William Alwyn
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English
Template:Infobox person William Alwyn Template:Post-nominals (born William Alwyn Smith;<ref>Ian Johnson, William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music (Woodbridge: Boydell, 2005), Template:ISBN.</ref> 7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985),<ref name="Who Was Who">Template:Cite book</ref> was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher who composed over 200 cinematic scores, of which some 70 were for full-length features, as well as number of operas, concertos and symphonies.
Alwyn's wartime work in particular was to lead him to be placed on a Nazi death list.
Life and music
William Alwyn was born William Alwyn Smith in Northampton, England, the son of Ada Tyler (Tompkins) and William James Smith.<ref>Dressler, John C., William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide, Chronology, p. 4. Retrieved 14 December 2020.</ref> He showed an early interest in music and began to learn to play the piccolo. At the age of 15, he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied flute, piano<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and composition.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> For a time he was a flautist with the London Symphony Orchestra.<ref>William Alwyn, Winged Chariot Composing in words (London: Toccata Press, 2009), Template:ISBN.</ref> Alwyn served as professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1926 to 1955.<ref name="Mervyn Cooke 2001">Mervyn Cooke, "Alwyn, William", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001).</ref>
Alwyn was a polyglot, poet, and artist, as well as musician.<ref name="Mervyn Cooke 2001" /> In 1948, he became a member of the Savile Club in London. He helped found the Composers' Guild of Great Britain (now merged into the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors), and was its chairman in 1949, 1950 and 1954.<ref>English Music Festival: Composer Profiles Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 27 April 2013</ref> He was also sometime Director of the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society, a Vice-President of the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM) and Director of the Performing Right Society. For many years he was one of the panel engaged by the BBC to read new scores to help assess whether the works should be performed and broadcast. He was appointed a CBE in 1978 in recognition of his services to music.<ref>William Alwyn Foundation: Biography. Retrieved 26 February 2016.</ref>
His compositional output included five symphonies, four operas, several concertos, film scores and string quartets.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In addition to scores for documentaries, Alwyn wrote more than 70 feature film scores from 1941 to 1962.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His classic film scores included Green for Danger (1944), Odd Man Out (1947), Desert Victory (1943), Fires Were Started (1943), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), The Fallen Idol (1948), The Black Tent (1956), The Way Ahead (1944), The True Glory (1945) and The Crimson Pirate (1952). Some of the scores have been lost, although many scores and sketches are now in the William Alwyn Archive at Cambridge University Library. In recent years CD recordings have been made. Some works, for which only fragmentary sketches remained, were reconstructed by Philip Lane or Christopher Palmer from the film soundtracks themselves.<ref name="Philip Lane 1997">Lane, Philip (December 1997), "Reconstructing Film Scores", William Alwyn Society Newsletter.</ref>
Alwyn's wartime scores were considered to be so critical to boosting public morale that he was placed on a Nazi German 'death list', a post-war discovery that apparently thrilled him.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Alwyn relished dissonance, and devised his own alternative to 12-tone serialism. For instance, in his Third Symphony (1955–56), eight notes of the possible 12 are used in the first movement, with the remaining four (D, E, F, and ATemplate:Music) constituting the middle movement, and all 12 being combined for the finale. The work was premièred on 10 October 1956 at the Royal Festival Hall by Sir Thomas Beecham.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Alwyn's concerto for harp and string orchestra, Lyra Angelica, was popularized when the American figure skater Michelle Kwan performed to it at the 1998 Winter Olympics.<ref>1998 Olympics Free Programm "Lyra Angelica": Michelle Kwan, 1998 Olympics, www.youtube.com. Retrieved 14 December 2020.</ref>
Alwyn spent the last 25 years of his life at Lark Rise, Dunwich Road, Blythburgh, Suffolk, where he composed his Concerto Grosso no. 3 (1964), two operas, Juan, or the Libertine and Miss Julie, and his last major orchestral work, Symphony No. 5 Hydriotaphia (1972–73).<ref>Naxos CD 8.556647 notes Andrew Knowles, 2005.</ref>
Alwyn recorded his five symphonies as conductor for the Lyrita label in the 1970s, recordings that have since been reissued on CD. Most of Alwyn's orchestral and chamber music has more recently been recorded on CD for Chandos Records: the five symphonies were played by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Richard Hickox.
Alwyn's opera Miss Julie has been recorded twice: for Lyrita, and in 2019 for Chandos, conducted by Sakari Oramo.
Personal life
Alwyn was married first to Olive Mary Audrey (Pull).<ref>John C. Dressler: William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide (Olive Mary Audrey Pull "ALWYN", Chronology, p. 6), books.google.ca. Retrieved 14 December 2020.</ref><ref>John C. Dressler: William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide (Chapter 4: Olive, p. 35) books.google.ca. Retrieved 14 December 2020.</ref> His second wife was the composer Doreen Carwithen. His great-grandson is the actor Joe Alwyn. He died in Southwold, Suffolk, in 1985 and is buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh, Suffolk.
