love the theatre as much as I love music.’

His musicals differ hugely in style, subject matter and format, with some such as Company meditating on middle age and monogamy but described as Sondheim as a ‘non-plot’ musical, and others like Sunday in the Park with George inspired by a painting by Georges Suerat and set over 100 years. Awards came thick and fast, as Sondheim won the Tony and Drama Critics Circle Awards for Company , Follies , A Little Night Music , Sweeney Todd , Into the Woods and Passion.

• The best performances of Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns'

Steve Reich (b. 1936)

Steve Reich’s earliest works of the 1960s, based on sound recordings, include Come Out and It’s Gonna Rain , which tease out melodic or rhythmic patterns in ordinary speech. He also experimented in creating complex and ever-evolving rhythmic patterns through having a recording played fractionally faster or slower than its simultaneously playing duplicate. These early experiments have inspired many of his subsequent works for instrumental and vocal forces.

• Steve Reich’s best works for percussion

Reich's two most celebrated works are The Desert Music (1983) for chorus and orchestra, and Different Trains (1988) for string quartet and a sound recording of spoken interviews. For the latter work, various people around America and Europe were interviewed about their experiences leading up to and during the Second World War. In particular, the accounts contrast the passenger train service in the US with the forced train journeys to concentration camps. Building on his earlier experiments with sound recordings, Reich drew melodies out of the speech of those interviewees, integrating them into the textures of the string quartet.

Steve Reich recommended recording

Different Trains Kronos Quartet Nonesuch 7559791762

Philip Glass (b. 1937)

Both the most famous and for some time the most notorious of the so-called minimalists, Philip Glass first appeared as the composer of simple and highly repetitive pieces, promoted by the Philip Glass ensemble he founded in 1968 in which he himself played keyboards. He has since established himself as America’s best-known opera composer, composing over a dozen works of which the most famous are Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten , a DVD of which was an award-winner in 2022’s BBC Music Magazine Awards . He has also written several string quartets, of which the opening of No. 5 perhaps most decisively shows him breaking from his usual minimalist style to create something more dramatic and poignantly expressive.

• The brilliance of Philip Glass: seven leading musicians discuss his style and influence
• Philip Glass Piano Etudes: a pleasurable was to improve your piano technique

Philip Glass recommended recording

Akhnaten (DVD) Metropolitan Opera/Karen Kamensek Orange Mountain Music OMM5011

Something a bit different: String Quartet No. 5 Kronos Quartet Nonesuch 7559793562

Best American composers: right up to the present

John adams (b. 1947).

Though he loathes the label, John Adams first appeared as a ‘minimalist’ owing some debt to the example of Philip Glass’s music. Yet his music which first made an impression was of a more luxurious cast.

The Chairman Dances , an orchestral pendent to his first opera Nixon in China (1987), was his first big hit with its glamorous orchestration and Adams’s preparedness to indulge in Hollywoodian lusciousness. His ability to use harmonic tension and its resolution – old-fashioned techniques, but given an extra edge in their minimalist setting – had already been shown in earlier works such as Shaker Loops (1983) for string septet.

Brought up in a village in New Hampshire, Adams grew up with big-band swing (he got to sit briefly on the piano bench next to Duke Ellington one memorable summer), Broadway musicals and such European classics as Beethoven and Richard Strauss . After the initial shock of discovering avant-garde music at Harvard, for which he had the intense but short-lived enthusiasm of the recently converted, Adams revived the music he truly loved in his own work, and has not looked back since.

His operas, based invariably on recent historical events, have stirred controversy, most particularly The Death of Klinghoffer (1991) in its attempt to deal even-handedly with the Palestinian terrorists, and the Jewish people of whom the wheelchair-bound Klinghoffer is representative.

John Adams: recommended recording

The Chairman Dances; Short Ride in the Fast Machine, etc. San Francisco Symphony/Edo de Waart Nonesuch 7559791442

John Luther Adams (b. 1953)

Long overshadowed by the ‘other’ John Adams, John Luther Adams has been very much on the rise since his breakthrough work Become Ocean (2013) won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. An environmentalist as well as a composer, John Luther Adams spent a crucial 36 years living in Alaska, largely in an isolated cabin in a forest, enduring sub-zero temperatures.

Though in some ways it represented at least ten ‘lost’ years, since the lifestyle there was too gruelling for him to compose, it has heightened his sensitivity to nature and the natural acoustic and sounds of its environment. He first discovered his style in his 90-minute piece Earth and the Great Weather , composed in 1993 and subtitled ‘A Sonic Geography of the Arctic’.

John Luther Adams recommended recording

Become Ocean Seattle Symphony/Ludovic Morlot Cantaloupe CA 21101

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Journalist and Critic, BBC Music Magazine

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• Experimental Sound

Exploring the Pioneers of Experimental Music: A Comprehensive Overview

• June 28, 2024

Experimental music is a genre that has been around for decades, with pioneers pushing the boundaries of what music can be. These pioneers have used unconventional techniques, instruments, and sounds to create music that is unlike anything heard before. From the early avant-garde composers to the electronic music innovators of today, the pioneers of experimental music have left an indelible mark on the music world. In this comprehensive overview, we will explore the contributions of some of the most influential figures in the history of experimental music, and discover how their innovations continue to shape the genre today. So, get ready to delve into the world of the pioneers of experimental music and discover the groundbreaking sounds that have changed the course of music history.

The Roots of Experimental Music

The avant-garde movement.

