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Christian Wolff

Person · male · United States · Nice · born 1934 · recording since 1972

American composer and classicist (born 1934)

20th-century classical music experimental music

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Listen on Spotify YouTube Music

Also known as 克利斯提安·沃爾夫

Debut: 1972
Recording span: 53 years
Release groups: 30
Awards: 1
Timeline events: 29
Wiki language versions: 17

Compare this artist Read the biography Jump to timeline

Timeline

29 events▣ Album 26◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1✦ Award 1

1930s
1. 8 March 1934 · Birth
  Born 1934-03-08
  source: wikidata
1970s
1. 1972 · Debut release
  Debut release: For Piano I / For Pianist / Burdocks
  First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
  source: musicbrainz
2. 1972 · Album
  Album: For Piano I / For Pianist / Burdocks
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. 1975 · Award
  Won: Arts and Letters Award in Music
  source: wikidata
1990s
1. 1990 · Album
  Album: CDCM Computer Music Series Volume 6
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. 1995 · Album
  Album: Exercises
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. 1995 · Album
  Album: Bread and Roses: Piano Works 1976-1983
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
4. 19 October 1995 · Album
  Album: For Ruth Crawford
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
5. 1996 · Album
  Album: Beats. Melody. Sounds. Melody?
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
6. 1996 · Album
  Album: Stones
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
7. 20 October 1998 · Album
  Album: I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
8. 1999 · Album
  Album: Tilbury / Snowdrop
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2000s
1. 25 October 2001 · Album
  Album: Burdocks
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. 2002 · Album
  Album: Look She Said (Complete Works for Bass)
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. 2002 · Album
  Album: Early Piano Music (1951-1961)
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
4. 2003 · Album
  Album: Complete Music for Violin & Piano
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
5. 2003 · Album
  Album: Bread and Roses
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
6. 2004 · Album
  Album: Exercise 15
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
7. 6 April 2004 · Album
  Album: (Re):Making Music, Works 1962-99
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
8. 2006 · Album
  Album: Ten Exercises
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
9. 2007 · Album
  Album: Tracer
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
10. 2008 · Album
  Album: Early Piano Pieces
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2010s
1. 2012 · Album
  Album: Christian Wolff / Keith Rowe
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. August 2012 · Album
  Album: Untitled
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
3. 2016 · Album
  Album: Seaside
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
4. 27 March 2018 · Album
  Album: Where Are We Going, Today
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
5. 16 October 2018 · Album
  Album: Stones (1968)
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2020s
1. 25 November 2022 · Album
  Album: A Complete Anthology of Solo and Duo Violin Pieces
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
2. 3 January 2025 · Album
  Album: Preludes, Variations, Studies and Incidental Music
  Album
  source: musicbrainz

Biography

English biography772 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1351713140

Biography

Christian G. Wolff (born March 8, 1934) is an American composer of experimental classical music and classicist.

Biography

Wolff was born in Nice, France, to the German literary publishers Helen and Kurt Wolff, who had published works by Franz Kafka, Robert Musil, and Walter Benjamin. After relocating to the U.S. in 1941, they helped to found Pantheon Books with other European intellectuals who had fled Europe during the rise of fascism. The Wolffs published a series of notable English translations of European literature, mostly, as well as an edition of the I Ching that came to greatly impress John Cage after Wolff had given him a copy.
Wolff became an American citizen in 1946. When he was sixteen (in 1950) his piano teacher Grete Sultan sent him for lessons in composition to the new music composer John Cage. Wolff soon became a close associate of Cage and his artistic circle which was part of the New York School and included the fellow composers Earle Brown and Morton Feldman, the pianist David Tudor, and the dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. Cage relates several anecdotes about Wolff in his one-minute Indeterminacy pieces.
Almost completely self-taught as composer, Wolff studied music under Sultan and Cage. Later Wolff studied classics at Harvard University (BA, PhD) and became an expert on Euripides. Wolff taught Classics at Harvard until 1970; thereafter he taught classics, comparative literature, and music at Dartmouth College. After nine years, he became Strauss Professor of Music there. He retired from teaching at Dartmouth in 1999. In 2004, he received an honorary degree from the California Institute of the Arts. He was also awarded the Foundation for Contemporary Arts John Cage Award (1996).
Wolff is married and has four children.

