Thomas Tycho AM MBE DMus (11 April 19284 April 2013)IMDb
/ref> was a Hungarian-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, conductor,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and arranger. He was active in both classical music and pop. He was associated with musical productions on Australian television for many years from its inception in 1956, including such programs as '' The Mavis Bramston Show''. The recorded version of the National Anthem ''

Advance Australia Fair "Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song in Australia in 1878. It replaced "God Save the King, God Save th ...

'' that is now usually used to accompany singers at major sporting and community events is Tommy Tycho's arrangement.Tommy Tycho website
/ref> He wrote a number of film scores, and his activities bridged both popular and classical styles.

Biography

Tycho was born in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

in April 1928. His father was a senior government official and his mother was an opera singerABC
/ref> who had retired to raise a family.
/ref> His musical life started as a child prodigy pianist. He played

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's '' Rhapsody in Blue'' with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra at age 10. He had been introduced to the work by his teacher,

Egon Petri Egon Petri (23 March 188127 May 1962) was a Dutch-American pianist. Life and career Petri's family was Dutch. He was born a Dutch citizen in Hanover, Germany, and grew up in Dresden, where he attended the Kreuzschule. His father, a professi ...

. He commenced studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where his teachers included Leo Weiner and

Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (, ; , ; 16 December 1882 – 6 March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. ...

. He and his parents had adopted

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

in an attempt to disguise their Jewishness, but to no avail – he was interned in a German forced labour camp in 1943 at age 15, and was lucky to survive. He resumed his musical studies after the war, but left Hungary after the Communist takeover while still only in his third year of study. From 1948 to 1951 he lived in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, where he was the personal pianist for the

Shah of Iran The monarchs of Iran ruled for over two and a half millennia, beginning as early as the 7th century BC and enduring until the 20th century AD. The earliest Iranian king is generally considered to have been either Deioces of the Median dynasty () ...

. There he met a Hungarian soprano named Eva Komor, who became his wife. They emigrated to Australia in 1951. He commenced his musical career at ABC Radio in the 1950s performing a weekly recital titled "Handful of Keys" which led to a regular popular radio programme with his own chamber group The Thomas Tycho Players. Tycho joined ATN7 in 1956 and was Musical Director at the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

for 15 years, 1956–1971, Under his directorship he composed music for shows such as Revue '61 & '62, Startime, The Mavis Bramston Show and composed for iconic programs including Anzacs, Penthouse, Riptide, Your can't see 'Round Corners, until he left in 1971. He also composed the theme for the television program and movie, Number 96. Tycho was involved in nine Royal Command Performances, and has conducted all the ABC symphony orchestras. His work was an important element of many official openings (

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

, Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney Football Stadium, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88,

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...

, major sporting grand finals, etc.). In 2008 he performed for Crown Princess Mary of Denmark at the opening of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. (In 1980, after a heart attack, he had been treated personally by Dr Victor Chang.) The Australian artists with whom he worked include Peter Allen, Ricky May,

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

, Julie Anthony,

John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

, Anthony Warlow, Jill Perryman, Barry Crocker, Kamahl, James Morrison, Frank Bennett (Singer, saxophonist), David Campbell, Judi Connelli, violinist Ian Cooper, Suzanne Johnstone, Jackie Love, James Blundell, Don Burrows, Andy Firth, Marina Prior, Rob Guest, Jimmy Little, Tommy Emmanuel, Normie Rowe, Rhonda Burchmore, Ingrid James, Donald Cant and many others. He also worked with overseas performers such as Sammy Davis Jr.,

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

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Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and many others. Tommy Tycho suffered a serious stroke in 2008.Sydney Morning Herald
/ref> He then lived in a nursing home where he received regular therapy; though his left side was paralysed, he would compose and play with his right hand.
/ref> He died on 4 April 2013, aged 84, as a result of complications associated with pneumonia.

Compositions

His compositions and arrangements include: * 3 overtures * 3 concertos (for trumpet, violin, piano) ** The Violin Concerto was written around 2000, but did not have its premiere until 10 April 2010; Maria Lindsay, soloist, played with the Lurline Chamber Orchestra at the Randwick Town Hall.Lurline Chamber Orchestra
/ref> * television music (documentary series ''ANZAC'', drama series '' Riptide'', and others) * film scores ('' Young Einstein'', '' Reckless Kelly'', many others) * arranged over 1,500 pieces for film and television, including: ** "Cole Porter Concerto", based on three

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

tunes ** "Fantasia" (based on three

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

tunes) ** "No Other Love" (symphonic arrangement of the song by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

** Symphonic arrangement of " Macarthur Park" by Jimmy Webb ** Symphonic arrangement of Cole Porter's " Begin the Beguine" ** "Tiger Rag" (in the style of Art Tatum) * the medal ceremony music for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games * songs for stage revues including ''Lie Back and Enjoy It'' and ''There Will Be an Interval of 15 Minutes'' and a musical '' When We Are Married'' for the Phillip Theatre, and arrangements for a musical ''Get Happy'' (2003) In 2003 Tommy Tycho was commissioned by Symphony Australia to compose an overture for the 75th birthday celebrations of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. That same year he conducted the Queensland Orchestra for concerts with Anthony Warlow, and many others. He was the arranger and conductor for Warlow's album, ''Let's Face the Music''; and he conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in a Lounge concert. Tycho wrote a series of special feature arrangements for Australian clarinetist Andy Firth, when Firth was featured as guest artist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2006.

Discography

Charting albums

Honours and awards

Among his many accolades can be counted: * In 1977, Tycho was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) * In 1987 he was appointed a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AM) * In 1992 he won the

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

Paul Harris Fellowship Award, in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world * In 2007 he was conferred the degree of Honorary Doctorate of Music from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

.University of Sydney
/ref>

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Tommy Tycho was Patron of the Mo Awards for many years and won one award during this time.. (wins only) , - , 1984 , Tommy Tycho , John Campbell Fellowship Award , , -

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tycho, Tommy Jewish Australian musicians Hungarian pianists Hungarian male conductors (music) Australian conductors (music) Hungarian musical theatre composers Hungarian film score composers Male film score composers Australian pianists Australian film score composers Australian music arrangers Members of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Jewish Hungarian musicians Musicians from Budapest 1928 births 2013 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in New South Wales 20th-century pianists 20th-century Australian musicians Australian male pianists 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Australian male musicians Daly-Wilson Big Band members Franz Liszt Academy of Music alumni