Bush, Geoffrey (1920-1998)

English composer. He was mainly self-taught in composition, but had much valuable advice from the composer John Ireland.

Bush became a choirboy at Salisbury Cathedral in 1928, went to Lancing College in 1933, and graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1940. He received a PhD from Oxford in 1946. His studies were interrupted by war service at a hostel for evacuee children.

Works Opera five operas including Spanish Rivals (1948).

Orchestral Twelfth Night, entertainment for chorus and orchestra; overtures In Praise of Salisbury and The Rehearsal for orchestra, Divertimento for string orchestra, two symphonies (1954, 1957); concerto for piano and strings, Sinfonietta concertante for cello and chamber orchestra, oboe concerto.

Chamber rhapsody for clarinet and string quartet; sonatas for violin and piano, and trumpet and piano; two piano sonatinas.

Vocal Portraits and La Belle Dame sans merci (Keats) for unaccompanied chorus; songs.