# Anyone familiar with the music of Antheil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-familiar-with-the-music-of-antheil/633493 "2012-09-02T23:22:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-familiar-with-the-music-of-antheil/633493/1 "2012-09-02T23:22:18Z")
I recently attended a chamber music concert which featured his Symphony #2 for violin and piano. It was _interesting_ More than a little frantic, but filled with lots of fun bits. A whole concert of that sort of music strikes me as exhausting to listen to, but the rest of the concert was appropriately varied. The violinist came out at the beginning to talk about all the little non-traditional labels on various measures–not just allegro or andante or whatever, but sweet and sour and giggled . . . I can’t say I’d heard of him before, but my exposure to chamber music is limited. anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-familiar-with-the-music-of-antheil/633493/2 "2012-09-02T23:32:45Z")
This may be farther out than you’re interested in going, but the [Ballet Mécanique](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_bboH9p1Ys) is sheer awesomeness. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-familiar-with-the-music-of-antheil/633493/3 "2012-09-02T23:38:05Z")
His collaboration with Hedy Lamarr is [a great story](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/arts/music/09ball.html?pagewanted=all). He encouraged her concept of frequency-shifting control systems (probably actually from her industrialist ex-husband) in a dinner-party conversation. It began with his notions as an amateur biochemist that he could invent a way to naturally enhance her cleavage. He was also allegedly known for bringing a pistol to premieres of his compositions, so he could shoot his way out of the theatre if he had to. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-familiar-with-the-music-of-antheil/633493/4 "2012-09-03T04:11:52Z")
Frequency-hopping was invented independently several times: > **[Frequency-hopping spread spectrum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency-hopping_spread_spectrum)** > > Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) is a method of transmitting radio signals by rapidly changing the carrier frequency among many frequencies occupying a large spectral band. The changes are controlled by a code known to both transmitter and receiver. FHSS is used to avoid interference, to prevent eavesdropping, and to enable code-division multiple access (CDMA) communications. > The frequency band is divided into smaller sub-bands. Signals rapidly change ("hop") their carrier frequencies ... There’s a book published just last year about Lamarr and Antheil’s invention of frequency hopping - _Hedy’s Folly_ by Richard Rhodes.