The avant-garde movement was a crucial turning point in the development of experimental music. This artistic and cultural movement emerged in the early 20th century, primarily in Europe, and aimed to challenge traditional art forms and societal norms. Avant-garde artists sought to break free from established conventions and create new, innovative forms of expression.

In the realm of music, the avant-garde movement saw composers and musicians pushing the boundaries of traditional composition and performance techniques. They experimented with unconventional instruments, alternative tuning systems, and novel approaches to rhythm and form. These pioneering artists sought to create a new musical language that would reflect the societal and cultural changes taking place during this period.

One of the key figures in the avant-garde movement was the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg. His work, particularly his development of the twelve-tone technique, had a profound impact on the trajectory of experimental music. Schoenberg’s method involved organizing pitches according to a specific mathematical system, which led to the creation of highly complex and dissonant harmonies. This approach revolutionized the way composers thought about musical structure and paved the way for the development of atonal and serial music.

Another influential figure in the avant-garde movement was the Italian composer Luigi Russolo. He was a prominent member of the Futurist movement, which sought to celebrate modernity and technological advancement. Russolo’s most significant contribution to experimental music was his invention of the “intonarumori,” a series of noise-producing instruments designed to create new timbres and sounds. These instruments were used in his “Musique Futuriste” compositions, which aimed to break free from the constraints of traditional melody and harmony.

The avant-garde movement also saw the emergence of performance art, which blurred the boundaries between music, theater, and visual art. Composers such as John Cage and Merce Cunningham collaborated with visual artists and choreographers to create multimedia performances that challenged conventional notions of artistic expression. These works often incorporated elements of chance and indeterminacy, further pushing the boundaries of what constituted “music” in the traditional sense.

In conclusion, the avant-garde movement played a crucial role in the development of experimental music. By challenging traditional art forms and societal norms, avant-garde artists paved the way for new approaches to composition, performance, and artistic expression. Their pioneering work continues to influence and inspire contemporary experimental musicians and artists today.

The Emergence of Electronic Music

Electronic music emerged as a distinct form of experimental music in the mid-20th century. It was pioneered by a group of composers and engineers who were interested in exploring the possibilities of creating music using electronic devices and technology.

One of the earliest forms of electronic music was created by the French composer Edgard Varèse in the 1930s. Varèse used a range of electronic devices, including the ondes Martenot, an early synthesizer, to create his groundbreaking work, “Amériques.”

In the 1940s and 1950s, a number of other composers and engineers began experimenting with electronic music. In the United States, the composer and engineer John Cage collaborated with the engineer David Tudor to create a series of works that used electronic devices to create new sounds and textures.

In Europe, the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen was also exploring the possibilities of electronic music. Stockhausen’s work, including his groundbreaking composition “Gesang der Jünglinge,” used a range of electronic devices and techniques to create a new form of music that was both experimental and highly expressive.

By the 1960s, electronic music had become a major force in experimental music. Composers and engineers were using a range of electronic devices and techniques to create new sounds and textures, and the field was rapidly expanding. The development of new technologies, including the synthesizer, allowed composers to create electronic music in a variety of styles and genres, from classical to rock and roll.

Today, electronic music continues to be an important part of experimental music. Composers and artists continue to explore the possibilities of electronic devices and technology, creating new sounds and textures that challenge our notions of what music can be.

The Innovators of Experimental Music

John Cage was an American composer, music theorist, and artist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of experimental music. Born in 1912 in Los Angeles, California, Cage began his musical career as a classical pianist, but soon became fascinated with the concept of chance and the role of the audience in the performance of music.

One of Cage’s most significant contributions to experimental music was his development of the prepared piano, in which the pianist would place objects on or between the piano strings to alter the sound of the instrument. This technique was first used in Cage’s composition “The Perilous Night” (1940), and would go on to influence many other experimental composers.

Cage was also a pioneer in the use of electronic music, and in the 1950s he began collaborating with engineer and inventor Lejaren Hiller to create works using tape music techniques. One of their most famous collaborations was the composition “Imaginary Landscape No. 4” (1951), which used multiple tape recorders to create a complex, shifting sound texture.

Cage’s most famous work, however, is probably his composition “4’33″” (1952), in which a pianist sits at a piano and plays nothing for the duration of the piece. This work challenged traditional notions of music as a series of deliberate, controlled sounds, and instead suggested that the sounds of the environment itself could be considered music.

Cage’s influence on experimental music has been enormous, and his ideas continue to be explored and developed by composers and artists today. His work continues to challenge our understanding of what music is, and his legacy as a pioneer of experimental music remains secure.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) was a German composer and one of the most influential figures in the development of experimental music. He is best known for his groundbreaking work in electronic music, but his output also included vocal, chamber, and orchestral music.

Stockhausen’s interest in electronic music began in the 1950s, when he began experimenting with tape music and the manipulation of sound. He is widely regarded as one of the first composers to fully realize the potential of electronic music, and his works from this period, such as “Gesang der Jünglinge” (1955-56), are considered landmarks in the field.

In addition to his work in electronic music, Stockhausen was also a pioneer in the development of graphic notation, a system of notation that uses visual symbols to represent musical ideas rather than traditional musical notation. This system allowed him to express complex musical ideas in a more intuitive and expressive way, and it has since been adopted by many other composers.

Stockhausen’s influence on the development of experimental music cannot be overstated. His innovative approaches to sound manipulation, electronic music, and graphic notation have inspired countless composers and musicians, and his legacy continues to be felt in the field of experimental music today.

Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer who played a pivotal role in the development of experimental music. He was a key figure in the early 20th-century avant-garde movement and his works pushed the boundaries of traditional musical forms. Stravinsky’s innovative use of rhythm, harmony, and form, along with his incorporation of non-Western musical elements, had a significant impact on the development of experimental music .

Early Life and Education

Igor Stravinsky was born in 1882 in Oranienbaum, Russia. He began his musical education at a young age, studying piano and violin before entering the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1899. There, he studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and gained a strong foundation in classical music theory.

The Firebird and The Rite of Spring

Stravinsky’s early works, such as “The Firebird” and “The Rite of Spring,” were heavily influenced by Russian folk music and the compositions of Claude Debussy. However, it was his later works, particularly “The Rite of Spring,” that solidified his position as a pioneer of experimental music.

Revolutionizing Rhythm and Form

Stravinsky’s use of complex rhythms and unconventional musical structures in “The Rite of Spring” challenged traditional musical norms and revolutionized the way composers thought about form. His incorporation of non-Western musical elements, such as the use of irregular meters and the adaptation of folk melodies, also played a significant role in the development of experimental music.

Legacy and Influence

Stravinsky’s influence on experimental music cannot be overstated. His works inspired countless composers to push the boundaries of traditional musical forms and explore new avenues of musical expression. He remains one of the most celebrated and influential composers of the 20th century, and his contributions to the field of experimental music continue to be studied and celebrated by musicians and scholars alike.

Experimental Music in the 20th Century

Fluxus movement.

The Fluxus movement, which emerged in the 1960s, was a significant development in the history of experimental music. It was characterized by a rejection of traditional musical structures and the embrace of new forms of artistic expression. The movement was driven by a group of avant-garde artists who sought to challenge the boundaries of conventional music and push the limits of artistic creativity.

One of the key figures in the Fluxus movement was John Cage, an American composer and music theorist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. Cage’s work, which often incorporated elements of chance and randomness, challenged traditional notions of musical composition and helped to pave the way for the experimental music of the Fluxus movement.

Another important figure in the Fluxus movement was the German artist Joseph Beuys, who was known for his innovative use of everyday objects in his art. Beuys’s work often incorporated elements of performance and participation, and his influence can be seen in the work of many later Fluxus artists.

The Fluxus movement also included a number of other notable figures, including the Japanese artist Yoko Ono, the American composer and musician Nam June Paik, and the German artist Wolf Vostell. These artists, along with many others, helped to define the spirit of the Fluxus movement and to establish it as a major force in the development of experimental music.

Overall, the Fluxus movement represented a significant departure from traditional musical forms and helped to pave the way for new forms of artistic expression. Its influence can still be felt today, and it remains an important part of the history of experimental music.

Free Jazz, also known as avant-garde jazz, emerged in the mid-1960s as a reaction against the strict forms and conventions of traditional jazz. This movement sought to push the boundaries of jazz music by incorporating elements of other genres, such as classical music, blues, and even non-Western musical traditions.

Some of the key figures in the development of Free Jazz include:

• Ornette Coleman : An American saxophonist and composer who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Free Jazz. Coleman’s music often featured unusual harmonies and melodies, and he was known for his use of “harmolodic” music, which combined melody, harmony, and rhythm in new and innovative ways.
• Albert Ayler : Another influential saxophonist and composer, Ayler’s music was characterized by its high level of intensity and emotion. His music often featured long, expressive melodies played over free rhythms, and he was known for his use of extended techniques, such as multiphonics and overtones.
• Don Cherry : An American trumpet player and composer who was a key figure in the development of Free Jazz. Cherry was known for his use of non-Western musical instruments and his incorporation of elements of African and Asian music into his compositions.
• Archie Shepp : An American saxophonist and composer who was also a prominent figure in the Free Jazz movement. Shepp’s music often featured political and social themes, and he was known for his use of passionate, expressive playing.

Free Jazz musicians also placed a strong emphasis on collective improvisation, in which all members of the ensemble would contribute to the creation of the music in the moment. This approach was a significant departure from the more structured and composed approach of traditional jazz.

The influence of Free Jazz can be heard in many subsequent developments in jazz and other forms of experimental music. It continues to be an important and influential movement in the history of music.

Noise Music

Noise music is a subgenre of experimental music that emerged in the early 20th century. It is characterized by the use of unconventional sounds, often created through the manipulation of electronic devices or everyday objects.

One of the earliest pioneers of noise music was the French composer and music theorist, Pierre Schaeffer, who developed the concept of “musique concrete” in the 1940s. This involved the use of recorded sounds that were manipulated and edited to create new musical compositions.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a group of composers known as the “Cologne School” of electronic music, including Karlheinz Stockhausen and Gottfried Michael Koenig, further developed the concept of musique concrete by using electronic devices to create new sounds.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the use of noise music spread to the United States, where artists such as Throbbing Gristle and Whitehouse pushed the boundaries of the genre, incorporating elements of industrial music and performance art into their work.

Today, noise music continues to be an influential force in the world of experimental music, with artists such as Merzbow and Wolf Eyes continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible with sound.

The Evolution of Experimental Music

Electronic and digital technologies, the influence of electronics on experimental music.

The advent of electronic and digital technologies has played a significant role in shaping the trajectory of experimental music. With the invention of electronic instruments such as the theremin, the first commercially available synthesizer, the RCA Mark II, and the development of computer music software, musicians have been able to push the boundaries of traditional instrumentation and sound production.

