More Than Music: Lou Harrison

Who is Lou Harrison? Our latest More Than Music episode explores the work of an American original.

Harrison used instruments rarely seen in any ensemble—Flower pots, parts of old cars, and junk he collected with composer John Cage. Together, he blended eastern and western music into his own unique creation.

Cultural historian Joe Horowitz says Harrison was “a prophetic West Coast composer who practiced “world music” before there was a name for it.”

The rest of Harrison’s life, in which he embraced gay rights, environmentalism, humanism, and poetry, echoed the composer’s endless pursuit of knowledge and wonder.

So why have so many never heard of him?

Horowitz says that might depend on where you live.