Malcolm Williamson
Encyclopedia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(honorary), CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(21 November 19312 March 2003) was an Australian 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...
. He was the Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England.The post is roughly comparable to that of Poet Laureate...
from 1975 until his death.
Biography
Williamson was born in Sydney and studied composition and horn at the Sydney Conservatorium of MusicSydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
. His teachers included Eugene Goossens
Eugène Aynsley Goossens
Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens was an English conductor and composer.-Biography:He was born in Camden Town, London, the son of the Belgian conductor and violinist Eugène Goossens and the grandson of the conductor Eugène Goossens...
. In 1950 he moved to London where he worked as an organist
Organist
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 one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, a proofreader, and a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
pianist. From 1953 he studied with Elisabeth Lutyens
Elisabeth Lutyens
Elisabeth Lutyens, CBE was a significant English composer.- Early life and education :She was one of the five children of architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and his wife Emily, who was profoundly involved in the Theosophical Movement...
. Williamson was a prolific composer at this time, receiving many commissions and often performed his own works, both on organ and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
In 1975, the death of Sir Arthur Bliss
Arthur Bliss
Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army...
left the title of Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music is a post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England.The post is roughly comparable to that of Poet Laureate...
vacant. The selection of Williamson to fill this post was a surprise, over other composers such as Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, Michael Tippett
Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
and Malcolm Arnold
Malcolm Arnold
Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
, such that William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
had remarked that "the wrong Malcolm" had been chosen. In addition, Williamson was the first non-Briton to hold the post. He 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
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
(1980). However, controversy attended his tenure, notably his failure to complete the intended "Jubilee Symphony" for the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. 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). His overall compositional output slowed considerably due to a series of illnesses. He died in 2003 in a hospital 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...
.
Williamson married Dolores Daniel in 1960 and had one son and two daughters.
Williamson's music
Some of Williamson's early works use the twelve tone technique of Arnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, but his greatest influence is often said to be Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
. He discovered Messiaen's music shortly before converting to Roman Catholicism in 1952. He was also influenced by Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, as well as by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
(this latter influence may have come in part from him working as a night club pianist in the 1950s).
Williamson wrote seven symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
; four numbered piano concerto
Piano concerto
A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...
s (plus the Concerto for Two Pianos and Strings, the Concerto for Two Pianos and Wind Quintet, after Alan Rawsthorne
Alan Rawsthorne
Alan Rawsthorne was a British composer. He was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, and is buried in Thaxted churchyard in Essex.-Career:...
, and the Sinfonia Concertante), concertos for violin, organ, harp and saxophone; many orchestral works; opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s including English Eccentrics, to a libretto by Edith Sitwell
Edith Sitwell
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell DBE was a British poet and critic.-Background:Edith Sitwell was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, the oldest child and only daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 4th Baronet, of Renishaw Hall; he was an expert on genealogy and landscaping...
; Our Man in Havana, after Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's novel; The Violins of Saint Jacques from Patrick Leigh Fermor
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Sir Patrick "Paddy" Michael Leigh Fermor, DSO, OBE was a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Cretan resistance during World War II. He was widely regarded as "Britain's greatest living travel writer", with books including his classic A Time of...
's novel, and which features a volcanic eruption killing all the principal characters except one; Lucky Peter's Journey and The Growing Castle, both of which set plays by August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
. He also wrote several ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
s including Sun Into Darkness and The Display, many effective 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...
works, chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, music for solo piano, and music for film and television including the Prologue and Main Title of Watership Down
Watership Down (film)
Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions...
.
Williamson also wrote music for children, including the operas The Happy Prince (based on the story by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
) and Julius Caesar Jones; as well as cassations, short operas incorporating audience participation. One of these, The Valley and the Hill, written for the silver jubilee of Elizabeth II, was performed by 18,000 children.
His largest choral work, the Mass of Christ the King, was commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival
Three Choirs Festival
The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...
for the Queen's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
in 1977, and attracted popular attention largely because Williamson delivered it late. It is 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 forgotten.
Williamson became generally much less prolific in later life, although he had some very busy years. For example, in 1988 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
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
, Ceremony for Oodgeroo (Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was an Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator. She was also a campaigner for Aboriginal rights...
, 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. Other works include 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
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
on texts by Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
, A Year of Birds, premiered at The Proms
The Proms
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 classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
in 1995. The same year also saw the premiere of an orchestral work With Proud Thanksgiving, commissioned for the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and dedicated to the memory of Williamson's long-time friend, the UK Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
.
Honours
Williamson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in 1976, and an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AO) in 1987. Honorary awards in the Order of Australia are made only to people who are not citizens of Australia. It is not clear why Williamson did not qualify for a substantive award, as there appears to be nothing on the public record to suggest he ever relinquished his Australian citizenship. The citation for the award read "For service to music and the mentally handicapped". He was the first Master of the Queen's Music in over a century not to be knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed.
