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Artist
John Luther Adams
12+ albums
contemporary classicalminimalismAvant-GardeClassicalpost-minimalist
about
John Luther Adams (born January 23, 1953 in Meridian, Mississippi) is a composer whose music is inspired by nature, especially the landscapes of Alaska where he has lived since 1978. Like many composers of his generation, John Luther Adams did not grow up immersed in scored music. Adams began playing music as a teenager, as a drummer in rock bands. Through his experience in rock bands, friends introduced him to the music of Frank Zappa. Through the liner notes of a Zappa album, he discovered Edgard Varèse. Similarly, Varèse's liner notes brought him to John Cage. But it was not until Adams discovered Morton Feldman that he found his calling. Adams attended Cal Arts as an undergraduate in the early 1970s, where he studied with James Tenney and Leonard Stein. His group of classmates includes the composers Lois V Vierk and Peter Garland. After graduating from Cal Arts, Adams began work in environmental protection. This work first brought him to Alaska in 1975. His deep love for the location led to his permanent migration there in 1978. It continues to be the driving force in his music to this day. In 1993, he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. Adams's musical work spans many genres and media. He has composed for television, film, children's theater, voice, acoustic instruments, orchestra, and electronics. His frequent use of static textures and subtle changes show his obvious affinities with minimalism, and his tendencies
top songs
1
Become Ocean
11,1952In The White Silence: Letter B
4,6353The Farthest Place
4,2474Canticles of the Sky: I. Sky with Four Suns
3,8105The Wind in High Places: II. Maclaren Summit
3,2146Inuksuit: Part II
3,0717The Light that Fills the World
2,7588Become Desert
2,0379Canticles of the Sky: Sky with Four Suns
2,02910Tukiliit
1,686albums
John Luther Adams: Become Ocean
The Wind in High Places
John Luther Adams: In the White Silence
Adams: Inuksuit
The Light That Fills the World
Adams: The Light That Fills the World
John Luther Adams: Become Desert
The Far Country
John Luther Adams: Ilimaq
John Luther Adams: Canticles of the Holy Wind
songbirdsongs
Luther Adams: Songbirdsongs