Today is George Crumb's 82nd birthday. Crumb is an acclaimed contemporary classical composer famous for his experimentation. Still alive, kicking and composing today, he's been known to include such oddities in his scores as having the strings of a contrabass struck with a mallet, or notating that players should enter or leave the stage in the middle of a piece. He's also one of the few composers to specifically include amplified instruments in his compositions.
Another hallmark of Crumb's is writing out his sheet music in such a way that the scores themselves become a work of art. Below we've showcased five examples of Crumb's visual experimentation in his sheet music. Yes, this is exactly how it will appear if you order Crumb's books from your humble narrator at his day job as a sheet-music salesman.
This electric string quartet was a commission by the Stanley Quartet at Crumb's alma mater, the University of Michigan. The piece is obsessively numerological, with each section somehow linking to the numbers 13 and 7.
In addition to playing the keyboard, the pianist is required to strum and pluck the strings; apply glass tumblers and paper to the piano interior; as well as chant, whistle and whisper.