The Emergence of Early Electronic Music Composers

Some of the pioneers of electronic music include composers such as Joseph Schillinger, who developed the Z-score, a method of graphically notating electronic music, and Wendy Carlos, who gained critical acclaim for her electronic interpretations of classical music. Another notable composer is Raymond Scott, who is credited with inventing the electronic musical instrument called the “Clavivox” and was also known for his experimental film work.

The Role of Digital Technologies in Experimental Music

With the rise of digital technologies, the production and manipulation of sound has become more accessible and versatile. Digital audio workstations (DAWs) have revolutionized the way musicians record, edit, and produce music, while virtual instruments and software synthesizers have expanded the range of sonic possibilities. The development of algorithms and artificial intelligence has also led to the creation of new forms of generative music, where musical patterns and structures are created algorithmically.

The Intersection of Electronics and Experimental Music

The integration of electronic and digital technologies has opened up new avenues for experimental music, allowing musicians to explore uncharted territories of sound and composition. From the early days of electronic music to the current digital age, the influence of technology on experimental music cannot be overstated. It has enabled composers to push the limits of traditional instrumentation and explore new dimensions of sound, paving the way for a rich and diverse landscape of experimental music.

Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Experimental music has been characterized by its exploration of new sonic territories and its rejection of traditional musical conventions. One of the key aspects of experimental music is its interdisciplinary nature, with artists from various fields collaborating to push the boundaries of sound and music.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations

Experimental music has often been the result of cross-disciplinary collaborations between artists from different fields. This has included collaborations between composers, visual artists, scientists, and engineers, among others. These collaborations have helped to create new and innovative sounds, often through the use of unconventional instruments and techniques.

Electronic Music and Technology

Electronic music has played a significant role in the evolution of experimental music , with artists using new technologies to create sounds that were previously impossible. The use of electronic instruments, synthesizers, and computer technology has allowed for a vast expansion of the sonic palette, with artists exploring new textures, timbres, and sounds.

Experimental Film and Video

Experimental film and video have also been influential in the development of experimental music. Artists have used film and video to create new and innovative sounds, often through the manipulation of the visual image. This has included the use of visual effects, optical sound, and other techniques to create unique sonic experiences.

Performance Art

Performance art has also played a significant role in the evolution of experimental music . Artists have used performance as a means of exploring new sonic territories, often through the use of unconventional instruments and techniques. This has included the use of found objects, improvisation, and other techniques to create new and innovative sounds.

Overall, interdisciplinary collaborations have been a key aspect of the evolution of experimental music , with artists from various fields working together to push the boundaries of sound and music.

Global Influences

The evolution of experimental music was shaped by a diverse range of global influences, which played a crucial role in its development. These influences can be traced back to various cultures and traditions from around the world, enriching the sonic landscape of experimental music.

Some of the most significant global influences on experimental music include:

• African Traditions : African music has had a profound impact on experimental music, particularly through its use of rhythm, polyrhythms, and call-and-response structures. Pioneers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass were influenced by African musical techniques, incorporating them into their compositions.
• Indian Classical Music : Indian classical music, with its complex melodic structures and microtonal scales, has also influenced experimental music. Composers like Ravi Shankar and Terry Riley have drawn from Indian classical music, blending it with Western classical and electronic elements to create new sounds.
• Japanese Traditions : Japanese traditional music, such as gagaku and shakuhachi, has also had an impact on experimental music. Composers like John Cage and Toru Takemitsu were inspired by Japanese music, incorporating its unique timbres and tunings into their works.
• Middle Eastern Music : Middle Eastern music, with its complex modes and microtonal structures, has also influenced experimental music. Composers like Olivier Messiaen and Jonny Greenwood have been inspired by Middle Eastern music, integrating its rhythms and melodies into their compositions.
• Latin American Music : Latin American music, with its rich diversity of styles and traditions, has also contributed to the evolution of experimental music . Composers like Luciano Berio and György Ligeti were influenced by Latin American music, incorporating its rhythms and melodies into their works.

These global influences have enriched the tapestry of experimental music, allowing it to evolve into a diverse and multifaceted art form. By embracing a wide range of cultural traditions, experimental music has expanded its sonic vocabulary, creating new possibilities for artistic expression.

The Impact of Experimental Music

Expanding the boundaries of sound.

Experimental music has played a significant role in expanding the boundaries of sound and challenging traditional notions of music. By pushing the limits of what is considered conventional, experimental music has opened up new possibilities for sound creation and exploration.

Subverting Conventional Notions of Music

One of the primary ways in which experimental music has expanded the boundaries of sound is by subverting conventional notions of music. By questioning the rules and norms that govern traditional music, experimental music has created new forms of musical expression that challenge our perceptions of what music can be.

Embracing Unconventional Instruments and Techniques

Another way in which experimental music has expanded the boundaries of sound is by embracing unconventional instruments and techniques. From found objects and everyday sounds to electronic devices and computer-generated music, experimental musicians have sought to push the limits of what is possible with traditional instruments and techniques.

Exploring New Sounds and Textures

Experimental music has also expanded the boundaries of sound by exploring new sounds and textures. By experimenting with different sonic qualities and timbres, experimental musicians have created new forms of musical expression that challenge our perceptions of what music can sound like.

