Czech composer born in Prague, August 7, 1921. He's ninety-five. Husa studied the violin and piano because his parents wanted him to be able to enjoy music while pursuing the practical career of an engineer. He was already enrolled in engineering school when the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia and closed all the technical schools. Studied at the Prague Conservatory for four years beginning in 1941. Studied in Paris with Honnegar. His first string quartet garnered a great deal of fame in 1951. His third string quartet won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. His Cello Concerto won the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition in 1993. He emigrated to America in 1954, and joined the faculty at Cornell. Husa became a U.S. citizen in 1959. He won other various awards throughout his life, including the Czech Republic giving him the Gold Medal of Merit in 1995. He and his wife Simone (m. 1948) live in North Carolina, after living in Ithaca, NY for 40 years. His modernist music has been described as "aggressive."
Orchestral Chamber
================== ==========================
Concerto for Brass Quintet & Strings, 1971 Sonatina for Violin & Piano, Op.6
Overture for Large Orchestra, Op.3, 1944 3 Studies for Solo Clarinet, 2008
Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra, Op.4, 1944 Sonatina for Flute & Piano, 2003 (based on Op. 6)
4 Easy Pieces for Oboe, Trumpet, Percussion & Strings, 1952 Postcard from Home, for Alto Sax & Piano, 1997
Divertimento for Strings, 1948 Suite for Viola & Piano, Op.5 1945
3 Frescoes for Orchestra, Op.7, 1947 2 Preludes for Flute, Clarinet & Bassoon, 1966
Concertino for Piano & Orchestra, Op.10, 1949 String Quartet No.1, Op.8 1948
Portrait, for Strings, 1953 String Quartet No.2, 1953
Symphony Nr.1, 1953 String Quartet No.3, 1968
4 Little Pieces for Strings, 1955 Divertimento, brass quintet, 1968
Fantasies, 1956 String Quartet "0", 1943
Poème, Viola & Chamber Orchestra, 1959 Studies, percussion, 1968
Elégie et rondeau, alto sax, orch, 1961, arr. alto sax, piano Sonata for violin & piano, 1973
Mosaïques, 1961 Landscapes for Brass Quintet, 1977
Fresque, rev. 1963 3 Dance Sketches for Percussion, 1979
Serenade for Woodwind Quintet & Strings, 1963 Intradas and Interludes, 7 tpt, timp, 1980
Concerto for Brass Quintet, Strings & Piano, 1965 Sonata à tre for violin, clarinet & piano, 1982
2 Sonnets from Michelangelo, 1971 Recollections, Woodwind Quintet & Piano, 1982
Pastoral for Strings, 1979 Variations for Piano Quartet, 1984
Symphony No.2 'Reflections', 1983 String Quartet No.4 'Poems', 1990
Symphonic Suite, 1984 5 Poems, woodwind quintet, 1994
Concerto for Orchestra, 1986 Tubafest Celebration, for tuba quartet, 1992
Organ Concerto, 1987 Drum Ceremony for 5 Percussionists, 1976
Trumpet Concerto, 1987 Cayuga Lake (Memories) for Woodwind & Brass Quartet, Piano & Percussion, 1991 Evocations de Slovaquie, for Viola, Flute & Cello, 1951
Overture, 'Youth', 1991
Cello Concerto, 1988
Celebración, 1997 Wind Band
Violin Concerto, 1991 ============================
Divertimento, brass, percussion, 1959
Concerto for alto sax & concert band, 1967
Concertino for Piano & Wind Ensemble
Music for Prague 1968, arr. orch, 1968
Concerto for Percussion & Wind Ensemble, 1970–71
Apotheosis of this Earth, 1971, arr. voices, orch, 1972
Piano works Concerto for 7 Trumpets & Percussion, 1973
======================= Smetana Fanfare, 1984
Sonatina, 1943 Les couleurs fauves, 1994
Piano Sonata Nr.1, 1949 Concerto for Winds, 1982
Piano Sonata Nr.2, 1975 Al fresco, 1973
Elegie, 1957 Intradas and Interludes, 7 trumpets, percussion, 1980
8 Czech Duets for Piano 4-hands, 1955
Frammenti for Organ, 1987 Ballet
=====================
The Steadfast Tin Soldier (H.C. Andersen), 1974
Monodrama, orch, 1976,
The Trojan Women, orch, 1981
40 years is long enough for living in Ithaca, lawd knows!
