Michael Heming
Encyclopedia
Michael Heming was a British
composer
. He was the son of Percy Alfred Heming, a well-known baritone
, and Joyce Savage.
Heming studied conducting
at the Royal Academy of Music
, and was slated to become a student-assistant of John Barbirolli
. While serving as a lieutenant
in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
, Heming was killed in action at the battle of El Alamein
. Upon the return home of his personal effects, his mother discovered musical sketches Heming had written during and after his voyage to Africa. Percy Heming showed the sketches to Barbirolli, who engaged the composer and conductor Anthony Vincent Collins
to edit the sketches into a work called Threnody for a Soldier Killed in Action. The work was premiered at City Hall, Sheffield
, by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Barbirolli, on 14th January 1944, which would have been Heming's 24th birthday. It received many further performances over the next few years, although it has been largely forgotten since.
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...
. He was the son of Percy Alfred Heming, a well-known baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, and Joyce Savage.
Heming studied conducting
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...
at 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 was slated to become a student-assistant of John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
. While serving as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
, Heming was killed in action at the battle of El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
. Upon the return home of his personal effects, his mother discovered musical sketches Heming had written during and after his voyage to Africa. Percy Heming showed the sketches to Barbirolli, who engaged the composer and conductor Anthony Vincent Collins
Anthony Vincent Collins
Anthony Collins was a British conductor and composer.-Biography:Anthony Vincent Benedictus Collins was born in Hastings, East Sussex in 1893. At the age of seventeen he began to perform as violinist in the Hastings Municipal Orchestra. He then served four years in the army...
to edit the sketches into a work called Threnody for a Soldier Killed in Action. The work was premiered at City Hall, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, by the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Barbirolli, on 14th January 1944, which would have been Heming's 24th birthday. It received many further performances over the next few years, although it has been largely forgotten since.
Sources
- http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=infilms&id=I5085
- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,803066,00.html
- http://www.concertprogrammes.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/2968
- Ramey, Phillip. Irving Fine: An American Composer in His Time. ISBN 978-1-57647-116-6