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Malcolm Williamson

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This article is about the composer. For the cryptographer, see Malcolm J. Williamson.
Malcolm Williamson
Malcolm Williamson

Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson CBE, AO (November 21, 1931 – March 2, 2003) was an extraordinarily gifted Australian composer. From 1975 until his death he was Master of the Queen's Music.

Biography

Williamson was born in Sydney and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Eugene Goossens. In 1950 he moved to London where he worked as an organist, a proofreader, and a nightclub pianist. From 1953 he studied with Elisabeth Lutyens.

Williamson was a very prolific composer at this time, receiving many commissions. He often performed his own works, both on organ and piano.

In 1975, the death of Sir Arthur Bliss left the title of Master of the Queen's Music vacant. As the pre-eminent British composer of the time, Benjamin Britten was the obvious choice to replace him, but he was very ill, and so, to the surprise of many who expected a better known composer such as Sir Michael Tippett to take the post, the title went to equally talented Williamson. (In a rather snide remark, Sir William Walton went so far as to say that "the wrong Malcolm" had been chosen, referring to his preference for Sir Malcolm Arnold). Williamson was the first non-Briton to hold the post since the early days of the office, and although it can be easy to think of the appointment to Master a rather political one, many now consider Williamson's compositional ability and flair, not to mention his exceptionally high international profile at the time, to be more accurate explanations for him getting the job.

Williamson wrote a number of pieces connected to his royal post early in his tenure, including Mass of Christ the King (1978) (see below) and Lament in Memory for Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1980). But he became less prolific in "Royal" works during the last twenty years or so of his life, although he never completely ceased to take interest in writing music for the Royal Family (see list of "Royal Works" below). Indeed, his compositional output as a whole slowed considerably due to a series of illnesses. He died in 2003 in a hospital in Cambridge.

Malcolm Williamson was appointed CBE in 1976, and Honorary[citation needed] AO in 1987. He married Dolores Daniel in 1960 and had one son and two daughters. They were divorced in 1978. He later had a long-term partnership with his publisher Simon Campion.[1][2]

Williamson's music

Some of Williamson's early works use the twelve tone technique of Arnold Schoenberg, but his greatest influence is often said to be Olivier Messiaen. He discovered Messiaen's music shortly before converting to Roman Catholicism in 1952. He was also influenced by Britten, as well as by jazz and popular music (this latter influence may have come in part from him working as a night club pianist in the 1950s).

Williamson wrote seven symphonies, four piano concertos, operas including Our Man in Havana and The Violins of Saint Jacques, the ballets Sun Into Darkness and The Display, choral works, chamber music, music for solo piano, music for film and television including "Prologue" and "Main Title" of Watership Down, and others.

Williamson also wrote music for children, including the opera The Happy Prince (based on the story by Oscar Wilde) and cassations, short operas incorporating audience participation. One of these, The Valley and the Hill, written for the silver jubilee of Elizabeth II, was performed by 18,000 children.

His largest choral work, the Mass of Christ the King, was commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, and attracted popular attention largely because it was late in being delivered. A monumental 70-minute piece written for two sopranos, tenor and baritone soli, SATB chorus, SATB echo choir and a large orchestra, there were a number of performances over the next few years including a live BBC broadcast in 1981, but the work is now largely, and some would say undeservedly, forgotten.

Williamson became much less prolific in later life, although continuing to write occasionally. The orchestral song cycle on texts by Iris Murdoch A Year of Birds premièred at The Proms in 1995, to international critical acclaim. The same year also saw the première of an orchestral work With Proud Thanksgiving, commissioned for the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, and dedicated to the memory of British Prime Minister, and long-time friend of Williamson, Harold Wilson.

Williamson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1976, and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1987. Unusually for Masters of the Queen's Music, he was never knighted.

Preceded by Master of the Queen's Music
1975–2003 		Succeeded by

Royal Works

From 1975 until his death in 2003, Malcolm Williamson was Master of the Queen's Music, and although this output slowed significantly towards the end of his life (due to illness), he nonetheless produced many works of outstanding quality during his long tenure. The following list shows that, contrary to popular belief, Williamson was a highly imaginative and productive Master. Many of these works are on a very large scale, such as the hour-long Mass of Christ the King, and the massive 50-minute children's opera The Valley and the Hill, first performed to the Queen and Prince Philip in Liverpool by a cast of 18,000 children.