Quote from: karlhenning on April 21, 2016, 08:17:35 AM
40 years is long enough for living in Ithaca, lawd knows!
But ... but I heard it was the "Paris of New York"? ???
Quote from: karlhenning on April 21, 2016, 08:17:35 AM
40 years is long enough for living in Ithaca, lawd knows!
Veritable hell on earth
(http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wrvo/files/styles/x_large/public/201509/IthacaCommons3.JPG)
Quote from: Scion7 on April 21, 2016, 08:55:02 AM
But ... but I heard it was the "Paris of New York"? ???
Oh, that is surely overselling the place.
Quote from: karlhenning on April 21, 2016, 09:09:12 AM
Oh, that is surely overselling the place.
That must be Potemkin Street! 8)
Husa was fairly big in the 1960's and 1970's. It looked as if he would take the crown from
Martinu as "top Czech composer" of his day.
Maybe he did for a while (?).
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/oE0AAOSw2GlXF0qc/s-l500.jpg)
I forgot what this was. Damn the eyes of eBay sellers that delete fotos!
Husa is a fine composer.
I had the opportunity to perform his "Music for Prague" in 1970 with Eastman Wind Ensemble, at the Eastman United Nations Concert of that year...Husa was in attendance, and the EWE gave a very powerful performance...
this music still holds place as one of the best Wind Band pieces of relatively recent times.
I also enjoy his "Trojan Women" -very effective
What does he have that ranks alongside 'Music for Prague'? (Hunsberger in this case)
I wasn't really sold on the post-Bartokian, Pulitzer winning String Quartet No.3.
btw- great OP!
Oh that's right, he is now officially the Oldest Living Famous Modern Composer. Well, after him it gets prrrrrrrrretty dicey. Gonna have to dig deep into the Academic Serial World for the next one.
Gotterdammerung is passed?
Actually seems like quite a sparse Works List, eh? Not too many works in the '67-'73 era... lots of "Early" stuff... nothing after the early '90s?
Quote from: snyprrr on April 22, 2016, 09:29:47 AM
Oh that's right, he is now officially the Oldest Living Famous Modern Composer. Well, after him it gets prrrrrrrrretty dicey. Gonna have to dig deep into the Academic Serial World for the next one.
How about Penderecki?? Corigliano??
I imagine ill-health curtailed his career some 20 years ago - the man is ancient. And remember - Mahler has one of the shortest works-lists of all. :)
Whatever else you may think, Ithaca has excellent restaurants.
As to Husa, he retired in 1992, at the young age of 71. SO perhaps he can be forgiven the dearth of works published since then (and who knows, maybe he still composes at home, but doesn't release anything). He also moved south (North Carolina), where it is warmer. By the way, Christopher Rouse studied with him.
As to other works, one could try the cello concerto or first string quartet.
https://www.youtube.com/v/5eHrm9KUJUY
Quote from: Heck148 on April 22, 2016, 09:38:03 AM
How about Penderecki?? Corigliano??
oops, forgeot Pendy.... Corigliano proves my point, though yea, he's "famous" (sorry, just can't stand him- it's me, not youse)
Quote from: mc ukrneal on April 23, 2016, 06:09:50 AM
Whatever else you may think, Ithaca has excellent restaurants.
As to Husa, he retired in 1992, at the young age of 71. SO perhaps he can be forgiven the dearth of works published since then (and who knows, maybe he still composes at home, but doesn't release anything). He also moved south (North Carolina), where it is warmer. By the way, Christopher Rouse studied with him.
As to other works, one could try the cello concerto or first string quartet.
