Cowell, Henry 1897 - 1965
Author: Saitoh, Noriko
Last updated：August 1, 2008
Author: Saitoh, Noriko
American composer, also active as a pianist. He actively pursued experimental endeavors and contributed to the development of 20th-century musical language. His piano piece “The Tides of Manaunaun” (1921?) is considered the first work in music history to employ tone clusters. He devised a playing technique that involved directly touching the piano strings with his fingers to produce sound. He began composing at the age of eight, having started learning the violin at five. However, he received formal musical education only upon entering the University of California in 1914. For Cowell, Irish folk music, Eastern music, sounds from nature, and artificial sounds all served as potential musical material.
Cowell, who performed and gave concerts not only in the United States but also across Europe, established his own publishing house and published works by Schoenberg, Webern, and Ives. In addition, he was actively engaged as a music professor and writer. Among Cowell's students, John Cage is notable. He also co-authored a biography of Ives with his wife.
Works(49)
Concerto (2)
concerto (2)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (2)
Piano Solo (6)
pieces (4)
invention (2)
character pieces (6)
Various works (29)