George Dreyfus
Encyclopedia
George Dreyfus AM
(born 22 July 1928, Elberfeld
, Germany) is an Australian contemporary classical
, film
and television composer
.
in 1938, the parents applied for and received immigration assistance for their children who were sent to a boarding school in Melbourne
, Australia. The parents followed in 1940. George studied at Melbourne High School then Melba Conservatorium Victoria as a bassoon
ist. As a young boy in Melbourne he learnt piano and sang in the synagogue choir.
A portrait of George Dreyfus by artist Brian Dunlop
was entered in the 1995 Archibald Prize
competition.
Federal Labor MP Mark Dreyfus
is his son.
's touring orchestra, accompanying opera
and ballet companies
before joining the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
(then known as the Victorian SO) in 1953. He was bassoonist there in 1953/1954 and from 1958 until 1964. A grant enabled him in 1955 to continue his studies at the Imperial Academy of Music in Vienna. He began composing in 1956 but did not concentrate on composition until the 1960s after he left the Orchestra. A UNESCO
travel grant allowed him in 1966 to travel to Germany for studies with Karlheinz Stockhausen
at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne. In 1972 he won the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award
.
He has composed numerous film and television scores, including for A Steam Train Passes
(1974), Rush (1974), Dimboola
(1979) and The Fringe Dwellers
(1986). It was the score for Rush which brought him wider recognition and saw him immortalised in the Trivial Pursuit
board game.
He composed the operas Rathenau (premiered 1993 at the Staatstheater Kassel
), Die Marx Sisters (premiered 1996 at the Bielefeld Opera
) and The Takeover (1997). Other operas are Garni Sands (1966, premiered 1972) and Gilt-Edged Kid (1970).
In 1984, he published his autobiography The Last Frivolous Book, and in 1998 a book of essays. His memoir Don't Ever Let Them Get You! (Black Pepper, 2009) includes essays on his music and a complete catalogue of works. In 2011 he published Brush Off! about his struggles with Opera Australia
to get his opera Gilt-Edged Kid performed.
in 1967.
Dreyfus' first composition, Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon, Op. 1 (1956) won the APRA Serious Music Award
in 1986.
In 1991 he was awarded the Australia Council
's Don Banks
Fellowship, and in 1992 was made a Member of the Order of Australia
for his services to music. In 2002 he was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
1. Klasse.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 22 July 1928, Elberfeld
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.-History:The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161...
, Germany) is an Australian contemporary classical
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, film
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and television composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Life
The Dreyfus family moved in 1935 to Berlin to enable a better education for their two sons. Alarmed by the events of the KristallnachtKristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
in 1938, the parents applied for and received immigration assistance for their children who were sent to a boarding school in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. The parents followed in 1940. George studied at Melbourne High School then Melba Conservatorium Victoria as a bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
ist. As a young boy in Melbourne he learnt piano and sang in the synagogue choir.
A portrait of George Dreyfus by artist Brian Dunlop
Brian Dunlop
Brian Dunlop is an artist who was born in Sydney, Australia. He is a still life and figurative painter who won the Sulman Prize in 1980 with The Old Physics Building . He was a finalist in the 2004 Archibald Prize with Brian Kenna: imagines Urfa...
was entered in the 1995 Archibald Prize
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
competition.
Federal Labor MP Mark Dreyfus
Mark Dreyfus
Mark Alfred Dreyfus QC , Australian lawyer and politician, is the Australian Labor Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Isaacs, Victoria. He was elected in the 2007 federal election.- Early life :...
is his son.
Career
From 1948 Dreyfus played bassoon in J. C. WilliamsonJ. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
's touring orchestra, accompanying opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and ballet companies
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
before joining the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
(then known as the Victorian SO) in 1953. He was bassoonist there in 1953/1954 and from 1958 until 1964. A grant enabled him in 1955 to continue his studies at the Imperial Academy of Music in Vienna. He began composing in 1956 but did not concentrate on composition until the 1960s after he left the Orchestra. A UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
travel grant allowed him in 1966 to travel to Germany for studies with Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne. In 1972 he won the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award
Albert H. Maggs Composition Award
The Albert H. Maggs Composition Award is a commission-based Australian classical composition award given in order to "encourage and assist composers who might otherwise abandon their efforts for want of means"....
.
He has composed numerous film and television scores, including for A Steam Train Passes
A Steam Train Passes
A Steam Train Passes is an award winning Australian 1974 short film set in the 1940s, featuring the construction and operation of locomotive 3801.- Plot :...
(1974), Rush (1974), Dimboola
Dimboola (film)
Dimboola is a 1979 Australian independent film about a country wedding reception. It is based on the 1969 play of the same name by Jack Hibberd and was principally filmed on location in Dimboola, Victoria.-Cast:* Max Gillies* Natalie Bate* Bill Garner...
(1979) and The Fringe Dwellers
The Fringe Dwellers
The Fringe Dwellers is a 1961 novel written by the Western Australian author Nene Gare. It was made into a 1986 film directed by Bruce Beresford.-The Film:...
(1986). It was the score for Rush which brought him wider recognition and saw him immortalised in the Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
board game.
He composed the operas Rathenau (premiered 1993 at the Staatstheater Kassel
Staatstheater Kassel
The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and -operated theater in Kassel, Germany.- History :A permanent theatre house already existed in Kassel during the first decade of the 17th century. It stood immediately next to the Ottoneum near the State Theatre which is now used as a Natural History...
), Die Marx Sisters (premiered 1996 at the Bielefeld Opera
Bielefeld Opera
The Bielefeld Opera is the venue of Städtische Bühnen Bielefeld in Bielefeld, Germany. It is a Dreisparten Haus , offering plays, music , and ballet...
) and The Takeover (1997). Other operas are Garni Sands (1966, premiered 1972) and Gilt-Edged Kid (1970).
In 1984, he published his autobiography The Last Frivolous Book, and in 1998 a book of essays. His memoir Don't Ever Let Them Get You! (Black Pepper, 2009) includes essays on his music and a complete catalogue of works. In 2011 he published Brush Off! about his struggles with Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
to get his opera Gilt-Edged Kid performed.
Honours and awards
He was recipient of the first Creative Arts Fellowship at the Australian National UniversityAustralian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in 1967.
Dreyfus' first composition, Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon, Op. 1 (1956) won the APRA Serious Music Award
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
in 1986.
In 1991 he was awarded the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
's Don Banks
Don Banks
Donald Oscar Banks was an Australian composer of concert, jazz, and commercial music.He initially studied at the University of Melbourne, then moved to London where he studied with Mátyás Seiber...
Fellowship, and in 1992 was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his services to music. In 2002 he was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
1. Klasse.
External links
- Profile at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
- List of works at the National Library of Australia
- Complete Catalogue of Works (incl. extensive bibliography) by Michael Magnusson, ed. Jonathan Dreyfus (undated, probably 2004)