Selected works
Stage
- The Fairy Fiddler, opera (1922)
- Fedelma, mime ballet in one scene (February 1931); libretto: Padraic Colum, choreography: Ninette de Valois; costumes: Dolly Travers-Smith; Abbey Theatre Dublin
- Farewell, Companions, Radio opera (1955); libretto by H.A.L. Craig
- Juan, or The Libertine, opera in 4 acts (1965–1971); libretto by the composer freely adapted from James Elroy Flecker's play Don Juan and other works
- Miss Julie, opera in 2 acts (1972–1976); libretto by the composer after the 1888 play by August Strindberg
Orchestral
- Five Preludes (1927)
- Aphrodite in Aulis, Eclogue after George Moore for small orchestra (1932)
- The Innumerable Dance, an English Overture (1933)
- Tragic Interlude for 2 horns, timpani and string orchestra (1936)
- Overture to a Masque (1940)
- Concerto Grosso No. 1 in BTemplate:Music major (1942)
- Score for Country Town (1943)
- Suite of Scottish Dances for small orchestra (1946)
- Concerto Grosso No. 2 in G major for string quartet and string orchestra (1948)
- Symphony No. 1 (1948–1949)
- Festival March (1951)
- The Magic Island, Symphonic Prelude (1952)
- Symphony No. 2 (1953)
- Symphony No. 3 (1955–1956)
- Elizabethan Dances (1956–1957)
- Fanfare for a Joyful Occasion for brass and percussion (1958)
- Symphony No. 4 (1959)
- Derby Day, Overture (1960)
- Concerto Grosso No. 3 (1964)
- Sinfonietta [No. 1] for string orchestra (1970)
- Symphony No. 5 Hydriotaphia (1972–1973)
- Sinfonietta No. 2 for string orchestra (1976)Template:Citation needed
Band
- The Moor of Venice, Overture for brass band (1956)
Concertante
- Piano Concerto No. 1 (1930)
- Violin Concerto (1939)
- Pastoral Fantasia for viola and string orchestra (1939)
- Concerto for oboe, harp and strings (1944)
- Autumn Legend for cor anglais and string orchestra (1954)
- Lyra Angelica, Concerto for harp and string orchestra (1954)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (1960)
- Concerto for flute and 8 wind instruments (1980)
Chamber music
- Sonatina for violin and piano (1933)
- Sonata for oboe and piano (1934)
- 2 Folk Tunes for cello or viola and piano (or harp) (1936)
- Novelette for string quartet (1938)
- Ballade for viola and piano (1939)
- Sonata Impromptu for violin and viola (1939)
- Rhapsody for violin, viola, cello and piano (1939)
- Divertimento for solo flute (1940)
- Sonatina for viola and piano (1941)
- Suite for oboe and harp (1944)
- Sonata for flute and piano (1948)
- Three Winter Poems for string quartet (1948)
- Conversations for violin, clarinet and piano (1950)
- Trio for flute, cello and piano (1951)
- String Quartet No. 1 in D minor (1953)
- Crepuscule for harp (1955)
- Sonata for clarinet and piano (1962)
- String Trio (1962)
- Moto Perpetuo for recorders (1970)
- Naiades, Fantasy Sonata for flute and harp (1971)
- String Quartet No. 2 Spring Waters (1975)
- Chaconne for Tom for descant recorder and piano (1982)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1984)
Piano
- Hunter's Moon (1920s)
- Odd Moments, Suite (1920s)
- The Orchard (1920s)
- Haze of Noon (1926)
- Two Irish Pieces
- April Morn, 4 Petites Pièces (1924–1926)
- Fancy Free, 4 Pieces
- Contes Barbares, Hommage à Paul Gauguin (1930–1933)
- Night Thoughts (1940)
- Prelude and Fugue Formed on an Indian Scale (1945)
- Sonata alla Toccata (1946)
- By the Farmyard Gate, 4 Pieces
- From Ireland, 7 Traditional Tunes
- Wooden Walls, Suite
- Midsummer Night, Suite
- Green Hills
- Five Pieces, Suite
- Two Intermezzi
- Two Pieces
- Harvest Home, Suite
- The Tinker's Tune
- Down by the Riverside
- Nine Children's Pieces
- Fantasy-Waltzes (1956)
- Twelve Preludes (1958)
- Movements (1961)
- Twelve Diversions for the Five Fingers
Vocal and Choral
- The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, oratorio (1936, fp. 18 February 2023, King's College, London)
- 3 Songs to Words by Trevor Blakemore for voice and piano (1940)
- Mirages, Song Cycle for baritone and piano (1970)
- 6 Nocturnes for baritone and piano (1973)
- Invocations, Song Cycle for soprano and piano (1977)
- A Leave Taking, Songs for tenor and piano (1978)
- Seascapes, Song Cycle for soprano, treble recorder and piano (1980)
Film scores
References
External links
- William Alwyn Foundation
- William Alwyn at MusicWeb International
- William Alwyn Archive at Cambridge University Library
- Philip Lane on reconstructing Alwyn's film scores
- [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0005944
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- The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn Template:Webarchive by Adrian Wright, the first full biography published by the Boydell Press in 2008.
- Composing in words: William Alwyn on his art Template:Webarchive edited by Andrew Palmer, includes many of Alwyn's autobiographical writings, and other writings on music published by Toccata Press, 2009.
- 1905 births
- 1985 deaths
- 20th-century English conductors (music)
- 20th-century English male musicians
- 20th-century English classical composers
- 20th-century British flautists
- Academics of the Royal Academy of Music
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
- British male conductors (music)
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- English classical flautists
- English film score composers
- English male classical composers
- English male film score composers
- English opera composers
- London Symphony Orchestra players
- Male opera composers
- Musicians from Northampton
- People from Blythburgh
- Alwyn family