(b Chingford, 14 Aug 1892; d Winfrith, 14 Oct 1988). English composer of Spanish-Sicilian-Parsi parentage. Largely self-taught, he became known in the 1920s for luxuriant and polyphonic piano works in a style relatable to Szymanowski and Busoni, and sometimes of enormous duration: the Opus clavicembalisticum (1930) plays for nearly three hours. But soon after writing it he withdrew from public activity and placed an embargo on his music, though he continued to compose immense piano and symphonic works, many incorporating Eastern influences. Only in 1976 did he allow performances to recommence. He was a biting critic of flashing wit, who often praised composers who only later became fashionable; his two books contain many of those essays.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.