Lou Harrison has been remarkably successful at capturing the “whole round world” of music, from exploring the infinite variations of East/West synthesis to plumbing the lyrical possibilities of serialism. Though “exotic” and “eclectic” may be used to describe the wonderful instrumental colors and tunings Harrison employs, at the center of his “world” is a firm belief in music's simplest and most universal elements. Whatever the chosen idiom, Harrison's music speaks powerfully to the heart.