| Herbert A. Deutsch | |
|---|---|
Herb Deutsch speaks at MoogFest 2011 |
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| Born | Baldwin, Nassau County, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Composer, Educator, Electronic music pioneer |
Herbert A. Deutsch (born February, 1932) is an American composer, inventor, and educator. Currently professor emeritus of electronic music and composition at Hofstra University, he is best known for co-inventing the Moog Synthesizer with Bob Moog in 1964.
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Deutsch was born in 1932 in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. At the age of four, he first realized he had a musical gift. Through his childhood, he studied music and began composing at a young age. Deutsch attended the Manhattan School of Music, earning his B.A. and M.A. there.
Deutsch had assembled a theremin based on Moog's design in 1962 and in November, 1963 he introduced himself to Moog at a music-education conference in Rochester, NY.[1] In 1964 Moog and Deutsch started investigating the possibilities of a new instrument to aid composers.[2] Deutsch has been credited with the keyboard interface of the Moog.[2] He composed the first piece ever for the Moog ("Jazz Images - A Worksong and Blues"[1]) and performed early Moog concerts at The Town Hall and The Museum of Modern Art in New York (1969's Jazz in the Garden [3]).[1][4][5]
Deutsch is a dedicated educator. He has taught at Hofstra University for over 50 years and was twice the chair of the music department. Deutsch co-founded the Long Island Composer's Alliance in 1972, and works with music foundation NYSSMA. In 1994 he proposed its Electronic Music Composition Showcase.[4]
