John Joubert

John Pierre Herman Joubert 20 March 1927 – 7 January 2019 Was A British Composer Of South African Descent Particularly Of Choral Works. He Lived In Moseley A Suburb Of Birmingham England For Over 50 Years. A Music Academic At The Universities Of Hull And Birmingham For 36 Years Joubert Took Early Retirement In 1986 To Concentrate On Composing And Remained Active Into His 80s. Though Perhaps Best Known For His Choral Music Particularly The Carols Torches And There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue And The Anthem O Lorde The Maker Of Al Thing Joubert Composed Over 160 Works Including Two Symphonies Four Concertos And Seven Operas. Joubert Was Born On 20 March 1927 In Cape Town South Africa. His Ancestors On His Father's Side Were Hugenots French Protestants From Provence Who Settled At The Cape In 1688. His Mother's Ancestry Was Dutch. Joubert Was Educated At Diocesan College In Rondebosch South Africa Which Was Founded By The Anglican Church 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 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 "through Brown I Learned All The Elgar Choral Works Even Before I Heard Them Properly In Full Orchestral Performance. Not Only That Idiom But The Idiom Of Anglican Church Music Generally. Parry And Stanford 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 In 1944 He Began Studying Musical Composition Privately With William Henry Bell 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 Scholarship In Composition At The Royal Academy Of Music In London. Here His Principal Teachers Were Theodore Holland Howard Ferguson And Alan Bush. During His Four Years At The Academy He Won A Number Of Prizes For Composition Notably The Frederick Corder Prize And The 1949 Royal Philharmonic Society Prize. In 1950 Joubert Was Appointed To A Lectureship In Music At The University Of Hull Having Graduated In The Same Year With A Bachelor Of Music B.Mus. Degree From The University Of Durham. 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 Carol It Was Published In 1961 In The First Volume Of Carols For Choirs And The Anthem 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 Royal Philharmonic Society And The BBC And From Musical Festivals Such As The Three Choirs And Birmingham Triennial Festivals. By The End Of His 12 Years At Hull Joubert Had Composed In Addition To Choral Music His Violin Concerto Op. 13 1954 Symphony No. 1 Op. 20 1955 Piano Concerto Op. 25 1958 The Full-Length Opera Silas Marner Op. 31 1961 After The Novel By George Eliot And A Body Of Chamber Music Including String Quartet No. 1 In A-Flat Op. 1 1950 A String Trio Op. 30 1958 And An Octet Op. 33 1961 . Joubert Moved To Moseley Birmingham In 1962 To Take Up A Senior Lectureship At The University Of Birmingham He Was Later Made Reader In Music. In 1979 He Was A Visiting Professor At The University Of Otago 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 Op. 134 Based On The Novels By Joseph Conrad And Charlotte Brontë Respectively Symphony No. 2 Op. 68 1970 Various Large-Scale Choral Works With Orchestras Including The Oratorio The Raising Of Lazarus Op. 67 1970 And Herefordshire Canticles Op. 93 1979 A Second And Third Piano Sonata Op. 71 1972 Op. 157 A Second And Third String Quartet Op. 91 1977 Op. 112 1986 Song Cycles 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." Joubert Lectured At The University Between 1962 And 1986 And Remained An Honorary Senior Research Fellow There. In July 2007 The University Conferred On Him An Honorary Doctorate Of Music D.Mus. .
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 A Post He Retains. He Was Conferred An Honorary 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 Ex Cathedra Choir Soloists And Academy Of Vocal Music And The City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Under The Baton Of Jeffrey Skidmore On 22 March 2007 At The Oratory Birmingham And A New Oboe Concerto Performed By Oboist Adrian Wilson And The Orchestra Of The Swan Conducted By David Curtis On 12 July 2007 At Lichfield Cathedral. 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 Released A Celebratory CD Of A Recording Originally Taped In 1994 Of Joubert's Symphony No. 1 Played By The London Philharmonic Orchestra Under Vernon Handley. Joubert And His Wife Mary A Pianist Had A Daughter Anna Who Is A Cellist And A Son Pierre A Violinist. He Had Four Grandchildren Matthew John Naomi And Alexander. John Joubert Died On 7 January 2019 Aged 91. Joubert Composed Over 160 Works Including Two Symphonies Violin Piano Cello Oboe And Bassoon Concertos And Seven Operas. He Had A Major Choral Output Including Christmas Carols. 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
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 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
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 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 Operas
Silas Marner Op. 31 1961 Opera In Three Acts After The Dramatic Novel By George Eliot
Under Western Eyes Op. 51 1968 Opera In Three Acts
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 Novel By Charlotte Brontë 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 Three Choirs Festival 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 read less