  • The Valley and the Hill (1976-77), children's pageant
  • Symphony No. 4 - Jubilee (1977), for orchestra
  • Jubilee Hymn (1977), for unison choir, SATB choir & orchestra
  • The House of Windsor (1977), score for the TV series (an orchestral suite was extracted in the same year)
  • Mass of Christ the King (1977-78), for lyric soprano, dramatic soprano, tenor & baritone soli, SATB choir, SATB echo choir & orchestra
  • Lament in Memory of Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1980), for violin solo & string orchestra
  • Ode for Queen Elizabeth (1980), for string orchestra
  • Richmond Fanfare (1980), for five trumpets, two tenor trombones, two bass trombones, tuba, percussion & organ
  • Now Is the Singing Day (1981), for soloits, SATB choir, two pianos, percussion & string orchestra
  • Mass of St. Margaret of Scotland (1982), for unison choir & piano or SATB choir & organ
  • Songs for a Royal Baby (1985), for SATB soli/choir & string orchestra

Australian Works

Although Williamson lived in Britain for the greater part of his life, he travelled widely and maintained a deep affection for his native land of Australia. He wrote a considerable corpus of music specifically for or about Australia, and frequently set texts by Australian poets, such as James McAuley and Kath Walker. Williamson was also inspired to respond through music to pressing political issues, such as Aboriginal rights (a matter close to his heart). Below is a select list of works with a specifically Australian connection.

  • Symphony No. 1 - Elevamini (1956-57), for orchestra
  • Piano Concerto No. 2 (1960), for piano & string orchestra
    • Written for a competition at the University of Western Australia, Perth. It won a prize. Premièred on 3rd May 1962 by soloist Michael Brimer and the University String Orchestra, conducted by Frank Callaway
  • Symphony for Voices (1962), for a cappella SATB choir
    • An elaborate five-movement work, setting texts by Australian poet James McAuley
  • Piano Concerto No. 3 (1962), for piano & orchestra
  • The Display (1963), ballet
  • Symphony No. 6 - Liturgy of Homage to the Australian Broadcasting Commission in its Fiftieth Year as University to the Australian Nation (1982), for orchestra
  • Symphony No. 7 - Symphony for Strings (1984), for string orchestra
    • Commissioned to mark the 150th Anniversary of the State of Victoria. Premièred by the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, conducted by Christopher Martin, on 12th August 1985
  • Lento for Strings (1985), for string orchestra
  • The Dawn Is At Hand (1988), for SATB choir & orchestra
    • Choral-symphony (in five movements) to poems by Aboriginal poet Kath Walker. Commissioned by the Australian Bicentennial, and premièred in Brisbane, 1989
  • Bicentennial Anthem (1988), for orchestra
    • Commissioned to mark the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Australia
  • The True Endeavour (1988), for speaker, SATB choir & orchestra
    • Symphonic statement with a text by Australian historian Manning Clark. Commissioned by the Australian Bicentennial, premièred in 1989
  • Requiem for a Tribe Brother (1992), for a cappella SATB choir
    • Commissioned by Peter Broadbent and the Joyful Company of Singers, the work was written in memory of one of Williamson's Aboriginal friends who died tragically young from AIDS.

Partial List of Works

Opera

  • Our Man in Havana (1963), opera in three acts
  • English Eccentrics (1964), chamber opera in two acts
  • The Happy Prince (1965), opera in one act
    • libretto by the composer
  • Julius Caesar Jones (1965-66), children's opera in two acts
    • libretto by the composer
  • The Violins of Saint Jacques (1966), opera in three acts
  • The Brilliant and the Dark (1966), choral operetta
  • Dunstan and the Devil (1967), children's opera in one act
  • The Growing Castle (1968), opera in two acts
  • Lucky-Peter's Journey (1969), comedy in three acts
  • The Red Sea (1972-73), opera in one act
    • libretto by the composer

Ballet

  • The Display (1963), choreographed by Robert Helpmann
  • Sinfonietta (1965), symphonic work, choreographed in 1967 by Sir Frederick Ashton for the Royal Ballet
  • Sun into Darkness (1966), ballet in three acts
  • Perisynthion (1974)
  • Heritage (1985), ballet in three tableaux
  • Have Steps Will Travel (1988)

Cassations

A "cassation" (a word invented by Williamson) is a miniature opera including audience participation, of which ten were written. They were primarily designed to teach children the mechanics of putting on an opera, and the idea first came to Williamson whilst teching his own children. Each work is rich in imagination, invention and fun and, whilst being musically engaging for the performers and audience alike, are never too long. Williamson had a great deal of success with these cassations, which have had performances in Britain, Australia, France, the United States of America and many other countries.

