Herbert Arnold "Herb" Deutsch (February 9, 1932 – December 9, 2022) was an American composer, inventor, and educator. Until his death in 2022, he was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

. He was best known for co-inventing the

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

with

Bob Moog Robert Arthur Moog ( ; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesi ...

in 1964.

Early life and education

Deutsch was born in 1932 in Hempstead, New York. At the age of four, he first realized he had a musical gift. Throughout his childhood, he studied music and began composing at a young age. Deutsch attended the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

, earning his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

there.

Work with Moog

Deutsch had assembled a

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

based on Moog's design in 1962 and in November 1963 he introduced himself to Moog at a music-education conference in Rochester, New York.moogarchives.com, ''Interview with Herbert A. Deutsch''
/ref> In 1964 Moog and Deutsch started investigating the possibilities of a new instrument to aid composers. Deutsch has been credited with the keyboard interface of the Moog. He composed the first piece ever for the Moog ("Jazz Images – A Worksong and Blues") and performed early Moog concerts at The Town Hall and The

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in New York (1969's 'Jazz in the Garden'). The prototype Moog synthesizer, developed by Bob Moog and Herbert Deutsch in 1964, is part of the collections of

The Henry Ford The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, and as the Edison Institute) is a history museum complex in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, Dearborn, Michigan, United States. The museum ...

museum.

Career

Deutsch was a dedicated educator. In the early 1970s he taught at St. Agnes High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He taught at

for over 50 years and was twice the chair of the music department. Deutsch co-founded the

Long Island Composers Alliance The Long Island Composers Alliance (LICA) is a not-for-profit performing arts organization. LICA was founded by composers Herbert Deutsch and Marga Richter Florence Marga Richter (October 21, 1926 – June 25, 2020) was an American composer of ...

in 1972, and worked with music foundation

NYSSMA The New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) is the New York affiliate of National Association for Music Education. NYSSMA is a professional organization that evaluates student musicians in New York state from elementary school to high schoo ...

. In 1994 he proposed its Electronic Music Composition Showcase.

Death

Deutsch died on December 9, 2022, at the age of 90 at his home in

Massapequa Park, New York Massapequa Park is a village and hamlet located within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 17,008 at the 2010 census. Areas south and east of the village bo ...

References

External links

Long Island Composer's Alliance

New York State School Music Association Website

NYSSMA Electronic Music Composition Showcase Website
*
Herbert Deutsch Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2005)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsch, Herbert 1932 births 2022 deaths American male composers 21st-century American composers Manhattan School of Music alumni 21st-century American male musicians People from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York