5/11/2018 Maurice Ohana - Wikipedia

Maurice Ohana
Maurice Ohana (12 June 1913 – 13 November 1992) was a French composer.

Contents
Life and career
References
Sources
External links

Life and career
Ohana was born in Casablanca, Morocco (during the French protectorate). His father, an Andalusian of Sephardic-
Jewish descent, had been born in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, while his mother had Andalusian-Castilian
origins.[1][2] Ohana inherited British citizenship from his father.[1] He originally studied architecture, but abandoned
this in favour of a musical career, initially as a pianist. He studied under Alfredo Casella in Rome, returning to France
in 1946. Around this time he founded the "Groupe Zodiaque", which fought against prevailing musical dogma. His
mature musical style shows the influence of Mediterranean folk music, particularly the Andalusian cante  jondo. In
1976 he took French citizenship.[1]

Ohana's output includes the choral works Office  des  Oracles and Avoaha (1992), three string quartets (1963, 1980,
1989), and two suites for ten-string guitar: Si  le  jour  paraît... (1963)[3] and Cadran  lunaire (1981-2),[4] as well as a
Tiento for six-string guitar (1957).[5] He also wrote operas entitled Syllabaire pour Phèdre and La Celestina.

He is also known for his extensive use of microtonality; for example, third- and quarter-tones in pieces like Le
Tombeau de Debussy and Si le jour paraît.... He was influenced by the use of microintervals in the cante jondo.[6]

Ohana rarely composed for large symphony orchestra: Synaxis (1966), Livre  des  Prodiges (1979) and T'Harân­Ngô
(1974). He composed two cello concertos, one piano concerto and a guitar concerto (1958; dedicated to Narciso
Yepes).[7][8]

Ohana died in Paris.

References
1. Rae, Caroline. "Ohana, Maurice" (http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/20292). Grove
Music Online. Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 17 March 2014. (subscription required).
2. Rae (2000), p. 2.
3. Si le jour paraît... (http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00005070/index.html) Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20061127173240/http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00005070/index.html) 2006-11-27 at the
Wayback Machine..
4. Cadran lunaire (http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00005103/index.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20070607080300/http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00005103/index.html) 2007-06-07 at the
Wayback Machine..

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5/11/2018 Maurice Ohana - Wikipedia

5. Tiento (http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00004622/index.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/200

70607080332/http://brahms.ircam.fr/textes/c00001610/n00004622/index.html) 2007-06-07 at the Wayback
Machine.
6. Jedrzejewski, Franck (2003). Dictionnaire des musiques microtonales ("Dictionnary of microtonal music"), Paris,
L'Harmattan, ISBN 2-7475-5576-3; Bayer Francis (1981). De Schönberg à Cage: Essai sur la notion d'espace
dans la musique contemporaine, Paris, Klincksieck, ISBN 2-252-02329-5.
7. Halbreich, Harry (1997). An Andalusian from Paris to New Orleans, liner notes of CD-release 1C1039 on Timpani
Records.
8. Liner notes to the Narciso Yepes recording.

Sources
Rae, Caroline (2000). The music of Maurice Ohana. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-0288-0.

External links
Official website (http://www.mauriceohana.com/) of Les Amis de Maurice Ohana (in French)
Composer entry (http://www.billaudot.com/en/composer.php?p=Maurice&n=Ohana) at Gérard Billaudot Éditeur
Maurice Ohana (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644921/) on IMDb
Excerpts from sound archives (http://www.musiquecontemporaine.fr/en/search?disp=all&query=Ohana&exp_inl=o
n&exp_aud=on&so=ta) of Ohana's works.

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This page was last edited on 5 April 2018, at 20:18.

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