John Pierre Herman Joubert ( ; 20 March 1927 – 7 January 2019) was a British composer of South African birth, particularly of choral works. He lived in

Moseley Moseley ( ') is an affluent suburb in south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. It is located within the eponymous Moseley ward of the constituency of Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley (UK Parliament constituency), Hall Green and ...

, a suburb of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England, for over 50 years. ; also published as . A music academic in the universities of

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

and

for 36 years, Joubert took early retirement in 1986 to concentrate on composing and remained active into his eighties. Though perhaps best known for his choral music, particularly the

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). ...

''Torches'' and ''There is No Rose of Such Virtue'' and the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

''O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing'', Joubert composed over 160 works including three

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 c ...

, four

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

s and seven operas.

Early life and education

Joubert was born on 20 March 1927 in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa. His ancestors on his father's side were

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, French

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s from

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

who settled at the Cape in 1688. His mother's ancestry was Dutch.Programme for

Ex Cathedra Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...

's performance of John Joubert's ''Wings of Faith'' at The Oratory, Birmingham, on 22 March 2007. Joubert was educated at

Diocesan College The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established o ...

Rondebosch Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town. History Four years after the first Dutch ...

, South Africa, which was founded by the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

and maintained a high standard of music-making. He originally hoped to become a painter, and did a fair amount of art at school. However, at about the age of 15 years, he gradually became interested in music, though as a composer rather than a performer. "It was always going to be something creative. Oddly enough, the

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

haven't been as great a stimulus as literature. I was also interested in writing. In fact, I was bored by everything at school except writing, art and music!" In school, he came under the guidance of the musical director Claude Brown, whose teaching he regarded as "an indispensable foundation to my subsequent musical career". According to Joubert, " rough Brown, I learned all the

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

choral works even before I heard them properly in full orchestral performance. Not only that idiom, but the idiom of

Anglican church music Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing ''a cappella'' or accompanied b ...

generally.

Parry Parry may refer to: People * Parry (surname) * Parry (given name) Fictional characters * Parry, protagonist of the movie ''The Fisher King'', played by Robin Williams * Parry in the series '' Incarnations of Immortality'' by Piers Anthony * ...

and

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, and all the usual blokes." Through his teacher's encouragement, Joubert was able to participate in choral performances with the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra under William J. Pickerill, and subsequently to hear his works featured in performance. After graduating from the

South African College of Music The South African College of Music, abbreviated as SACM, is a department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. It is located on the university's Lower Campus in Rondebosch, Cape Town. History The South African College of ...

in 1944 he began studying

musical composition Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...

privately with

William Henry Bell William Henry Bell, known largely by his initials, W H Bell (20 August 1873 – 13 April 1946), was an English composer, conductor and lecturer. Biography Bell was born in St Albans and was a chorister at St Albans Cathedral. He studied organ, ...

, an Englishman well known locally as a composer of distinction. Bell exerted the greatest influence on his composition. In 1946 he was awarded a

Performing Right Society PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertakes ...

Scholarship in composition at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

in London. Here, his principal teachers were

Theodore Holland Theodore Samuel Holland, OBE (25 April 1878 – 29 October 1947), was a British composer and academic. Born in Wimbledon, Holland attended Westminster School and then the Royal College of Music, where his composition teacher was Frederick Corder. ...

Howard Ferguson George Howard Ferguson (June 18, 1870 – February 21, 1946) was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930. He was a Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to ...

and

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed prol ...

. During his four years at the Academy he won a number of prizes for composition, notably the

Frederick Corder Frederick Corder (26 January 1852 – 21 August 1932) was an English composer and music teacher. Life Corder was born in Hackney, the son of Micah Corder and his wife Charlotte Hill. He was educated at Blackheath Proprietary School and start ...

prize and the 1949

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

prize...

Professional career

In 1950 Joubert was appointed to a

lectureship Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. ...

in music at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

, having graduated in the same year with a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

(B.Mus.) degree from the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

. His works soon began to be performed and to attract favourable attention. His carol ''Torches'' ( Op. 7a, 1951) (written for his wife Mary's pupils and based on a Galician (Eastern Europe) carol, it was published in 1961 in the first volume of ''

Carols for Choirs ''Carols for Choirs'' is a collection of choral scores, predominantly of Christmas carols and hymns, first published in 1961 by Oxford University Press. It was edited by Sir David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques, and is a widely used source o ...

