David Tudor was an American pianist and composer of experimental music. He studied piano with Stefan Wolpe and becameknown as one of
theleading performers of avant garde piano music. He gave the first American performance of the PianoSonata No. 2 by Pierre Boulez in 1950,
anda European tour in 1954 greatly enhanced his reputation. Karlheinz Stockhausendedicated his Klavierstück VI (1955) to Tudor. Tudor also
gaveearly performances of works by Morton Feldman and La MonteYoung.
The composer with which Tudor is particularly associated is John Cage. He gave the premiere of Cage’s Music ...read more
David Tudor was an American pianist and composer of experimental music. He studied piano with Stefan Wolpe and becameknown as one of
theleading performers of avant garde piano music. He gave the first American performance of the PianoSonata No. 2 by Pierre Boulez in 1950,
anda European tour in 1954 greatly enhanced his reputation. Karlheinz Stockhausendedicated his Klavierstück VI (1955) to Tudor. Tudor also
gaveearly performances of works by Morton Feldman and La MonteYoung.
The composer with which Tudor is particularly associated is John Cage. He gave the premiere of Cage’s Music of Changes,Concerto For Pianoand
Orchestra and the notorious 4’ 33”. Cage said that many of his pieces were written either specifically forTudor to perform or with him inmind.
The two worked closely together on many of Cage’s pieces, both works for piano andelectronic pieces. Upon Cage’s death in 1992, Tudortook
over as music director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.Tudor is also highly regarded as a composer of live electronic music,building
his idiosyncratic electronic instruments fromscratch and influencing generations of electronic performers.
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