Cowell, << KOW uhl, >> Henry (1897-1965), was an American composer. His works and theories greatly influenced the development of experimental music in the United States. Cowell developed the technique of tone clusters. He created these dissonant effects by having a pianist strike groups of adjacent keys with the fingers, fist, or forearm. Such European composers as Béla Bartók used tone clusters in their works.
Cowell composed an enormous amount of music, including 19 symphonies. Perhaps his greatest symphony is Symphony No. 11 (Seven Rituals of Music, 1953). Cowell based several compositions on the music of India, Japan, and other Asian nations. Such works as Tales of the Countryside (1941) show the influence of his lifelong interest in folk music. Cowell followed the form of earlier American hymns in a series of 18 pieces for various combinations of instruments, which he called Hymn and Fuguing Tune (1944-1964).
Cowell discussed his theories in the book New Musical Resources (1930). He and his wife, Sydney, wrote Charles Ives and His Music (1955). This book helped establish Ives‘s reputation as a major American composer. Essential Cowell: Selected Writings on Music was published in 2002, after Cowell’s death. Cowell was born in Menlo Park, California, on March 11, 1897. He died on Dec. 10, 1965.
