Bush, Geoffrey

Epithet: composer

Geoffrey Bush (1920-1998) was born in London and entered musical life early as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral. He was educated at Lancing College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he succeeded George Malcolm as Nettleship Scholar and was also Masefield Memorial Student in Music. As well as being awarded BMus (1940) and DMus (1946), he also received an MA in classics in 1947. During the war he was Assistant Warden at the Hostel of the Good Shepherd in Tredegar, Monmouthshire between 1941-1945. After the war he was based in the Extra-Mural Departments of Oxford and London Universities. He wrote extensively on English music, and also had a strong interest in editing and arranging, especially of neglected English composers.

In composing, Bush had no formal training, but received much help and inspiration from John Ireland. He did much composition specifically for the amateur musical community, and concentrated to a large extent on music for voices, producing solo songs as well as choral works. However, he also wrote two symphonies (1954 and 1957) and works for chamber groups and other ensembles, including pieces for oboe, clarinet, cello and piano. His best known works are the Concerto for Light Orchestra (1958), and the choral works A Christmas Cantata (1947), and In Praise of Mary (1955). He was Chairman of the Composers' Guild in 1957.