'') and the

''O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing'' (Op. 7b, 1952) (which won the 1952 Novello Anthem Competition), achieved almost instant popularity. Concerning ''Torches'', Joubert recalled, "I've even had carol-singers come to the door and singing it, without knowing the composer lives inside." Together with the carol ''There is No Rose of Such Virtue'' (Op. 14, 1954), the three choral works have become classics of the Anglican repertoire. Works in other genres followed, mostly as the result of commissions from institutions such as the

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall, Birmingham in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its adminis ...

, the Birmingham Festival Choral Society (named for the Birmingham Triennial Festival, the

and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, and from musical festivals such as the

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester) and originally fe ...

. By the end of his 12 years at Hull Joubert had composed, in addition to choral music, his ''

Violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

'' (Op. 13, 1954), ''

Symphony 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 c ...

No. 1'' (Op. 20, 1955), ''

piano concerto A piano concerto, a type of concerto, is a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for piano accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuosic showpieces which require an advance ...

'' (Op. 25, 1958), the full-length opera ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It was published on 2 April 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism a ...

'' (Op. 31, 1961) (after the novel by

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

), and a body of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

including ''

String quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

No. 1 in A-Flat'' (Op. 1, 1950), a ''

string trio A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cello ...

'' (Op. 30, 1958) and an ''

Octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compo ...

'' (Op. 33, 1961). Joubert moved to

, Birmingham, in 1962 to take up a Senior Lectureship at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

; he was later made Reader in Music. In 1979 he was a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

in New Zealand.. The number and scope of his works increased, and among those composed during the following decades were two further full-length operas, '' Under Western Eyes'' (Op. 51, 1968) and ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'' (Op. 134) (based on the novels by

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

and

Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Nicholls (; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855), commonly known as Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ), was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë family, Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novel ...

respectively), ''Symphony No. 2'' (Op. 68, 1970), various large-scale choral works with orchestras including the

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

''The Raising of

Lazarus Lazarus may refer to: People *Lazarus (name), a surname and a given name * Lazarus of Bethany, a Biblical figure described as being raised from the dead by Jesus * Lazarus, a Biblical figure from the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus * Lazar ...

'' (Op. 67, 1970) and ''

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

Canticle In the context of Christian liturgy, a canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a psalm-like song with biblical lyrics taken from elsewhere than the Book of Psalms, but included in psalters and books su ...

s'' (Op. 93, 1979), a second and third

piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement (Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with two movemen ...

(Op. 71, 1972; Op. 157), a second and third string quartet (Op. 91, 1977; Op. 112, 1986),

song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

s with piano and/or instrumental ensembles, and accompanied and unaccompanied smaller-scale choral music. On the wide scope of his work, Joubert has commented: "I've never really wanted to be pigeonholed as a composer. I've always wanted to write anything that I was either asked to, or wanted to write. I've never wanted to specialise, although I have to a certain extent been pigeonholed already. I'd rather not be looked upon as sort of limited in that way." In 1986 Joubert took early retirement from the University to concentrate on composition, although he maintained his ties by becoming an Honorary Senior Research Fellow there in 1997. He was conferred an

Honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctorate of Music (D.Mus.) by the University of Durham in 1991, and received another from the University of Birmingham on 18 July 2007. He was Composer in Residence at the Peterborough Cathedral Festival in 1990 (which also commissioned his ''Six Short Preludes on English Hymn Tunes, for chamber organ'' (Op. 125, 1990), and at the Presteigne Festival in 1997, and served as the chairman of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society for 25 years. Joubert remained active as a composer. 2007 was the year of his 80th birthday, and was celebrated with a series of concerts, the "Joubertiade 2007", throughout the United Kingdom. These included world ''premières'' of the complete version of the oratorio ''Wings of Faith'' (Op. 143, 2000, 2003) which was performed by the

choir, soloists and Academy of Vocal Music, and the

, under the

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...

of Jeffrey Skidmore on 22 March 2007 at The Oratory, Birmingham; and a new ''Oboe Concerto'' performed by

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

Adrian Wilson and the Orchestra of the Swan conducted by David Curtis on 12 July 2007 at

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...