Royal works
- The Valley and the Hill (1977), children's pageantPageantA medieval pageant is a form of procession traditionally associated with both secular and religious rituals, often with a narrative structure. Pageantry was an important aspect of medieval European seasonal festivals, in particular around the celebration of Corpus Christi, which began after the...
- Symphony No. 4 - Jubilee (1977), for orchestra. The work (which has never been performed) has three movements:
- 1. The Birth of the World (Largo)
- 2. Eagle (Allegro vivo)
- 3. The Prayer of the Waters (Lento)
- Jubilee Hymn (1977), for unison choir, SATB choir and orchestra
- The House of Windsor (1977), score for the TV series (an orchestral suite was extracted in the same year)
- Mass of Christ the King (1977-1978), for lyric soprano, dramatic soprano, tenor and baritone soli, SATB choir, SATB echo choir and orchestra
- Lament in Memory of Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1980), for violin solo and string orchestra.
- Premièred by Leonard Friedman (violin) and the Scottish Baroque Ensemble on 5 May 1980.
- Ode for Queen Elizabeth (1980), for string orchestra.
- Premièred by the Scottish Baroque Ensemble at the Palace of Holyrood House on 3 July 1980, in the presence of the Royal FamilyRoyal familyA royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
. Public premiere given also by the Scottish Baroque Ensemble on 25 August 1980 at Hopetoun HouseHopetoun HouseHopetoun House is the traditional residence of the Earl of Hopetoun . It was built 1699-1701, designed by William Bruce. It was then hugely extended from 1721 by William Adam until his death in 1748 being one of his most notable projects. The interior was completed by his sons John Adam and Robert...
in EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The work is divided into five sections as follows:- 1. Act of Homage
- 2. Alleluia
- 3. Ecossaise
- 4. Majesty in Beauty
- 5. Scottish Dance
- Premièred by the Scottish Baroque Ensemble at the Palace of Holyrood House on 3 July 1980, in the presence of the Royal Family
- Richmond Fanfare (1980), for five trumpets, two tenor trombones, two bass trombones, tuba, percussion and organ
- Now Is the Singing Day (1981), for soloists, SATB choir, two pianos, percussion and string orchestra
- Mass of St. Margaret of Scotland (1982), for unison choir and piano or SATB choir and organ
- Songs for a Royal Baby (1985), for SATB soli/choir and string orchestra
Australian works
Although Williamson lived in Britain for most of his life, he travelled widely and maintained a deep affection for his native country. He wrote many works specifically for or about Australia, and frequently set texts by Australian poets, such as James McAuleyJames McAuley
James Phillip McAuley was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, literary critic and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism.-Life and career:...
and Kath Walker. Williamson was also inspired to respond through music to political issues, such as Aboriginal rights (a matter close to his heart). Below is a select list of works with a specifically Australian connection.
- Symphony No. 1 - Elevamini (1957), for orchestra
- Public premiere given by Melbourne Symphony OrchestraMelbourne Symphony OrchestraThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, in November 1963.
- Public premiere given by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (1960), for piano and string orchestra
- Written for a competition at the University of Western AustraliaUniversity of Western AustraliaThe University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. Premiered on 3 May 1962 by soloist Michael BrimerMichael BrimerMichael Brimer is a pianist, organist, conductor, composer, and academic.He was born in South Africa and studied with Eleanor Bonnar, a pupil of Leopold Godowsky. He continued studies at the University of Cape Town, the Royal College of Music, the Royal School of Church Music in London and at the...
and the University String Orchestra, conducted by Frank CallawayFrank CallawaySir Frank Callaway was an influential music educator and administrator in Perth, Western Australia.-Early life:...
. The concerto is divided into three movements, with the second running attacca into the third:- 1. Allegro con brio
- 2. Andante lento (with cadenzaCadenzaIn music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
) - 3. Allegro con spirito - Più mosso
- Written for a competition at the University of Western Australia
- Travel Diaries - Sydney (1961), for piano solo
- A book of relatively easy piano pieces intended for teaching purposes. Sydney Diaries is one of five such books, with the others concerning London, NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Paris and New York. Sydney Diaries has thirteen movements:- 1. North HeadSydney HeadsSydney Heads , is the entrance to Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north, South Head and Dunbar Head are to the south. Middle Head, Georges Head and Chowder Head are to the west and within the bay...
- 2. Pyrmont Dock
- 3. Harbour BridgeSydney Harbour BridgeThe Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
- 4. Botanical Gardens
- 5. At Central Railway
- 6. Harbour Ferry
- 7. Lane Cove
- 8. King's CrossKings Cross, New South WalesKings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
- 9. A Morning Swim
- 10. KirribilliKirribilli, New South WalesKirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administered by North Sydney Council...
