Henry Cowell

For the California state park, see Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
Henry Cowell
Photo from promotional flier for Cowell's 1924 Carnegie Hall debut
Born
Henry Dixon Cowell

(1897-03-11)March 11, 1897
Menlo Park, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 1965(1965-12-10) (aged 68)
Woodstock, New York, U.S.
Occupations
Spouse
​
(m. 1941)​
Parent(s)Harry Cowell
Clarissa Dixon
Signature

Henry Dixon Cowell (/ˈkaʊəl/; March 11, 1897 – December 10, 1965) was an American composer, writer, pianist, publisher, teacher[1][2][3] and the husband of Sidney Robertson Cowell. Earning a reputation as an extremely controversial performer and eccentric composer, Cowell became a leading figure of American avant-garde music for the first half of the 20th century — his writings and music serving as a great influence to similar artists at the time, including Lou Harrison, George Antheil, and John Cage, among others.[4][5][6] He is considered one of America's most important and influential composers.[2][7]

Cowell was mostly self-taught and developed a unique musical language, often blending folk melodies, dissonant counterpoint, unconventional orchestration, and themes of Irish paganism. He was an early proponent and innovator of many modernist compositional techniques and sensibilities, many for the piano, including the string piano, prepared piano, tone clusters, and graphic notation.[1][8] The Tides of Manaunaun, originally a theatrical prelude, is the best-known and most widely-performed of Cowell's tone cluster pieces for piano.

  1. ^ a b Nicholls, David; Sachs, Joel (2001). "Cowell, Henry". Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2249182. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  2. ^ a b Marchioni, Tonimarie (2012). "Henry Cowell: A Life Stranger Than Fiction". The Juilliard Journal. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  3. ^ Campbell, Brett (2014). "Liberating Henry Cowell's Music at San Quentin". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  4. ^ Buja, Maureen (2022) "Playing With the Piano: Henry Cowell and John Cage" Interlude. Retrieved 11 June 2022
  5. ^ Cage, John "Composers' Voices From Ives To Ellington: John Cage on Henry Cowell" Oral History of American Music, Retrieved 11 June 2022
  6. ^ Swed, Mark (2010). "Critic's notebook: Revelatory Henry Cowell revival at Lincoln Center". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  7. ^ Sachs, p. 7
  8. ^ Peyser, Joan (1981). "Henry Cowell — an Influential 'American Original'" The New York Times, Retrieved 20 June 2022.