Fostering Collaboration and Cross-Disciplinary Experimentation

Finally, experimental music has expanded the boundaries of sound by fostering collaboration and cross-disciplinary experimentation. By working with artists from other disciplines, such as visual arts, dance, and technology, experimental musicians have created new forms of musical expression that transcend traditional genre boundaries.

Overall, the impact of experimental music has been significant in expanding the boundaries of sound and challenging traditional notions of music. By pushing the limits of what is considered conventional, experimental music has opened up new possibilities for sound creation and exploration, and has inspired new forms of musical expression that continue to shape the evolution of music today.

Influencing Other Genres

Experimental music has had a profound impact on various genres of music. The pioneers of experimental music have influenced different styles of music, pushing the boundaries of conventional music and inspiring new forms of musical expression .

One of the most significant ways in which experimental music has influenced other genres is through the incorporation of unconventional sounds and techniques. The use of found objects, unconventional instruments, and electronic devices in experimental music has inspired musicians from other genres to explore new sonic territories. For example, the use of feedback and distortion in electronic music can be traced back to the experimental music pioneers who experimented with these sounds in the 1950s and 1960s.

Experimental music has also influenced the development of various avant-garde styles of music. The exploration of new techniques and sounds in experimental music has inspired composers to push the limits of what is considered traditional or conventional. For instance, the use of atonality and serialism in classical music can be traced back to the experimental music pioneers who experimented with unconventional harmonies and structures.

In addition, experimental music has had a significant impact on the development of popular music. The use of unconventional sounds and techniques in experimental music has inspired musicians in various popular genres, such as rock, pop, and hip-hop, to explore new sounds and expressions. For example, the use of sampling and manipulation of sounds in electronic dance music can be traced back to the experimental music pioneers who experimented with tape music and musique concrète.

Overall, the impact of experimental music on other genres cannot be overstated. The pioneers of experimental music have pushed the boundaries of conventional music, inspiring new forms of musical expression and influencing the development of various styles of music.

Shaping the Future of Music

Experimental music has had a profound impact on the development of contemporary music. From the early pioneers of electronic music to the avant-garde composers of the 20th century, these artists have pushed the boundaries of what is considered traditional music. Their work has not only challenged our perceptions of what music can be but has also shaped the future of music as a whole.

One of the most significant contributions of experimental music has been its influence on popular music. Many of the techniques and styles developed by experimental musicians have been adopted by mainstream artists, resulting in a new sound that is both innovative and accessible. This has helped to broaden the appeal of experimental music, making it more relevant to a wider audience.

In addition to its influence on popular music, experimental music has also had a profound impact on the world of classical music. The use of electronic instruments and unconventional techniques in classical music has led to a renewed interest in this genre, and many contemporary classical composers are now incorporating elements of experimental music into their work.

Furthermore, the DIY ethos of experimental music has inspired a new generation of musicians to experiment with new sounds and techniques. The rise of digital technology has made it easier than ever for musicians to create and record their own music, and many experimental musicians are now using this technology to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Overall, the impact of experimental music on the world of music cannot be overstated. From shaping the future of popular and classical music to inspiring a new generation of musicians, the pioneers of experimental music have left an indelible mark on the world of music.

The Legacy of Experimental Music

The impact of experimental music is vast and far-reaching, as it has challenged traditional notions of music and expanded the boundaries of musical expression. Its legacy can be seen in many aspects of contemporary music, and its influence can be felt across multiple genres.

Transforming Musical Traditions

Experimental music has transformed musical traditions by introducing new techniques, sounds, and concepts that have been incorporated into mainstream music. The use of electronic instruments, for example, has become a staple of many genres, from pop to rock to hip-hop. Similarly, the exploration of noise and sound manipulation has influenced the production techniques used in contemporary music.

Inspiring New Forms of Expression

Experimental music has also inspired new forms of musical expression , pushing the limits of what is possible with sound. This has led to the development of new genres, such as ambient, drone, and experimental hip-hop, which blur the lines between different musical styles and challenge traditional notions of what constitutes music.

Disseminating Knowledge and Techniques

Experimental music has also played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge and techniques to musicians and composers around the world. The availability of new technologies and the growth of online communities have made it easier than ever for musicians to access and share information about experimental music. This has led to a proliferation of new ideas and techniques, as well as a growing appreciation for the pioneers of experimental music .

Shaping Cultural Identity

Finally, experimental music has played a significant role in shaping cultural identity, particularly in the context of the avant-garde. It has challenged dominant cultural narratives and provided a platform for marginalized voices to be heard. Experimental music has also been used as a form of political and social commentary, reflecting the concerns and anxieties of a particular era or culture.

In conclusion, the legacy of experimental music is vast and multifaceted, and its impact can be felt across multiple genres and cultural contexts. Its influence on contemporary music and its role in shaping cultural identity make it an important and enduring part of our musical heritage.

The Importance of Pioneers

Pioneers of experimental music play a crucial role in shaping the future of music. They challenge traditional musical norms and push the boundaries of what is considered conventional. These innovators are not only instrumental in the development of new sounds and techniques but also serve as inspiration for future generations of musicians.

The importance of pioneers in experimental music can be seen in the following ways:

• Pioneers lay the foundation for future innovations: Pioneers of experimental music are often the first to explore new sounds, techniques, and approaches. They lay the groundwork for future innovations and open up new avenues for experimentation.
• Pioneers inspire future generations: The courage and creativity displayed by pioneers of experimental music inspire and motivate future generations of musicians to push the boundaries of music even further.
• Pioneers challenge traditional musical norms: Pioneers of experimental music challenge the status quo and question traditional musical norms. They force listeners to reconsider their preconceived notions of what music is and can be.
• Pioneers create a unique musical language: Pioneers of experimental music develop a unique musical language that reflects their individuality and creativity. This language can influence the development of new musical styles and genres.

