Mátyás Seiber

The Hungarian cellist and composer Mátyás György Seiber was born in Budapest on 4 May 1905, and died in a car crash while on a lecture tour in South Africa on 24 September 1960. After some years in Europe, including composition studies with Zoltán Kodály, he reached England in 1935 and became increasingly influential through his conducting and teaching. He taught at Morley College in London and his composition students included Peter Racine Fricker, Anthony Milner and Hugh Wood. He composed for films (such as the 1954 Animal Farm produced and directed by John Hallas and Joy Batchelor) as well as the concert hall, and left some exquisite chamber music.