Isak Roux is a South African born German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

born in 1959. He is known for his arrangements of South African music, especially his work with the musical groups Ladysmith Black Mambazohttp://www.miagi.co.za/media/Isak%20Roux%20to%20Perform%20in%20SA.html , MIAGI Festival 2008 Presents Isak Roux, South African born Pianist, Composer and Arranger to visit SA Ahead of Festival, Retrieved September 3, 2010. and Kwela Tebza.

Early life and education

Born in Durban,

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, South Africa April 4, 1959, Isak Roux studied at the University of Natal where he obtained a Bachelor of Music and, in 1988, a Masters of Music in composition, with the dissertation ''Local music: Exploring the technical possibilities for establishing a South African compositional style''. This study was conducted under the supervision of Jürgen Bräuniger and composer Kevin Volans.http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/rouxi.htm, The Living Composers Project, Isak Roux, Retrieved September 3, 2010. In 1988 Roux relocated to Germany,http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-05-16-isak-rouxs-musical-homecoming, The Main and Guardian Online, Isak Roux's musical homecoming, DILLON DAVIE - May 16, 2008, Retrieved September 3, 2010. taking classes in composition with Ulrich Süsse at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Professional career

Since 1991, Roux has taught at the Waldorf School in Stuttgart. His work as a composer,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

and pianist (both solo and ensemble) started while he was at university. Musical direction of productions such as ''Wakeman'', ''Wakeman 2'' and ''With a little help from my friends'' followed. Increasingly, he added choral composition and conducting to his list of musical activities. Resident in Europe, Roux has participated in musical festivals such as the Tonkünstlerfest ( Baden-Württemberg, 1990 and 1993) and the International Composers' Workshop ( Amsterdam, 1996). In 1999, he delivered a lecture-recital for the Stuttgart German-American Society on South African (township) jazz. His commitment to African musical forms, rhythms and instrumentation has, however, remained central to his creative vision. He has composed syncretically in avant-garde, post-avant-garde and contemporary classical styles (so-called

new music New music may refer to: Musical styles and movements Pre-20th century * Ars nova, musical style in 14th-century France and the Low Countries * '' Le nuove musiche'', collection of monody by Giulio Caccini * New German School, music style in late 1 ...

), with his music regularly being performed in Germany, South Africa, the UK and the US. As an arranger he has become well known for his arrangements of South African music (traditional Afrikaans, Cape-Malay and Zulu –for piano, ensemble and voice). Over the past few years his musical association with the music organisation

Music is a great Investment Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect o ...

(MIAGI), as well as super groups Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Kwela Tebza has brought him wider recognition as both a composer and arranger, in South Africa and abroad.

Work

Compositions

;STAGE ''Ritual'': Modern ballet/dance music, choreography by Paul Douglas. Two pianos. 1997 ;ORCHESTRAL ''Intrada Africana'': small orchestra. 2005
''Kwela Concerto'': four

penny whistles The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

and percussion. 2004 (commissioned) ;CHAMBER MUSIC ''Music for Tenor Saxophone and Piano'': 1981
''Composition for

String Quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

'': 1981
''Songs of the Urban Wanderer'': violin and

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

. 1987
''Iculo lezingane'': piano, vibraphone/ marimba, percussion, cello. 1987
''Landscape'': trombone, tape, 1995
''Lines, fragments, machines'': violin,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

, percussion, tape. 1996, revised 1998
''Sketches'':

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, marimba. 1997
''Four African Scenes'', flute, oboe,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, French horn,

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

. 1999 (commissioned)
''Balafo (Études in African Rhythm)'': two marimbas. 1999
''Kleine Chronik'': clarinet, piano, 1999
''Prime Cuts: Zwei Konstruktionen'': oboe, cello. 1999 (commissioned)
''Tekweni Suite'': saxophone quartet. 2003 (commissioned)
''Diepkloof Groove'': saxophone quartet. 2007 (commissioned) ;CHORAL ''Dona nobis pacem'':

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

, tenor, bass (SATB), flute, double bass, percussion, piano. 1986
''Missa Brevis'': boys’ chorus (SSA), flute, cello,

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

, two African drums. 1991 (commissioned)
''Coming Home'': (multilingual; original text by Johann P. Boshoff), speaker, soprano, lyrical tenor, baritone, choir, string orchestra, jazz band, African percussion, 2008 (commissioned). ;SOLO VOCAL ''Verbeeldingsvlug'': Text by Johann P. Boshoff. Solo voice. 1985
''Die ou vrou se lied'': Text by Johann P. Boshoff. Solo voice. 1985
''Stations'' (The Way of the Cross) (multilingual, original text by Johann P. Boshoff), bass, speaker, string quartet, piano, harpsichord, percussion, 2002 ;PIANO ''Music for Two Pianists''. 1983
''Ritual: Dance for Two Pianos''. 1997
''Preludes in African Rhythm''. 1992-2000
''Home''. 2000
''In Thy Presence''. 2001
''Penny Whistle Song''. 2001
''Five South African Ragtimes''. 2001
''Piano Afrika Songs'', 2001
''Siyabonga''. 2002
''African Miniatures: Music for young pianists''. 2004
''Dr Kwela–Mr Ragtime'', 2006 (commissioned).