In conclusion, the pioneers of experimental music are essential in shaping the future of music. They inspire, challenge, and create new musical possibilities that continue to influence and shape the music industry.

The Continuing Evolution of Experimental Music

The impact of experimental music on contemporary music cannot be overstated. As a result of the work of pioneers like John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis, the boundaries of music have been expanded and new forms of musical expression have emerged. The evolution of experimental music continues to this day, with artists pushing the boundaries of what is possible with sound and technology.

One of the key factors driving the evolution of experimental music is the ongoing development of technology. The availability of new tools and techniques has allowed artists to create new forms of musical expression that were previously impossible. For example, the development of digital audio workstations (DAWs) has made it possible for musicians to manipulate sound in ways that were previously only possible in a studio setting.

Another factor driving the evolution of experimental music is the influence of other art forms. For example, the visual arts have had a significant impact on the development of experimental music , with artists incorporating elements of visual art into their music. Similarly, literature and poetry have also had an impact on the development of experimental music , with many artists incorporating text into their compositions.

The ongoing evolution of experimental music is also driven by the influence of other musical genres. For example, the incorporation of electronic music into experimental music has led to the development of new subgenres, such as electroacoustic music and electronic classical music. Similarly, the influence of jazz and rock music has led to the development of new forms of experimental music, such as free jazz and avant-garde rock.

In conclusion, the continuing evolution of experimental music is driven by a combination of factors, including the ongoing development of technology, the influence of other art forms, and the influence of other musical genres. As a result, experimental music continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with sound and to inspire new forms of musical expression .

1. Who are the pioneers of experimental music?

Experimental music is a broad and diverse field, with many different artists and composers who have contributed to its development over the years. Some of the pioneers of experimental music include John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Pierre Boulez, who were all influential in the development of electronic and avant-garde music in the mid-20th century. Other notable figures include Iannis Xenakis, who is known for his work in the field of electroacoustic music, and Pauline Oliveros, who is known for her work in improvisation and experimental performance.

2. What is experimental music?

Experimental music is a genre of music that pushes the boundaries of traditional musical forms and techniques. It often incorporates unconventional sounds and instruments, as well as unorthodox methods of composition and performance. Experimental music can take many different forms, from electronic and avant-garde music to improvisation and noise music. It is characterized by its willingness to challenge traditional notions of music and its focus on exploring new sounds and techniques.

3. How did experimental music develop over time?

Experimental music has its roots in the early 20th century, with the work of composers such as Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinsky, who were both known for their use of atonality and unconventional harmonies. In the mid-20th century, composers such as John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen began to explore electronic and electronic music, which would become a major influence on the development of experimental music . In the latter half of the 20th century, experimental music continued to evolve and diversify, with the emergence of new subgenres such as noise music and drone music.

4. What are some notable experimental music festivals and events?

There are many experimental music festivals and events that take place around the world each year, showcasing the work of both established and emerging experimental musicians. Some notable examples include the annual Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Canada, the Donaueschingen Musiktage festival in Germany, and the ALT

The Rise of Experimental Music in the 1960s documentary (2005)

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Earle Brown Music Foundation

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EARLE BROWN (1926–2002) was an American experimental composer whose works in graphic notation and open form were seminal to the history of postwar music. He explored the limits of traditional staff notation to the point of abstraction in Folio and 4 Systems (1952–54) and prompted performers to make their own determinations about pitch, time, intensity, timbre and attack—an approach that contrasted sharply with the composer-controlled treatment of sound implicit in serialism and total organization. Brown used graphic notation sparingly after 1960 when he began writing large-scale open form works for orchestra. He had composed 25 Pages (1953) for piano in open form, but to achieve collective mobility among 18 musicians and conductor in Available Forms 1 (1961), and 98 musicians and 2 conductors in Available Forms 2 (1962), Brown wrote predominantly through-composed events and devised a cueing system for conductors to signal in-performance decisions about the order and phrasing of these events. This cueing system appears in over a dozen open form works across his career. Brown described his sound ideal as spontaneous, warm and responsive to the moment. Unbeholden to the stylistic boundaries that dictated new music during his time, Brown embraced a wide range of influences including jazz improvisation, twelve-tone technique, the Schillinger system, the indeterminacy of his New York School colleagues (John Cage, Morton Feldman, Christian Wolff), electroacoustics, action painting, collage and the mobile sculptures of Alexander Calder.

Born in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, Brown studied piano briefly before turning to trumpet. He played in numerous school ensembles and in high school began arranging for local dance orchestras in which he also played trumpet. Brown recalled from his formative years hearing radio broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic in his home, listening incessantly to Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata at a local record store, hearing dance orchestras perform big band and popular music at the Whalom Ballroom, and at age 12 meeting future wife and Cunningham dancer Carolyn Rice, whose family lived nearby and shared an active interest in the arts. When Brown was drafted into the Air Force in 1945, he spent much of his time in the Army Air Corps ensembles playing from the classical, military and jazz repertories as well as directing a dance orchestra and studying music theory in his spare time. He later credited his performance background as crucial to shaping his “orchestral ears” as a composer and fueling his interest in performer involvement. Brown attended Northeastern University intermittently to study engineering, but in 1946 enrolled at the newly opened Schillinger House in Boston. He studied composition with Kenneth McKillop, arranging with Jesse Smith, trumpet with Fred Berman, and took additional lessons in counterpoint and music history with recent Harvard doctorate Roslyn Brogue Henning. Graduating in 1950, Brown accepted an offer to teach in Colorado as a certified instructor of the Schillinger system, and he and Carolyn moved to Denver after marrying that summer.

