Xenakis, Iannis 1922 - 2001
Author: Saitoh, Noriko
Last updated：August 1, 2008
Author: Saitoh, Noriko
A Greek composer of Romanian origin. After studying at the National Technical University of Athens, he was primarily active in Paris. He moved to Paris in 1947, where he found employment at Le Corbusier's architectural office and received instruction from Milhaud and Messiaen.
By applying computer-generated numerical values to composition, he brought the characteristic of accumulating short sounds to the musical texture known as "sound clouds." In 1966, he founded the "Centre d'Études de Mathématique et Automatique Musicales" (CEMAMu) in Paris, where he successfully developed the UPIC system, a compositional method that converts graphic forms into music.
Regarding the compositional methods of his early works, they were published as "Musique formelles" in La Revue Musicale in 1963 (an English translation, Formalized Music, was published in 1971).
Works(19)
Concerto (1)
concerto (3)
Piano Solo (2)
Various works (4)
Chamber Music (1)
Various works (8)
Morsima-Amorsima for piano, violin, cello and double bass
Composed in: 1962 Playing time: 10 min 30 sec
Palimpsest for English horn, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, piano and string quintet
Composed in: 1979 Playing time: 12 min 30 sec
Composed in: 1984 Playing time: 17 min 30 sec
Plektó for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello
Composed in: 1993 Playing time: 8 min 30 sec
etc (1)
Various works (3)