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Ben Johnston

About the artist

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.

Top songs

  1. String Quartet No. 7: Scurrying, Forceful, Intense
  2. String Quartet No. 7: With Solemnity
  3. String Quartet No. 7: Eerie
  4. String Quartet No. 8: Lazy, Rocking
  5. String Quartet No. 8: Vigorous, Aggressive
  6. Crossings: The Ascent, String Quartet No. 4, Amazing Grace
  7. String Quartet No. 8: Extremely Light and Rhythmic
  8. String Quartet No. 8: Fast, Skimming - Light
  9. String Quartet No. 6: Legato Espressivo
  10. Quietness
Show all 100 songs
  1. String Quartet No. 9: Strong, calm, slow
  2. String Quartet No. 9: Slow, Expressive
  3. String Quartet No. 10: Brisk, intent - 1995
  4. String Quartet No. 9: Fast, Elated
  5. String Quartet No. 9: Vigorous And Defiant
  6. String Quartet No. 2 - Intimate, spacious
  7. String Quartet No. 10: Solemn - 1995
  8. String Quartet No. 5 - 1979
  9. String Quartet No. 10: Sprightly, not too fast - 1995
  10. String Quartet No. 2 : Light And Quick: With Grace And Humor
  11. Crossings: Verging, String Quartet No. 3
  12. Crossings: The Silence
  13. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 1. Clear and concentrated - 1959
  14. String Quartet No. 10: Deliberate but as fast as possible - 1995
  15. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 2. Sharp - 1959
  16. String Quartet No. 2 - Extremely minute and intense; not fast
  17. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 4. Impetuous - 1959
  18. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 3. Still, spacious - 1959
  19. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 5. Fluid, pulsating - 1959
  20. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 6. Assertive - 1959
  21. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 8. Nervous, driving - 1959
  22. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 7. Rather ominous - 1959
  23. String Quartet No. 1, "Nine Variations": Variation 9. Minute, atmospheric - 1959
  24. Eleven Instrusions II: Study on Archytas' Enharmonic
  25. String Quartet No. 9: III. Slow, Expressive
  26. Sonata For Microtonal Piano: Movement I
  27. The Tavern: Prelude
  28. Septet: Movement 1
  29. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: Movement IV
  30. String Quartet No. 6
  31. String Quartet 7
  32. Eleven Instrusions IV: The Crane
  33. String Quartet No. 4 "Amazing Grace" (After J. Newton)
  34. Casta Bertram
  35. String Quartet No. 5
  36. Septet: Movement 2
  37. Sonnets of Desolation
  38. The Tavern: Who Says Words With My Mouth
  39. Septet: Movement 3
  40. Three Chinese Lyrics: The Jewel Stairs' Grievance
  41. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: Movement II
  42. Ponder Nothing (arr. S. Fancher)
  43. String Quartet No. 2
  44. Ponder Nothing
  45. Gambit: Prelude 1
  46. Gambit: Postlude 1
  47. Gambit: Interlude 1
  48. String Quartet No. 9: I. Strong, Calm, Slow
  49. Sonata For Microtonal Piano: Movement III
  50. String Quartet No. 9: II. Fast, Elated
  51. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: I
  52. Revised Standards: I. Revised Standards (Gershin, Rogers, Kern)
  53. The Tavern: A Community of the Spirit
  54. Trio
  55. Three Chinese Lyrics: Lament Of The Frontier Guard
  56. Gambit: Prelude 2
  57. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: III
  58. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: II
  59. Sonata for Microtonal Piano: IV
  60. Quintet for Groups
  61. Gambit: Interlude 2
  62. Gambit: Postlude 2
  63. Revised Standards: II. Set for Billie Holiday (Lover Man, No More, When Your Lover Has Gone)
  64. String Quartet No. 9: IV. Vigorous and Defiant
  65. String Quartet No. 10: Brisk, intent
  66. Visions and Spels, side 1
  67. The Tavern: The Many Wines
  68. The Tavern: A Children's Game
  69. 10 'Tocatta for Violincello'
  70. Five Fragments: Interior
  71. Visions and Spels, side 2
  72. Five Fragments: The Life in Us
  73. Five Fragments: More Day
  74. Revised Standards: III. I Concentrate on You (Cole Porter)
  75. The Tavern: Special Plates
  76. Five Fragments: Time
  77. Five Fragments: Simplify
  78. Tocatta for Violincello
  79. The Tavern: The New Rule
  80. The Tavern: Burnt Kabob
  81. String Quartet No. 5 (1979)
  82. Suite for Microtonal Piano: II. Blues
  83. Suite for Microtonal Piano: I. Alarum
  84. Amazing Grace
  85. Suite for Microtonal Piano (1977) - I. Alarum
  86. Suite for Microtonal Piano: Alarum
  87. Knocking Piece
  88. Parable: No. 2. A Mouse and a Frog
  89. Parable: No. 1. Prologue
  90. Suite for Microtonal Piano: III. Etude

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