Varese, Edgard, << vah REHZ, ehd GAIR >> (1883-1965), was a leading composer of the early 1900’s. He refused to follow any school or system of musical composition and did not even consider himself a composer in the traditional sense. Varese declared he was merely an “organizer of sounds.” His works influenced many American and European composers of the mid-1900’s.
Varese composed almost all his important works from 1921 to 1935. He was one of the first to write for percussion instruments only. His most famous composition, Ionisation (1931), requires 13 performers who play 39 percussion instruments, including an assortment of drums, a piano, gongs, and chimes. The work also includes two sirens and a “lion’s roar.” These compositions are mostly played by traditional instruments, but they reflect Varese’s early interest in the unusual sounds and precise ability to control them that he later found in electronic music (see Electronic music ).
Varese was born on Dec. 22, 1883, in Paris and settled in the United States in 1915. He became a U.S. citizen in 1926. Varese founded the New Symphony Orchestra in 1919 and helped establish the International Composers Guild in 1921. Both organizations were dedicated to promoting modern music. Varese died on Nov. 6, 1965.
