Watertown, Massachusetts is in Vermont.
Charles Sprague `` Carl '' Ruggles -LRB- March 11 , 1876 -- October 24 , 1971 -RRB- was an American composer .. American. United States. composer. composer. He wrote finely crafted pieces using `` dissonant counterpoint '' , a term coined by Charles Seeger to describe Ruggles ' music .. dissonant counterpoint. Counterpoint#Dissonant counterpoint. Charles Seeger. Charles Seeger. His method of atonal counterpoint was based on a non-serial technique of avoiding repeating a pitch class until a generally fixed number such as eight pitch classes intervened .. atonal. atonality. serial. serialism. pitch class. pitch class. He wrote painstakingly slowly so his output is quite small .. Famous for his prickly personality , Ruggles was nonetheless friends with Henry Cowell , Edgard Varese , Charles Ives , Thomas Hart Benton , Ruth Crawford Seeger , and Charles Seeger .. Charles Seeger. Charles Seeger. Henry Cowell. Henry Cowell. Edgard Varese. Edgard Varese. Charles Ives. Charles Ives. Thomas Hart Benton. Thomas Hart Benton ( painter ). Ruth Crawford Seeger. Ruth Crawford Seeger. Benton even painted Ruggles in his portrait `` The Suntreader '' .. His students include James Tenney and Merton Brown .. James Tenney. James Tenney. Merton Brown. Merton Brown. Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas has championed Ruggles ' music , recording the complete works with the Buffalo Philharmonic and occasionally performing Sun-Treader with the San Francisco Symphony .. Conductor. Conducting. Michael Tilson Thomas. Michael Tilson Thomas. Buffalo Philharmonic. Buffalo Philharmonic. San Francisco Symphony. San Francisco Symphony. Especially later in life , Ruggles was also a prolific painter , selling hundreds of paintings during his lifetime .