Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article is about the composer. For the cryptographer, see Malcolm J. Williamson. Cryptography (or cryptology; from Greek grc κρυπτός kryptos, "hidden secret" and grc γράφω gráphō, "I write" Malcolm J Williamson discovered in 1974 what is now known as Diffie-Hellman key exchange.
Malcolm Williamson

Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO, CBE (November 21, 1931 – March 2, 2003) was an extraordinarily gifted Australian composer. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance From 1975 until his death he was Master of the Queen's Music. Master of the Queen's Music (or Master of the King's Music) is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.

Contents

Biography

Williamson was born in Sydney and studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Eugene Goossens. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 In 1950 he moved to London where he worked as an organist, a proofreader, and a nightclub pianist. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or Orchestra, or accompany A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark From 1953 he studied with Elisabeth Lutyens. (Agnes Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE ( July 9, 1906, London – April 14, 1983, London was a significant English Composer

Williamson was a very prolific composer at this time, receiving many commissions. He often performed his own works, both on organ and piano. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers

In 1975, the death of Sir Arthur Bliss left the title of Master of the Queen's Music vacant. Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO ( 2 August 1891 - 27 March 1975) was a British composer Master of the Queen's Music (or Master of the King's Music) is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. 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 the equally talented Australian, Malcolm Williamson. Edward Benjamin Britten Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976 was an English Composer, conductor, Sir Michael Kemp Tippett, OM (2 January 1905 &ndash 8 January 1998 was one of the foremost English Composers of the 20th century (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). Sir William Turner Walton, OM ( March 29, 1902 &ndash March 8, 1983) was a British Composer and Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006 was an English Composer and symphonist. 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 his appointment as 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 behind the choice of him for the honorary musical position.

Williamson wrote a number of pieces connected to his royal post, including Mass of Christ the King (1978) (see below) and Lament in Memory of Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1980). Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, 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. The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England

Malcolm Williamson was appointed CBE in 1976, and Honorary AO in 1987. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition 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. Twelve-tone technique (also dodecaphony, especially in British usage twelve-note composition) is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Arnold Schoenberg ( pronounced ˈʃøːnbɛrk (13 September 1874 &ndash 13 July 1951 was an Austrian and later American Composer, associated with Olivier Messiaen ( December 10 1908 &ndash April 27 1992 was a French Composer, organist and ornithologist. 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). 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 Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more A nightclub (or "night club" or "club" is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark

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. A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. A piano concerto is a work written for Piano and Orchestra.See also Harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber Prologue ( Greek πρόλογος prologos, from προ~ pro~ - fore~, and lógos word) or prolog, is a prefatory Watership Down is a 1978 Animated film directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams.

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. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of One of these, The Valley and the Hill, written for the silver jubilee of Elizabeth II, was performed by 18,000 children. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II

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. The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties, ( Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary 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. Although it is often assumed that as a composer gets older they lose their inventiveness and vitality, this was not the case with Williamson. A good example of an extremely productive year late in his career could be 1988. In the space this year, Williamson wrote a large-scale choral-orchestral work The True Endeavour, the orchestral Bicentennial Anthem, the Fanfare of Homage for military band, a ballet Have Steps Will Travel for John Alleyne and the National Ballet of Canada, Ceremony for Oodgeroo (Oodgeroo Noonuccal, formerly known as Kath Walker) for brass quintet, and also commenced work on a substantial new choral-symphony The Dawn is at Hand (to texts by Kath Walker), completed and performed in Australia the following year. The National Ballet of Canada is Canada 's largest Ballet troupe Oodgeroo Noonuccal, MBE (Born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, formerly Kath Walker) ( 3 November 1920 &mdash 16 September Oodgeroo Noonuccal, MBE (Born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, formerly Kath Walker) ( 3 November 1920 &mdash 16 September Oodgeroo Noonuccal, MBE (Born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, formerly Kath Walker) ( 3 November 1920 &mdash 16 September For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. There's no denying Williamson's stamina and flair, however a quick look into any of these works also reveals a rich craft, a startlingly fresh imagination and, most importantly, a deeply humane voice. Williamson continued to produce high-quality music for the rest of his working life, such as the Requiem for a Tribe Brother (another Australian work, completed in 1992), a third string quartet (1993), a fourth piano concerto (1994) and a symphony for solo harp, Day that I have Loved (1994). The orchestral song cycle on texts by Iris Murdoch A Year of Birds premièred at The Proms in 1995, to international critical acclaim. Song cycles in classical music The first generally accepted example of a song cycle is Ludwig van Beethoven 's An die ferne Geliebte (1816 Dame Jean Iris Murdoch DBE ( 15 July 1919 &ndash 8 February 1999) was a Dublin -born writer and philosopher The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily Orchestral 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. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians

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. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition Unusually for Masters of the Queen's Music, he was never knighted. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages.

Preceded by
Arthur Bliss		 Master of the Queen's Music
1975–2003		 Succeeded by
Peter Maxwell Davies

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. Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO ( 2 August 1891 - 27 March 1975) was a British composer Master of the Queen's Music (or Master of the King's Music) is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE (b 8 September 1934 is an English Composer and conductor. Master of the Queen's Music (or Master of the King's Music) is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. 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. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary

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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 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. James Phillip McAuley ( 12 October 1917 – 15 October 1976) was an Australian Academic, Poet, Journalist Oodgeroo Noonuccal, MBE (Born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, formerly Kath Walker) ( 3 November 1920 &mdash 16 September 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.

Partial List of Works

Opera

Ballet

Cassations

A "cassation" (a word invented by Williamson) is a miniature opera including audience participation. Henry Graham Greene OM, CH (2 October 1904 &ndash 3 April 1991 was an English writer best known as a novelist but who also produced Short stories A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Sidney Gilliat ( 15 February 1908 &ndash 31 May 1994) was an English Film director, producer and writer Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE ( 7 September, 1887 &ndash 9 December, 1964) was a British Poet and critic Sir Patrick 'Paddy' Michael Leigh Fermor DSO OBE (born 11 February 1915, London) is a British author scholar and soldier Ursula Vaughan Williams née Joan Ursula Penton Lock ( March 15 1911 &ndash October 23 2007) was an English poet and author and biographer ( January 22, 1849  &ndash May 14, 1912) was a Swedish Writer, Playwright, and painter. Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986 was an Australian dancer actor director and Choreographer. See also List of ballets choreographed by Frederick Ashton,, Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton OM, CH, CBE, ( September The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England Williamson wrote ten such works in all, of varying complexity and duration. They were primarily designed to teach children the mechanics of putting on an opera, and the idea for the pieces first came to Williamson whilst teching his own children about music. Each work is rich in imagination, invention, fun and, whilst being musically engaging for the performers and audience alike, never outstay their welcome. Williamson had a great deal of success with these cassations, which have had performances in Britain, Australia, France, the United States of America, and in hospitals in Tanzania and Zambia. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Tanzania ˌtænzəˈniːə officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa.

Orchestral

Choral

Vocal

Chamber

In addition to the above works, there are two further string quartets, for which the dates of composition are currently unknown:

Instrumental

Film and TV

References

  1. ^ Lebrecht, Norman (2007-09-19), Master of no Musick, <http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/070919-NL-master.html>. The Camargue ( Occitan: Camarga in classical norm or Camargo in Mistralian norm is located south of Arles, France, between the For the characters from the novel see Brides of Dracula. The Brides of Dracula is a 1960 British The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British Horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and remake of Watership Down is a 1978 Animated film directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. The Masks of Death (1984 is a Sherlock Holmes film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing as the sleuth and John Mills Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Retrieved on 2007-09-20 
  2. ^ Campion, Edmund (July/August, 2003), Writing the language of paradise: Malcolm Williamson, <http://www.madonnamagazine.com.au/articles/0308campion.html>. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Retrieved on 2007-09-20 

External links

Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic