Xenakis, Gianis

Born May 1, 1922, in Athens. Greek composer.

Xenakis graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in Athens in 1947. He studied music in Paris with the composers A. Honegger and D. Milhaud from 1948 to 1950; from 1950 to 1953 he studied composition under O. Messiaen at the Paris Conservatory. His early compositions were influenced by Greek folklore. He subsequently became an adherent of the principles of dodecaphony. As one of the extreme representatives of the avant-garde in music, Xenakis developed an original system of composition, which is based primarily on the fundamentals of mathematical logic; the music is designed for unusual instrumental groups and breaks completely with classical tradition. He has expounded his avant-garde position in many theoretical works.