Karel Husa
From Wind Repertory Project
Biography
Karel Husa (born 7 August 1921 in Prague) is a Czech composer. After completing studies at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Music, he went to Paris where he received diplomas from the Paris National Conservatory and the Ecole normale de musique. Among his teachers were Arthur Honegger, Nadia Boulanger, Jaroslav Ridky, and conductor Andre Cluytens.
In 1954, Husa was appointed to the faculty of Cornell University where he was Kappa Alpha Professor until his retirement in 1992. He was elected Associate Member of the Royal Belgian Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1974 and has received honorary degrees from several institutions, including Coe College, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ithaca College, and Baldwin Wallace College. Among numerous honors, Husa has received a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, UNESCO, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Koussevitzky Foundation commissions, the Czech Academy for the Arts and Sciences Prize, the Czech Medal of Merit, First Class, from President Vaclav Havel, and the Lili Boulanger award. His music is published by Associated Music Publishers.
Works for Winds
- Al Fresco (1973)
- Apotheosis of this Earth (1970)
- Cheetah (2005)
- Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Concert Band
- Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble
- Concerto for Wind Ensemble (1982)
- Divertimento for Symphonic Winds and Percussion (arr. John Boyd)
- Fanfare for Brass Ensemble (1981)
- Music for Prague 1968 (1968)
- Smetana Fanfare
References
- Husa Biography on G. Schirmer Website
- Camphouse, Mark, editor. (2002). Composers on Composing for Band. Chicago: GIA Publications.
- Fullmer, David. (2003). "Karel Husa." In: A Composer's Insight, Volume 1. Galesville, Md.: Meredith Music Publications. pp. 71–95.
- Hitchens, Susan Hayes. (1991). Karel Husa: A Bio-Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press
