George Antheil

The work of George Antheil, the self-proclaimed "bad boy of music," is marked by sustained rhythmic vitality, harmonic pungency, and melodic vigor. Born on 8 July 1900 in Trenton, New Jersey, Antheil studied with Constantin von Sternberg, Ernest Bloch, and with Clark Smith at the Philadelphia Conservatory. In 1922, he traveled to Europe to pursue a career as a concert pianist, performing in recital many of his own works such as Mechanisms, Airplane Sonata, and Sonata Sauvage. The riots that often ensued contributed to the composer's growing notoriety. In Berlin, he met Stravinsky who became an important influence on his compositional style.

The Parisian artistic community, including Joyce, Pound, Yeats, Satie, Picasso, and others, championed Antheil as musical spokesman for their modernist ideas. His crowning achievement during this period would be the spectacular Ballet mécanique, a milestone in the literature for percussion ensemble. The piece literally shattered conventions and, in a production complete with airplane propellers, created an uproar at its 1927 American premiere in Carnegie Hall.

Later, Antheil would adopt neo-romantic and neo-classic elements such as in the Symphonie en fa and Piano Concerto. In 1936, he settled in Hollywood and began writing film scores.