George Antheil

George Antheil (June 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American composer and pianist of Polish descent. He first established a career as a concert pianist, mostly in Europe, but shortly thereafter also attracted notice for his avant-garde compositions, which were strongly influenced by Stravinsky. His most famous work is Ballet mécanique (1926), intended as a concert piece and not as music for dancers, despite the title: it's the machines that are doing the dancing in this piece, which includes parts for electric buzzers and airplane propellers.

Related Topics:
June 8 - 1900 - February 12 - 1959 - American - Composer - Pianist - Polish - Avant-garde - Stravinsky - Ballet mécanique - 1926 - Propeller

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In the 1930s Antheil's music grew more traditional, but at the same time he found difficulty making a living, and at various times he wrote film scores, conducted a lonely-hearts column, and wrote for Esquire Magazine. His autobiography, Bad Boy of Music (1945), was a popular success, and it remains a vivid and entertaining account of his experiences. In the last two decades of his life he was in demand as a composer of operas and film scores. Long after his death, his work in yet another field was belatedly recognized: he and Hedy Lamarr are credited with inventing the frequency-hopping spread spectrum technique for signal transmission in 1942. He died in 1959, in New York City leaving his wife, Boski, and two surviving children, Peter, and Chris.

Related Topics:
1930s - Esquire Magazine - Hedy Lamarr - Frequency-hopping spread spectrum - 1942

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