Alan Bush

The communist British composer Alan Bush was born in Dulwich on 22 December 1900. He studied from 1918 until 1922 at London's Royal Academy of Music - composition with Frederick Corder and piano with Tobias Matthay. He later studied musicology and philosphy in Berlin (which gave him access to Brecht, Weill and Eisler) and also took composition lessons from John Ireland.

Besides his compositions, many of which display strong communist leanings, he's known as an advocate of Marxism, for co-founding (and later acting as president of) the Workers' Music Association, for conducting the first performance of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto, and as the teacher of Michael Nyman.

Bush died in Watford on 31 October 1995.

 

A selection of articles about Alan Bush

Serious Fun - Lynn Norris looks back at the life of composer, conductor and pianist Aubrey Bowman

Elgar and Englishness - Alistair Hinton takes issue with Patric Standford's recent 'Provocative Thoughts'