Horovitz, Joseph

(b Vienna, 26 May 1926). British composer, conductor and pianist of Austrian birth. After early studies in Vienna he moved to Britain in 1938. He studied at Oxford (MA, BMus), at the RCM with Jacob and in Paris for a year with Boulanger. The one-act ballet The Emperor's Clothes won him the Farrar Prize at the RCM, and in 1959 he was awarded the Commonwealth Medal for composition. In the 1950s he won critical acclaim for his operas and ballets, the former performed by the Intimate Opera Company, with which he was associated as pianist-composer. In 1961 he was appointed professor of composition at the RCM, of which he became a Fellow in 1981.

He is a composer of remarkable versatility, graceful wit and an enviable ability to communicate, whether in his refreshingly light or more serious styles. With the Clarinet Concerto (1957), Music Hall Suite (1964) and the ingenious Jazz Concerto (1965), he developed a Jazz/neo-classical synthesis which has since infused many of his most successful works, not least the cantata Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo. His lighter works, among them the parodist Horrotorio (composed for the Hoffnung concerts), have not kept him from writing in a deeper vein: his choral works evince the influence of Vaughan Williams, Holst and Delius, while the string quartets, particularly the fifth, contain an intensity that is underpinned by compelling, often defiant programmatic allusions. The Sinfonietta (1968) was the first of many works written for brass band or wind orchestra, fields in which Horovitz has made a major contribution (his commissions include test pieces for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain). He has served on the board of the PRS (1969--96) and as president of the International Council of Composers and Lyricists (1981--89). The Gold Order of Merit was bestowed upon him by the city of Vienna in 1996.

WORKS
(selective list)
Ops: The Dumb Wife (comic op, 1, P. Shaffer, after F. Rabelais), Lowestoft, 1953; Gentleman's Island (comic op, 1, G. Snell), London, 1958
Ballets: Alice in Wonderland (2, M. Charnley, after L. Carroll), London, 1953; Les femmes d'Alger (1, V. Dokoudovsky), London, 1952; Conc. for Dancers (1, W. Toye), Edinburgh, 1958; Let's Make a Ballet (1, T. Gilbert, after M. Bentine), London, 1965; Miss Carter Wore Pink, 1980
Orch: Concertante, cl, str, 1948; Conc., op.7, cl, str, 1950; Conc., op.11, vn, str, 1950; 4 Dances from 'Les femmes d'Alger', 1952; Goldoni Ov., 1957; Fantasia on a Theme of Couperin, str, 1962, arr. 9 wind nonet, 1986; Tpt Conc., 1963; Jazz Conc., hpd/pf, orch, 1965; Horizon Ov., 1972; Adagio cantabile, 1973; Valse, 1973; Bacchus on Blue Ridge, orch/wind orch, 1974; Perc Conc., 1975; Jubilee Toy Sym., str, toys, 1977; Concerto classico, orch, 1985, arr. brass band; Ob Conc., 1993
Brass band: Sinfonietta, 1968; Euphonium Conc., 1972, arr. bn, orch, 1976; The Dong with a Luminous Nose, 1974; Ballet for Band, 1983; Concertino classico, 1985; Tuba Conc., 1986--9; Theme and Co-Operation, 1994
Wind orch: Wind-Harp, 1988; Ad astra, 1990; Dance Suite, 1990; Fete galante, 1990; Commedia dell'arte, 1992
Vocal: Horrortorio (A. Sampson), S, A, T, B, chorus, orch, 1959; 3 Choral Songs, SATB, 1973; Summer Sunday (G. Snell), SATB, pf, db, 1975; Samson (cant., C. Judge Smith), Bar, SATB, brass band, 1977; Lady Macbeth (scena, W. Shakespeare), 1970; Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo (pop cant., M. Flanders), unison vv/2vv, pf, opt. db, 1970; Sing unto the Lord a New Song, SATB, 1971; The Gods who Made Music, spkr, orch, 1978; Endymion, SATB, 1982
Chbr: 5 str qts: nos.1--3, 1946--8; no.4, 1953; no.5, 1969; Sonata, op.14, vc, pf, 1951; Ob Qt, op.18, 1956; Music Hall Suite, brass qnt, 1964; Adam Blues, trbn, pf, 1968; Variations on a theme of Paganini, wind/sax/brass qt, 1974; Sonatina, cl, pf, 1981; Diversions on a Familiar Theme, 1997
TV, film scores
Principal publisher: Novello

BIBLIOGRAPHY
J. Horovitz: 'The Importance of Pleasants', Composer, no.34 (1969), 11--19; no.35 (1970), 20--24
E. Bradbury: 'Joseph Horovitz: a Survey', MT, cxi (1970), 383--5
H.T. Wohlfahrt: Interview, Ballet Journal (1 Oct 1986)
P. Maund: 'Waiting in the Wings for the Ultimate Performance', British Bandsman (8 Oct 1994)
T. Higgins: 'Horovitz: a Repertoire Guide', Classical Music (20 May 1995)
W. Suppan: 'The Return of Three Central Europeans: Joseph Horovitz, Karel Husa, Alfred Reed', OMz, lii (1997), 24--33
 

ERNEST BRADBURY/MALCOLM MILLER