Dartmouth Archive
Full results for Dartmouth Archive >>Jon Appleton (b. 1939) is a composer of both acoustic and electro-acoustic music. He is well-known for his help in developing the Synclavier, an early synthesizer and sampler that has become prized in pop studio and electronic music recordings. For 38 years, Appleton was the Arthur R. Virgin Professor of Music at Dartmouth College. He is currently a visiting professor at Stanford University.
The Dartmouth Archive of Jon Appleton’s works feature some of his most iconic and popular compositions, including the early tape piece, Times Square Times Ten and 1967’s Chef d’oeuvre, arguably his most commercially popular work. Other notable works are his pieces that capture the sound and atmosphere of island culture, Japan and Europe, like Narita Airport Rock, and Nyckelharpen Variations. Also featured are a number of insightful interviews and live performances by Appleton himself on the synclavier. A helpful starting place for the newcomer is Struggling to Be Heard, an excerpt of Appleton’s autobiography read by the composer and accompanied by some of his most important works.
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