24 July 1927, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne – 17 November 1997, London
English composer
Works for Brass Ensemble
- Sonata for Brass Quintet (1981)
- Concerto for Brass (1987) for brass ensemble
- Second Sonata for Brass Quintet, Opus 154 (1989)
Biography
Wilfred Josephs had his first musical studies in Newcastle with Arthur Milner, and showed early promise, but was persuaded by his parents to take up a ‘sensible’ career. He subsequently became a dentist, qualifying as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery of the University of Durham in 1951. He later studied at the Guildhall School in London.
In 1963 his Requiem, a complete setting of the Hebrew Kaddish, written in memory of the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, won the first International Composing Competition of the City of Milan and La Scala – then the biggest musical award in the world, after which he gave up dentistry and became a full-time composer.
Josephs was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music of Newcastle University in 1978. In October 1996, a concert of his works was given at Newcastle University in his presence. The Wilfred Josephs Society continues to promote his works, the president of which was Sir Charles Mackerras.