In Denver, Brown composed Three Pieces (1951), Music for Violin, Cello and Piano (1952) and Perspectives (1952) using row forms according to what he described as “an extended twelve-tone Schillinger serial mode.” At the same time, he explored ways of incorporating the immediacy of Jackson Pollock’s action paintings into his compositional process. He made several small drip paintings and experimented with automatic drawing as the armature for compositional lines he would then fill with pitch (he later collaged segments of these experimental sketches into his 1965 String Quartet ). Brown considered heading to California to study with Schoenberg after being accepted into his seminars at Colorado College in 1951, but instead moved to New York in 1952 after meeting Cage and Merce Cunningham during their 1951 concert stopover in Denver. Brown spent his first year in New York splicing tape for The Project for Music for Magnetic Tape, which included his own Octets I and II as well as works by Cage, Feldman and Wolff. He also worked as a recording engineer and mixer at Capitol Records on projects with musicians such as Count Basie, Nathan Milstein, Milt Hinton and Bobby Hackett.

A visit to Europe in 1956–57 set the stage for a succession of commissions abroad. There were 16 over the next 17 years: Pierre Boulez’s Domaine Musicale ( Pentathis ), Darmstadt Ferienkurse ( Hodograph 1 ; Available Forms 1 ), Radio Orchestra of Rome ( Available Forms 2 ), l’ORTF ( Times Five ; Modules I – II ), Radio Bremen ( Corroboree ), Donaueschingen ( String Quartet ), harpsichordist Antoinette Vischer ( Nine Rarebits ),Diego Masson and the First Percussion Quartet of Paris ( Calder Piece ), Festival de Zagreb ( Module III ), Festival de Royan ( Event: Synergy II ), Fondation Maeght ( Syntagm III ), City of Kiel for the 1972 Olympic Games ( Time Spans ), Venice Biennale ( New Piece Loops ), and London Sinfonietta ( Centering ). Brown’s transatlantic perspective offered a unique lens on new music and between 1961 and 1973 he produced the historic Contemporary Sound Series for Time/Mainstream Records, captured on 18 albums with 48 composers from 16countries.

Recognition for Brown grew in the U.S. during the 1960s. A Guggenheim fellowship in 1965–66 enabled Brown to complete Calder Piece (1966), a profoundly symbolic work in his oeuvre because Calder’s mobiles had been the exemplar of precision and transformability in a work of art. Calder created an original mobile, standing over six feet in height spanning across twelve feet, which four percussionists strike to set in motion and whose position in space dictates how the musicians will perceive their notes in Brown’s score. In 1968, Brown began a pair of long-term residencies at Peabody Conservatory (1968–73) and CalArts (1974–83), during which time he was invited widely to guest lecture in numerous American academic music departments. From 1984 to 1989, he served as a co-director of the Fromm Music Foundation and a curator of its new music concert series at the Aspen Music Festival through 1990.

Brown’s output slowed over the last decades of his life, but works such as the Koussevitsky commission Cross Sections and Color Fields (1975) for orchestra, Windsor Jambs (1980) for voice and ensemble, and Tracking Pierrot (1992) for chamber ensemble continued to explore variability of form while revealing Brown’s richly textured harmonic and timbral writing. Brown also continued to compose in the electroacoustic medium with Tracer (1985) and WikiUp (1979), the latter of which he toured as a sound installation with his second wife Susan Sollins. Among Brown’s final projects was Folio II , which he began in 1970 as a collection of single-page scores comparable to the first Folio and to which he contributed periodically as late as 2000. Brown’s works have been conducted most notably by Bruno Maderna, Luciano Berio, Leonard Bernstein, Hans Zender, Dan Asia, Richard Dufallo, Stephen Mosko, Michael Tilson Thomas, Petr Kotik and Stephen Drury. Brown was an ardent ambassador of his works and conducted dozens of performances. His approach to conducting speaks to the spirit of his own works, as told to Joel Chadabe in 1993: “I just try to live in the moment, right smack there in the moment, without thinking of the past or the future.”

— Rebecca Y. Kim

Rebecca Kim is the editor of  Beyond Notation: The Music of Earle Brown  (University of Michigan Press, 2017), the first comprehensive survey of Brown’s life and work. Kim is a musicologist based in New York. For more information, visit the book’s Facebook page .

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Eric Richards, American experimental composer, dies at 84

Eric Richards , whose music exemplified the spirit of experimentalism and adventure in modern avant-garde American music, died on April 20, 2020, at Mary Manning Walsh nursing home in Manhattan. The cause of death was renal failure. He was 84. Mr. Richards was born in 1935 in New York City. He lived most of his life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He spent his final years dividing his time between both Manhattan and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mr. Richards began his musical studies at Oberlin Conservatory. He later attended and graduated from the Mannes College of Music. Although Mr. Richards studied composition briefly with American composer William Sydeman, he was for the most part self-taught. While at Mannes, he studied Schenkerian analysis with some of its most recognized theorists, including Felix Salzer and Carl Schachter. He subsequently did graduate work in music at New York University with noted musicologist Gustave Reese. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Mr. Richards was on the music theory faculty at Mannes College, influencing a generation of musicians. Without the constraints of accepted formal or technical procedures, his music is an important part of the American experimental music tradition — one that also includes composers Harry Partch, John Cage, Morton Feldman, La Monte Young and James Tenney.

