Brün, Herbert

Brün, Herbert, German composer and teacher; b. Berlin, July 9, 1918. In 1936 he went to Jerusalem, where he studied with Wolpe and Pelleg at the Cons, until 1938; after attending Columbia Univ. in N.Y. (1948–49), he pursued research on the applications of electroacoustic and electronic methods of sound production in Paris, Cologne, and Munich (1955–62). He taught at the Univ. of 111. (1963–88). Among his writings are Über Musik una Zum Computer (1971) and My Words and Where I Want Them (1986). In his music, he explores the potentialities of computers as a catalytic factor for advanced techniques; the titles of his works often suggest paradoxical logic.

Works

Concertino for Orch. (1947); 3 string quartets (1952, 1957, 1961); Mobile for Orch. (1958); Gestures for 11 for 11 Instruments (1964); Soniferous Loops for Instruments and Tape (1964); Non sequitur, group of works for Varying Ensembles (1966); Trio for Trumpet, Trombone, and Percussion (1968); Nonet (1969); 6 for 5 by 3 in Pieces for Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet (1971); Twice Upon 3 Times for Bass Clarinet and Tuba (1980). electronic:Anepigraphe (1958); Klänge unterwegs (1962); Futility 1964 (1964); Infraudibles (1968); Piece of Prose (1972); Dust (1976); More Dust (1977); Dustiny (1978); A Mere Ripple (1979); U-turn-to (1980); I Told You So (1981). computer:Mutatis mutandis (1968); Polyplots (1971); Links (1973).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire