David Blake (composer)
Encyclopedia
David Blake is a British
composer
born in London
in 1936. Following National Service
Blake learnt Mandarin Chinese and spent one year in Hong Kong
. He went on to read music at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, where his teachers were Patrick Hadley
, Peter Tranchell
and Raymond Leppard
. He was awarded the Mendelssohn Scholarship
for Composition in 1960, and, uniquely for a British composer of his generation, he went to East Berlin
to study with Arnold Schoenberg
's pupil, the Marxist composer Hanns Eisler
. During this time, he composed the first of his acknowledged compositions – the Variations for Piano and the String Quartet No. 1.
In 1963, he was awarded the Granada Arts Fellowship at the newly opened University of York
, and the following year, with Wilfrid Mellers
and Peter Aston
, he founded the Department of Music there. He was Lecturer in Music in the Department until 1976 and then succeeded Wilfrid Mellers as Professor. His first important commission came in 1966, from the York Festival, for his Chamber Symphony. Subsequent commissions included Lumina (soloists, chorus and large orchestra) for the 1970 Leeds Festival
the Violin Concerto for the 1976 BBC Proms; Toussaint, an opera in three acts for the English National Opera
, first produced in 1977 (and revived 1983); Rise Dove (solo bass and orchestra) for the BBC
; The Plumber's Gift, an opera in two acts for the English National Opera, first produced in 1989 with libretto by John Birtwhistle
; and the Cello Concerto, commissioned by the BBC for the 1993 Cheltenham Festival
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1936. Following National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
Blake learnt Mandarin Chinese and spent one year in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He went on to read music at Gonville and Caius College, 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...
, where his teachers were Patrick Hadley
Patrick Hadley
Patrick Arthur Sheldon Hadley was a British composer.-Biography:Patrick Sheldon Hadley was born on 5 March 1899 in Cambridge. His father, William Sheldon Hadley, was at that time a fellow of Pembroke College...
, Peter Tranchell
Peter Tranchell
Peter Andrew Tranchell was a British composer.Tranchell was born at Cuddalore, India, on July 14, 1922, and educated at the Dragon School , Clifton College and King's College . During the Second World War he served, like his father, Col...
and Raymond Leppard
Raymond Leppard
Raymond "Def" Leppard, CBE is a British conductor and harpsichordist.He was born in London and grew up in Bath, where he was educated at the City of Bath Boys' School, now known as the Beechen Cliff School...
. He was awarded the Mendelssohn Scholarship
Mendelssohn Scholarship
The Mendelssohn Scholarship refers to two scholarships awarded in Germany and in the United Kingdom. Both commemorate the composer, Felix Mendelssohn, and are awarded to promising young musicians to enable them to continue their development.-History:...
for Composition in 1960, and, uniquely for a British composer of his generation, he went to East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
to study with Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's pupil, the Marxist composer Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler was an Austrian composer.-Family background:Eisler was born in Leipzig where his Jewish father, Rudolf Eisler, was a professor of philosophy...
. During this time, he composed the first of his acknowledged compositions – the Variations for Piano and the String Quartet No. 1.
In 1963, he was awarded the Granada Arts Fellowship at the newly opened University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
, and the following year, with Wilfrid Mellers
Wilfrid Mellers
Wilfrid Howard Mellers OBE was an English music critic, musicologist and composer.-Early life:Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Downing College, Cambridge, where he read English. At Cambridge, he formed a...
and Peter Aston
Peter Aston
Peter Aston is an English composer, academic and conductor perhaps best known for his choral works. Born in Birmingham, he studied at Birmingham School of Music and the University of York...
