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Alan CivilBritish horn player, composer and music teacher.
Date of Birth: 13.06.1929
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Alan Civil: Biography of a British Horn Player and Composer
Alan Civil was a British horn player, composer, and music educator. Born into a family of brass musicians, he began learning music at the age of 9. During the start of World War II, as a teenager, he became a horn player in the Royal Military Band. It was during this time that he also started taking lessons from renowned horn player Aubrey Brain, the father of the famous Dennis Brain. Later, he also studied in Germany for a period of time. After completing his military service, he became a member of the horn section in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where Dennis Brain was the featured soloist at the time. When Brain joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Civil took his place. In 1955, Civil also joined the Philharmonia Orchestra, and after Brain's tragic death in 1957, he became the orchestra's principal horn player.
In the 1960s, he became the first foreign musician to be invited to join the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. However, Civil declined their offer and chose to remain with the Philharmonia. In 1966, he became a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, where he spent over 20 years before retiring in 1988. In addition to his work with leading London orchestras, Alan Civil also performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician in various ensembles. Furthermore, he taught horn at the Royal College of Music.
Civil was the author of several compositions for horn ensembles and other wind instruments. In 1979, he became the first president of the British Horn Society. In 1985, Alan Civil was awarded the Order of the British Empire. He gained some recognition among rock music fans, having twice participated as a session musician on recordings by The Beatles. His horn solo can be heard in the song "For No One" from the album "Revolver." Reflecting on their collaboration, Paul McCartney spoke of Civil with great respect and even referred to him as a great musician. Ringo Starr also held his professionalism in high regard. The second time Civil worked with The Beatles was when he took part in the recording of the composition "A Day in the Life" as a member of a large symphony orchestra.
Selected Works
- Dance Suite for Brass Quintet
- Suite for Two Horns
- Suite for Woodwind Trio (flute, oboe, clarinet)
- Sonata for Horn and Piano
- Five Miniatures for Wind Quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon)
- "Horn Bluff" for Eight Horns and Tuba
- "Hiroshi-Rushi" for Trumpet Quartet
- Divertissement for Trombone Quartet
- "Skirmish" for Clarinet and Piano
