Composer Elliott Carter Dead at 103

He was a game-changer for American music

Elliott Carter, the great American composer who was born in the horse-and-buggy era but whose music persistently looked ahead by reflecting and unabashedly celebrating the intricacies of modern life, died Monday of natural causes at his home in New York, according to his close friend and assistant, clarinetist Virgil Blackwell. He was 103.

Not only did Carter long outlive all of the significant composers of his generation, he astonished the musical world by remaining inventive and prolific up to the end. On Oct. 25, Los Angeles Philharmonic musical director Gustavo Dudamel conducted the world premiere of Carter's most recent piece, "Dialogues II," at La Scala in Milan.

"This is music that comes from a very deep soul," Dudamel said Monday night. "While we mourn his loss, what he achieved as a composer, as an artist and as a creator will be eternal. I am very honored to have been a part of this."