Arrangement and adaptations

''Izintombi zaseKwatazi'': Traditional Zulu. SATB. Undated
''Tischlied'': Text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and music Maxilian Eberwein. SATB, piano. 1986
''Walil' untwana'': Original melody by Welcome Duru. SATB. 1986
''Mit Lieb bin ich umfangen'': Original by Johann Steuerlein. SATB. 1986
''Tant' Hessie & Volkies'': Traditional Afrikaans. SAB. 1986
Twelve (12) songs for Ladysmith Black Mambazo: arrangements for male voices and chamber orchestra, 2003 (commissioned)
''Some Night Music'', adaptations of three works by Mozart for four penny whistles, string orchestra, percussion and rhythm section, 2004 (commissioned)
''Agnus Dei'', baritone/mezzo soprano with piano and clarinet, 2006 revision of 1988 composition
''Watermelon Song'': saxophone quartet, vibraphone, bass guitar and percussion. 2007
''Dona nobis pacem'', new adaptation for ladies choir, piano and clarinet, 2007 (commissioned)
''Cape Medley'' (in Afrikaans, of “Boegoeberg se dam” and “Saai die waatlemoen”), children’s choir and piano, 2007 (commissioned).

Discography

;COMMERCIAL "Four African Scenes" on ''News for Woodwinds''. Domus Quintet (Dolphin, 1999)
''African Journal'' (various pieces). (Mp3.com, 2000)
''Eine Hand voll Erde'' (various pieces). Isak Roux on piano (self-released, 2000), First Composer’s Portrait Concert in Stuttgart
''Piano Afrika: Isak Roux plays traditional folk songs''. Isak Roux, piano (Rhythm Records, 2001)
''Piano Afrika 2: Honky Tonk Solo''. Isak Roux, piano (self-released, GEMA, 2002)
“Township Guitar” (from ''Preludes in African Rhythm''). Peter von Wienhardt, piano (Edition Musikat, 2002)
John Outland Christmas Chorale, 2004 (also DVD)
"Tekweni Suite" on ''We are not alone''. Saxofourte, (BMG Ariola Classics, 2004)
''No Boundaries''. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Isak Roux–producer, arranger, composer and pianist (Heads Up International HUCD 3092, 2005), nominated for Grammy Award in category Best World Music Album in February 2006. ;ARCHIVE RECORDINGS ''Ritual: Dance for Two Pianos''. Private recording, Stuttgart. 2002
''Stations'', Stuttgart, 19 April 2002 (première), bass: Friedemann Lutz and ''Home'', ''Balafo'', and ''Mopani'', 2002, the Second Composer’s Portrait Concert in Stuttgart
''Stations'', Bloemfontein, August 2002 (South African première), bass: Vuyani Mlinde. ;PERFORMANCES Annually, since 1996, as pianist with

John Outland John Henry Outland (March 17, 1871 – March 24, 1947) was an American football player and coach. He played football at Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the University of Kansas, and the University of Pennsylvania. He was twice named an All-Ame ...

’s Christmas Chorale or his other events in Germany
April & August 2002: Pianist in ''Stations''
November 2002: Two jamming sessions with the late Jake “Big Voice” Lerole in the ICMF Heritage Concerts in Pretoria and Johannesburg, South Africa
November 2003: Première of 12 songs featured on the CD No Boundaries performed with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the English Chamber Orchestra and players from the ICMF Orchestra–Roux on piano
April 2005: Third Composer’s Portrait Concert in Stuttgart, with the European première of ''Ritual: Dance for Two Pianos'', ''Music for Two Pianists'' and ''African Miniatures''
November 2005: Première of ''Some Night Music'', ''Kwela Concerto'' and other arrangements
Throughout 2006: Kwela Tebza performed Roux’s arrangements and compositions in Oudtshoorn, Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg (South Africa), and Bern, Switzerland, the last with Roux on piano
September 2006: On piano with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, titles from ''No Boundaries'', in Johannesburg, South Africa
17 May 2008: On piano in ''Coming Home'', Johannesburg, 2008 December 2006: Revised ''Agnus Dei'' performed by John Outland’s Christmas Chorale in Stuttgart
Saxofourte performs ''Tekweni Suite'' in Germany and abroad virtually every week
William Chapman-Nyaho regularly performs parts of ''African Miniatures'' and ''Preludes in African Rhythm for Piano''. ;SHEET MUSIC In F.Z. van der Merwe South African/Africana music collection at the University of Pretoria, along with background correspondence and information. Published:
1998: "Die ou vrou se lied", in Johann P. Boshoff's book of Afrikaans poetry ''Bloot''
2007: "Dr Kwela–Mr Ragtime", Unisa, ''Grade 6 Piano Examination Pieces''
2007: "Kwela No. 1" and "Lullaby" in ''Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora Volume 1'', Chapman-Nyaho (ed.), Oxford University Press. ;PUBLICATIONS Featured artist, in English, in ''ClassicFeel Magazine'' (South Africa, October 2003)
Featured artist, in Afrikaans, in ''Kakkerlak 8'' (South Africa, July 2007)
Various programme notes, also by Isak Roux, Michael Spencer and Johann P. Boshoff ;ACADEMIC STUDIES OF ROUX'S WORK Van den Heever, M., "Die Suid-Afrikaanse weergawe van ''Stations'' van Isak Roux". BMus essay. University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 2005
Mosupyoe, L., "A performance-based study of the ''Preludes in African Rhythm'' by Isak Roux". BMus essay. University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 2008.

References

External links

Isak Roux website

Music is a great Investment website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roux, Isak 1959 births Living people German composers