Music

Wolff's early compositional work included a lot of silence and was based initially on complicated rhythmic schema, and later on a system of aural cues. He innovated unique notational methods in his early scores and found creative ways of dealing with improvisation in his music. During the 1960s he developed associations with the composers Frederic Rzewski and Cornelius Cardew who spurred each other on in their respective explorations of experimental composition techniques and musical improvisation, and then, from the early 1970s, in their attempts to engage with political matters in their music. For Wolff this often involved the use of music and texts associated with protest and political movements such as the Wobblies. His later pieces, such as the sequence of pieces Exercises (1973-), offer some freedom to the performers. Some works, such as Changing the System (1973), Braverman Music (1978, after Harry Braverman), and the series of pieces Peace March (1983–2005) have an explicit political dimension, in that they respond to contemporary world events and express political ideals.
Wolff collaborated with Merce Cunningham for many years and developed a style which is more common now, but was revolutionary when they began working together in the 1950s – a style where music and dance occur simultaneously, yet somewhat independently of one another. Wolff stated, of any influence or affect, the greatest influence on his music over the years was the choreography of Cunningham. Wolff recently said of his work that it is motivated by his desire "to turn the making of music into a collaborative and transforming activity (performer into composer into listener into composer into performer, etc.), the cooperative character of the activity to the exact source of the music. To stir up, through the production of the music, a sense of social conditions in which we live and of how these might be changed."
Wolff's music reached a new audience when Sonic Youth's SYR4: Goodbye, 20th Century featured works by avant-garde classical composers such as John Cage, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, and Christian Wolff played by Sonic Youth along with several collaborators from the modern avant-garde music scene, such as Christian Marclay, William Winant, Wharton Tiers, Takehisa Kosugi and others, as well as Wolff himself.

Major works

Duo for Violins (1950)
For Prepared Piano (1951)
Duo for Pianists I (1957)
For Piano With Preparations (1957)
For Pianist (1959)
Summer (for string quartet) (1961)
For 1, 2, or 3 People (1964)
Edges (1968)
Pairs (1968)
Prose Collection (1968–71)
Tilbury 1, 2, and 3 (for piano) (1969)
Snowdrop (for trombone, violin, and piano) (1970)
Burdocks (1970–71)
Exercises (1973- )
Wobbly Music (1975–76)
I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman (1985)
Piano Trio (Greenham-Seneca-Camiso) (1985)
Piano Miscellany (1988)
Percussionist Songs (1994–95)
Spring (for chamber orchestra) (1995)
Berlin Exercises (2000)
Ordinary Matter (2001–04)
John Heartfield (Peace March 10) (2002)
Long Piano (Peace March 11) (2004–05)
Microexercises (2006)
Winter Exercise (2013)
Trio IX – Accanto (2017)
Resistance (2017)
Mountain Messengers (2020)

Discography & profile

Normalised profile

Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.

Normalised profile metrics with percentile rank
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	17	76.4th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	30	90.4th
Studio albums	26	97.7th
Awards recorded	1	89th
Timeline events	29	96.6th
Recording span (years)	53	93.4th
Genres	2	74th

Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.

Discography (30 release groups · 26 studio albums)

