A Belated Farewell to John Rose

We just discovered (July 2019) that composer John Rose had died last year at the age of 90. Not to be confused with younger composers John Alan Rose and John Luke Rose, our John was a composer with a distinctive style, one of the many inspired by Ronald Stevenson; he self published his music and did not participate in social media or self promotion in any way, his professional life being largely confined to academia; apart from a short entry in the Scottish Music Centre website he never attained any real attention or acclaim despite undoubted skill as a composer.

John Rose was born in London of Dutch parents. He was educated at the Diocesan College, Cape Town, where two of his works were performed by the C.T. Municipal Orchestra. Following this, he studied at the RAM, and at Oxford under Edmund Rubbra. His teaching career has been mainly in adult education, as founder of the St. Alban’s Chamber Choir, as lecturer in F.E., Glasgow, and at various times, as lecturer for extra-mural departments. Formative experiences in Cape Town and at Oxford contributed to the subsequent composition of three substantial works on Latin texts, and two organ works. The organ works have their roots in the Netherlands North German tradition of organ music, and have been recorded by Kevin Bowyer. The only other recording of Rose’s music is a set of piano works and string quartets (Divine Art DDA 25092) performed by Robert Melling and the Edinburgh Quartet.