Alfred Schnittke

One of the most stylistically diverse composers of the 20th century, Alfred Schnittke wrote music that both fell into distinct periods and often displayed multiple influences within a single work. His music was described as polystylistic and postmodern, largely before those terms came into vogue. The multiplicity of Schnittke's music was partly a result of his biography. He was raised Jewish but converted later in life to a mystical strain of Christianity. Of Russian, German, and Jewish background, he moved between Russian and German cultural spheres over his entire career. S...