Albums · 26

For Piano I / For Pianist / Burdocks
1972 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 3 tracks · 46:03
A1For Piano I7:56
A2For Pianist14:32
BBurdocks23:35
CDCM Computer Music Series Volume 6
1990 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:07:09
1Brush Canyon12:50
2Devices and Desires2:34
3Still Life in Wood and Metal9:17
4Degitaru Ongaku14:37
5Mayday Materials: Part 117:58
6Mayday Materials: Part 2
7Mayday Materials: Part 3
8Mayday Materials: Part 4-6
9Mayday Materials: Part 7
10Mayday Materials: Part 8
11Mayday Materials: Part 9
12Still Life Dancing9:53
Exercises
1995 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 55:26
1Exercise 17:07
2Exercise 75:10
3Exercise 87:59
4Exercise 128:48
5Exercise 42:16
6Exercise 65:36
7Exercise 35:06
8Exercise 157:03
9Exercise 163:17
10Exercise 183:04
Bread and Roses: Piano Works 1976-1983
1995 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:00:05
1Prelude 12:32
2Prelude 22:09
3Prelude 32:38
4Prelude 41:20
5Prelude 52:06
6Prelude 61:42
7Prelude 71:59
8Prelude 84:05
9Prelude 91:36
10Prelude 104:20
11Prelude 113:01
12Bread and Roses0:49
13Bread and Roses8:50
14Piano Song (I Am a Dangerous Woman)10:01
15Hay una mujer desaparecida12:57
For Ruth Crawford
1995 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 4 tracks · 1:16:20
1Ruth25:00
2Snowdrop18:32
3Peggy12:24
4Edges20:24
Beats. Melody. Sounds. Melody?
1996 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:18:48
1In Memoriam Jon Higgins19:52
2Dark as a Dungeon7:28
3Exercise 177:11
4Six Melodies Variation4:58
5Aus Atem22:22
6Mit Schweigen wird's gesprochen16:57
Stones
1996 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 1 track · 1:04:14
1Stones1:04:14
I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman
1998 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:12:15
1Piano Trio: I. Greenham4:48
2Piano Trio: II. Seneca1:42
3Piano Trio: III. Camiso3:38
4I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman6:11
5Duo for Violinist & Pianist4:46
6Eisler Ensemble: No. 1, For Cornelius6:16
7Eisler Ensemble: No. 2, Dig a Hole in the Meadow6:01
8Sérénade5:31
9Piano Song (I Am a Dangerous Woman)8:56
10For Morty5:36
11Stardust Pieces: I. —9:56
12Stardust Pieces: II. —8:54
Tilbury / Snowdrop
1999 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 6 tracks · 52:30
1Tilbury 110:08
2Tilbury 24:14
3Tilbury 35:33
4Tilbury 47:40
5Snowdrop14:47
6Tilbury 510:08
Burdocks
2001 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 6 tracks · 55:30
1Burdocks23:29
2Tuba Song11:51
3Trio III: I11:30
4Trio III: II1:56
5Trio III: III4:43
6Trio III: IV2:01
Look She Said (Complete Works for Bass)
2002 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:06:53
1Look She Said: I2:09
2Look She Said: II2:03
3Look She Said: III4:37
4Look She Said: IV3:29
5Look She Said: V1:44
6Jasper: I5:19
7Jasper: II2:09
8Jasper: III6:58
9Jasper: IV1:54
10String Bass Exercise Out of "Bandiera rossa": I8:36
11String Bass Exercise Out of "Bandiera rossa": II7:25
12String Bass Exercise Out of "Bandiera rossa": III4:13
13Dark as a Dungeon7:57
14Untitled: I3:11
15Untitled: II3:37
16Untitled: III1:32
Early Piano Music (1951-1961)
2002 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:32:39
Disc 113 tracks · 54:28
1For Prepared Piano i (1951)1:54
2For Prepared Piano ii (1951)1:51
3For Prepared Piano iii (1951)1:37
4For Prepared Piano iv (1951)2:00
5For Piano I (1952)7:16
6For Piano II (1953)10:40
7Suite {I} (1954) i3:19
8Suite {I} (1954) ii1:54
9Suite {I} (1954) iii2:23
10For Piano with Preparations (1957) i3:43
11For Piano with Preparations (1957) ii1:32
12For Piano with Preparations (1957) iii4:04
13For Pianist (1959)12:15
Disc 24 tracks · 38:11
1Duo for Pianists I (1957)4:11
2Duo for Pianists II (1958)11:06
3Duet I {for piano 4 hands} (1960)7:23
4Trio II {for piano 4 hands & percussion} (1961)15:31
Complete Music for Violin & Piano
2003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 59:15
1Pebbles35:56
2Duo for Violinist and Pianist (version one)17:24
3Duo for Violinist and Pianist (version two)5:55
Bread and Roses
2003 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:15:21
1For 1, 2 or 3 People: I. (Violin and Percussion)5:36
2For 1, 2 or 3 People: II. (Voice and Hurdy-Gurdy)4:03
3For 1, 2 or 3 People: III. (Violin and Percussion)3:19
4Exercise 27 (Snare Drum Peace March 2)5:58
5For 1, 2 or 3 People: IV. (Violine Solo)5:49
6For 1, 2 or 3 People: V. (Violin and Hurdy-Gurdy)3:53
7For 1, 2 or 3 People: VI. (Percussion Solo)4:36
8For 1, 2 or 3 People: VII. (Voice and Body-Duo)2:41
9Bread and Roses11:25
10For 1, 2 or 3 People: VIII. (Violin and Percussion)4:41
11For 1, 2 or 3 People: IX. (Violin and Percussion)4:44
12For 1, 2 or 3 People: X. (Violin and Percussion)3:32
13Edges15:04
Exercise 15
2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 1 track · 1:10:53
1Exercise 151:10:53
(Re):Making Music, Works 1962-99
2004 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 40 tracks · 2:33:09
Disc 129 tracks · 1:13:29
1Violist Pieces: No. 1, —4:16
2Violist Pieces: No. 2, —2:03
3Violist Pieces: No. 3, —3:21
4Violist Pieces: No. 4, Resonant1:06
