The Czech-born composer Karel Husa has died. A former student of Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulanger, Husa came to the United States in 1954. He became an American citizen in 1959.

In 1969, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his String Quartet No. 3. In 1993, he was honored with a Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for his Cello Concerto. However, he is probably best known for his “Music for Prague 1968,” inspired by the Soviet bloc invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Performance of his music was banned in his homeland for over three decades. At the time of his death, Husa was 95 years-old.

“Music for Prague 1968”:

The composer is interviewed by Bruce Duffie:

http://www.bruceduffie.com/husa.html