Throughout his life he kept in touch with famous composers such Feruccio Busoni and Sergei Prokofier. He also maintained relations with American composers as revealed in his diary. Writing in this journal, he says "At 4oclock, vare'se and I came up to Laura's ,Ms.Elliot where I played the Pantomine The kain of Koridwen, Charles Cooper, Henry Cowell were there. Vare'se turned pages for me and was much interested.

Griffes music reflected his eclectism, as it revealed first German, then French and Oriental, influenced before becoming more abstract. Hs works parallel the musical eclectism of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. It is probably fair to decribe Griffes' work as preeminent American composition of the 20th century.

Charles Griffes is the most famous American representative of musical Impressionists. He was facinated by exotic, mysterious sound of the French Impressionists, and was compositionally much in Europe. His works parallel the musical electicism of the polish composer karol szymanowski.It is probably fair  to decribe Griffes' workers pre-eminent American copnpositions of the 20th century.

Charles Griffes

When Charles Griffes returned to the USA in September 1907, Charles Griffes had already composed several songs and a symphonische Phantasia for orchestra. At the time, Griffes become director of the music department of Hackley School in Tarrytown , New York. He kept this post until he died in 1920. An excellent teacher , Griffes was held in high esteem by his Colleagues. He spent most of his time composing and promoting his work each summer in New York city.

Charles Griffes

His most famous works are the White Peacock, for piano (1915,orchestrated in 1919);his Piano Sonata( 1917-18 revisted 1919) a tone poem, The pleasure Dome of Kubla Klan, after the fragment by Coler idge (1912, revised,in 1916), and poem for flute and orchestra(1918).He also wrote numerous programmatic pieces  for piano , chamber ensembles, and for voice. The amount and quality of his music is impressive considering his short life and his full-time teaching job,and much of his music is still performed.

Charles Griffes

 After early studies on piano and organ in his home town he went to Berlin for four years to study composition with Engelbert Humperdink and piano with Emst Jedliczka at the Stern conservertory.On eturning to the Hackley School for boys in Tarrytown,New York, a post which he held until his early death 13 years later. Griffes is the most famous American representative of musical. He was the French  impressionists, and was compositionally much influenced by them while he was in Europe. He also studied the work of contemporary Russian  composers, whose influence is also apparent in his work, for example in his use of synthetic scales.