Ellis Bonoff Kohs (May 12, 1916 – May 17, 2000) was an American composer, theory textbook author, and Professor at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Life and career

Born in Chicago to Pauline Bonoff, a school teacher of Russian Jewish extraction, and Samuel C. Kohs, Kohs grew up in San Francisco, where he undertook his early musical studies at the San Francisco Conservatory. In 1928 his family moved to New York where he entered the Institute of Musical Art. He continued his studies at the University of Chicago, studying composition with Carl Bricken. After he completed his master's degree there in 1938, he returned to New York and enrolled at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

, where he studied composition with

Bernard Wagenaar Bernard Wagenaar (July 18, 1894 – May 19, 1971) was a Dutch-American composer, conductor and violinist. Wagenaar was born in Arnhem. He studied at Utrecht University before starting his career as a teacher and conductor in 1914. He moved to ...

. He also studied composition with Walter Piston and musicology with Willi Apel and Hugo Leichtentritt at Harvard University. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Kohs conducted the Army and Air Force bands at Fort Benning, Ga.; St. Joseph, Mo.; and Nashville. After the war he joined the faculty of

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, where he taught composition from 1946 to 1948, and the Kansas City Conservatory, where he taught during the summers of 1946 and 1947. He moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1948 and undertook teaching positions at the College of the Pacific and at Stanford University. He began teaching at USC in 1950 where he remained on the faculty for 38 years, serving as chairman of the music theory department for several years. Kohs' stage works include ''Amerika'' (1969), an opera based on

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typi ...

's novel; ''Lohiau and Hiiaka'', a choreographed setting of a Hawaiian legend; and incidental music for

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's '' Macbeth'' (1947). His orchestral works include a Concerto for Orchestra (1942), a Cello Concerto (1947), a Violin Concerto (1980) and two Symphonies (1950 and 1957). His vocal works included settings of Navajo songs and ''The Lord Ascendant'', based on ''The

Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with ...

''. He also composed solo and chamber music. A recording of Kohs' music, including the Chamber Concerto,

Passacaglia The passacaglia (; ) is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often based on a bass- ostinato and written in triple metre. Origin The t ...

for Organ and Strings,

Toccata Toccata (from Italian ''toccare'', literally, "to touch", with "toccata" being the action of touching) is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtu ...

for Harpsichord or Piano, a Short Concert for String Quartet, and a Sonatina for Violin and Piano was released on Composers Recordings, Inc. His Chamber Concerto was also included on a 1953

Columbia Masterworks Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. History ...

"Modern American Music Series" LP (ML 4492). In addition to composing, Kohs wrote several music theory textbooks, including ''Music Theory, a Syllabus for Teacher and Student'' (1961), ''Musical Form: Studies in Analysis and Synthesis'' (1976), and ''Musical Composition: Projects in Ways and Means'' (1980). He died at a nursing home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

External links

Ellis B. Kohs papers
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Music Division
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Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/8zjb7

March 5, 1986

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohs, Ellis Kohs Harvard University alumni Wesleyan University faculty Stanford University Department of Music faculty 1916 births 2000 deaths University of Southern California faculty University of the Pacific (United States) faculty University of Chicago alumni Juilliard School alumni Musicians from Chicago American people of Russian-Jewish descent Pupils of Walter Piston 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians