Antheil, George

Antheil, George (ăn`tīl), 1900–1959, American composer, b. Trenton, N.J. He went to Europe in 1920 and became known for his iconoclastic approach to music. In 1927 a performance of his Ballet mécanique, scored for player piano, car horns, airplane propellers, and the like, caused a great stir among critics and concertgoers in New York City. Much of his early work, such as the opera Transatlantic (1930), reveals the influence of jazz. Antheil's later compositions include more traditional symphonies and sonatas.

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Antheil, George (1900–59) composer; born in Trenton, N.J. After childhood studies in piano and composition (with Ernest Bloch), he made a sensation on a 1922 European tour with his "ultra-modern" compositions such as Sonate sauvage. Becoming a favorite of the influential Parisian avant-garde, Antheil in 1926 premiered his most famous/infamous work, the Ballet mécanique, a percussive score including an airplane engine and other noisemakers. Returning to the U.S.A. in 1927, he settled into a long career of relatively conservative composing, including a number of film scores. His autobiography, Bad Boy of Music, appeared in 1945.