I could go on, but I'll just give you a list of one: the Concord Sonata,
by Charles Ives. I went through a period of a few months when I listened
to it maybe 50 times, amassing recordings along the way (both fairly
uncharacteristic behaviors). I've never gone on an Ivesian "treasure
hunt" and explored whatever hymns and carnival melodies he might have
nicked for his own use, but I recognized some of the ways he got from
here to somewhere over there as akin to the way I process things. The
Concord Sonata remains refreshingly unpredictable as music and strangely
helpful in how to make the most of my New England heritage.
Eddie