Younger composers, however, steal regularly from Crumb. In this, Schwantner hardly stands alone. Crumb seems to have become obsessed with the poetry of Lorca during the 1960s, creating a multi-work cycle, which Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death crowns. In an era when many composers appeared to write the same institutional-beige piece, Crumb fashioned a personal, largely experimental musical language. Yet, he remains a highly poetic composer, which is to say that the works are strange, beautiful, and powerful.
Some composers take off from melody.
Others want mainly to tell stories or build arguments. One gets visual as well as aural impressions from the scores. Incidentally, if you get the chance, take a gander at Crumb's scores, even if you don't read music. They are gorgeously done, and every staff, dot, and line the composer's pen has put there. They should award art prizes to Crumb's manuscript all by itself, and the music sounds even better than it looks.