The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences mourns the loss of Richard Hervig, 92, professor emeritus in the School of Music, who died September 6, 2010 surrounded by his family.

American composer and educator Richard Hervig studied English at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (BA 1939), and after teaching for a time in the public schools, studied composition with Philip Greeley Clapp at the University of Iowa (MA 1942, PhD 1947). He joined the UI faculty in 1955 and became the founding director of the Center for New Music in 1966. Upon his retirement in 1988, he was appointed to a post at the Juilliard School. His pupils have included Charles Dodge and William Hibbard, among others. He has received commissions from the National Music Council, the National Federation of Music Clubs and numerous performers.

Hervig's compositions, most of which are instrumental and tonal, show a disciplined approach to standard forms and an exploration of timbral possibilities. In two early works, the Clarinet Sonata no.1 and the String Quartet, he casts sections in conflicting rhythms, exploiting the resulting tensions. In the Chamber Music for Six Players, he continued his concern for establishing relationships between the parts while maintaining a separate musical personality for each instrument; in this way, his compositional approach takes on concerns more readily associated with the theatre.

Throughout his career he enjoyed the challenge of teaching new courses. He was social, young-thinking, ethical, respected originality, and was very well-liked by students, colleagues, and his extended family. Hervig is survived by his four children, Kristi, Jonna, Richard L., and Marit Hervig, and by five grandchildren (Eric and Jens Tenbroek, Erica and Troy Hervig, and Oriana Ross).

The School of Music in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will perform a memorial concert featuring the works of Richard Hervig on March 27, 2011. Details can be found at https://uiowa.edu/cnm/.