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Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH (8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures

Contents

Biography

Boult was born in Chester and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 The Royal College of St Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain 's leading boys' Independent schools with Not to be confused with Christchurch, a city in New Zealand. Christ Church (Ædes Christi the temple or house of Christ and thus sometimes known as The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the As a schoolboy, he was introduced to the world of music by a family friend, Frank Schuster, who was a friend of Edward Elgar and introduced the young Boult to the composer around 1905. [1]

He completed his musical education at the Leipzig Conservatory where he learnt to conduct by watching the eminent Hungarian conductor Arthur Nikisch. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arthur Nikisch (Hungarian Nikisch Artúr) ( 12 October He sang in choral festivals and at the Leeds Festival of 1913, where he went to watch Nikisch conduct, and made the acquaintance of George Butterworth and other British composers. For George Butterworth Illustrator & Cartoonist see George Butterworth (Cartoonist. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance

During World War I he was employed at the War Office, and whilst there in 1918 planned a series of concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, which included several important recent British works: Gustav Holst's The Planets, of which he gave the first private performance, A London Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams, of which he gave the first performance of the revised version, and Elgar's Symphony No. 2 which had fallen into neglect. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963 when The London Symphony Orchestra ( LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The Planets Op 32 is a seven- movement Orchestral suite by the British composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 A London Symphony is the second Symphony composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music The Symphony No 2 in E-Flat Major, Op 63 of Edward Elgar is the second of two symphonies that he completed Elgar wrote to him and said he felt sure the future of his music was safe in Boult's hands. In this way Boult laid the foundations for a long career as a champion of twentieth century English music. As one example, Vaughan Williams dedicated Job, A Masque for Dancing to Boult in the mid-1930s, several years after the actual première of the work. Job A Masque for Dancing is a ballet written by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Career

Birmingham and the BBC

In 1924 Boult was appointed to the conductorship of the City of Birmingham Orchestra—now the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra—and in 1930 he was made Director of Music at the BBC and conductor of the BBC's Wireless Symphony Orchestra (which was renamed the BBC Symphony Orchestra), succeeding the BBC's first Director of Music Percy Pitt. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. Percy Pitt ( January 4, 1870 - November 23, 1932) was an English Organist and conductor.

During the 1930s the BBC orchestra became renowned for its high standard of playing and for Boult's competent performances of new and unfamiliar music, often rehearsed in a very short time. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Among these successes were an early performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Variations, Op. Arnold Schoenberg ( pronounced ˈʃøːnbɛrk (13 September 1874 &ndash 13 July 1951 was an Austrian and later American Composer, associated with 31, the British première of Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck and the première of Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9 1885 &ndash December 24 1935 was an Austrian Composer. Wozzeck is the first Opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. 4 in F minor. [2] In 1933, Boult married Ann Wilson, the ex-wife of Steuart Wilson, tenor singer and administrator. Sir James Steuart Wilson, born Bristol, England, 21 July 1889 died Petersfield, 18 December 1966 was a Tenor singer and musical administrator The marriage lasted until Boult's death. Boult was knighted in 1937. [3]

During World War II the BBC Symphony Orchestra was evacuated to Bristol, where it suffered from bombing, and to Bedford, where Boult strove to maintain standards and morale as many key players left. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough In these years he made recordings of Elgar's Second Symphony, Holst's The Planets and Vaughan Williams' Job, A Masque for Dancing. After the war the start of the BBC Third Programme saw Boult involved in several pioneering ventures for Britain, including the British premières of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 and the Concerto for Orchestra of Béla Bartók. The Symphony No 3 in D minor by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896 Concerto for Orchestra ( Sz 116 BB 127 is a five-movement musical work for orchestra composed by Béla Bartók in 1943 Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25 1881&ndashSeptember 26 1945 was a Hungarian Composer and Pianist, considered to be one of the greatest [4]

In 1948 his love for English music and for pioneering took him to the Harringay Arena where he conducted brass bands and male voice choirs at the first National Colliery Music Festival. Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England.

