Mátyás Seiber Biography

Starting his career as a pupil of Kodály & Bartók at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, from 1922-25, he then travelled widely – sometimes as cellist on the Hamburg America line in the string quartet entertaining 1st class passengers, acquired a taste for Jazz – which he then taught at Hoch’s Konservatorium in Frankfurt from 1927-1933.

This was the first academic study of jazz anywhere – and not to the Nazi’s liking. The course was closed in 1933, so he wandered again, settling in London in 1935. There he built a reputation as composer and teacher of composition – lecturing part time at Morley College from 1942 at the invitation of Michael Tippett.

During the war he ran the Podium Club – largely for refugee Hungarians – together with Gyorgy Mikes, composing also some operettas to cheer up the émigré population.

He also became director of his own choir, the Dorian Singers for whom he composed many A Cappella items. He also composed for many acknowledged best soloists of the day, including for horn player Dennis Braine, many song cycles for guitarist Julia Bream – some with Peter Pears. He also wrote for violinists, Tibor Varga & Max Rostal for cellist William Pleeth. His 3rd String Quartet was for the Amadeus Quartet. His best acclaimed work, the cantata Ulysses, was with tenor Peter Pears as soloist.

He also composed film music – mainly for the revolutionary animation duo Halas & Batchelor. This included many short films such as the Charley series, but also the highly experimental abstract Magic Canvas and the feature-length Animal Farm. Larger commercial company films included A Town Like Alice, Robbery Under Arms & Chase a Crooked Shadow.

In 1946 he married the Hungarian modern dancer, Lilla Bauer, lecturer at Goldsmiths’ College. They moved out of London to Caterham with a baby to bring up in early 1949. Kodály visited soon after.

A founder member of the Society for the Promotion of New Music with Francis Chagrin, he championed 12 tone and other “new” music through the 1950s. He was a sought-after teacher by many composition pupils whom he taught from home. These included P R Fricker, Anthony Gilbert, Alan Gibbs, Hugh Wood, Stanley Glasser, Michael Graubart, Malcolm Lipkin and many others.

He was a friend of A.L (Bert) Lloyd, tenor and another multi-linguist, and of Gerard Hoffnung – featuring in his cartoon sketches of musicians of the day & partaking at his 1958 Interplanetary Music Festival.

Mátyás Seiber was killed, aged 55, in a Road Traffic Accident while on a concert & conducting tour in South Africa.