[/b][/b]
OH NOOOOOOES!!!!!!! better go to the bathroom FIRST!!!!
thanks for pieces
Quote from: snyprrr on April 23, 2016, 06:43:15 AM
oops, forgeot Pendy.... Corigliano proves my point, though yea, he's "famous" (sorry, just can't stand him- it's me, not youse)
[/b][/b]
OH NOOOOOOES!!!!!!! better go to the bathroom FIRST!!!!
thanks for pieces
Enough with the
Captain Crunch soaked in
Mountain Dew! ;)
Also:
https://www.youtube.com/v/uZslJ4xMaj4
Captain Crunch soaked in Mountain Dew?
Ghastly. And having been a resident on the NC/SC border for 12 years now, I've yet to see that.
Dear God. :blank: They do boil peanuts - and that's quite bad enough. Bleah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-TiJkE5Hwg
(http://s31.postimg.org/a47rxe4fv/Back_trump_Con.jpg)
[asin]B0013Z9ARK[/asin]
Quote from: Scion7 on April 25, 2016, 05:58:30 AM
(http://s31.postimg.org/a47rxe4fv/Back_trump_Con.jpg)
[asin]B0013Z9ARK[/asin]
The samples on that sound sweet!
The entire recording is offered in 3 parts:
https://www.youtube.com/v/JX3GcgG8qks
Quote from: karlhenning on April 25, 2016, 06:12:52 AM
Ash sample thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
YouTube has a live recording of the
Evocations de Slovaquie for Clarinet/Viola/Cello (1951) transcribed for Flute/Viola/Cello:
La Montagne-La Nuit-La Danse
(Mountain-Night-Dance)
Kate Steinbeck, flute
Andrew Levin, viola
Elizabeth Austin, cello
Live concert recording, Asheville, NC
Keowee Chamber Music Festival 2001
Has anyone heard that NewWorld disc with the Violin Sonata?
btw-
Listened again to the Hunsberger 'Prague'. Crackin crackin good stuff- for me, it's a PerfectPiece, I just wish the ending were a bit more barbaric. But, though it has e choes of perhapps Bartok, there is still something new and fresh here...
sorry, headache...
Yes, I have it. It's a spikey, glissando-infused, modernistic sonata. Won't clear a room except for the most extreme musical-conservatives. :)
Sonata for Violin & Piano
HUSA-Oliveira, Oei
I-II-Interlude-III
1973
Quote from: Scion7 on April 26, 2016, 07:17:23 PM
Yes, I have it. It's a spikey, glissando-infused, modernistic sonata. Won't clear a room except for the most extreme musical-conservatives. :)
Sonata for Violin & Piano
HUSA-Oliveira, Oei
I-II-Interlude-III
1973
Ah, you know me too well, haha!
Is it a proper recommends, or is there better Husa? Love 'Prague', SQs not so much. Must YouTube it...
Quote from: snyprrr on April 27, 2016, 08:41:53 AM
Is it a proper recommends, or is there better Husa? Love 'Prague', SQs not so much. Must YouTube it...
Do I recommend this sonata - yes. I also strongly recommend anything he wrote with winds.
Or his Cello Concerto - or his Suite from
The Trojan Women - or his two symphonies - etc.
I haven't heard anything I didn't like (yet.)
Go forth - and conquer new lands for your stereo. And if you find those standing in your way - for example, let's hypothetically use M.I. - well, you're a sniper - you know what to do. :P
Quote from: Scion7 on April 21, 2016, 07:16:52 AM
Czech composer born in Prague, August 7, 1921. He's ninety-five. Husa studied the violin and piano because his parents wanted him to be able to enjoy music while pursuing the practical career of an engineer. He was already enrolled in engineering school when the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia and closed all the technical schools. Studied at the Prague Conservatory for four years beginning in 1941. Studied in Paris with Honnegar. His first string quartet garnered a great deal of fame in 1951. His third string quartet won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. His Cello Concerto won the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition in 1993. He emigrated to America in 1954, and joined the faculty at Cornell. Husa became a U.S. citizen in 1959. He won other various awards throughout his life, including the Czech Republic giving him the Gold Medal of Merit in 1995. He and his wife Simone (m. 1948) live in North Carolina, after living in Ithaca, NY for 40 years. His modernist music has been described as "aggressive."
