Role

:

Composer Performer

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

September 12, 1930 in Duncan, OK

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

Larry Austin was an American composer, born on August 6, 1930, in Duncan, Oklahoma. He was raised in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a singer. Austin began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the trumpet and saxophone. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he studied music composition and theory. After completing his undergraduate studies, Austin moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He worked as a jazz musician and composer, performing with notable musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. However, Austin soon became interested in contemporary classical music and began studying with composer Edgard Varèse. In 1958, Austin moved to Europe to study with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne, Germany. He also studied with other prominent composers such as Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez. During this time, Austin began experimenting with electronic music and became one of the pioneers of the genre. In the 1960s, Austin returned to the United States and began teaching at the University of California, San Diego. He continued to compose and perform, and his works were performed at prestigious venues such as the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. One of Austin's most notable works is "The Well-Tuned Piano," a five-hour-long piece for solo piano. The piece is based on the principles of just intonation, a tuning system that uses pure intervals instead of the tempered tuning system used in Western music. The piece has been performed by Austin and other pianists around the world, and a recording of the piece was released in 1987. Another notable work by Austin is "Accidents," a piece for orchestra and electronics. The piece was inspired by the idea of chance and randomness in music, and features a computer-generated score that is played by the orchestra. The piece was premiered in 1967 and has been performed by orchestras around the world. Austin was also known for his collaborations with other artists, including poets, dancers, and visual artists. He often incorporated elements of these art forms into his compositions, creating multimedia works that were both innovative and engaging. Throughout his career, Austin received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to contemporary music. He was a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, and a recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Award. He also served as the president of the International Computer Music Association from 1990 to 1994. Larry Austin passed away on December 30, 2018, at the age of 88. He left behind a legacy of innovative and groundbreaking music that continues to inspire and influence musicians and composers around the world.

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