NPR Classical

NPR | By Tom Huizenga

Published June 20, 2019 at 12:01 PM CDT

Composer Michael Harrison, whose gentle, mesmerizing music was inspired by Indian traditions, died last week at age 67.

Updated April 23, 2026 at 8:55 AM CDT

Updated April 23, 2026: This week a playlist saluting Michael Harrison, the New York composer who left us too soon – last week at age 67. His music, hailed as possessing "intoxicating beauty," was often inspired by his love of classical Indian music and a system of tuning called just intonation.

Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1,000 years of music in this playlist from NPR Classical's Tom Huizenga, which explores everything from new releases to old favorites, and classics from the dawn of the recording era. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.

Stream: Spotify

Tom Huizenga

Tom Huizenga is a producer for NPR Music. He contributes a wide range of stories about classical music to NPR's news programs and is the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered. He appears regularly on NPR Music podcasts and founded NPR's classical music blog Deceptive Cadence in 2010.

See stories by Tom Huizenga