, he founded the Department of Music there. He was Lecturer in Music in the Department until 1976 and then succeeded Wilfrid Mellers as Professor. His first important commission came in 1966, from the York Festival, for his Chamber Symphony. Subsequent commissions included Lumina (soloists, chorus and large orchestra) for the 1970 Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival may refer to:*Reading and Leeds Festivals , a rock music festival in Leeds , West Yorkshire, England*Leeds Festival , European classical music festival in Leeds...
the Violin Concerto for the 1976 BBC Proms; Toussaint, an opera in three acts for the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
, first produced in 1977 (and revived 1983); Rise Dove (solo bass and orchestra) for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
; The Plumber's Gift, an opera in two acts for the English National Opera, first produced in 1989 with libretto by John Birtwhistle
John Birtwhistle
John Birtwhistle is a British poet whose subject-matter is often political, cultural or historical. He won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 1975. He was a university lecturer in English until retirement. Some of his early work was translated by Ştefan Augustin Doinaş and...
; and the Cello Concerto, commissioned by the BBC for the 1993 Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
.
Operas and stage works
- It’s a Small War, musical for schools (1962)
- Toussaint, opera in 3 acts (1974–77)
- The Plumber’s Gift opera in 2 acts (1985–88, rev, 1990).
- Scoring A CenturyScoring A CenturyScoring A Century is an opera with music by English composer David Blake. The libretto was written by Opera Director Keith Warner. It is described as a 'low entertainment for highbrows, or vice versa'....
(1999) First Performance March 4, 2010 in Birmingham
Chorus and orchestra
- Lumina (Ezra Pound) for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra (1969)
- Three Ritsos Choruses for chorus and orchestra without violins (1993 [original for men’s voices and guitars, 1992])
- The Fabulous Adventures of Alexander the Great for soloists, young people’s choir and orchestra (1996)
Unaccompanied chorus
- Three Choruses on poems of Robert Frost (1964)
- Four Songs of Ben Jonson (1965)
- What is the Cause? (1967)
Orchestra and chamber orchestra
- Chamber Symphony (1966)
- Metamorphoses (1971)
- Violin Concerto (1976)
- Sonata alla marcia for chamber orchestra (1978)
- Scherzi ed Intermezzi (1984)
- Pastoral Paraphrase for bassoon and small orchestra (1988)
- Cello Concerto (1992)
- Nocturne for string orchestra (1994) [arrangement of A Little More Night Music for saxophone quartet, 1990]
Voice with orchestra or chamber accompaniment
- The Bones of Chuang Tzu (Chang Heng, trans. Arthur Waley) – cantata for baritone and small orchestra (1972, orch. 1973 [original version baritone and piano]))
- In Praise of Krishna (from the Bengali) for soprano and 9 instruments (1973)
- From the Mattress Grave (Heinrich HeineHeinrich HeineChristian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
) for high voice and 11 instruments (1978) - Change is Going to Come (various S. African poets) – cantata for mezzo, baritone, chorus and 4 players (1982)
- Rise Dove (Aimé CésaireAimé CésaireAimé Fernand David Césaire was a French poet, author and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the négritude movement in Francophone literature".-Student, educator, and poet:...
) for bass and orchestra (1983) - The Griffin’s Tale legend for baritone and small orchestra (1994)
- The Shades of Love (Cavafy) for bass baritone and small orchestra (2000)
- Rings of Jade (Ho Chi MinhHo Chi MinhHồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
, Prison Diary) for medium voice and orchestra (2005)
Chamber music
- String Quartet No.1 (1962)
- Nonet for wind instruments (1971, rev. 1978)
- String Quartet No.2 (1973)
- Cassation for wind octet (1979)
- Clarinet Quintet (1980)
- Capriccio for 7 players (1980)
- String Quartet No.3 (1982)
- Seasonal Variants for 7 players (1985)
- Diversions on themes of Hanns Eisler for saxophone and piano (1995)
- Four Intermezzi for violin and piano (1995)
- String Quartet No.4 (2004)
Solo instrumental
- Variations for piano (1960)
- Scenes for solo cello (1972)
- Arias for solo clarinet (1978)
- Fantasia for solo violin (1984)
External links
- David Blake Publisher's profile (Chester Novello)
- UYMP homepage - Blake founded UYMP
- David Blake Staff profile, University of York