Did American composers continue to turn to Europe for inspiration in the mid-twentieth century? Provide evidence to support your claim.

What will be an ideal response?

American composers began to experiment with bold new ideas and sounds at this time, and while many of them were truly innovators, some of the source of their inspiration came from Europe as well. American universities now allowed composers to study music on American soil, so Americans could afford to be less dependent on Europe. For example, Charles Ives studied at Yale with Horatio Parker. Others continued to be educated and inspired by European teachers; John Cage studied with the Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg, for example. One can say with certainty that Americans were at least keeping up with European trends, and in some cases were even leading the way in terms of art music innovation. They certainly did not abandon European ideas and trends.