Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

October 14, 1935 in Bern, ID

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

LaMonte Young is an American composer who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of minimalist music. Born on October 14, 1935, in Bern, Idaho, Young grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at a young age. He later studied composition at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was introduced to the works of John Cage and other avant-garde composers. Young's early compositions were heavily influenced by Cage's ideas about chance and indeterminacy, but he soon began to develop his own unique style. In the early 1960s, he formed the Theatre of Eternal Music with fellow composer and collaborator Terry Riley, and together they began to explore the possibilities of sustained tones and drones. One of Young's most famous works is "The Well-Tuned Piano," a solo piano piece that can last for several hours. The piece is based on a system of just intonation, which uses pure intervals based on the harmonic series rather than the equal-tempered tuning system used in most Western music. The result is a mesmerizing, meditative sound that has been described as "a sonic cathedral." Another important work by Young is "Dream House," a sound and light installation that he created with his wife, artist Marian Zazeela. The installation features a constantly shifting array of colored lights and a continuous drone of sound that is created by sine wave generators. The effect is immersive and hypnotic, and has been described as a "sonic environment." Throughout his career, Young has been a controversial figure in the world of classical music. His emphasis on sustained tones and drones has been criticized by some as being too simplistic, while others have praised his work for its meditative and spiritual qualities. Despite the controversy, Young's influence on the development of minimalist music cannot be overstated, and his work continues to inspire new generations of composers and musicians.

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