Henry Cowell

Picked up two lovely CD's of the music by Henry Cowell on Naxos,both by the group Continuum,simply called "Henry Cowell, A Continuum Portratit vols 1 & 2" (Naxos 8.559192 and 8.559193) which had a review in Wire back in 2005. Originally recorded in 1992,but released by Naxos in their American Composes Series.

His music seems to divide critics. Personally i think he is just as vital as the music of say John Cage.Like Ligeti ,he explored tone clusters and the use of atonality and microtonality mixed in with more harmonic aspects.

It is difficult to define the most influential American composers,but i think a place for Cowell has to be in there somewhere ,along with fellow avant-gardists such as John Cage,Morton Feldman,Milton Babbitt,Robert Ashley,Tod Dockstader, Earl Brown, Steve Reich, Tom Hamilton,Terry Reilly,Roger Reynolds, David Tudor and George Crumb. Others may argue and i will listen to all views as some i might have forgotten.

LaMonte Young is another -,as too Ingram Marshall,and Morton Subotnik,as well as Charlesmagne Palestine. (you see the list could go on) I have music by all of these people and i wouldn't put one above the other. I respect them all. Some are more intereting than others,it is a question of degree i suppose.