<< Return to Composers Index

George Carl Johann Antheil, born in 1900, grew up in New Jersey in a family of German immigrants. He began studying piano under Constantine von Sternberg and Ernest Bloch in 1916. His first performances were met with much criticism as he was described as “loud, brazen, and percussive.” He later received formal training in composition and eventually moved to Paris with his wife, Böski Markus. He is best-known for his Ballet Mécanique (1924) which received only mild acclaim when first performed. He jumped into the American music scene with A Jazz Symphony in 1925 which combines both jazz elements and the modern trends from Paris, including ideas from Stravinsky and Milhaud. Antheil moved to Hollywood in 1936 where he took on the role of film composer, most notably for the CBS program The 20th Century narrated by Walter Cronkite. He returned to A Jazz Symphony in 1955 to condense and rescore it for chamber ensemble. More information can be found at www.antheil.org.