Orchestral Chamber
================== ==========================
Concerto for Brass Quintet & Strings, 1971 Sonatina for Violin & Piano, Op.6
Overture for Large Orchestra, Op.3, 1944 3 Studies for Solo Clarinet, 2008
Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra, Op.4, 1944 Sonatina for Flute & Piano, 2003 (based on Op. 6)
4 Easy Pieces for Oboe, Trumpet, Percussion & Strings, 1952 Postcard from Home, for Alto Sax & Piano, 1997
Divertimento for Strings, 1948 Suite for Viola & Piano, Op.5 1945
3 Frescoes for Orchestra, Op.7, 1947 2 Preludes for Flute, Clarinet & Bassoon, 1966
Concertino for Piano & Orchestra, Op.10, 1949 String Quartet No.1, Op.8 1948
Portrait, for Strings, 1953 String Quartet No.2, 1953
Symphony Nr.1, 1953 String Quartet No.3, 1968
4 Little Pieces for Strings, 1955 Divertimento, brass quintet, 1968
Fantasies, 1956 String Quartet "0", 1943
Poème, Viola & Chamber Orchestra, 1959 Studies, percussion, 1968
Elégie et rondeau, alto sax, orch, 1961, arr. alto sax, piano Sonata for violin & piano, 1973
Mosaïques, 1961 Landscapes for Brass Quintet, 1977
Fresque, rev. 1963 3 Dance Sketches for Percussion, 1979
Serenade for Woodwind Quintet & Strings, 1963 Intradas and Interludes, 7 tpt, timp, 1980
Concerto for Brass Quintet, Strings & Piano, 1965 Sonata à tre for violin, clarinet & piano, 1982
2 Sonnets from Michelangelo, 1971 Recollections, Woodwind Quintet & Piano, 1982
Pastoral for Strings, 1979 Variations for Piano Quartet, 1984
Symphony No.2 'Reflections', 1983 String Quartet No.4 'Poems', 1990
Symphonic Suite, 1984 5 Poems, woodwind quintet, 1994
Concerto for Orchestra, 1986 Tubafest Celebration, for tuba quartet, 1992
Organ Concerto, 1987 Drum Ceremony for 5 Percussionists, 1976
Trumpet Concerto, 1987 Cayuga Lake (Memories) for Woodwind & Brass Quartet, Piano & Percussion, 1991 Evocations de Slovaquie, for Viola, Flute & Cello, 1951
Overture, 'Youth', 1991
Cello Concerto, 1988
Celebración, 1997 Wind Band
Violin Concerto, 1991 ============================
Divertimento, brass, percussion, 1959
Concerto for alto sax & concert band, 1967
Concertino for Piano & Wind Ensemble
Music for Prague 1968, arr. orch, 1968
Concerto for Percussion & Wind Ensemble, 1970–71
Apotheosis of this Earth, 1971, arr. voices, orch, 1972
Piano works Concerto for 7 Trumpets & Percussion, 1973
======================= Smetana Fanfare, 1984
Sonatina, 1943 Les couleurs fauves, 1994
Piano Sonata Nr.1, 1949 Concerto for Winds, 1982
Piano Sonata Nr.2, 1975 Al fresco, 1973
Elegie, 1957 Intradas and Interludes, 7 trumpets, percussion, 1980
8 Czech Duets for Piano 4-hands, 1955
Frammenti for Organ, 1987 Ballet
=====================
The Steadfast Tin Soldier (H.C. Andersen), 1974
Monodrama, orch, 1976,
The Trojan Women, orch, 1981
I liked the Concerto for Wind Ens. and the Concerto for percussion and Wind Ens.
And the "trumpet disc" with the Concertos.
Al Fresco
Apothe...
The Trojan W
Prague
Landscapes
It does seem whatever was written in that span
I thought the violin disc on YT had are real tight acoustic? I think it's the album...
