John Pierre Herman Joubert (/dʒuːˈbɛər/ joo-BAIR;[1][2] 20 March 1927 – 7 January 2019) was a British composer of South African birth, particularly of choral works.

[3][4] A music academic in the universities of Hull and Birmingham for 36 years, Joubert took early retirement in 1986 to concentrate on composing and remained active into his eighties.

Though perhaps best known for his choral music, particularly the carols Torches and There is No Rose of Such Virtue and the anthem O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing, Joubert composed over 160 works including three symphonies, four concertos and seven operas.

[6] Joubert was educated at Diocesan College in Rondebosch, South Africa, which was founded by the Anglican Church and maintained a high standard of music-making.

According to Joubert, "[t]hrough Brown, I learned all the Elgar choral works even before I heard them properly in full orchestral performance.

Concerning Torches, Joubert recalled, "I've even had carol-singers come to the door and singing it, without knowing the composer lives inside.

By the end of his 12 years at Hull Joubert had composed, in addition to choral music, his Violin concerto (Op.

31, 1961) (after the novel by George Eliot), and a body of chamber music including String quartet No.

[11] The number and scope of his works increased, and among those composed during the following decades were two further full-length operas, Under Western Eyes (Op.

112, 1986), song cycles with piano and/or instrumental ensembles, and accompanied and unaccompanied smaller-scale choral music.

"[3] In 1986 Joubert took early retirement from the University to concentrate on composition, although he maintained his ties by becoming an Honorary Senior Research Fellow there in 1997.

[12] He was Composer in Residence at the Peterborough Cathedral Festival in 1990 (which also commissioned his Six Short Preludes on English Hymn Tunes, for chamber organ (Op.

143, 2000, 2003) which was performed by the Ex Cathedra choir, soloists and Academy of Vocal Music, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Jeffrey Skidmore on 22 March 2007 at The Oratory, Birmingham; and a new Oboe Concerto performed by oboist Adrian Wilson and the Orchestra of the Swan conducted by David Curtis on 12 July 2007 at Lichfield Cathedral.

[14] In the same year, Lyrita released a celebratory CD of a recording (originally taped in 1994) of Joubert's Symphony No.

[15] Joubert and his wife Mary, a pianist,[16] had a daughter Anna, who is a cellist,[3] and a son Pierre, a violinist.

[19] Joubert composed over 180 works including three symphonies; violin, piano, cello, oboe and bassoon concertos; and seven operas.