Colin Mawby
Encyclopedia
Colin Mawby is an English
organist
, choral
conductor
and composer
.
choir school, where he acted as assistant to George Malcolm
at the organ from the age of 12. The boys performed 14 or 15 services a week and had 10 hours of rehearsals a week, learning plainchant and polyphony
. He subsequently studied at the Royal College of Music
with Gordon Jacob
and John Churchill. During this time he worked with Adrian Boult
and Malcolm Sargent
.
He became Assistant and then in 1961 Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral. Whilst there he conducted the first performance of the early music vocal ensemble Pro Cantione Antiqua
. He has also collaborated with the London Mozart Players
, the Wren Orchestra, the Belgian Radio Choir and the BBC Singers
. He performed for the Queen of England
at St Paul's Cathedral
, for President John F. Kennedy
at Westminster Cathedral
, and at St. Peter's Basilica
for Pope John Paul II
.
In 1976 he moved to Dublin where he became choral director at Radio Telefís Éireann
in 1981. He founded the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
and a children's choir in 1985, the smaller group was renamed National Chamber Choir of Ireland
then. Mawby retired to East Anglia
in 2001 but has returned to County Dublin in Ireland.
liturgy
. He composed several Mass
es, motet
s, antiphon
s and hymn settings. His Ave verum corpus
for choir and a setting of Psalm 23
won fame in the recording by Charlotte Church
. His Requiem of Hope for soprano, mixed choir and organ, composed from 1995 to 2002, is based on texts by Henry Vaughan
, John Henry Newman and anonymous texts. In 2002, his Prayer of Forgiveness was awarded "Top Honors" in the competition "Waging Peace Through Singing" in Oregan, USA. A Te Deum
for soprano solo, chorus, organ and brass ensemble was premiered in Cambridge
in 2006 to mark his 70th birthday. His setting of Laudate Pueri Dominum
was premiered in 2011 at Westminster Cathedral Hall.
His secular works include two operas for young people, The Torc of Gold (1996) and The Quest (2000), both on libretti
by playwright Maeve Ingoldsby
, commissioned by the National Chamber Choir and premiered in Dublin under his direction.
Mawby commented his writing for choirs in 2006: "I cannot write choral music unless I work with choirs. Now that’s a subjective judgement: I know that lots of people can do these things; I can’t. I have to write for particular people."
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
organist
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Career
Mawby received his earliest musical education at Westminster CathedralWestminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
choir school, where he acted as assistant to George Malcolm
George Malcolm (musician)
George Malcolm CBE was an English harpsichordist and conductor.Malcolm's first instrument was the piano, and his first teacher was a nun who recognised his talent and recommended him to the Royal College of Music. Malcolm went on to study at Balliol College, Oxford...
at the organ from the age of 12. The boys performed 14 or 15 services a week and had 10 hours of rehearsals a week, learning plainchant and polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
. He subsequently studied at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
with Gordon Jacob
Gordon Jacob
Gordon Percival Septimus Jacob was an English composer. He is known for his wind instrument composition and his instructional writings.-Life:...
and John Churchill. During this time he worked with Adrian Boult
Adrian Boult
Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was...
and Malcolm Sargent
Malcolm Sargent
Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
.
He became Assistant and then in 1961 Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral. Whilst there he conducted the first performance of the early music vocal ensemble Pro Cantione Antiqua
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Pro Cantione Antiqua of London are a British choral group who were founded in 1968 by Tenor James Griffett, Counter-tenor Paul Esswood, and conductor and producer Mark Brown. From an early stage they were closely associated with conductor and musicologist Bruno Turner...
. He has also collaborated with the London Mozart Players
London Mozart Players
The London Mozart Players is a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. The LMP is the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom whose performances and recordings focus largely on the core repertoire from the Classical era...
, the Wren Orchestra, the Belgian Radio Choir and the BBC Singers
BBC Singers
The BBC Singers are the professional chamber choir of the BBC. As one of six BBC Performing Groups, the 24-voiced choir has been in existence for more than 80 years. The BBC Singers have commissioned and premiered works by the leading composers of the past century, including Benjamin Britten, Sir...
. He performed for the Queen of England
Queen of England
Queen of England may refer to:* Any of the female monarchs of England* Any wife of a male monarch of England who functioned as his official consort during his reign; see List of English consorts...
at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, for President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
at Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, and at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
for Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
In 1976 he moved to Dublin where he became choral director at Radio Telefís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
in 1981. He founded the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir is an Irish choir, part of Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The current chorus master is Mark Duley. It is part of RTÉ Performing Groups.- RTÉ Philharmonic Choir :...
and a children's choir in 1985, the smaller group was renamed National Chamber Choir of Ireland
National Chamber Choir (Ireland)
The National Chamber Choir of Ireland was founded in 1991 by Karina Lundström and composer and conductor Colin Mawby. It is an independent, full-time professional ensemble, with its seventeen members drawn from the ranks of Europe's top singers...
then. Mawby retired to East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
in 2001 but has returned to County Dublin in Ireland.
Works
Mawby is a prolific composer of music for the English CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
. He composed several Mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
es, motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s, antiphon
Antiphon
An antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....
s and hymn settings. His Ave verum corpus
Ave verum Corpus
Ave verum corpus is a short Eucharistic hymn that has been set to music by various composers. It dates from the 14th century and has been attributed to Popes Innocent III, Innocent IV and Innocent VI....
for choir and a setting of Psalm 23
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
won fame in the recording by Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
. His Requiem of Hope for soprano, mixed choir and organ, composed from 1995 to 2002, is based on texts by Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan was a Welsh physician and metaphysical poet.Vaughan and his twin brother the hermetic philosopher and alchemist Thomas Vaughan, were the sons of Thomas Vaughan and his wife Denise of 'Trenewydd', Newton, in Brecknockshire, Wales...
, John Henry Newman and anonymous texts. In 2002, his Prayer of Forgiveness was awarded "Top Honors" in the competition "Waging Peace Through Singing" in Oregan, USA. A Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
for soprano solo, chorus, organ and brass ensemble was premiered in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 2006 to mark his 70th birthday. His setting of Laudate Pueri Dominum
Psalm 113
Psalm 113 is the 113th psalm of the Book of Psalms .It is usually known by its first two words, Laudate pueri, and there are many musical settings including in Claudio Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610.# Laudate pueri Dominum,# laudate nomen Domini.# Sit nomen Domini benedictum# ex...
was premiered in 2011 at Westminster Cathedral Hall.
His secular works include two operas for young people, The Torc of Gold (1996) and The Quest (2000), both on libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by playwright Maeve Ingoldsby
Maeve Ingoldsby
Maeve Ingoldsby is a former writer of the Raidió Teilifís Éireann radio show Only Slaggin and former writer on RTÉ soap operas Glenroe and Fair City. She is a well-known playwright and satirist. She has also written numerous children's plays including Earwigs, which was awarded "Best Young...
, commissioned by the National Chamber Choir and premiered in Dublin under his direction.
Mawby commented his writing for choirs in 2006: "I cannot write choral music unless I work with choirs. Now that’s a subjective judgement: I know that lots of people can do these things; I can’t. I have to write for particular people."
External links
- Colin Mawby Butz Verlag
- Colin Mawby Zimbel Press
- Colin Mawby Oregon Catholic Press
- Über Colin Mawby (*1936) Biederitzer Kantorei 2007