Howard Brubeck

Howard ( Rengstorff ) Brubeck ( born July 11, 1916 in Escondido (California ), † February 16, 1993 in Concord ( California)) was an American composer and music educator.

Life and work

Howard Brubeck, older brother of jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, studied music first at San Francisco State College ( BA 1938), then at Mills College ( Master of Arts 1941), where he was a student of Darius Milhaud. After a few years as a high school teacher, he was an assistant to turn Milhaud at Mills College. In 1950, he joined as a teacher of composition at the San Diego State College and headed from 1953, the music department at Palomar Junior College in San Marcos. From 1966 he was Dean of Humanities at Palomar College and in 1978 as retirement.

In the compositions by Howard Brubeck influences of Milhaud and Aaron Copland are noticeable. Some combine an improvising jazz ensemble with an orchestra that follows a strictly defined musical text. This also applies to his most famous composition, Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein by the New York Philharmonic and the Dave Brubeck Quartet was premiered in 1959.

Brubeck also created works for musical theater (acting, ballet music), film music, vocal and chamber music. Howard Brubeck adapted and arranged numerous piano solos of his brother Dave for printing. In 1966 he presented his compositional activity, a largely.