O pai de Carter, Elliott Carter, era um empresário. Enquanto adolescente ele desenvolveu um interesse pela música e foi incentivado pelo compositor Charles Ives (que vendia seguros para a sua família). Carter formou-se em Harvard, seus professores foram Walter Piston e Gustav Holst. Recebeu um mestrado em música em 1932. Em seguida, foi para Paris para estudar com Nadia Boulanger (tal como fez o Aaron Copland, George Gershwin e muitos outros compositores americanos). Carter trabalhou com Boulanger partir de 1932-35 e em 1935 ele recebeu um doutoramento em música (Mus D) a partir da École Normale, em Paris. Mais tarde, em 1935, voltou para os E.U. onde dirigiu o Ballet Caravan.
Recebeu o Prémio Pulitzer de Música em 1960 por String Quartet No. 2 e em 1973 por String Quartet No. 3.
Eliott Carter morreu aos 103 anos em sua casa em Nova Iorque vítima de causas naturais. Sepultado no Green-Wood Cemetery.
Pocahontas (Ballet) (1938-39)
The Defense of Corinth (1942)
Symphony No. 1 (1942, revised 1954)
Elegy for Viola and Piano (1943)
Holiday Overture (1944, revised 1961)
Piano Sonata (1945-46)
The Minotaur (Ballet) (1947)
Cello Sonata (1948)
Woodwind Quintet (1948)
Eight Etudes and a Fantasy for Wind Quartet (1949)
String Quartet No.1 (1951)
Variations for Orchestra (1954–1955)
String Quartet No.2 (1959)
Double Concerto for piano, harpsichord and 2 chamber orchestras (1959-61)
Piano Concerto (1964)
Eight Pieces for Four Timpani (1950/66)
Concerto for Orchestra (1969)
String Quartet No.3 (1971)
Brass Quintet (1974)
Duo for Violin & Piano (1974)
A Mirror on Which to Dwell for Soprano and Ensemble (1975)
A Symphony of Three Orchestras (1976)
Syringa for Mezzo-Soprano, Bass-Baritone, Guitar and Ensemble (1978)
Three Poems of Robert Frost for Baritone and Ensemble (1942, orchestrated 1980)
Night Fantasies for Piano (1980)
In Sleep, in Thunder for Tenor and Ensemble (1981)
Changes for Guitar (1983)
Triple Duo (1983)
Penthode (1985)
String Quartet No.4 (1986)
Oboe Concerto (1986-1987)
Three Occasions for Orchestra (1986-89)
A Celebration of Some 150x100 Notes
Remembrance
Anniversary
Violin Concerto (1989)
Quintet for Piano and Winds (1991)
Trilogy for Oboe and Harp (1992)
Bariolage for Harp
Inner Song for Oboe
Immer Neu for Oboe and Harp
Of Challenge and of Love for Soprano and Piano (1994)
String Quartet No.5 (1995)
Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretiam Spei (1993-96)
Partita
Adagio Tenebroso
Allegro Scorrevole
Clarinet Concerto (1996)
What Next? (opera in one act) (1997)
Luimen for Ensemble (1997)
Quintet for Piano and Strings (1997)
Tempo e Tempi for Soprano, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin and Cello (1998-99)
Two Diversions for Piano (1999)
Four Lauds for Solo Violin (1999, 1984, 2000, 1999)
ASKO Concerto (2000)
Oboe Quartet (2001)
Cello Concerto (2001)
Boston Concerto (2002)
Dialogues for Piano and Orchestra (2003)
Three Illusions for Orchestra (2002-04)
Micomicón
Fons Juventatis
More's Utopia
Mosaic for Harp and Ensemble (2004)
Réflexions for Ensemble (2004)
Soundings for Piano and Orchestra (2005)
Intermittences for Piano (2005)
Catenaires for Piano (2006)
In the Distances of Sleep for Voice and Ensemble (2006)
Horn Concerto (2007)
Interventions for Piano and Orchestra (2007)
Clarinet Quintet (2007)
Figment IV for Viola Solo (2007)
Tinntinabulation for percussion sextet (2008)
Wind Rose for wind ensamble (2008)
Duettino for violin and cello (2008)
Flute Concerto (2008)
Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord; Sonata for Cello and Piano; Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano With Two Chamber Orchestras. Paul Jacobs, hpschd; Joel Krosnick, cello; Gilbert Kalish, piano; The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, Arthur Weisberg, cond. Elektra/Nonesuch 9 79183-2.
String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2. The Composers Quartet. Elektra/Nonesuch 9 71249-2
Piano Concerto; Variations for Orchestra. Ursula Oppens, piano; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen, cond. New World Records, NW 347-2.
Complete Music for Piano. Charles Rosen, Piano. Bridge 9090.
Vocal Works (1975-81):A Mirror on Which to Dwell;In Sleep, In Thunder;Syringa;Three Poems of Robert Frost. Speculum Musicae with Katherine Ciesinki, mezzo; Jon Garrison, tenor; Jan Opalach, bass; Christine Schadeberg, soprano. Bridge, BCD 9014.
Dialogues; Boston Concerto; Cello Concerto; ASKO Concerto.Nicolas Hodges, piano; Fred Sherry, cello; London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, ASKO Ensemble, Oliver Knussen, cond. Bridge 9184.
Doering, William T. Elliott Carter: A Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Press, 1993.
The String Quartets of Elliott Carter Booklet note for recording by the Arditti Quartet of Quartets 1-4 and Elegy (1988 ETCETERA KTC 1065/1066), by David Harvey
