Ben Johnston
About Ben Johnston
Ben Johnston (Benjamin Burwell Johnston, Jr., Macon, Georgia, USA, March 15, 1926 – July 21, 2019) was an American contemporary music composer using "just intonation" (system of tuning). He was called "one of the foremost composers of microtonal music" by Philip Bush (1997) and "one of the best non-famous composers this country has to offer" by John Rockwell (1990). Johnston taught composition and theory at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1951 to 1986, before retiring to North Carolina.
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Top Tracks
String Quartet No. 7: Scurrying, Forceful, Intense
String Quartet No. 7: With Solemnity
String Quartet No. 7: Eerie
String Quartet No. 8: Lazy, Rocking
String Quartet No. 8: Vigorous, Aggressive
Crossings: The Ascent, String Quartet No. 4, Amazing Grace
String Quartet No. 8: Extremely Light and Rhythmic
String Quartet No. 8: Fast, Skimming - Light
String Quartet No. 6: Legato Espressivo
Quietness
String Quartet No. 9: Strong, calm, slow
String Quartet No. 9: Slow, Expressive
String Quartet No. 10: Brisk, intent - 1995
String Quartet No. 9: Fast, Elated
String Quartet No. 9: Vigorous And Defiant
String Quartet No. 2 - Intimate, spacious
String Quartet No. 10: Solemn - 1995
String Quartet No. 5 - 1979
String Quartet No. 10: Sprightly, not too fast - 1995
String Quartet No. 2 : Light And Quick: With Grace And Humor
Crossings: Verging, String Quartet No. 3
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 1. Clear and concentrated - 1959
Crossings: The Silence
String Quartet No. 10: Deliberate but as fast as possible - 1995
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 2. Sharp - 1959
String Quartet No. 2 - Extremely minute and intense; not fast
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 4. Impetuous - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 3. Still, spacious - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 5. Fluid, pulsating - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 6. Assertive - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 8. Nervous, driving - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 7. Rather ominous - 1959
String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 9. Minute, atmospheric - 1959
Eleven Instrusions II: Study on Archytas' Enharmonic
String Quartet No. 9: III. Slow, Expressive
Sonata For Microtonal Piano: Movement I
The Tavern: Prelude
Septet: Movement 1
Sonata for Microtonal Piano: Movement IV
String Quartet No. 6
String Quartet 7
Eleven Instrusions IV: The Crane
Casta Bertram
String Quartet No. 4 "Amazing Grace" (After J. Newton)
String Quartet No. 5
Sonnets of Desolation
The Tavern: Who Says Words With My Mouth
Septet: Movement 2
Septet: Movement 3
Sonata for Microtonal Piano: Movement II
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