Mr. Richards created his sound world from a collage of musical fragments juxtaposed in close proximity, often at different tempi, saturating the musical time canvas with various nuances and shades in pitch and instrumental color. Many of Mr. Richards’s compositions emanate from a single instrumental sound source multiplied many times (11 oboes, 72 clarinets, l0 double basses, 7 trumpets). A single performer using multi-track recording techniques usually realized these compositions. Using various imitative and masking techniques, the individual voices (tracks) move in and out of the musical surface at different rates of forward motion. The composer has described the overall effect as “a sort of composed-out web of different reverberations or echo of echoes.”

Mr. Richards often emphasized the critical role his observations of America's natural landscape played in his musical compositions and “the way objects at different distances in the landscape could be indistinct at one moment and come sharply into focus at another.” The innovative nature of Mr. Richards’s music is paralleled in the originality of the different forms of graphic musical notation his scores employed. These scores were executed both by hand as well as through the use of various print media.

Notable performances of Mr. Richards’s work include concerts dedicated either in part or entirely to his music (The Kitchen, NYC; Lotus Music, NYC and Issue Project Room, Brooklyn). He held frequent fellowship residencies at both the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire and Wurlitzer Foundation of Taos, New Mexico. His choral composition “though under medium…” was commissioned and recorded by the Gregg Smith Singers (Turnabout). Additional recordings of his music are available on both the Frog Peak and Koch labels. In 2007, New World Records devoted an entire recording (“The Bells Themselves”) to his music. Seesaw Music, Soundings Press, Lingua Press and Frog Peak Music publish his music.

Although Mr. Richards’s music largely eluded widespread public awareness, he developed a devoted and loyal following among composers, performers and conductors of avant-garde music, recording engineers, and other artists — many of whom regard him as a “composer’s composer.” Eric Richards is survived by his sister Lois Broido and his two nieces Belinda Broido and Amy Rabenhorst.

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Danlee Mitchell (1936 - 2024)

In memoriam: stuart saunders smith.

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Talking music : conversations with John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, and five generations of American experimental composers

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Talking Music: Conversations With John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, And 5 Generations Of American Experimental Composers Paperback – May 7, 1999

• Print length 504 pages
• Language English
• Publication date May 7, 1999
• Dimensions 9.2 x 6.23 x 0.94 inches
• ISBN-10 0306808935
• ISBN-13 978-0306808937
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover.

The author skillfully elicits candid dialogues that encompass technical explorations; questions of method, style, and influence; their personal lives and struggles to create; and their aesthetic goals and artistic declarations. Herein, John Cage recalls the turning point in his career; Ben Johnston criticizes the operas of his teacher Harry Partch; La Monte Young attributes his creative discipline to a Mormon childhood; Steve Reich explains how his reharmonizations relate to Debussy; and much more. The results are revelatory conversations with some of America's most radical musical innovators.

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; First Edition (May 7, 1999)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306808935
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306808937
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 6.23 x 0.94 inches
• #867 in Music Reference (Books)
• #884 in Music Encyclopedias
• #90,110 in Biographies (Books)

About the author

William duckworth.

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10 Contemporary Black Composers You Should Know

In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating black excellence by highlighting some of the very best black artists producing and creating work today. This week we are highlighting ten contemporary black composers you should know:

Johnathan bailey holland, daniel bernard roumain, chanda dancy, jeffrey mumford, jessie montgomery, daniel kidane, henry threadgill, damien sneed, anthony r. green.

And yet there are more contemporary black composers that can be added to this list, among them Michael Abels (whose score for Jordan Peele’s award-winning “Get Out” has received critical acclaim), Ahmed Al Abaca, Regina Harris Baiocchi, William Banfield, Courtney Bryan, Jay Coles, O’Neal Douglas, Gary Powell Nash, Nkeiru Okoye, Julius Williams, Carlton L. Winston and this respondent. There are so many contemporary black composers out there that the world has yet to discover.

Yes! So much talent! I was honored to premiere an aria of Regina Harris Baiocchi’ s in Chicago. I continue to seek out and learn about Composers of African descent. Thank you for sharing your gifts Kevin.

Dear Susan Warmington,

Thanks for remembering me! I have fond memories of us working together: your beautiful soprano voice will forever live in my music! Please let me know where you are and how you are faring. I am sure you are still gifting the world with more exciting music. Keep on keeping on, Sis! Peace and love, Regina Harris Baiocchi

Congratulations to mr. Anthony Greens. So proud of you! May God continue to bless you.

Thank you for posting this!

Thanks for sharing. We are truly talented beyond belief.

I can’t believe I only knew one of the composers on this list, and none of the composers that Kevin Scott mentions in his comment. There are so many people and so much musuc to get to know!

Look up Ahmed Alabaca! He is a super talented and young black composer! https://soundcloud.com/ahmed-alabaca

Tyshwan Sorey + Kamasi Washington, etc

And then there’s my little brother, John Christopher Wineglass: http://performingartsmontereybay.com/john-wineglass/

And there’s Renee Baker.

Dr. Andre E Godsey should be added to this list. His music can be found at: https://soundcloud.com/dr_andre_godsey/symphony-number-one-themes-for