Joseph Post
| Joseph Post OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joseph Mozart Post 10 April 1906 Erskineville, Sydney, Australia |
| Died | 27 December 1972 (aged 66) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Conductor, music administrator |
| Spouse(s) | Nancye Lille Tucker (m. 1943–72) |
Joseph Mozart Post OBE (10 April 1906 – 27 December 1972) was an Australian conductor and music administrator. He made an unrivalled contribution to the development of opera-conducting in Australia and was, in Roger Covell's words, the 'first Australian-born musician to excel in this genre'. As an orchestral conductor, he was judged a 'good all-round man': he was well regarded for his enthusiasm, clarity and economy of gesture, but he was not associated with inspiring or challenging musicianship. Nonetheless, his ability to take over conducting assignments at very short notice became legendary and he was often greeted with 'rave' reviews.
Joseph Post was born on 10 April 1906 at Erskineville, Sydney, the eldest child of Australian-born parents. His mother was a chorister, and his father an conductor who involved himself with church choirs and suburban musical societies. He and his brothers were given the surnames of famous composers for their middle names; he was Joseph Mozart, and his brothers were John Verdi and Noel Schumann. Joseph regarded his father as his most important mentor and severest critic. Although the family had Jewish connections, Post was raised as a Roman Catholic; he later became an atheist.
He attended the Christian Brothers' parish school at Waverley (now Waverley College), won a scholarship, and at age 9 was among the first students at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, of which he was later to become the director (1966–71). Post studied piano and oboe, and from the age of 15 he played oboe with the New South Wales State Orchestra until it was disbanded in 1922.
Post first toured with theatre orchestras, visiting New Zealand in 1924 with one of J.C. Williamson Ltd's musical-comedy companies.
By 1926 Post was teaching oboe and cor anglais at the conservatorium; later, he also offered tuition in piano. He graduated in 1927 with diplomas in performance and teaching (pianoforte). Despite such auspicious beginnings, he did not see his vocation as a teacher nor as an orchestral musician, but chose to build a career as a conductor. The elder Post gave his son extensive informal training in the conductor's art. In 1932 Post seized an opportunity to organize a 350-voice choir for the Imperial Opera Company (a touring Italian troupe) to perform in the Williamson Imperial Grand Opera Season. When the regular conductor became indisposed, Post conducted a performance of Verdi’s Aida at only a few hours' notice, which led to regular conducting appearances with the company.
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