Maurice Ohana

Composer and pianist, born in Casablanca, Morocco. He took French nationality and was nicknamed by Gide ‘le Joseph Conrad Français’. He studied at the Conservatoire, Beaux-Arts, and Schola Cantorum with Daniel-Lesur, fought in the British Army, then founded the group Zodiaque on his return in 1947. He worked with Dutilleux (ORTF) and Schaeffer, and was teacher at the Ecole Normale de Musique. His interest in mediaeval and renaissance music influenced his vocal pieces, and other influences were Debussy, De Falla, and African and Afro-cuban music. He wrote on texts by Lorca, produced orchestral music including the ballet Prométhée (1956) and Silenciaire (Grand Prix du disque), and instrumental music, such as 24 Préludes pour piano (Prix du Président de la République, 1974). Images de Don Quichotte was written for the BBC.

Maurice Ohana (born June 12, 1914 in Casablanca, Morocco;

Ohana originally studied architecture, but abandoned this in favour of a musical career, initially as a pianist.

Ohana's output includes the choral works Office des Oracles and Avoaha (1992), three string quartets (1963, 1980, 1989), and two suites for ten-string guitar: Si le jour paraît... (1963) and Cadran lunaire (1981-2), as well as a Tiento (1957) for six-string guitar.

Although he was born in Morocco and lived in France from the 1930s onwards, Ohana was a British citizen until 1976, since his father had been born in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory.