The theme of this article is the early phase of Italian Futurism (1909-1915). Futurism's founder, F. Marinetti is introduced alongside conceptual foundation and artistic declarations found in the futurist Manifestos. The influence of Futurism on 20th century music, particularly ‘New Music' and the avant-garde, forms a focus. Futurist works and Futurist-influenced composers are briefly analysed.