Edward T. Cone was an American composer, music theorist, pianist and philanthropist. He studied composition under Roger Sessions at Princeton University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1939, when he was the first undergraduate student at Princeton to have an original musical composition accepted as a senior thesis. Cone also was one of the first recipients of a Master of Fine Arts degree in music at Princeton in 1942.

After serving in the Army’s Office of Strategic Services during World War II, he joined the Princeton Department of Music faculty as an instructor in 1946. He was appointed an assistant professor in 1947 and a full professor in 1960. He taught music theory, history and composition.

Cone’s numerous compositions include a symphony and works for piano, voice, chorus, orchestra and chamber ensembles. In 1974, the New Jersey Bicentennial Festival commissioned his Music for Strings, which was performed at the celebration by the Concert Orchestra of New Jersey. Cone was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in musical composition in 1947, and in 1975 he earned the Deems Taylor Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for the book The Composer’s Voice.

Cone, known for his contributions to music criticism and analysis, also composed a significant body of music. His scholarly work addressed musical form and aesthetics, particularly questions of rhythm and musical phrasing, and he was the co-editor of the journal Perspectives of New Music between 1965 and 1969.

LEARN MORE:

Read an interview about composition, music criticism and teaching. (Includes video excerpts that were filmed at Cone’s home in Princeton in 2003.)

Learn more about Edward T. Cone’s writing and teaching. [PDF]

Visit the Edward T. Cone Wikipedia page for a comprehensive listing of his compositions and writings.