Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of composer Lou Harrison. Frequently described as an “American maverick,” Harrison was a pioneer of assimilating what is now termed “world music,” blending Eastern and Western elements. In this way, he navigated his own route to postmodernism, and his influence has been as keenly felt as that of any 20th century composer.
Typically, Harrison discards the sense of willfulness and the projection of self that make many of our 20th century classics undeniably great. But in the process, he uncovers something else, a kind of musical equivalent to Zen that can be as entrancing as it is immediately accessible in its elegant simplicity. Funny to consider that among his teachers was Arnold Schoenberg. But then Harrison found joy in all kinds of music. He was mentored by Henry Cowell and Virgil Thomson. He was a friend of John Cage. He was an early champion of composers Edgard Varèse, Carl Ruggles and Alan Hovhaness.
Among his great contributions on behalf of others: Harrison conducted the world premiere of Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 3, “The Camp Meeting,” at Carnegie Hall in 1946. The piece had lain unperformed, in Ives’ possession, since its creation 40 years earlier. The symphony went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and it remains one of the few works to have been so honored to have entered the standard repertoire.
A lifelong pacifist, Harrison lived an openly gay lifestyle since the 1930s. To help make ends meet, he took side jobs as a record salesman, a florist, an animal nurse, and a forestry firefighter. He died at the age of 85 from a heart attack while traveling to a festival of his own music at Ohio State University in 2003. Not a bad way to go.
Happy birthday, Lou Harrison. You’ve touched many, many more than those who know your name.