Page "Halim El-Dabh" Paragraph 10

El-Dabh produced eight electronic pieces in 1959 alone, including his multi-part electronic musical drama Leiyla and the Poet, which is considered a classic of the genre and was later released in 1964 on the LP record Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.

His musical style was a contrast to the more mathematical compositions of Milton Babbitt and other serial composers working at the center, with El-Dabh's interest in ethnomusicology and the fusion of folk music with electronic sounds making his work stand out for its originality.

According to El-Dabh: “ The creative process comes from interacting with the material.

When you are open to ideas and thoughts the music will come to you .” In contrast to his peers ( such as Otto Luening, John Cage, and La Monte Young ) who sounded, according to The Stranger, more like " math equations ( artists out to prove a point ) than actual music ," El-Dabh's experimental electronic music were " more shapely and rhythmic constructions " that incorporated traditional stringed and percussion sounds, inspired by folk music traditions ( including the Egyptian and Native American traditions ).