John White

While John White was regarded as almost an oddity among British composers -- a minor figure of eccentric compositional method, or, more correctly, methods -- he wielded significant influence over the years. The composer of over 180 piano sonatas (mostly short works after Scarlatti's example), more than 20 symphonies, 35 ballets, and more, including works for the tuba, White wrote in a range of styles and was the creator of a sort of British counterpart to minimalism called "systems music." In this style, music or tones are determined in accordance with some random process, suc...