As seen on TV! Watch the new mini-documentary on NJN! The George Antheil story is part of NJN's program "State of
the Arts ." Recently nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy. Bravo!

Composer, Pianist, Inventor

Born in 1900, in Trenton, New Jersey, George Antheil (pronounced "ANN-tile") left the States at 22 and had an overnight success in Europe as a concert pianist and avant-garde composer. Antheil became famous for his aggressive style and mechanically inspired works: the Ballet mécanique, the Airplane Sonata, the Death of Machines. Adopted instantly by Erik Satie, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and the moderns of Paris, Antheil surprised everyone by converting to neo-classicism in 1926 and subsequently moving back to the United States. After a period of writing for Esquire Magazine and travelling around the country, Antheil settled in Hollywood and was hired by Ben Hecht to write film scores. In 1942 he invented and patented a torpedo-control device in conjunction with the actress Hedy Lamarr. Aside from composing prolifically, he managed to also write on topics ranging from endocrinology to music to the German military.
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“Afterwards, when the piece is over, when you’ve stood up, taken your bow, and sat down again, when you’ve wiped your forehead, and your very important hands, you think: ‘I wish I were a professional boxer, the next round against the Steinway would be much more comfortable wearing shorts.’ “

--George Antheil, Autobiography

Audio! Listen to Antheil's Music

Links

Festival Schedule (html) (pdf)

All About George Antheil

Ballet Mecanique Site

Schirmer Publishing

Top-Ten List of Antheil CDs and Books available on Amazon.com

Composers Guild of New Jersey

Trenton Postcards

Benjamin Lees, composer and former student of Antheil

Henry Brant, composer and student of Antheil


Quote
“Afterwards, when the piece is over, when you've stood up, taken your bow, and sat down again, when you've wiped your forehead, and your very important hands, you think: 'I wish I were a professional boxer, the next round against the Steinway would be much more comfortable wearing shorts.' ”
—George Antheil, Autobiography