A little later in the same year, Steuart Wilson was appointed Director of Music at the BBC. Sir James Steuart Wilson, born Bristol, England, 21 July 1889 died Petersfield, 18 December 1966 was a Tenor singer and musical administrator Suggestions that the standard of playing had fallen beyond Boult's ability to rectify were taken as a reason to insist on his retirement at the age of 60 in 1949, an incident which remains controversial to this day. [5] The Director General of the BBC at the time, Sir William Haley, later broadcast a tribute to Boult, acknowledging that he 'had listened to ill-judged advice in retiring him. Sir William John Haley, KCMG ( May 24, 1901 - September 6, 1987) was a British newspaper editor and broadcasting administrator '[6] Later the BBC invited Boult to give a warm introduction to Arturo Toscanini's historic second broadcast concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra on 1 October 1952; the speech has been included in some releases of the broadcast. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arturo Toscanini (ɑrˈturɔ ˌtɔskɑˈnini (March 25 1867 &ndash January The Philharmonia is an Orchestra based in London. Since 1995 it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [7]

London Philharmonic

After it became clear that Boult would not be able to retain his position with the BBC Symphony, Thomas Russell, the Managing Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), offered Boult the position of Principal Conductor of the LPO in succession to Eduard van Beinum. The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( LPO) based in London, is one of the major Orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Eduard van Beinum ( September 3, 1901 &ndash April 13, 1959, Amsterdam) was a Dutch conductor In the 1930s under Thomas Beecham, the LPO had been the other crack London orchestra, but since Beecham's departure, was in need of rebuilding. Sir Thomas Beecham 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 &ndash 8 March 1961 was a British conductor and Impresario. Boult accepted this position and threw himself into this task. The results can be heard to this day in a long series of recordings beginning in 1950 and including in their early years a complete set of the Vaughan Williams symphonies and much Elgar. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He obtained for the orchestra a recording contract with American companies and recorded Johannes Brahms symphonies, Hector Berlioz and Jean Sibelius, among other composers. Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer

There was controversy and ambiguity over Boult's role in the dismissal of Thomas Russell from his position as the LPO Managing Director, in 1952, during the Cold War years, as Russell was an avowed member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB was the largest Communist party in the United Kingdom, though it never became a mass party like the Communist parties of [8] Boult served as the LPO's principal conductor until 1957. After the sudden resignation of Andrzej Panufnik from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), Boult returned as Principal Conductor of the CBSO for the 1959-1960 season. Sir Andrzej Panufnik ( September 24, 1914 &ndash October 27, 1991) was a Polish Composer, Pianist, conductor That was his last chief conductorship, though he remained closely associated with the LPO as its President until his retirement.

Boult recorded all seven then-existing symphonies by Vaughan Williams for Decca Records in 1953-54 with the LPO, with the composer present; these sessions included the Sea Symphony's first-ever recording. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Decca also taped Vaughan Williams' short speech to the musicians following the recording of the Sixth symphony, and included it in the album. The composer was to have been present for the first recording of his Ninth symphony, for Everest Records in 1958, but he died the night before the session took place; Boult recorded a short introduction as a memorial tribute to Vaughan Williams. Everest Records was a stereophonic Record label based in Bayside Long Island started by Harry D This recording has been reissued on CD.

Later years

After what Michael Kennedy described as a 'fallow' period in the early 1960s, Boult acquired the status of a revered figure in British music, and despite advancing years continued to conduct new works, being valued for his impartiality and reliability. [9] He was guest conductor with UK orchestras and further afield (Vienna and Boston). In 1966 he resumed conducting for EMI and until his retirement enjoyed an 'Indian Summer', recording or re-recording his repertory in interpretations which have remained in the catalogues for thirty or forty years. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in He was made a Companion of Honour (CH) in the 1969 New Year Honours. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery achievement or service to the United Kingdom. [10] Having recorded much British music he was encouraged to record the orchestral music of Brahms, whose Third Symphony filled an extra recording session in August 1970 and sparked this exploration of the standard repertory, Richard Wagner, and Franz Schubert. This surprised those listeners who did not know that his acquaintance with these works dated back to the pre-1914 era when he had heard Nikisch and Karl Muck conduct them in Germany. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Karl Muck ( October 22, 1859 &ndash March His repertory in general was much wider than his late discography might indicate; not only did he conduct seven of the nine Mahler symphonies well before the Mahler revival of the 1960s,[11] but he also frequently programmed Ravel's complete ballet Daphnis et Chloé and even Ferruccio Busoni's rarely-staged opera Doktor Faust in the late 1940s. Daphnis et Chloé is a Ballet with music by Maurice Ravel. Ravel described it as a "symphonie choréographique" (choreographic symphony Ferruccio Dante Michelangiolo Benvenuto Busoni (April 1 1866 &ndash July 27 1924 was an Italian Composer, Pianist, musical educator and conductor.

