Morton Feldman (New York, NY, 1926 – Buffalo, NY, 1987) started studying composition with Wallingford Riegger and Stefan Wolpe while simultaneously maintaining correspondence with Edgard Varèse, who would become one of his greatest influences.

He met John Cage in January 1950, after which he started experimenting using new stylistic and formal resources, notably graphic notation and indeterminacy. Shortly after, he formed the well-known “New York School” alongside composers Christian Wolff and Earle Brown.

He also kept contact with many influential 20th-century artists such as Mark Rothko, Philip Guston, Samuel Beckett and Robert Rauschenberg, to whom he personally dedicated several of his pieces, such as Rothko Chapel (1971), For Philip Guston (1984) and For Samuel Beckett (1987).

Feldman’s last compositional phase was defined by the breaking of several conventions regarding duration, ease of execution, and audience expectations. His String Quartet II (1983) lasts approximately 5 hours, while For John Cage fills a whole CD.