“I do think that composers inherit a kind of acoustic.”Fragments from other composers float through his works and settle in strange places. Asked whether he was ever criticized for writing tonal pieces or quoting Chopin, Mr. Crumb replied innocently. “Maybe they spoke about it, and I didn’t hear them.”While much of the respected music in those days was intellectual and a bit airless, “George was a maverick,” Mr. Kalish said. “His music was so appealing and emotional.”That’s not to say Mr. Crumb makes it easy for performers. The hand-drawn staves on his manuscripts sometimes curve into circles or break up into islands in a sea of white paper.

Source: New York Times April 11, 2019 16:13 UTC