Jack Body
Encyclopedia
Jack Body is a New Zealand
composer
, photographer, artist
and ethnomusicologist.
He studied at Auckland University
from 1963–67. With a QEII Arts Council grant he attended the Ferien Kurse fur Neue Musik, Cologne and Institute of Sonology
, Utrecht
, Netherlands
(1969–70). For two years (1976–77) he was a guest lecturer at the Akademi Musik Indonesia, Yogyakarta
and since 1980 he has lectured at the School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington
.
His music covers several genres, including solo and chamber music
, orchestral music, music-theatre, music for dance and film as well as electroacoustic
music. A fascination with the music and cultures of Asia, particularly Indonesia
, has been a strong influence on his music. His ethnomusicological recordings include Music for Sale: Street Musicians of Yogyakarta (OMCD 006, and TC HLS-91), Music of Madura (CD ODE 1381) and Jemblung: Sung Narrative Traditions (PAN 2048CD).
His music has been played widely and by such performers as Lontano
, Kronos Quartet
(on Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)), ARC, the New Zealand String Quartet
, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
and so on. He also works in experimental photography
and computer-controlled sound-image installations, having received commissions from several public galleries. His opera Alley was premiered to wide acclaim at the 1998 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. But his composition best known to the New Zealand public is the 1975 theme to the TV soap opera
, Close to Home.
As a promoter of New Zealand music he has organised a series of Sonic Circuses, simultaneous multi-venue music marathons. He is the Director of Waiteata Music Press which publishes scores of New Zealand music, and has edited numerous CDs of New Zealand music. Jack Body was artistic director for the Asia-Pacific Festivals and Conferences in 1984 and 1992, which focused on the music (traditional and contemporary) of New Zealand and its Asia-Pacific neighbours.
Recordings of his music include Suara (Ode CD Manu 1380), electroacoustic compositions using field recordings from Indonesia, Sacred and Profane (Ode Portal CD 1004), three large scale works for voices and Pulse (Rattle D009), a series of five works based on transcriptions from traditional music. Pulse won the 2002 New Zealand Music Award for Best Classical CD and in 2003 Waiteata Music Press released a Composer Portrait on CD.
In 1985 he received the Composers' Association of New Zealand Citation for Services to New Zealand music and in 2001 he was honoured with an OMNZ in the New Year's Honours. In 2004, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand
presented him with a Laureate Award.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, photographer, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and ethnomusicologist.
He studied at Auckland University
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
from 1963–67. With a QEII Arts Council grant he attended the Ferien Kurse fur Neue Musik, Cologne and Institute of Sonology
Institute of Sonology
The Institute of Sonology is an education and research center for electronic music and computer music based at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands.-Background:...
, Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(1969–70). For two years (1976–77) he was a guest lecturer at the Akademi Musik Indonesia, Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (city)
Yogyakarta is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to...
and since 1980 he has lectured at the School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
.
His music covers several genres, including solo and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, orchestral music, music-theatre, music for dance and film as well as electroacoustic
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
music. A fascination with the music and cultures of Asia, particularly Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, has been a strong influence on his music. His ethnomusicological recordings include Music for Sale: Street Musicians of Yogyakarta (OMCD 006, and TC HLS-91), Music of Madura (CD ODE 1381) and Jemblung: Sung Narrative Traditions (PAN 2048CD).
His music has been played widely and by such performers as Lontano
Odaline de la Martinez
Odaline de la Martinez is a Cuban-American composer and conductor, currently residing in the UK. She is the artistic director of , a London-based contemporary music ensemble which she co-founded in 1976 with New Zealander flautist , and was the first woman to conduct at the BBC Promenade Concerts ...
, Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
(on Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)), ARC, the New Zealand String Quartet
New Zealand String Quartet
The New Zealand String Quartet is New Zealand’s only full time string quartet. The current formation of musicians consisting of Helene Pohl , Douglas Beilman , Gillian Ansell and Rolf Gjelsten was established in 1994.The Quartet performs more than eighty concerts a year in New Zealand and...
, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
and so on. He also works in experimental photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and computer-controlled sound-image installations, having received commissions from several public galleries. His opera Alley was premiered to wide acclaim at the 1998 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. But his composition best known to the New Zealand public is the 1975 theme to the TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Close to Home.
As a promoter of New Zealand music he has organised a series of Sonic Circuses, simultaneous multi-venue music marathons. He is the Director of Waiteata Music Press which publishes scores of New Zealand music, and has edited numerous CDs of New Zealand music. Jack Body was artistic director for the Asia-Pacific Festivals and Conferences in 1984 and 1992, which focused on the music (traditional and contemporary) of New Zealand and its Asia-Pacific neighbours.
Recordings of his music include Suara (Ode CD Manu 1380), electroacoustic compositions using field recordings from Indonesia, Sacred and Profane (Ode Portal CD 1004), three large scale works for voices and Pulse (Rattle D009), a series of five works based on transcriptions from traditional music. Pulse won the 2002 New Zealand Music Award for Best Classical CD and in 2003 Waiteata Music Press released a Composer Portrait on CD.
In 1985 he received the Composers' Association of New Zealand Citation for Services to New Zealand music and in 2001 he was honoured with an OMNZ in the New Year's Honours. In 2004, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand
Arts Foundation of New Zealand
A facilitator of private philanthropy, the Arts Foundation of New Zealand supports artistic excellence through its permanent Endowment Fund. Legacies and donations help grow the Fund, with income generated enabling the Foundation to support the arts....
presented him with a Laureate Award.