, born in New York City
.
A major figure in 20th century music
, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School
of composers also including John Cage
, Christian Wolff
, and Earle Brown
. Feldman's works are characterized by notational innovations which he developed to create his characteristic sound: rhythms which seem to be free and floating; pitch shadings which seem softly unfocused; a generally quiet and slowly evolving music; recurring asymmetric patterns.
The composer makes plans, music laughs.
After all, Jews invented psychiatry to help other Jews become Gentiles.
...The tragedy of music is that it begins with perfection.
For years I said if I could only find a comfortable chair I would rival Mozart.
My teacher Stefan Wolpe was a Marxist and he felt my music was too esoteric at the time. And he had his studio on a proletarian street, on Fourteenth Street and Sixth Avenue. . . . He was on the second floor and we were looking out the window, and he said, "What about the man on the street?" At that moment . . . Jackson Pollock was crossing the street.