William Busch
British composer and pianist William Busch was born in London to German parents on 24 June 1901. He studied in London, Berlin and the USA, and his teachers included Wilhelm Backhaus, Bernard van Dieren, John Ireland, Leonid Kreutzer, Mabel Lander and Egon Petri.
He began his career as a concert pianist, working in England and travelling to South Africa and the USA. Mainly due to his problems with stage fright, he switched mid-career from performing to composition.
He wrote a piano concerto and performed it himself in 1938. Due to his pacifism during World War II, his music and that of his friend William Wordsworth became rather neglected, but his 1941 Cello Concerto was performed by Florence Hooton at the London Promenade Concerts on 13 August 1943.
He wrote songs, piano music, chamber and orchestral music.
William Busch died in Woolacombe, North Devon from internal haemorrhage, due to cold and exhaustion on 30 January 1945, aged forty-three, after travelling from Ilfracombe to Woolacombe on foot in bad weather, following a visit to his newly born daughter.
Several recordings of his music have been issued since 2010.
A selection of articles about William Busch
Spotlight. A Fine Composer - Geoff Pearce highly recommends chamber music by British composer William Busch. '... admirably performed ...'
CD Spotlight. Fifty Years - Celebrating Lyrita's recordings of British music, by George Balcombe. '... a meticulous reproduction of orchestral sound ...'