Quote from: Scion7 on April 21, 2016, 07:16:52 AM
Czech composer born in Prague, August 7, 1921. He's ninety-five. Husa studied the violin and piano because his parents wanted him to be able to enjoy music while pursuing the practical career of an engineer. He was already enrolled in engineering school when the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia and closed all the technical schools. Studied at the Prague Conservatory for four years beginning in 1941. Studied in Paris with Honnegar. His first string quartet garnered a great deal of fame in 1951. His third string quartet won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. His Cello Concerto won the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition in 1993. He emigrated to America in 1954, and joined the faculty at Cornell. Husa became a U.S. citizen in 1959. He won other various awards throughout his life, including the Czech Republic giving him the Gold Medal of Merit in 1995. He and his wife Simone (m. 1948) live in North Carolina, after living in Ithaca, NY for 40 years. His modernist music has been described as "aggressive."
Orchestral Chamber
================== ==========================
Concerto for Brass Quintet & Strings, 1971 Sonatina for Violin & Piano, Op.6
Overture for Large Orchestra, Op.3, 1944 3 Studies for Solo Clarinet, 2008
Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra, Op.4, 1944 Sonatina for Flute & Piano, 2003 (based on Op. 6)
4 Easy Pieces for Oboe, Trumpet, Percussion & Strings, 1952 Postcard from Home, for Alto Sax & Piano, 1997
Divertimento for Strings, 1948 Suite for Viola & Piano, Op.5 1945
3 Frescoes for Orchestra, Op.7, 1947 2 Preludes for Flute, Clarinet & Bassoon, 1966
Concertino for Piano & Orchestra, Op.10, 1949 String Quartet No.1, Op.8 1948
Portrait, for Strings, 1953 String Quartet No.2, 1953
Symphony Nr.1, 1953 String Quartet No.3, 1968
4 Little Pieces for Strings, 1955 Divertimento, brass quintet, 1968
Fantasies, 1956 String Quartet "0", 1943
Poème, Viola & Chamber Orchestra, 1959 Studies, percussion, 1968
Elégie et rondeau, alto sax, orch, 1961, arr. alto sax, piano Sonata for violin & piano, 1973
Mosaïques, 1961 Landscapes for Brass Quintet, 1977
Fresque, rev. 1963 3 Dance Sketches for Percussion, 1979
Serenade for Woodwind Quintet & Strings, 1963 Intradas and Interludes, 7 tpt, timp, 1980
Concerto for Brass Quintet, Strings & Piano, 1965 Sonata à tre for violin, clarinet & piano, 1982
2 Sonnets from Michelangelo, 1971 Recollections, Woodwind Quintet & Piano, 1982
Pastoral for Strings, 1979 Variations for Piano Quartet, 1984
Symphony No.2 'Reflections', 1983 String Quartet No.4 'Poems', 1990
Symphonic Suite, 1984 5 Poems, woodwind quintet, 1994
Concerto for Orchestra, 1986 Tubafest Celebration, for tuba quartet, 1992
Organ Concerto, 1987 Drum Ceremony for 5 Percussionists, 1976
Trumpet Concerto, 1987 Cayuga Lake (Memories) for Woodwind & Brass Quartet, Piano & Percussion, 1991 Evocations de Slovaquie, for Viola, Flute & Cello, 1951
Overture, 'Youth', 1991
Cello Concerto, 1988
Celebración, 1997 Wind Band
Violin Concerto, 1991 ============================
Divertimento, brass, percussion, 1959
Concerto for alto sax & concert band, 1967
Concertino for Piano & Wind Ensemble
Music for Prague 1968, arr. orch, 1968
Concerto for Percussion & Wind Ensemble, 1970–71
Apotheosis of this Earth, 1971, arr. voices, orch, 1972
Piano works Concerto for 7 Trumpets & Percussion, 1973
======================= Smetana Fanfare, 1984
Sonatina, 1943 Les couleurs fauves, 1994
Piano Sonata Nr.1, 1949 Concerto for Winds, 1982
Piano Sonata Nr.2, 1975 Al fresco, 1973
Elegie, 1957 Intradas and Interludes, 7 trumpets, percussion, 1980
8 Czech Duets for Piano 4-hands, 1955
Frammenti for Organ, 1987 Ballet
=====================
The Steadfast Tin Soldier (H.C. Andersen), 1974
Monodrama, orch, 1976,
The Trojan Women, orch, 1981
Well, job well done Scion... I just ordered the 'Apotheosis of the Earth' 2CD set, which has most of what I found appealing. Though Husa figures on a billion wind CDs, there is much much duplication, the same four minor pieces over and over. Seems his most popular work would be the 'Smetana Fanfare', along with 'Al Fresco'.
