Josef Garovi was born in Sachseln (Obwalden) and died in Locarno. He was born into an old family of master builders and architects related to Francesco Borromini and Carlo Maderno.
He studied at the organ school in Lucerne (Franz Josef Breitenbach and Josef Breitenbach), at the Conservatoire de musique de Neuchâtel (Georges Humbert, Charles Faller), at the Acadamy of Composition in Munich (church music with cathedral chapel master Ludwig Berberich; composition with the Reger students Gottfried Rüdinger and Joseph Haas) and in Paris (organ and improvisation with Marcel Dupré and piano with Vlado Perlemuter). He also attended a course in composition held by Arthur Honegger.
From 1934 until 1956, Garovi was a music teacher at the Collegium Sarnen and teacher of organ play and theory at the organ school in Lucerne, where he became director in 1948 and held the position until 1956. From 1956 until 1972, he worked as a choral director, organist and music teacher in Valais, Lucerne and Zurich. He lived in Ticino from 1973 until 1985.
As a composer, he concentrated primarily on the writing of church music. There followed a period of occupation with twelve-tone music from 1950 until 1955, which he even partly incorporated into liturgical works. Following a phase of non-serial organ works and church music, he resumed the serial technique in 1966 and integrated it, for the most part, into demanding concertante works ('Inventiones für Streichorchester', 1969, with quarter tones). He reverted back to this tradition in his later compositions but in a more Postmodernist sense.
Josef Garovi received the 'Lasso-Medaille' awarded in 1977 in Lucerne by the 'Allgemeinen Cäcilienverband' for the German-speaking countries and the Inner Swiss Culture Prize in 1978.
Work list
Am Strande des Sarnersees (1928)
Instrumentation: for band
Manuscript
Jubiläumsmarsch (1932)
Instrumentation: for band
Manuscript
Tui sunt Coeli (1932)
Instrumentation: for mixed, a-cappella choir
Manuscript
Orgelvorspiel zum Introitus "Puer natus est" (organ prelude to introitus "Puer natus est") (1932)
Manuscript
Trio (1932)
Instrumentation: for organ
Manuscript
Doppelfuge (double fugue) (1933)
Instrumentation: for organ
Manuscript
Toccata (1934)
Instrumentation: for organ
Manuscript
Friedensgebet an Bruder Klaus (1934)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir and orchestra
Texts: Ludwig von Moos
Manuscript
Festliches Praeludium (1934)
Greetings to Brother Klaus
Instrumentation: for band
Manuscript
Der Männer Treueschwur an Bruder Klaus (1934)
Instrumentation: for male choir
Texts: Plazidus Hartmann
Manuscript
Oratio B. Nicolai de Rupe (1934)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir, orchestr and organ
Manuscript
Toccata und Fuge (toccata and fugue) (1935)
Instrumentation: for organ
Manuscript
Trio (1935)
Instrumentation: for violin, violoncello and piano