Herbert Arnold Deutsch | |
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 Deutsch speaks at MoogFest 2011 | |
| Born | (1932-02-09)February 9, 1932 |
| Died | December 9, 2022(2022-12-09) (aged 90) |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, educator, electronic music pioneer |
Herbert Arnold "Herb" Deutsch (February 9, 1932 – December 9, 2022)[1][2][3] was an American composer, inventor, and educator. Until his death in 2022, he wasprofessoremeritus ofelectronic music andcomposition atHofstra University. He was best known for co-inventing theMoog synthesizer withBob Moog in 1964.
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Deutsch was born in 1932 inHempstead, New York. At the age of four, he first realized he had a musical gift. Throughout his childhood, he studied music and began composing at a young age. Deutsch attended theManhattan School of Music, earning hisB.A. andM.A. there.
Deutsch had assembled atheremin based on Moog's design in 1962 and in November 1963 he introduced himself to Moog at a music-education conference in Rochester, New York.[4] In 1964 Moog and Deutsch started investigating the possibilities of a new instrument to aid composers.[5] Deutsch has been credited with the keyboard interface of the Moog.[5] He composed the first piece ever for the Moog ("Jazz Images – A Worksong and Blues"[4]) and performed early Moog concerts atThe Town Hall and TheMuseum of Modern Art in New York (1969's 'Jazz in the Garden'[6]).[7] The prototype Moog synthesizer, developed by Bob Moog and Herbert Deutsch in 1964, is part of the collections ofThe Henry Ford museum.[8]
Deutsch was a dedicated educator. In the early 1970s he taught at St. Agnes High School in Rockville Centre, New York. He taught atHofstra University for over 50 years and was twice the chair of the music department. Deutsch co-founded the Long Island Composers Alliance in 1972, and worked with music foundationNYSSMA. In 1994 he proposed its Electronic Music Composition Showcase.[9]
Deutsch died on December 9, 2022, at the age of 90 at his home inMassapequa Park, New York.[10]
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