Orchestral

  • Santiago de Espada (1956), overture for orchestra
  • Symphony No. 1 - Elevamini (1956-57), for orchestra
  • Piano Concerto No. 1 (1958), for piano & orchestra
  • Piano Concerto No. 2 (1960), for piano & string orchestra
  • Organ Concerto (1961), for organ & orchestra
  • Piano Concerto No. 3 (1962), for piano & orchestra
  • Sinfonia Concertante (1962), for three trumpets & piano soli, & string orchestra
  • Our Man in Havana, Concert Suite (1963), for voices & orchestra
  • Our Man in Havana, Orchestral Suite (1963/66), for orchestra
  • The Display, Concert Suite (1964), for orchestra
  • Sinfonietta (1965), for orchestra
  • Violin Concerto (1965), for violin & orchestra
  • Concerto Grosso (1965), for orchestra
  • Symphonic Variations (1965), for orchestra
  • Serenade and Aubade (1965), for chamber orchestra
  • Epitaphs for Edith Sitwell (1966/72), for string orchestra
  • Symphony No. 2 - Pilgrim på havet (1968), for orchestra
  • Symphony No. 3 - The Icy Mirror (1972), for soprano, mezzo-soprano & two baritone soli, SATB choir & orchestra
  • Concerto for Two Pianos & String Orchestra (1972)
  • Hammarskjöld Portrait (1974), song-cycle for soprano & string orchestra
  • Perisynthion (1974), for orchestra
  • Les Olympiques (1976), song-cycle for mezzo-soprano & string orchestra
  • Harp Concerto - Au tombeau du martyr juif inconnu (1976) for harp & string orchestra
  • The House of Windsor, Suite (1977), for orchestra (extracted from the music for the TV series)
  • Symphony No. 4 - Jubilee (1977), for orchestra
  • Fiesta (1978), for orchestra
  • Azure (1978), for orchestra
  • Ochre (1978), for orchestra or organ & string orchestra
  • Symphony No. 5 - Aquerò (1979-80), for orchestra
  • Lament in Memory of Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1980), for violin & string orchestra
  • Ode for Queen Elizabeth (1980), for string trio & string orchestra
  • In Thanksgiving - Sir Bernard Heinze (1982), for orchestra
  • Symphony No. 6 - Liturgy of Homage to the Australian Broadcasting Commission in its Fiftieth Year as University to the Australian Nation (1982), for orchestra
  • Two Pieces (circa 1983), for string orchestra
  • Camargue Scenes (?), for string orchestra
  • Symphony No. 7 - Symphony for Strings (1984), for string orchestra
  • Cortège for a Warrior (1984), for orchestra
  • Lento for Strings (1985), for string orchestra
  • Next Year in Jerusalem (1985), song-cycle for soprano & orchestra
  • Saxophone Concerto Concertino for Charles (1987), for saxophone & orchestral winds
  • Bicentennial Anthem (1988), for orchestra
  • Piano Concerto No. 4 (1994), for piano & orchestra
  • A Year of Birds (1995), song-cycle for soprano & orchestra
  • With Proud Thanksgiving (1995), for orchestra