5Violist Pieces: No. 5, Clear0:59
6Violist Pieces: No. 6, Freely2:26
7Kegama4:16
8Peace March 1, "Stop Using Uranium" - Peace March 1 "Stop Using Uranium"4:58
9Peace March 27:29
10Emma: I. —0:25
11Emma: II. —0:50
12Emma: III. —1:25
13Emma: IV. —1:00
14Emma: V. —2:32
15Emma: VI. —0:47
16Emma: VII. —0:43
17Emma: VIII. —1:05
18Emma: IX. —0:47
19Emma: X. —5:54
20Emma: XI. —1:54
21Digger Song10:46
22From Leaning Forward: No. 1, A Woman Invented Fire1:50
23From Leaning Forward: No. 2, Drowning II1:06
24From Leaning Forward: No. 3, The Women Let the Tide Go Out0:57
25From Leaning Forward: No. 4, Note to the Grandparents0:59
26From Leaning Forward: No. 5, Mulberry Street Ends in Good Works2:02
27From Leaning Forward: No. 6, The Sad Children's Song1:26
28From Leaning Forward: No. 7, This Is About the Women of That Country3:50
29From Leaning Forward: No. 8, That Year2:17
Disc 211 tracks · 1:19:40
13 Pieces: No. 1, Rock About5:17
23 Pieces: No. 2, Instrumental3:14
33 Pieces: No. 3, Starving to Death on a Government Claim5:10
4For 5 or 10 Players (Version for 5 Players)5:27
5Exercises 15–18: No. 15,5:00
6Exercises 15–18: No. 16,3:35
7Exercises 15–18: No. 17,6:47
8Exercises 15–18: No. 18,6:59
9For 5 or 10 Players (Version for 10 Players)12:26
10Dark as a Dungeon (Version for Clarinet)7:27
11Schoenen met Veters18:18
Ten Exercises
2006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:09:59
1Exercise 187:33
2Exercise 75:29
3Exercise 164:37
4Exercise 84:01
5Exercise 14b6:49
6Exercise 33:04
7Exercise 12:29
8Exercise 158:00
9Exercise 103:45
10Exercise 117:27
11Exercise 1810:52
12Exercise 105:53
Tracer
2007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:13:28
1Tracer13:24
2Folio: October 19520:51
3Folio: November 19522:10
4Folio: December 19522:03
5Folio: March 1952 MM = 870:48
6Folio: March 1952 MM = 1350:27
7Folio: March 19531:53
8Folio: "Trio For Five Dancers" June 19532:44
9Special Events18:34
10Octet I3:29
11Music for Violin, Cello & Piano3:04
12Four Systems4:00
13String Quartet11:38
14New Piece6:24
15For Neil1:59
Early Piano Pieces
2008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:11:51
1For Piano I (1952)10:20
2For Prepared Piano (1951): I.2:16
3For Prepared Piano (1951): II.1:41
4For Prepared Piano (1951): III.1:52
5For Prepared Piano (1951): IV.1:51
6For Piano II (1953): I.5:16
7For Piano II (1953): II.1:28
8For Piano II (1953): III.7:07
9For Piano II (1953): IV.3:10
10For Piano With Preparations (1957): I.5:10
11For Piano With Preparations (1957): II.2:15
12For Piano With Preparations (1957): III.5:34
13For Pianist (1959)12:36
14Suite (I) (1954): I.4:57
15Suite (I) (1954): II.2:48
16Suite (I) (1954): III.3:30
Christian Wolff / Keith Rowe
2012 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 1 track · 47:14
1Live at AMPLIFY 201147:14
Untitled
2012 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 1 track · 47:14
1Untitled47:14
Seaside
2016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:01:31
1Line3:41
2Biyar ‘Adas10:54
3Saqiya6:45
4Tilbury 23:42
5Jarisha12:28
6Tilbury 45:14
7al-Safirriya11:34
8Line With Accompaniment7:13
Where Are We Going, Today
2018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 1 track · 1:09:36
1Where Are We Going, Today1:09:36
Stones (1968)
2018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 19 tracks · 3:00:06
1Stones4:03
2Stones3:15
3“STONES”3:26
4(Rolling) Stones7:44
5Stones ~508:36
6Stones/Wolff – Stones plus électronique.23:01
7Stones 13:16
8STONES (Et sur cette pierre…)6:31
9Stones 21:32
10Stones5:44
11Stones 32:45
12Stones8:30
13Stones 42:28
14Stones (ver4)14:07
15Stones Brunehaut14:41
16Batu talempong2:11
17Stones (abri)19:27
18Stones13:11
19Stones (dissolution)35:38
A Complete Anthology of Solo and Duo Violin Pieces
2022 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 57:46
1Bread and Roses8:35
2Six Melodies3:32
3Death of Mother Jones13:55
4Duo for Violins6:07
5Short Suite2:16
6Four Small Duos2:01
7For Petr6:12
8Small Duos for Violinists 11:27
9Small Duos for Violinists 20:56
10Small Duos for Violinists 30:12
11Small Duos for Violinists 40:45
12Small Duos for Violinists 50:46
13Small Duos for Violinists 60:51
14Small Duos for Violinists 70:28
15Small Duos for Violinists 80:57
16Small Duos for Violinists 91:23
17Small Duos for Violinists 100:30
18Small Duos for Violinists 111:04
19Small Duos for Violinists 121:02
20Small Duos for Violinists 130:32
21Small Duos for Violinists 141:55
22Small Duos for Violinists 150:42
23Small Duos for Violinists 161:38
Preludes, Variations, Studies and Incidental Music
2025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 23 tracks · 2:35:56
1En Plus (Satie) Variation5:06
2Another (Satie) Variation4:44
3Yet Another (Satie) Variation1:51
4Variations (Extracts) On the Carmans Whistle Variations of Byrd7:28
5Eight Days a Week Variation5:56
6Tilbury I12:27
7Tilbury II3:37
8Tilbury III5:15
9Preludes 13:35
10Preludes 22:08
11Preludes 32:23
12Preludes 41:27
13Preludes 54:05
14Preludes 61:42
15Preludes 72:05
16Preludes 84:30
17Preludes 91:35
18Preludes 104:37
19Preludes 113:27
20Studies 11:49
21Studies 22:20
22Studies 32:56
23Incidental Music1:10:53

