Karel Husa’s Fantasies for Orchestra: Exploring Color and Atmosphere

Czech-born composer Karel Husa (1921-2016) emigrated to the United States in 1954 and became an American citizen a few years later. Settling in Ithaca, New York, Husa was professor of composition at Cornell University from 1954 until 1992, and concurrently was a lecturer at Ithaca College from 1967 until 1986. His students included Steven Stucky and Christopher Rouse. His Music for Prague, 1968, a programmatic work originally scored for band, was written in …

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Remembering Composer Karel Husa

Karel Husa, the influential Czech-born composer and conductor, passed away last Wednesday. He was 95. Husa emigrated to the United States in 1954, became an American citizen a few years later, and served on the faculty of Cornell University for 38 years. His composition students included such illustrious names as Steven Stucky and Christopher Rouse. Music for Prague, 1968 remains Karel Husa’s best known work. It was a programmatic musical response to the 1968 Soviet military …

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