I didn't see but one other 'Apotheosis', maybe two. Many of the smaller pieces are shared by the Corporon 2CD, but the former seemed to have the better sound, et al...
Also interested in dem Trumpet Concertos...
Quote from: snyprrr on May 02, 2016, 04:04:38 PM
Also interested in dem Trumpet Concertos...
As well you should!
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra (1987) -- around the 14:20 mark, the imagery is of ... of ... the hounds of hell chasing the Planet of the Apes up the wrong tree ....
HUSA-Concerto for Trumpet & Wind Orchestra (1973) -- quiet, minimalist music until the last couple of movements
Quote from: Scion7 on May 03, 2016, 06:44:30 AM
As well you should!
Concerto for Trumpet & Orchestra (1987) -- around the 14:20 mark, the imagery is of ... of ... the hounds of hell chasing the Planet of the Apes up the wrong tree ....
HUSA-Concerto for Trumpet & Wind Orchestra (1973) -- quiet, minimalist music until the last couple of movements
I'm having trouble IDing your vampire pic- I'm guessing "Spanish, early 70s"????? MUST KNOW!!!
Quote from: snyprrr on May 03, 2016, 07:03:52 AM
I'm having trouble IDing your vampire pic- I'm guessing "Spanish, early 70s"????? MUST KNOW!!!
Nah, yesterday - I lifted it off of Florestan's dead, horror-filled stare from his drained-husk of a corpse. As you know, a vampiress cannot be photographed - BUT! - the human eye - the retina - can retain images. This was the last thing he saw before one of my brides - let's call her Miranijenska - made him pay for wandering onto the castle grounds at dusk . . . The magic of forensics.
. . . mu -
. . . ha -
. . . ha! :P
Again, exploring the classic wind ensemble pieces of Husa has been quite a vigorous (re)discovery. The Concerto for Wind Ensemble, the Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble, and the (Concerto) for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble are so far the standout works, along with 'Prague' and 'Earth'. Excellent writing for winds and percussion out of this man.
Quote from: snyprrr on May 13, 2016, 09:44:46 AM
Again, exploring the classic wind ensemble pieces of Husa has been quite a vigorous (re)discovery. The Concerto for Wind Ensemble, the Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble, and the (Concerto) for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble are so far the standout works, along with 'Prague' and 'Earth'. Excellent writing for winds and percussion out of this man.
Husa, my favored discovery of 2016
So he hasn't written anything in decades?
He might have written stuff, he just doesn't appear to have published much. He died last month, perhaps in time his papers will come to the attention of modern music scholars or something.
Thanks for the heads-up that he had died.
I updated the thread.
Missed the announcement, somehow.
He's published a decent chunk of material.
Perhaps more will make it out of the estate over time.
A week ago I was listening to his Symphony No. 1 and I thought it was a substantially impressive work. However, if that symphony proved to have interesting material and grab the attention, the three works on this CD are even better! Three features I found notable throughout these pieces: a striking use of the orchestra, the way he conjured up some gripping atmospheres and a sense of propulsive energy that will make you say: wow, that is thrilling! Anyone who has affinity with approachable 20th-century music will be in for a real treat.
One of my best discoveries of this year so far. I can't recommend this CD enough, it's that great!
(https://d1iiivw74516uk.cloudfront.net/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwcmVzdG8tY292ZXItaW1hZ2VzIiwia2V5IjoiODkxNjE5MS4xLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTAwfSwianBlZyI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2NX0sInRvRm9ybWF0IjoianBlZyJ9LCJ0aW1lc3RhbXAiOjE2NjgwOTU5NDJ9)