Alan Civil

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Alan Civil

Alan Civil (born June 13, 1929 - March 19, 1989 ) was a British horn player and music teacher.

Life

Alan Civil's musical career began at the age of nine. During the war, he left school and joined the Royal Artillery Band . Civil studied horn with Aubrey Brain , Dennis Brain's father , and in Hamburg with Willy von Stemm.

After completing his studies, he was from 1953 first second horn player (alongside Dennis Brain as principal horn player) at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Thomas Beecham ; after Brain switched to the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1954 , he became its successor as principal horn. In 1955 he accompanied the Philharmonia Orchestra on a tour under Herbert von Karajan as the third horn player and then stayed with this orchestra as solo horn player alongside Brain - who died in 1957.

When Walter Legge no longer wanted to finance the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1964, Civil received the offer from Karajan to become the first non-German musician to become a member of the Berlin Philharmonic . Since the Philharmonia Orchestra reformed and continued to exist, Civil waived. From 1966 he was employed as solo horn player in the BBC Symphony Orchestra for 22 years ; In 1979 he became President of the British Horn Society. In addition to his instrumental work, he had a teaching position at the Royal College of Music . Civil also excelled as a composer; he wrote various chamber music works and numerous transcriptions for horn ensembles.

Civil has made three different recordings of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's horn concertos as well as Benjamin Britten's " Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings " with Robert Tear as conductor. Also known is his recording of the Beatles piece " For No One ", in which he presents a high- pitched obligato solo. As a chamber musician, he was also a member of the Alan Civil Trio , the London Wind Quintet and the Music Group of London .

Civil was known for his humor and love for life. Among other things, his comment has been passed down, in which he said that you have to sit on the edge of your chair your whole life, otherwise you could never blow the horn.

In 1985 his services were awarded the Order of the British Empire .

Civil died of kidney failure in 1989 at King's College Hospital at the age of 59 . He was married twice and had three daughters and three sons.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Alan Civil (1929-1989). International Horn Society website, accessed November 18, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d John Wade: Alan Civil Obiturary. International Horn Society website, accessed November 18, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Allan Kozinn: Alan Civil, Hornist Of BBC and Beatles; London Was 59th The New York Times, March 22, 1989, Retrieved November 18, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Alan Civil at Discogs , accessed November 18, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Civil, Alan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British horn player and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH June 13, 1929
DATE OF DEATH March 19, 1989