Harrison, Lou
Harrison, Lou (b Portland, Oregon, 1917; d Lafayette, IN 2003). Amer. composer and teacher. Organized concerts with John Cage. Taught at Mills Coll., 1936–9. Went to NY 1943, writing mus. criticism for Herald-Tribune 1945–8 and working as copyist and ballet composer. Ed. some of Ives's mus., incl. 3rd sym. of which he cond. f.p. 1947. Later taught in N Carolina and took many jobs not connected with mus. Also invented new methods of clavichord construction and built a Phrygian aulos. His works reflect his busy and restless outlook: they combine Schoenbergian and aleatory procedures, use quarter-tones, call for extraordinary devices for producing unusual sounds, and emulate medieval polyphony and gamelan rhythms. Taught at San José State Univ. 1967–82, Mills Coll. 1980–5. Comps., in many genres, incl. operas Rapunzel (1954) and Young Caesar (1971); 14 ballets; ww. sextet Schoenbergiana; pf conc. (1985); 3 syms.; chamber mus.; choral works; songs; and gamelan pieces.
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Harrison, Lou