. The celebrations culminated in the world ''première'' of ''Five Songs of Incarnation'' (Op. 163, 2007) for tenor and choir which was commissioned through Joubertiade 2007 and performed on 24 November 2007 at St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham. In the same year,

Lyrita Lyrita is a British classical music record label, specializing in the works of British composers.Lewis Foreman. ''Recording British Music'' (2024), ch. 17, pp. 223-233 Lyrita began releasing LPs in October 1959 as Lyrita Recorded Edition for ...

released a celebratory CD of a recording (originally taped in 1994) of Joubert's Symphony No. 1 played by the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

under

Vernon Handley Vernon George "Tod" Handley (11 November 1930 – 10 September 2008) was a British conductor (music), conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. Early life and education He was born of a Welsh father and an Irish mothe ...

Personal life

Joubert and his wife Mary, a pianist,; also published with a photograph of Pierre Joubert as . had a daughter Anna, who is a cellist, and a son Pierre, a violinist. He had four grandchildren: Matthew, John, Naomi and Alexander. He died on 7 January 2019, aged 91.) Both Birmingham Bach Choir and Ex Cathedra sang at his funeral.

Selected recordings

* Cello Concerto: Raphael Wallfisch, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, William Boughton, Lyrita SRCD344 (2014) * Chamber & Instrumental Music: Brodsky Quartet, Patricia Rozario, John McCabe, Mark Bebbington, SOMM CD 060-2 (2007) * Choral Music: Choir of Gloucester Cathedral, Adrian Partington, Priory Records PRCD 1028 (2010) * Choral Music: Louis Halsey Singers, BMS 102 CDH (1975, reissued 2007) * ''Four Song Cycles'': Lesley-Jane Rogers, John McCabe, John Turner, Toccata 0045 (2007) * ''The Instant Moment'', ''Temps Perdu'', Sinfonietta: Henry Herford, English String Orchestra, William Boughton, BMS (2007), reissued Naxos 8571368 (2015) * ''Jane Eyre'': April Fredrick, David Stout, English Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Woods, Somm 263-2 (2017) * Oboe Concerto: Jinny Shaw, Orchestra Nova, George Vass, Guild GM 7383 (2013) * Octet: Dionysus Ensemble, online (2025) * Organ Music: Tom Winpenny, Toccata 0398 (2017) * Piano Concerto & Symphony No. 3: Martin Jones, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, William Boughton, Lyrita SRCD367 (2018) * The Piano Music of John Joubert: Duncan Honeybourne, Prima Facie 162/3 (2019) * ''South of the Line'' (choral music): Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, Paul Spicer, Somm 0166 (2017) * ''St Mark Passion'', ''Missa Wellensis'' & ''Locus iste'': Wells Cathedral Choir, Matthew Owens, Resonus 10198 (2017) * String Quartets Nos. 1-3: Brodsky Quartet, Somm 0113 (2012) * Symphony No.1: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley, Lyrita SRCD322 (2007) * Symphony No. 2: Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Martin Yates, Dutton Epoch CDLX 7270 (2013)

Major works

Joubert composed over 180 works including three

;

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, cello,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

and

bassoon concerto A bassoon concerto is a concerto for bassoon accompanied by a musical ensemble, typically orchestra. Like bassoon sonatas, bassoon concerti were relatively uncommon until the twentieth century, although there are quite a few bassoon concerti fro ...

s; and seven operas. He had a major choral output including

Christmas carol A Christmas carol is a Carol (music), carol on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...

s. Some of his major works are listed below; a fuller list may be viewed on his website.

Anthems, carols, hymns and other choral works

*''Torches'' (Op. 7a, 1951), carol *''O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing'' (Op. 7b, 1952), anthem *''There is No Rose of Such Virtue'' (Op. 14, 1954), carol *''Let There Be Light'' (Op. 56, 1969), commissioned by the Collegiate Choir at

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Bloomington, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856. History The in ...

*''How are my foes increased, Lord!'' (Op.61, 1969), Commissioned for David Patrick and the Choir of Barnet Parish Church. *''Five Carols For Five Voices'' (1973) ("Of a Rose, a lovely Rose", "Make we joy now in this feast", "Jesu, son most sweet and dear", "When Christ was born of Mary", "Let us gather hand in hand") composed for

The Scholars (Vocal Group) The Scholars is an English a cappella group of four to five solo singers active 1968–2010, mainly in the field of classical music. In the United States they were also known as The Scholars of London and The Voices of London. Membership Each of ...