- 11. The Southern Cross
- 12. In Hyde ParkHyde Park, SydneyHyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
- 13. South HeadSydney HeadsSydney Heads , is the entrance to Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.North Head and Quarantine Head are to the north, South Head and Dunbar Head are to the south. Middle Head, Georges Head and Chowder Head are to the west and within the bay...
- 1. North Head
- A book of relatively easy piano pieces intended for teaching purposes. Sydney Diaries is one of five such books, with the others concerning London, Naples
- Symphony for Voices (1962), for a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
SATB choir- An elaborate five-movement work, setting texts by the Australian poet James McAuleyJames McAuleyJames Phillip McAuley was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, literary critic and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism.-Life and career:...
:- 1. Invocation (for unnaccompanied contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
) - 2. Terra Australis
- 3. Jesus
- 4. Envoi
- 5. New Guinea
- 1. Invocation (for unnaccompanied contralto
- An elaborate five-movement work, setting texts by the Australian poet James McAuley
- Piano Concerto No. 3Piano Concerto No. 3 (Williamson)The Piano Concerto No. 3 is a 32-minute concerto by Australian-born composer Malcolm Williamson.- History of the Work :Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Williamson's third piano concerto was written in 1962 while the composer was living in East Sheen, London...
(1962), for piano and orchestra- Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting CommissionAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC). Premiered by John OgdonJohn OgdonJohn Andrew Howard Ogdon was an English pianist and composer.-Biography:Ogdon was born in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, and attended Manchester Grammar School, before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music between 1953 and 1957, where his fellow students under Richard Hall...
(to whom the work is dedicated) and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joseph PostJoseph PostJoseph Mozart Post OBE was an Australian conductor and music administrator. He made an unrivalled contribution to the development of opera-conducting in Australia and was, in Roger Covell's words, the 'first Australian-born musician to excel in this genre'...
, June 1964.
- Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission
- I Will Lift Mine Eyes (1970), for unison choir, echo choir and organ
- Premiered on 3 May 1970 in Sydney
- Concerto for Two Pianos and String Orchestra (1972), subtitled Double Concerto
- Premiered by Charles Webb and Wallace Hornibrook (pianos), with the Astra Chamber OrchestraAstra Chamber Music SocietyThe Astra Chamber Music Society is a concert organisation for choral music and contemporary performance, based in Melbourne, Australia and under the musical direction of John McCaughey....
, conducted G. L. Smith in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1972:- 1. Allegro ma non troppo
- 2. Lento
- 3. Allegro vivo
- Premiered by Charles Webb and Wallace Hornibrook (pianos), with the Astra Chamber Orchestra
- The Musicians of Bremen (1972), for two countertenorCountertenorA countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
s, tenor, two baritones and bass voices- Premiered by The King's SingersKing's SingersThe King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
in Sydney on 15 May 1972
- Premiered by The King's Singers
- AdelaideAdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
Fanfare (1973), for two trumpets, two horns, 2 trombones, tuba and organ - CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
Fanfare (1973), for two trumpets, two trombones and percussion - The Glitter Gang (1974), cassation for audience, choir and orchestra
- Commissioned by the ABC, premiered at Sydney Town HallSydney Town HallThe Sydney Town Hall is a landmark sandstone building located in the heart of Sydney. It stands opposite the Queen Victoria Building and alongside St Andrew's Cathedral...
on 23 February 1974 by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John HopkinsJohn Hopkins (conductor)John Hopkins OBE is a Yorkshire-born, British conductor and administrator. Hopkins moved to New Zealand in 1957 and to Australia in 1963. He conducted the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 1987 in one of New Zealand's first Orchestral Composers' Reading Workshops...
- Commissioned by the ABC, premiered at Sydney Town Hall
- In Thanksgiving - Sir Bernard Heinze (1982), for orchestra
- In memory of Australian conductor and musician Sir Bernard HeinzeBernard HeinzeSir Bernard Thomas Heinze, AC was an Australian Professor of Music, conductor, and Director of the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music....
. Premiered by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Patrick ThomasPatrick Thomas (conductor)Patrick Thomas MBE is an Australian conductor.For a period of almost 35 years he conducted hundreds of performances across Australia in just about every centre where the various state symphony orchestras ventured, and introduced music to virtually a whole generation of young Australians through...
, on 23 August 1982 at the Sydney Opera HouseSydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
- In memory of Australian conductor and musician Sir Bernard Heinze
- Symphony No. 6 - A Liturgy of Homage to the Australian Broadcasting Commission in its Fiftieth Year as University to the Australian Nation (1982), for orchestra
- A massive 45-minute score for a huge orchestra including quadruple woodwinds, a large percussion section and organ, the work is divided up into fourteen sections. Commissioned by the ABC, premiered by all seven of the ABC orchestras (Adelaide Symphony OrchestraAdelaide Symphony OrchestraThe Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was founded as a 17 player radio ensemble in 1936, in Adelaide, South Australia. The orchestra reformed in 1949 as the 55 member South Australian Symphony Orchestra. It reverted to its original and present title, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, in late 1974, and...
