1 finding aid(s) found containing the word(s) Cowell, Henry, 1897-1965--Autographs.

  1. Henry Cowell music manuscripts, 1909-1965

    approximately 1,100 items. 37 containers plus bound scores. 18 linear feet . 10 microfilm reels. -- Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

    Summary:

    Henry Cowell was an American composer, theorist, writer, pianist, and teacher. A member of the 1920s "ultra-modernists," Cowell's experimental compositions explored a myriad of unusual instrumental techniques and non-Western musical sounds. Works such as The Aeolian Harp (1923), The Banshee (1925), and Mosaic Quartet (1935) are seminal examples of his exploration of 'tone clusters,' or secondal harmonies, for expanding the musical sound palette. Cowell was also a prolific writer and editor who founded The New Music Quarterly in 1927 as an outlet for the musical works of modern composers. This finding aid collates classed holograph manuscript scores, sketches, and parts by Cowell that were donated to the Music Division beginning in the 1950s.