*''Herefordshire Canticles'' (Op. 93, 1979), for chorus, boys' choir, solos and orchestra *''A Hymne to God the Father'' (1987), hymn *''Rochester Triptych'' (Op. 139, 1997: made up of ''Universal Nature'' (Op. 139, date unknown), ''Impartial Death'' (Op. 139, date unknown) and ''Blest Glorious Man'' (Op. 126, 1991)), for choir and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

*''The Souls of the Righteous'' (Op. 142, 1999), anthem *''Five Songs of Incarnation'' ("Of a Rose, a Lovely Rose", "Make We Joy Now in this Feast", "I Sing of a Maiden", "When Christ was Born of Mary", "Let Us Gather Hand in Hand") (Op. 163, 2007), for tenor and choir

Chamber music

* String Quartet No. 1 in A-Flat (Op. 1, 1950) * Sonata for Viola and Piano (Op.6, 1952) * String Trio (Op. 30, 1958), for violin,

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

and cello * Octet (Op. 33, 1961) * String Quartet No. 2 (Op. 91, 1977) * String Quartet No. 3 (Op. 112, 1986)

Concertos

* Violin Concerto (Op. 13, 1954) * Piano Concerto (Op. 25, 1958) * Bassoon Concerto (Op. 77, 1974; commissioned for Michael Chapman) * Cello Concerto ("Concerto in Two Movements for Cello and Chamber Orchestra") (Op. 171, 2011; commissioned by

Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London) is an English cellist. Background Wallfisch was born into a family of distinguished musicians; his father was the pianist Peter Wallfisch and his mother is the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisc ...

)

Operas

*''Silas Marner'' (Op. 31, 1961), opera in three

acts The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a two-par ...

after the dramatic

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

*''Under Western Eyes'' (Op. 51, 1968), opera in three acts, libretto by Cedric Cliffe after the

*''The Prisoner'' (Op.75, 1973), opera in two acts, libretto by Stephen Tunnicliffe based on Tolstoy's short story "Too Dear!". Commissioned for the 400th. Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth I Grammar School for Boys, Barnet, North London. First performance March 1973 conducted by David Patrick. * ''Jane Eyre'' (Op. 134, 1987–1997), opera in three acts, libretto by Kenneth Birkin after the

Oratorios

*''Urbs Beata'' (Op. 42, 1963) commissioned to celebrate the completion of St George's Cathedral, Cape Town. It received its first performance under the direction of organist and choirmaster Keith Jewell. *''The Raising of Lazarus'' (Op. 67, 1970) *''Wings of Faith'' (Op. 143, Part 1 ("The Word Fulfilled"): 2000, Part 2 ("The Transforming Spirit"): 2003) *''An English Requiem'' (op.166, 2010) commissioned for the Gloucester 2010

, receiving its first performance at the festival on 9 August 2010.

Symphonies

* Symphony No. 1 (Op. 20, 1955, rev. 1956) * Symphony No. 2 (Op. 68, 1970) * Symphony No. 3 on themes from the opera "Jane Eyre" (Op. 178, 2014–17)

Other works

*''Sonata in One Movement (Sonata No. 1)'' (Op. 24, 1957), for piano *''Passacaglia and Fugue'' (Op. 35, 1961), for organ *''Prelude on "Picardy"'' (Op. unknown, date unknown) for organ * Sonata No. 2 (Op. 71, 1972), for piano *''Tombeau'' (Op. 86, 1981), for unaccompanied viola da gamba *''Six Short Preludes on English Hymn Tunes, for chamber organ'' (Op. 125, 1990) for organ * Sonata No. 3 (Op. 157, date unknown), for piano

References

Sources

*. *. *. *Programme for

's performance of John Joubert's ''Wings of Faith'' at The Oratory, Birmingham, on 22 March 2007. *.

External links

*
John Joubert's profile on the website of Chester Music and Novello & Co.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joubert, John 1927 births 2019 deaths 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers South African composers South African male composers British classical composers British opera composers British male classical composers Classical composers of church music Academics of the University of Birmingham Academics of the University of Hull Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town South African College of Music alumni Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of Durham University Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands People from Moseley Musicians from Cape Town 20th-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians