I have not heard a note of Brant's music, and I don't know if I would like
it if I did, but Kyle Gann, whose American Music in the Twentieth Century
I reviewed for classical.net called him "a visionary of Ivesian
imagination," and what follows is taken from that book.

 [Review at http://www.classical.net/music/books/reviews/002864655Xa.html -Dave]

Brant was born in 1913 (in Montreal) which puts him in his late eighties
now, so his Pulitzer was a long time coming.  He studied composition with
Riegger and Antheil, and conducting with Fritz Mahler (Gustav's nephew).
When young, he wrote popular music for radio and films and taught at
Columbia, Julliard and Bennington over a lengthy career.

Brant is particularly known for the kind of spatial music that won the
Pulitzer, featuring widely separated groups of players.  This came about
because he wanted to write music with many simultaneous lines, and he
wanted listeners to be able to distinguish all the lines from one another.
(is surround-sound ready for this?) Brant credits Ives' Unanswered Question
for the spatial solution to his problem.  He was also influenced by
Ruggles' long-lined, dissonant melodies.  Brant's music also uses quarter
tones and tone clusters.

His instrumentation can be unusual:  Orbits is for 80 trombones; Music
for a Five and Dime for E-flat clarinet, piano and kitchen hardware; The
Marx Brothers for tin whistle and chamber ensemble; Fire on the Amstel
for four boatloads of 25 flutes each, four jazz drummers, four church
carillions, three brass bands, three choruses, and four street organs.
His Meteor Farm is the ultimate in multiculturalism:  orchestra, jazz
band, gamelan ensemble, African drummers and Indian soloists.

It is understandable that some might find Brant's music hard to take,
particularly at first hearing.

Jim Tobin