Jolyon Brettingham Smith
Jolyon Brettingham Smith (born September 9, 1949 in Southampton , England, † May 17, 2008 in Berlin ) was a British composer, conductor, performer, author, radio presenter and professor at the University of the Arts in Berlin.
life and work
After graduating from school in 1966, he first worked as a class teacher in a London boarding school for difficult-to-educate children. He then studied philosophy in Cambridge and musicology and composition in Heidelberg and Berlin ; among others he was a student of Isang Yun .
From 1970 to 1980 he played in the group Neue Musik Berlin and the improvisation ensemble NO_SET as a violist. From 1973 until 1978 he was artistic assistant at the Free University of Berlin. In the 1975 season he was engaged as a guest conductor at the Bielefeld Opera. Since 1976 Brettingham Smith taught as a full professor at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin.
From 1978 he worked as an author and presenter for various radio stations in Germany and abroad; Brettingham Smith became known through the longstanding moderation of programs such as "Klassikforum" ( WDR3 ), "Klassik zum Frühstück" (SFB and later RBB , from 1979) or the " Musical Quartet " at SWR . His presentations were characterized by in-depth expertise in historical and technical terms. His activities as a university professor, composer and interpreter ( violist ) benefited him in particular . He enjoyed great popularity among his listeners also because of his humorous and sometimes self-deprecating presentations.
Brettingham Smith lived in Berlin-Spandau with his wife and six children. His main compositional works, which have been performed in various countries and have been awarded prestigious prizes, include four operas, numerous musical theater and orchestral works, as well as chamber music, vocal music, film music and radio plays. He was an avowed early riser, his day started at 3 a.m., until 7 a.m. it was the best time for him to compose.
Jolyon Brettingham Smith died immediately after the moderation of his show Jolyon Live - The English Connection on Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg (RBB) in Berlin.
literature
- Jolyon Brettingham Smith: Musical Bridges. A few Home Thoughts from Abroad. In: Music as a bridge. Musical relations between England and Germany 1920 - 1950 , ed. by Christa Brüstle and Guido Heldt, Olms, Hildesheim 2005, ISBN 3-487-12962-0 , pp. 1–16.
- Jolyon Brettingham Smith: "... to endure life a little better ..." WH Auden and the music. 2007, radio essay, SWR2, online file
Web links
- Works by and about Jolyon Brettingham Smith in the catalog of the German National Library
- Self-disclosure by Brettingham-Smith ( memento from October 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) on RBB Kulturradio
- Obituary in SWR2
- “Tea, wine, steam engines, music. The British and the 'Industrial Revolution' ” , 5-part music series by Brettingham Smith, 9/2006, SWR2
Individual evidence
- ^ "Berlin: RBB moderator died" , Die Zeit , May 18, 2008
- ^ "The musician as a moderator" , Tagesspiegel , May 24, 2008
- ^ Self-disclosure by Brettingham-Smith ( memento of October 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) in the RBB Kulturradio
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Brettingham Smith, Jolyon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British presenter and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Southampton |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 17, 2008 |
| Place of death | Berlin |