Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was an American composer and critic, one of the sharpest musical minds of the twentieth century. Born in Missouri, he studied in Paris and became closely associated with Gertrude Stein.

His works include operas, film scores, orchestral pieces, songs and chamber music. Four Saints in Three Acts, The Mother of Us All and the film score The Plow That Broke the Plains are among his best-known works.

Thomson’s music is lucid, witty and deliberately plain-spoken, often drawing on hymns, marches and American vernacular materials. His simplicity is rarely simple-minded.

As a critic, he wrote with exceptional clarity and bite. Thomson’s music and prose share the same virtue: they know exactly where the bones are.