Whole World of Music

It is impossible to contain Henry Cowell within the boundaries of the consistencies of forms styles ensembles and genres of Western art music. John Cage once described Cowell as the open sesame for new music in America. Of the thousand or so works catalogued by William Lichtenwanger the majority are formally innovative single movement vocal or instrumental pieces although there are 20 symphonies five string quartets and 8 suites of various kinds. Cowell was also innovative in his use of instruments from different cultures (jalatarang dragonmouths Japanese wind glasses the shakuhachi flute) and in this book Lou Harrison writes of Cowell's adventurous promotion of automobile junkyards for the finding of new sounds. In addition Cowell was a tireless advocate of new music in the West and Musics from other cultures worldwide as a teacher lecturer publisher and performer. He founded New Music Quarterly in 1927 wrote the influential book Ne In this major book of articles