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Apart from playing his own music and that of his contemporaries he has long been associated with the work of Erik Satie. In 1971 he gave a performance of Vexations with Gavin Bryars which has come to be regarded as a classic, and in 1989 he gave the first performance this century - and possibly ever - of the complete music for Le Fils des Etoiles (recorded on London Hall records)
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Biographical Notes

Christopher Hobbs studied with Cornelius Cardew at the Royal Academy of Music, London from 1967-69.

In 1968 he founded the Experimental Music Catalogue, which was for some years the sole source of scores of British and Amercian experimental music. As the youngest member of the Scratch Orchestra at the time of its inception (1969) he designed its first concert in 1970.

He was a member of AMM 1968-71, of the Promenade Theatre Orchestra 1970-73, of the Hobbs- White Duo 1973-76, of the Hartzell Hilton Band 1987-89, and director of Assembly 1996 to date.

He has worked with fellow composers John White, Gavin Bryars, Michael Nyman, Christian Wolff, Cornelius Cardew, Brian Eno, Howard Skempton and Michael Parsons among others, performing throughout Europe and in the USA.
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From 1973-91 he was Director of Music at the Drama Centre, London. From 1985 he has lectured part-time at De Montfort University, teaching piano, composition, music history, music in dance, improvisation, jazz, and the history of the musical, as well as directing various instrumental and percussion ensembles. He has held a variety of guest lectureships and residencies.

Apart from playing his own music and that of his contemporaries he has long been associated with the work of Erik Satie. In 1971 he gave a performance of Vexations with Gavin Bryars which has come to be regarded as a classic, and in 1989 he gave the first performance this century - and possibly ever - of the complete music for Le Fils des Etoiles (recorded on London Hall records)

Chris has recently resurrected Experimental Music Catalogue

 


 

Selected Works
Keyboard:
24 Preludes (1992), various Sonatinas (1975-86), 2 sets of Piano Duets (1974-75), works for solo and duo electric keyboard.

Instrumental:
over 20 pieces for the Promenade Theatre Orchestra (1970-73), including Aran and McCrimmon Will Never Return, recorded on Brian Eno's Obscure label; over 50 pieces for groupings varying from duets to large ensembles.

Verbal:
various sets of songs (settings of Morgenstern, Chinese texts, Struwwelpeter, magazine adverts), an operetta The Mountebanks,1976 2 pieces for speaking voices and ensemble Extended Relationships and False Endings (1992) - using American soap opera digests - and No One May Ever Have The Same Knowledge Again (1996) - using letters written to the Mount Wilson Observatory, California)

Theatre:
songs and incidental music to over 20 plays (including The Measures Taken, The Exception and the Rule, An Italian Straw Hat, Hamlet, Alice in Wonderland)

RECENT PIECES
  • Starscape for string quartet and vibraphone (1997)
    written for a 50th birthday Festival for Howard Skempton.
  • 6 Pieces for Tuba and Bass (1997)
    commissioned by American tuba player Jay Rozen, to be premiered in Texas in November.
  • No One May Ever Have The Same Knowledge Again for speaking voices and ensemble
    A montage of letters written to the Mount Wilson Observatory, California, punlished by the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Los Angeles. First performed December 1996, now being rearranged for London premiere 1998.
  • L'Auteur se Retire (1996)
    A set of pieces (12 piano and one vocal) in OuMuPian style, using a lipogrammatic procedure which removes the musical letters of composers' names from certain of their compositions.

 

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