Album · 3

Album release groups, by first release date
Year	Title	Notes	First release
2005	EventSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 50:33 1Event50:33	Live	1 October 2005
2019	Music for Bass ClarinetsSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 6 tracks 1Isn’t This a Time 2Nuclear Aura 3Γνώμων/Gnomon 4gryet.debris 5Simulacre IV 6Entwined Equinox	Live	24 September 2019
2019	20 Years of Experimental MusicSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 25 tracks · 10:02:27 Disc 12 tracks · 1:11:38 1AMM / Formanex Play Treatise42:55 2AMM / Formanex Play Treatise (p. 46-47)28:43 Disc 23 tracks · 56:45 1Two Pianos19:56 2Edges19:59 3Trio Rowe / Wolff / Tilbury16:50 Disc 34 tracks · 1:06:52 1For 1, 2, 3 People16:47 2Looking North10:23 3Edges23:03 4Trio Rowe / Wolff / Tilbury16:39 Disc 42 tracks · 45:36 1Disseminate22:20 2To Two Tea Roses23:16 Disc 51 tracks · 53:34 1Hang Ups53:34 Disc 63 tracks · 58:23 1Untitled 130:01 2Untitled 210:34 3Untitled 317:48 Disc 71 tracks · 45:30 1Three Lines to Achieve Almost Nothing45:30 Disc 84 tracks · 51:16 1S/T1:06 2Soulevement8:40 3Le langage du thé21:49 4Chercher le 2eme oeil19:41 Disc 92 tracks · 1:13:12 1Szkic19:07 2Demonology #1154:05 Disc 103 tracks · 1:19:41 1Fragile Being, Hopeful Becoming30:30 2For Formanex19:16 3Shoguu29:55	Compilation	12 October 2019