, Melbourne Symphony OrchestraMelbourne Symphony OrchestraThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, The Queensland Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony OrchestraTasmanian Symphony OrchestraThe Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
, West Australian Symphony OrchestraWest Australian Symphony OrchestraThe West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
and Darwin Symphony OrchestraDarwin Symphony OrchestraThe Darwin Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, founded by Martin Jarvis.The DSO gave its first concert in 1989. The orchestra receives funding from the Northern Territory Government and support from private corporations and donors including Charles...
), linked electronically
- A massive 45-minute score for a huge orchestra including quadruple woodwinds, a large percussion section and organ, the work is divided up into fourteen sections. Commissioned by the ABC, premiered by all seven of the ABC orchestras (Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
- Symphony No. 7Symphony No. 7 (Williamson)Australian composer Malcolm Williamson wrote his Symphony No. 7 in 1984 to a joint commission from the Chamber Youth Strings of Melbourne and the State of Victoria, Australia. It was written mostly at the composer's home in Sandon, Hertfordshire, England....
- Symphony for Strings (1984), for string orchestra- Commissioned to mark the 150th Anniversary of the State of VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Premiered by the Chamber Strings of Melbourne, conducted by Christopher Martin, on 12 August 1985.
- Commissioned to mark the 150th Anniversary of the State of Victoria
- Lento for StringsLento for StringsLento for Strings is an orchestral work by the Australian composer Malcolm Williamson.-History of the work:The brief but eloquent Lento for Strings was written in 1985, while the composer was in Australia...
(1985), for string orchestra- In memory of Australian violinist and conductor, Paul McDermott. Premièred in 1985 by the Philharmonia of Melbourne
- The Dawn Is At Hand (1988), for SATB choir and orchestra
- A five-movement choral symphony to poems by AboriginalAustralian AboriginesAustralian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
poet Kath WalkerOodgeroo NoonuccalOodgeroo Noonuccal was an Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator. She was also a campaigner for Aboriginal rights...
. Commissioned by the Australian Bicentennial Authority, and premiered by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and ChorusQueensland Symphony OrchestraThe Queensland Symphony Orchestra is an Australian orchestra, based principally in Brisbane in the state of Queensland.The QSO played its first concert on 26 March 1947, with the orchestra consisting of 45 musicians, conducted by Percy Code. John Farnsworth Hall was recruited from the Sydney...
in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, 1989. The movements are as follows:- 1. The Dawn Is At Hand -- Aboriginal Charter of Rights
- 2. The Curlew Cried -- Dawn Wail for the Dead
- 3. Assimilation - No!
- 4. We Are Going
- 5. United We Win -- A Song of Hope
- A five-movement choral symphony to poems by Aboriginal
- Bicentennial Anthem (1988), for orchestra
- Commissioned to mark the 200th Anniversary of European settlement of Australia
- The True Endeavour (1988), for speaker, SATB choir and orchestra
- Symphonic statement with a text by Australian historian Manning ClarkManning ClarkCharles Manning Hope Clark, AC , an Australian historian, was the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume A History of Australia, published between 1962 and 1987...
. Commissioned by the Australian Bicentennial Authority, premièred in 1989. The work is divided in seven movements:- 1. The Southern Cross above GondwanaGondwanaIn paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
- 2. Aboriginal Australia
- 3. Barcarolle of the Disinherited Country
- 4. The Rainforest: Urban Despoliation
- 5. Threnody for Murdered Aborigines
- 6. The Past and the Challenge
- 7. Mateship: WhitlamGough WhitlamEdward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
's Vision: Makarrata
- 1. The Southern Cross above Gondwana
- Symphonic statement with a text by Australian historian Manning Clark
- Requiem for a Tribe BrotherRequiem for a Tribe Brother (Williamson)Requiem for a Tribe Brother is a choral work by Australian-born composer Malcolm Williamson , who was Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 to 2003.-Structure:...
(1992), for a cappella SATB choir- Commissioned by Peter Broadbent and the Joyful Company of Singers, this work was written in memory of one of Williamson's AboriginalAustralian AboriginesAustralian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
friends who died young from AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
- Commissioned by Peter Broadbent and the Joyful Company of Singers, this work was written in memory of one of Williamson's Aboriginal
- String Quartet No. 3 (1993)
- A one-movement string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
, lasting approximately 10 minutes. Written for the Australian String Quartet, and premiered by them in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
on 19 February 1994.
- A one-movement string quartet