Wallingford Riegger

Georgia-born American composer Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961) was one of the "American Five," an early modernist composer allied with the "New Music" group headed by Henry Cowell. Educated in Germany, Riegger started out with a conservative profile, but switched to experimental composition by the mid-'20s; his Dichotomy (1932) is regarded as a classic of American avant-garde. Tired of isolation from the mainstream, Riegger re-adopted some aspects of his conservative approach and scored a hit with his Symphony No. 3 (1948); his last years were spent finding ways to cultivate both sides of his musical interests. Riegger also composed popular music under pseudonyms.