Elliott Carter was an American modernist composer, known for his erudite style and metric modulation. Although he began his career as a neoclassic composer, he soon learned to reinvent himself, combining elements of European modernism with American "ultra-modernism" to produce a distinctive style of his own. Born into a well-to-do family, he developed an early interest in modern music, which, despite his parents’ discouragement, continued to grow, mentored at this stage by Charles Ives. Eventually, he joined Harvard University, first with English, later studying music with Edward Burlingame Hill, Gustav Holst and Walter Piston. In early 1930s, he also studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, earning his PhD from École Normale de Musique de Paris. Later, he returned home to begin his career as a composer, simultaneously teaching at various distinguished institutions, writing music until his death at the age of 103, publishing more than 60 works in his last twenty-three years, earning numerous prizes including two the Pulitzer Prizes.
