A major figure in 20th-century music, Morton Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown. Feldman’s works are characterized by notational innovations that he developed to create his characteristic sound: rhythms that seem to be free and floating; pitch shadings that seem softly […]
continue readingConcept, Context and Cage – Sonatas and Interludes (1946-1948)
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher, and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Students of music history have probably seen photographs of pianos fitted by Cage with all sorts […]
continue readingTerry Riley – A Rainbow in Curved Air
Terry Riley is what I call a music portal. When I listen to A Rainbow in Curved Air the third album by the experimental music and classical minimalism pioneer I am pulled into a world of unlimited musical possibilities and potentials. A keyboard virtuoso, Riley plays all the instruments on the title track: electric organ, electric harpsichord (Rock-Si-Chord), dumbec (or goblet drum), and tambourine. The largely […]
continue readingElectric Counterpoint Nostalgia
In actuality, I rarely listen to music. I’m so busy composing, arranging, performing, recording and producing it, there just isn’t enough time in the day. I literally sleep an average between 4 to 6 hours a day and most of that awake time is creating music. That of course is radically different then from my […]
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