Choral

  • Two Motets (1954), for a cappella SATB choir
  • Adoremus (1959), Christmas cantata for alto & tenor soli, SATB choir & organ
  • Dawn Carol (1960), for a cappella SATB choir
  • Agnus Dei (1961), for SATB choir & organ
  • Ascendit Deus (1961), for SATB choir & organ
  • Procession of Psalms (1961), for SATB choir & organ
  • Tu es Petrus (1961), cantata for speaker, SATB choir & organ**Easter Carol (1962), for a cappella SATB choir
  • Let Them Give Thanks (1962), for congregation, SATB choir & organ
  • O Planctus (1962), for a cappella TB choir
  • Symphony for Voices (1962), for a cappella SATB choir
  • The Morning of the Day of Days (1962), for soprano & tenor soli, SATB choir & organ
  • Wrestling Jacob (1962), for soprano solo, SATB choir & organ
  • Six Christmas Songs for the Young (1963), unison choir & piano, with optional percussion
  • Six Wesley Songs for the Young (1963), unison choir & piano
  • Te Deum (1963), for congregation, unison choir & organ
  • English Eccentrics Choral Suite (1964), for a cappella SATB double choir
  • Epiphany Carol (1964), for soprano solo, SATB choir & organ
  • Mass of Saint Andrew (1964), unison choir & organ/piano
  • Six Evening Hymns (1964), for a cappella unison choir
  • North Country Songs (1965), low voice solo, SATB choir & piano
  • Psalm of Praise (1965), for unison choir & organ
  • A Birthday (1966), for SATB choir & piano
  • Jenny Kiss'd Me (1966), for a cappella TB choir
  • Sweet and Low (1966), for SA choir & piano
  • Mowing the Barley (1967), for SATB choir & orchestra
  • Six English Lyrics (1967), for SATB choir & string orchestra
  • O Sanctissima (1969), for SATB choir & piano
  • Sonnet "On Hearing the Dies Irae Sung in the Sistine Chapel (1969), for a cappella SATB choir
  • The Brilliant and the Dark (1969), pageant for two soprano & two alto soli, SSAA choir & orchestra
  • Cantate Domino (1970), SATB choir & organ
  • I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (1970), for unison choir, echo choir & organ
  • Te Deum (1971), for SATB choir, brass ensemble & organ
  • Love, the Sentinel (1972), for a cappella SATB choir
  • O Jerusalem (1972), for congregation, unison choir & organ
  • The King of Love (1972), for congregation, unison choir & organ
  • The Musicians of Bremen (1972), for a cappella AATBarBB choir
  • Together in Unity (1972), for congregation, unison choir & organ
  • Canticle of Fire (1973), SATB choir & organ (with extensive solo passages)
  • Ode to Music (1973), for SATB choir, SATB echo choir & orchestra
  • Symphony No. 3 - The Icy Mirror (1973), for soprano, mezzo-soprano & two baritone soli, SATB choir & orchestra
  • The World at the Manger (1973), Christmas cantata for soprano & baritone soli, SATB choir & organ/piano duet
  • Jubilee Hymn (1977), for unison choir, SATB choir & orchestra
  • Mass of Christ the King (1977-78), for lyric soprano, dramatic soprano, tenor & baritone soli, SATB choir, SATB echo choir & orchestra
  • This Christmas Night (1977), carol for SATB choir & piano/organ
  • Kerygma (1979), for SATB choir & organ
  • Little Mass of Saint Bernadette (1980), unison choir, instrumental ensemble & organ
  • Mass of the People of God (1980), for SATB choir & organ
  • Now Is The Singing Day (1981), for mezzo-soprano & baritone soli, SATB choir, two pianos, percussion & string orchestra
  • Mass of Saint Margaret of Scotland (1982), unison choir/SATB choir & organ/piano
  • A Pilgrim Liturgy (1984), mezzo-soprano & baritone soli, SATB choir & orchestra
  • Songs for a Royal Baby (1985), for SATB soli/choir & string orchestra
  • Galilee (1987), for a cappella SATB choir
  • The True Endeavour (1988), for speaker, SATB choir & orchestra
  • The Dawn Is At Hand (1988-89), for SATB choir & orchestra
  • Beyond the Sun and the Moon (1990), for speaker, children's choir & orchestra
  • Easter in St. Mary's Church (1990), for SATB choir & organ/piano
  • Mass of Saint Etheldreda (1990), for SATB choir & organ
  • Requiem for a Tribe Brother (1992), for a cappella SATB choir

Instrumental

  • Partita (1950), for piano
  • Variations (1954), for piano
  • Piano Sonata No. 1 (1956)
  • Fons Amoris (1956), for organ
  • Piano Sonata No. 2 (1957)
  • Piano Sonata No. 3 (1958)
  • Piano Sonata No. 4 (1959)
  • Symphony (1960), for organ
  • Travel Diaries (1961), for piano
  • Vision of Christ-Phoenix (1962), for organ
  • Elegy for J.F.K. (1964), for organ
  • Epitaphs for Edith Sitwell (1966), for organ
  • Peace Pieces (1971), for organ
  • Little Carols of the Saints (1972), for organ
  • Partita on Themes of Walton (1972), for viola
  • Mass of a Medieval Saint (1973), for organ
  • Haifa Watercolours (1974), for piano
  • The Bridge Van Gogh Painted and the French Camargue (1974), for piano
  • The Lion of Suffolk (1977), for organ
  • Mass of the People of God - Offertoire - Dialogue des Choeurs (1980), for organ
  • Hymna Titu (1984), for piano
  • Springtime on the River Moskeva (1987), for piano
  • Symphony Day that I have Loved (1994), for harp

References

  1. ^ Lebrecht, Norman (2007-09-19), Master of no Musick, retrieved 2007-09-20 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ Campion, Edmund (July/August, 2003), Writing the language of paradise: Malcolm Williamson, retrieved 2007-09-20 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
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