About
Iannis Xenakis, born in Romania to Greek parents, studied engineering in Athens before fleeing to France in 1947 after fighting in the Greek Resistance. He worked for twelve years with Le Corbusier, then studied with Olivier Messiaen. A pioneer of stochastic music, he applied mathematics to composition, notably using computers. He created multimedia installations (Polytopes) and developed the UPIC system. His output, over a hundred works, left a mark on the 20th century.
* 1922-05-28 — † 2001-02-04
Major works
- Metastaseis (1954)orchestral work
- Pithoprakta (1956)orchestral work
- Nomos Alpha (1965)cello piece
- Persephassa (1969)percussion work
- Pléïades (1979)percussion work
Key milestones
- 1947Settles in France after being sentenced to death in absentia in Greece.
- 1955Publishes the essay 'The Crisis of Serial Music' that founds stochastic music.
- 1979Develops UPIC, a graphical synthesizer that translates drawings into sounds.
Themes
Stochastic musicMathematics and compositionArchitecture and musicMultimedia and installationsComputer music
Sources: ressources.ircam.fr · britannica.com · durand-salabert-eschig.com