Other · 1

Other release groups, by first release date
Cover	Year	Title	Notes	First release
	2016	Looking AroundSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 2 tracks · 56:20 1Looking East28:10 2Looking West28:10		29 February 2016

Stats & PK

Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Christian Wolff head-to-head →

Christian Wolff metrics with percentile rank among published artists
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	17	76.4th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	30	90.4th
Studio albums	26	97.7th
Awards recorded	1	89th
Timeline events	29	96.6th
Recording span (years)	53	93.4th
Genres	2	74th

Awards & honours

Awards and honours, by year
Year	Award	Category	Result
1975	Arts and Letters Award in Music		won

Where this record comes from

portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christian_Wolff_prepared_piano_performance_2007_Feb.jpg
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a952c1da-d7b4-44f9-97c8-27c5f5e5af59
discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a952c1da-d7b4-44f9-97c8-27c5f5e5af59
core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q658733
genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q658733
seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Wolff_%28composer%29
biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Wolff_%28composer%29

Why this artist is in the database

List of composers by name

Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Critical Miami from Miami Beach · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q658733 · MusicBrainz: a952c1da-d7b4-44f9-97c8-27c5f5e5af59

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Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.

Glenn Branca

United States · Person

20th-century classical music · experimental music

2 shared genre tags · from United States

27 wikis

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Germany · Person

20th-century classical music · experimental music

2 shared genre tags

63 wikis

John Cage

United States · Person

20th-century classical music · experimental music

2 shared genre tags · from United States

76 wikis

Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky

Russian Empire · Person

20th-century classical music

1 shared genre tag

51 wikis

Bart Berman

Kingdom of the Netherlands · Person

20th-century classical music

1 shared genre tag

16 wikis

David Tudor

United States · Person

experimental music

1 shared genre tag · debut 1970, 2 years apart · from United States

16 wikis

Morton Feldman

United States · Person

experimental music

1 shared genre tag · debut 1971, 1 year apart · from United States

35 wikis

John Tesh

United States · Person

20th-century classical music

1 shared genre tag · from United States

12 wikis

Timeline

1930s

Born 1934-03-08

1970s

Debut release: For Piano I / For Pianist / Burdocks

Album: For Piano I / For Pianist / Burdocks

Won: Arts and Letters Award in Music

1990s

Album: CDCM Computer Music Series Volume 6

Album: Exercises

Album: Bread and Roses: Piano Works 1976-1983

Album: For Ruth Crawford

Album: Beats. Melody. Sounds. Melody?

Album: Stones

Album: I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman

Album: Tilbury / Snowdrop

2000s

Album: Burdocks

Album: Look She Said (Complete Works for Bass)

Album: Early Piano Music (1951-1961)

Album: Complete Music for Violin & Piano

Album: Bread and Roses

Album: Exercise 15

Album: (Re):Making Music, Works 1962-99

Album: Ten Exercises

Album: Tracer

Album: Early Piano Pieces

2010s

Album: Christian Wolff / Keith Rowe

Album: Untitled

Album: Seaside

Album: Where Are We Going, Today

Album: Stones (1968)

2020s

Album: A Complete Anthology of Solo and Duo Violin Pieces

Album: Preludes, Variations, Studies and Incidental Music

Biography

Biography

Biography

Music

Major works

Discography & profile

Normalised profile

Discography (30 release groups · 26 studio albums)

Albums · 26

Album · 3

Other · 1

Stats & PK

Awards & honours

Where this record comes from

Why this artist is in the database

Similar artists

Glenn Branca

Karlheinz Stockhausen

John Cage

Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky

Bart Berman

David Tudor

Morton Feldman

John Tesh