William Busch

William Busch (24 June 1901 – 30 January 1945) was a British composer and musician. Busch studied music in London, Berlin and the United States. His composition teachers included John Ireland and Bernard van Dieren. He worked as a concert pianist before devoting himself more to music composition. But his pacifism during World War II resulted in decreased reception for his works during this time. Busch died in 1945 in Woolacombe, North Devon, England. Music critic John Amis wrote that his works would have a lasting legacy due to their value. Early life and education William Busch was born on 24 June 1901 in London. His parents were originally from Germany, and later went through the naturalization process to become citizens of the United Kingdom. His musical studies took him to London, Berlin and the United States. His piano skills were further honed by Leonid Kreutzer, Wilhelm Backhaus and Egon Petri. Busch composed a piano concerto for the BBC Contemporary Music concert which he himself performed in 1938, and wrote a piano quartet in 1939. Their letters mainly focused on the sanctions imposed on Jews at the time in Germany by Adolf Hitler, with Finzi arguing staunchly against segr