Karel Husa

Pastorale for String Orchestra

Karel Husa (b. 1921) is an American composer and conductor who was born and raised in Czechoslovakia. Pastorale For String Orchestra (1979) was commissioned by the American String Teachers Associationfor their 1980 conference, the year that Husa was their orchestra's guest conductor. The original material dates from around 1944, from a Sonatina for Violin and Piano both of which Husa learnt to play as achild - but the intervening years allowed the composer to bring a new, more mature reflection to the lyrical melodic lines and simple counterpoint. A beautiful masterpiece, it will allow any string ensemble to showcasetheirtalents.