12:39 09 December 2012
British classical composer Jonathan Harvey, who was suffering from motor neurone disease, has died at the age of 73.
He is a music scholar at St. John’s College Cambridge and was a professor of music at Sussex University for 16 years.
He is survived by his wife and two children, a son and daughter.
Prior to his passing, Harvey was recognized by the industry and was given lifetime achievement award by Incorporated Society of Musicians which the composer described as “one of the greatest honours in my life.”
Harvey’s large-scale commission Weltethos premiered in Berlin in 2011 and was performed at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall to officially open the London 2012 festival.
Harvey is well loved in the industry not just because of his talent for music.
Broadcaster Suzy Klein described him as "a man with a deep spirituality" while David Hill, BBC singer’s chief conductor described him as "a genuinely gentle man" who was "totally engaged in humanity" and "always true to himself".