Background
Composer George Antheil was born June 8, 1900 in Trenton, New Jersey. He studied piano and composition from an early age and
moved to Europe in 1922, finally landing in Paris after a year in Berlin. While in Paris, Antheil befriended a number of avant-garde
artists and writers, and composed several works that called for unorthodox instrumentation. His best-known work Ballet Mécanique (1924), originally intended to accompany a Fernand Léger film, included sirens, bells, and airplane propellers. Following
its unfavorable premier in New York in 1927, Antheil continued to compose concert works, ballets, and operas, while dividing
his time between Europe and the U.S. In 1936, he settled in Los Angeles, where he composed music for numerous films and also
continued to write classical works during the 1940s and 1950s. In addition to music, Antheil had several other pursuits including
writing, endocrinology, and technological invention. George Antheil died in New York on February 12, 1959.