His last public performance was conducting Elgar's ballet The Sanguine Fan for London Festival Ballet at the Coliseum, in London on 24 June 1978. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance The Sanguine Fan, Op 81 is a single-act Ballet written by Sir Edward Elgar in 1917 English National Ballet is a renowned Classical ballet company based at Markova House in London, England. The Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St His final record, completed in December 1978, was of music by Hubert Parry. Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry 1st Baronet (27 February 1848 &ndash 7 October 1918 was an English Composer, best known for the choral song Jerusalem He formally retired from conducting in 1981. [12]

Legacy

The Conservatoire in Birmingham, a department of the Birmingham City University (formerly known as the University of Central England), includes in its home building the Adrian Boult Hall, a purpose built 500 seater recital hall, in a theatre style setting. Birmingham Conservatoire is an international conservatoire. Prior to 1989 it was known as the Birmingham School of Music Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Birmingham City University (formerly Birmingham Polytechnic and the University of Central England in Birmingham) is a University in the city It is primarily for classical concerts and recitals, and is occasionally used as a concert venue for jazz and world music. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The term world music includes Traditional music (sometimes called Folk music or roots music of any culture that are created and played by indigenous musicians It opened in 1986 and was extensively refurbished in 2006. [13]

Recordings

Boult was a prolific recording artist. Unlike many musicians, he felt at home in the recording studio and was happy working without an audience. [14] Most of the recordings below have been released on CD. Except where indicated, they are EMI recordings. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in


Bibliography

Boult was the author of two books on conducting, Thoughts on Conducting and A handbook on the technique of conducting. The Serenade to Music is a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams for 16 vocal soloists and orchestra The Lark Ascending is a popular piece for Violin and orchestra written in 1914 by the British Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Hugh Cecil Bean CBE (22 September 1929 - 26 December 2003 was an English Violinist He was born in Beckenham. The Wasps is a suite for orchestra composed by the prominent British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1909 Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO (honorary CBE (21 November 1931 – 2 March 2003 was an Australian Composer and Master of the A selection of his essays was published in the year of his death, as Boult on Music: Words from a Lifetime's Communication. His autobiography, My Own Trumpet was published in 1973. He was also a frequent broadcaster, notable for his courteous, understated Edwardian style of speaking.

References

  1. ^ "Sir Adrian Boult at 80", The Musical Times, 110(1514), pp. 367-368 (April 1969).
  2. ^ ’My Own Trumpet’, p. 186/7
  3. ^ London Gazette: no. 34375, page 1324, 26 February 1937. The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-12-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  4. ^ ’My Own Trumpet’, p. 188
  5. ^ Kennedy, ch 25
  6. ^ Kennedy, p. 222
  7. ^ Arturo Toscanini Society
  8. ^ Kennedy, ch 27
  9. ^ Edmund Rubbra, "Sir Adrian Boult (Born 8 April 1889)" (70th birthday tribute). The Musical Times, 100(1394), 204 (1959).
  10. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44740, page 24, 20 December 1968. The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-12-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
  11. ^ The First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth – Kennedy, p. 336
  12. ^ Kennedy, pp. 287/8 and 294
  13. ^ Conservatoire website, January 2007
  14. ^ ’My Own Trumpet’, p. 98

External links


allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. The Bach Cantatas Website ( BCW) is an online resource specialising in the cantatas composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
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