Oboussier, Robert
Oboussier, Robert
Oboussier, Robert, Swiss composer; b. Antwerp (of Swiss parents), July 9, 1900; d. (stabbed to death by his roommate) Zürich, June 9, 1957. He studied at the Zürich Cons, with Andreae and Jarnach (composition); then with Ochs (conducting) at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. He then lived in Florence (1922–28); was music ed. of the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung; but in 1939 political conditions in Germany impelled him to leave for Switzerland; in 1942 he became director of the Central Archive of Swiss Music, and in 1948 of Suisa (the Swiss assn. of writers, composers, and publishers). Of cosmopolitan background, Oboussier combined in his music the elements of both Germanic and Latin cultures. He publ. Der Sänger (with others; Berlin, 1934; 2nd ed., rev., 1959) and Die Sinfonien Beethovens (Berlin, 1937); also a collection of critical reviews, Berliner MusikChronik 1930–38 (1969).
Works
dramatic: opera:Amphitryon (1948–50; Berlin, March 13, 1951). orch.:Piano Concerto (1932–33; rev. 1944); Sym. (1935–36); Chant de deuil (1942–43); Introitus for Strings (1946); Violin Concerto (1952–53). chamber:Several pieces, including piano music. vocal:Trilogia sacra for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (1925–29); Antigone for Voice and Orch. (1938–39); 3 Psaumes for Solo Voices, Chorus, and Orch. (1946–47); solo songs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire