Wilfred Josephs (24 July 1927 – 17 November 1997) was an English composer.
Life
Born in
Gosforth
Gosforth is a suburb of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It constituted a separate urban district from 1895 until 1974 before officially merging with the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2001, it had a populati ...
,
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, the fourth and youngest son of Russian and
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
Jewish parents, Wilfred Josephs had his first musical studies in Newcastle with Arthur Milner, and showed early promise, but was persuaded by his parents to take up a 'sensible' career. He subsequently became a dentist, qualifying as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery of the University of Durham in 1951. He later studied at the Guildhall School in London.
In 1963 his ''
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'', a complete setting of the Hebrew Kaddish, written in memory of the Jews who were murdered in the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, won the first International Composing Competition of the City of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
and
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
– then the biggest musical award in the world, after which he gave up dentistry and became a full-time composer. The Requiem was performed by Nino Sanzogno in Milan,
Maurice Handford
Maurice James Handford (29 April 1928 – 16 December 1986) was a British horn player and conductor.
Handford was born in Salisbury. He was principal horn of the Hallé Orchestra 1949–61, then associate conductor 1966–71, and staff condu ...
for the BBC, Max Rudolf in Cincinnati, and Giulini in Chicago. A recording was made by David Measham for Unicorn Kanchana.
Josephs was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music of Newcastle University in 1978. In October 1996, a concert of his works was given at Newcastle University in his presence. He died in London in 1997, leaving a wife, Valerie, and two daughters, Claudia and Philippa. The Wilfred Josephs Society continues to promote his works, the president of which was Sir Charles Mackerras.
Works
Wilfred Josephs was a prolific composer and his classical works include 12
symphonies
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning co ...
, 22 concertos, overtures, chamber music, operas, ballets, vocal works – almost all of which had been written to commission. An exception was ''Requiescant pro defunctis'', a string quartet composed as Josephs' personal response to newsreel footage of Auschwitz shown at the time of the
Horizon (BBC TV series)
''Horizon'' is an ongoing and long-running British documentary television series on BBC Two that covers science and philosophy.
History
The programme was first broadcast on 2 May 1964 with "The World of Buckminster Fuller" which explored the ...
The Ghosts of Motley Hall
''The Ghosts of Motley Hall'' is a British children's television series written by Richard Carpenter. It was produced and directed by Quentin Lawrence for Granada Television, and broadcast between 1976 and 1978 on the ITV network. The series ...
Pride and Prejudice
''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
The Return of the Antelope
''The Return of the Antelope'' was a UK TV series aired on ITV between 1986 and 1988. It was a children's fantasy series about two English children, circa 1899, who befriend a group of shipwrecked Lilliputians.
Production
*Producer/Director: E ...
'' (1986), as well as incidental music for '' The Prisoner'' (1967). His film scores include ''
Cash on Demand
''Cash on Demand'' is a 1961 British black and white neo noir crime thriller film directed by Quentin Lawrence and starring Peter Cushing and André Morell. The film company Hammer Film Productions invested approximately £37,000 to produce ...
Hostile Witness
A hostile witness, also known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party who called ...
Cry of the Banshee
''Cry of the Banshee'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price as an evil witchhunter. The film was released by American International Pictures. The film costars Elisabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, and H ...
Martin's Day
''Martin's Day'' is a 1985 American drama film directed by Alan Gibson. It stars Richard Harris and Lindsay Wagner.
Synopsis
The film follows an escaped convict named Martin who kidnaps a boy, also named Martin, while trying to flee via plane. W ...
'' (1985) and '' Mata Hari'' (1985).
In 1966, under the pseudonym Wilfred Wylam, Josephs composed the score for ''Man of Magic,'' a musical based on the life of magician
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American Escapology, escape artist, Magic (illusion), magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his Escapology, escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to ...
, with book by John Morley and Aubrey Cash. Produced by impresario
Harold Fielding
Harold Lewis Fielding (4 December 1916 - 27 September 2003) was an English theatre producer.
Fielding was one of Britain's foremost theatrical producers who produced several musicals, including ''Mame'', ''Charlie Girl'', ''Half a Sixpence'', ...
, the show opened at the Manchester Opera House on 22 October before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre in London where it ran for 135 performances.
His other notable works include an opera ''Rebecca'' (1983), based on Daphne du Maurier's novel, a ballet ''Cyrano'' (1991) and the ''Aelian Dances'', based on Newcastle folk songs (the title is a reference to Newcastle's
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
name) and a music theatre piece in memory of his nephew, A Child of the Universe op. 80. and a children's opera Alice in Wonderland Op 144 (1985–1988) .
Recordings
* Requiem, Robert Dawe, baritone; Daphne Harris, soprano (2nd movement – Yitgadal); Adelaide String Quartet, with Pamela de Almeida, 2nd cello; Adelaide Chorus;
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936.
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Ha ...
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...