The Long LineThe Long Line Explore Nine Centuries of Music Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

American composer

Thomas Floyd Johnson (November 18, 1939 – December 31, 2024) was an American composer and music critic associated with minimalism. After a religious upbringing in Colorado, he studied at Yale with Allen Forte and in New York City with Morton Feldman. There he covered the work of several noted composers, bringing them to wider attention in The Village Voice.

He found inspiration in the ideas of ancient and early modern mathematicians and philosophers, and collaborated with contemporary mathematicians, while incorporating theatrical and visual elements in his work. Johnson often sought to engage audiences by explaining or narrating the processes of his music in or as part of the musical experience. He relocated to Paris in 1983, where he remarried in 1986 and lived until his death. His works include An Hour for Piano, The Four-Note Opera, Riemannoper, and the Bonhoeffer Oratorio.

Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.

Works

The Long LineThe Long Line
  • 32 Breaths
  • An Hour for Piano
  • Bedtime Stories
  • Bedtime Stories: I
  • Bedtime Stories: II
  • Bedtime Stories: III
  • Bedtime Stories: IV
  • Bedtime Stories: IX
  • Bedtime Stories: V
  • Bedtime Stories: VI
  • Bedtime Stories: VII
  • Bedtime Stories: VIII
  • Bedtime Stories: X
  • Bedtime Stories: XI
  • Bedtime Stories: XII
  • Berceuse
  • Block Design
  • Counting Keys
  • Counting Keys: I.
  • Counting Keys: II.
  • Counting Keys: III.
  • Counting Keys: IV.
  • Counting Keys: V.
  • Counting Music
  • Counting Music: Hebrew
  • Einstimmiger Polyrhythmus
  • Failing: A Very Difficult Piece for String Bass
  • Infinite Melodies
  • Infinite Melodies: I.
  • Infinite Melodies: II.
  • Infinite Melodies: III.
  • Infinite Melodies: IV.
  • Kientzy Loops
  • Kirkman's Ladies (Rational Harmonies in Three Voices)
  • Long Decays
  • Music for 88
  • Music for 88: Abundant Numbers
  • Music for 88: Eighty-Eights
  • Music for 88: Eratosthenes' Sieve
  • Music for 88: Euler's Harmonies
  • Music for 88: Mersenne Numbers
  • Music for 88: Multiplication Table
  • Music for 88: Pascal's Triangle
  • Music for 88: Squares
  • Music for 88: Triangles
  • Narayana's Cows
  • Organ and Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: I. Before the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: II. Around the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: III. Within the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: IV. Through the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: V. Against the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: VI. For the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: VII. Toward the Silence
  • Organ and Silence for Piano: VIII. Into the Silence
  • Organ and Silence: I.
  • Organ and Silence: II.
  • Organ and Silence: III.
  • Organ and Silence: IV.
  • Organ and Silence: IX.
  • Organ and Silence: V.
  • Organ and Silence: VI.
  • Organ and Silence: VII.
  • Organ and Silence: VIII.
  • Organ and Silence: X.
  • Organ and Silence: XI.
  • Organ and Silence: XII.
  • Organ and Silence: XIII.
  • Organ and Silence: XIV.
  • Organ and Silence: XIX.
  • Organ and Silence: XV.
  • Organ and Silence: XVI.
  • Organ and Silence: XVII.
  • Organ and Silence: XVIII.
  • Organ and Silence: XX.
  • Organ and Silence: XXI.
  • Organ and Silence: XXII.
  • Organ and Silence: XXIII.
  • Organ and Silence: XXIV.
  • Organ and Silence: XXV.
  • Organ and Silence: XXVI.
  • Organ and Silence: XXVII.
  • Organ and Silence: XXVIII.
  • Rational Melodies
  • Rational Melodies: I
  • Rational Melodies: II
  • Rational Melodies: III
  • Rational Melodies: IV
  • Rational Melodies: IX
  • Rational Melodies: V
  • Rational Melodies: VI
  • Rational Melodies: VII
  • Rational Melodies: VIII
  • Rational Melodies: X
  • Rational Melodies: XI
  • Rational Melodies: XII
  • Rational Melodies: XIII
  • Rational Melodies: XIV
  • Rational Melodies: XIX
  • Rational Melodies: XV
  • Rational Melodies: XVI
  • Rational Melodies: XVII
  • Rational Melodies: XVIII
  • Rational Melodies: XX
  • Rational Melodies: XXI
  • Secret Songs
  • Tango
  • The Chord Catalogue
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 1 Thirteen-Note Chord
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 1287 Eight-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 1287 Five-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 13 Twelve-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 1716 Seven-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 1716 Six-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 286 Ten-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 286 Three-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 715 Four-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 715 Nine-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 78 Eleven-Note Chords
  • The Chord Catalogue: The 78 Two-Note Chords
  • Tilework for Oboe "Three Crossings"
  • Tilework for Oboe "Three Crossings": I.
  • Tilework for Oboe "Three Crossings": II.
  • Tilework for Oboe "Three Crossings": III.
  • Tilework for Piano
  • Tortue de mer
  • Voicings