At first largely without formal training, the American composer Henry Cowell wrote a great deal of music, often using new techniques. He was helped by Charles Seeger to acquire further technical knowledge, and did much to promote the music of Charles Ives. His influence on the music of America was very considerable, strengthened by his teaching, writing and many compositions.

Piano, Chamber and Vocal Music

Cowell’s music invariably reveals his interest in a whole world of sound, as he explores the possibilities of tone-clusters (groups of adjacent notes played simultaneously), the plucked strings of the piano, elements of Irish influence from his family background, and the wider possibilities in features derived from India, Iran and elsewhere.