Frederick Stocken
Encyclopedia
James Frederick Stocken is a British
classical composer, organist and musicologist.
Stocken was a pupil at Chetham's School of Music
in Manchester, and was subsequently Organ Scholar
of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
. Howard Ferguson and Margaret Hubicki were important compositional mentors in the early years of his career. He also studied the organ with Peter Hurford
, winning five prizes as an Associate of the Royal College of Organists
and three prizes when he became a Fellow. He subsequently gained a doctorate in music from the University of Manchester
.
' London store during early 1994). He conducted the work at the opening of the Permanent Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum
with the strings of the Royal Academy of Music
, and also in Sarajevo
with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. As the sleeve-notes to the CD explain, the work was also dedicated to Stocken's maternal grandmother, Rosa Bechhofer, who had died in Auschwitz.
Stocken's First Symphony was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Vernon Handley
in the Royal Albert Hall
, London and broadcast on Classic FM (UK)
. His Second Symphony, 'To the Immortal Memory', was premiered in 2005 at St John's Smith Square, London, by the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Blair.
Other significant commissions include a ballet - Alice - written for the State Theatre in Gießen
, Germany
, and a Mass - Missa Pacis - commissioned for the Brompton Oratory in London
. In 2004, Top Of The Morning (for flute and piano) was published by Oxford University Press
. Other Stocken compositions include a Violin Concerto, which was performed by the violinist Adam Summerhayes with the Surrey Sinfonietta in St John's Smith Square. Stocken's Bagatelle (for piano) was featured on the 2009 album Haflidi’s Pictures (a compilation of 20th/21st century piano music).
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...
classical composer, organist and musicologist.
Background
Stocken's father is British but his mother was a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany.Stocken was a pupil at Chetham's School of Music
Chetham's School of Music
Chetham's School of Music , familiarly known as "Chets", is a specialist independent co-educational music school, situated in Manchester city centre, in North West England. It was established in 1969, incorporating Chetham's Hospital School, founded as a charity school by Humphrey Chetham in 1653...
in Manchester, and was subsequently Organ Scholar
Organ scholar
An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at an institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and administrative experience....
of St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
. Howard Ferguson and Margaret Hubicki were important compositional mentors in the early years of his career. He also studied the organ with Peter Hurford
Peter Hurford
Peter Hurford OBE is a British organist, born St Cecilia's day 1930 in Minehead, Somerset.Educated at Blundell's School, he later studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with dual degrees, subsequently obtaining an enviable reputation for both musical scholarship and...
, winning five prizes as an Associate of the Royal College of Organists
Royal College of Organists
The Royal College of Organists or RCO, is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, but with members around the world...
and three prizes when he became a Fellow. He subsequently gained a doctorate in music from the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
.
Compositions
Stocken's best-known composition is his Lament for Bosnia, which was released on CD (becoming the number one best-selling classical CD in Tower RecordsTower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
' London store during early 1994). He conducted the work at the opening of the Permanent Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
with the strings of the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, and also in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. As the sleeve-notes to the CD explain, the work was also dedicated to Stocken's maternal grandmother, Rosa Bechhofer, who had died in Auschwitz.
Stocken's First Symphony was commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
conducted by Vernon Handley
Vernon Handley
Vernon George "Tod" Handley CBE was a British conductor, known in particular for his support of British composers. He was born of a Welsh father and an Irish mother into a musical family in Enfield, London. He acquired the nickname "Tod" because his feet were turned in at his birth, which his...
in the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, London and broadcast on Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
. His Second Symphony, 'To the Immortal Memory', was premiered in 2005 at St John's Smith Square, London, by the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Blair.
Other significant commissions include a ballet - Alice - written for the State Theatre in Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and a Mass - Missa Pacis - commissioned for the Brompton Oratory 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 2004, Top Of The Morning (for flute and piano) was published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. Other Stocken compositions include a Violin Concerto, which was performed by the violinist Adam Summerhayes with the Surrey Sinfonietta in St John's Smith Square. Stocken's Bagatelle (for piano) was featured on the 2009 album Haflidi’s Pictures (a compilation of 20th/21st century piano music).
Writing
Stocken has also written a book: 'Simon Sechter's Fundamental-Bass Theory and its Influence on the Music of Anton Bruckner' (Edwin Mellen, 2009) based on his PhD research. He also invented a diagrammatic method, the Stocken Method, for learning piano scales, published in five volumes as Scale Shapes (Chester Music, 2002-).Works by Frederick Stocken
Selected works- Lament for Bosnia
- Violin Concerto
- Missa Pacis (Mass of Peace)
- Alice,(a ballet)
- First Symphony
- Second Symphony
- Archangels (for organ)
- Bagatelle (for piano)
as composer
- Lament for Bosnia (CD single, Chatsworth Records, 1994) - double-sided single performed by Queens Orchestra (b/w 'Adagio for Strings' by Samuel BarberSamuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
) - Haflidi’s Pictures (CD album, Priory Records, 2009) - features 'Bagatelle (for piano)'
as performer
- Dedication in Time: Chamber Music by Margaret Hubicki (CD album, Chandos Music, 2005) - featured pianist on final track ('Goladon Suite').
External links
- 'Music as a Christian Art' - article by Frederick Stocken in Second Spring Vol.5 (2004)
- 'Time and style' - article in The Hindu TimesThe Hindu Times"The Hindu Times" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was the first single released from their fifth album Heathen Chemistry on 15 April 2002. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. Noel got the name "The Hindu Times" from a t-shirt he saw in a charity shop...
by Shalini Umachandran (13 October 2003) dealing with Frederick Stocken as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
Selected Bibliography
- Steblin, RitaRita SteblinRita Katherine Steblin is a Canadian-born musicologist, noted for her archival work combining music history, iconography and genealogical research....
; Stocken, Frederick (2007), "Studying with SechterSimon SechterSimon Sechter was an Austrian music theorist, teacher, organist, conductor and composer.Sechter was born in Friedberg , Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire, and moved to Vienna in 1804, succeeding Jan Václav Voříšek as court organist there in 1824. In 1810 he began teaching piano and voice...
: newly recovered reminiscences about Schubert by his forgotten friend, the composer Joseph Lanz" Music & letters : a quarterly publication. - Oxford Univ. Press, ISSN 0027-4224, vol. 88.2007, 2, 226-265