Anthony Gustav Morris
British-German composer and writer; formerly a professional horn player. His working life has also included audio, production and digital technology.
Biography
Anthony Gustav Morris trained as a horn player in London, Vienna, Cologne and Munich. At Trinity College of Music, London (1974–76), he studied with John Burden, was awarded the LTCL and shared first prize in the John Burden Brass Competition during his first term. He went on to study with Josef Veleba in Vienna, Erich Penzel in Cologne and Nikolaus Grüger in Munich, with additional tuition from Clemens Dannhausen. He also studied composition with Richard Arnell.
His professional orchestral work included engagements with the Münchner Philharmoniker, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Wiener Kammerorchester and Graunke-Orchester. From 1981 to 1985 he held the Wechselhorn position, with Wagner tuba duties, in the Brucknerorchester Linz. From 1985 to 1988 he played horn with the Orchestra of Kent Opera. In 1982 he also took part in the Ars Electronica project Sermon on the Mount in Linz Cathedral, involving horn and Fairlight CMI.
After leaving full-time orchestral playing, Morris established AGM Digital Arts and worked across professional audio, multimedia, production and digital technology while continuing to compose and write. He served as Broadcast Consultant for DTS in Germany for approximately nine years (c. 2000–2009), and as Technical Director of the Norbert Brainin Foundation from 2006 to 2012. In 2008 his audio, design and digital engineering work contributed to the Arnold Schönberg Center exhibition Arnold Schönberg — Wer ich bin in Vienna.
His music ranges across orchestral, chamber, brass, dance, theatrical, educational and electronic work. His chamber music has been performed by members of the Wiener Symphoniker and Wiener Philharmoniker.
12ton.de is maintained as an informational record of his music and writing. Morris continues to compose, write and develop selected creative projects.
Selected chronology
Trinity College of Music, London — John Burden; LTCL; composition with Richard Arnell; joint first prize in the John Burden Brass Competition.
Further horn studies in Vienna with Josef Veleba, Cologne with Erich Penzel and Munich with Nikolaus Grüger, alongside professional orchestral and ensemble work.
Wechselhorn and Wagner tuba duties, Brucknerorchester Linz.
Ars Electronica, Linz Cathedral — Sermon on the Mount, horn and Fairlight CMI.
Horn, Orchestra of Kent Opera, UK.
AGM activities spanning communications, professional audio, software, multimedia and production alongside composition and writing.
Co-author with Roger Quested of “The Virtual Room”, describing the multichannel environment at Touchdown Studios.
Composition and production work for Schering’s IMAGE 100 multimedia event at Studio Babelsberg.
Broadcast Consultant for DTS in Germany.
Technical Director, Norbert Brainin Foundation.
Audio, design and digital engineering for the Arnold Schönberg Center exhibition Arnold Schönberg — Wer ich bin in Vienna.
Continuing composition, writing, archival work and selected collaborative creative projects.
Selected references
Contemporary comments preserved with their original professional context.
“Anthony Gustav Morris, an especially dear, especially mad English genius friend … I commend him to you enthusiastically and without the least kind of reservation.”
“Everyone admired the exhibition and I realized again how much of it we owe to you. … I am looking forward to working with you again.”
“My favourite piece is your music for the Grand National. It lifts the whole sequence to an unexpected emotional peak …”