Nicholas Clapton
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Clapton is an English countertenor
, singing-teacher and author.
, England and read music at Magdalen College, Oxford
. He studied singing with David Mason and is now a pupil of Diane Forlano. He made his professional debut at the Wigmore Hall
in 1984. In the following year, he was a double prize-winner at the Concurso "Francisco Viñas" in Barcelona
, and in 1987 he won the English Song Award.
Clapton is particularly known for countertenor roles in contemporary opera, the heroic castrato
repertoire of the eighteenth century, and romantic art song (in partnership with the pianist Jennifer Partridge). He has performed in major opera house
s and concert halls around the world, and has given twenty-nine world premières (including six operas).
Unusual events in his career have included: a Purcell
concert in that composer's tercentenary year in a former Palace of Culture in Siberia
; playing three different reincarnations of the great castrato Farinelli
; and accompanying himself on the castanets in Simon Holt
's Six Caprices. In concert and oratorio, as well as major works by Bach
and Handel, Clapton's repertoire includes Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder
, Elgar's Sea Pictures
, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs
and the Verdi Requiem
.
Having taught for several years at Trinity College of Music
in London, Nicholas Clapton is now a professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music
. He gives regular master-classes at the Dartington
International Summer School, and is a Visiting Professor at the Zeneakadémia in Budapest
. He has also taught in Prague
, Belgrade
and the Netherlands. His 2004 biography of Alessandro Moreschi
was chosen by the Tablet magazine as one of its Books of the Year for 2005; (it was re-issued in a larger second edition as Moreschi and the Voice of the Castrato in 2008). In June 2005 Clapton became a Doctor of Liberal Arts of the Liszt Ferenc Music University. In 2006 he presented the documentary Castrato for BBC Four
television, and curated the exhibition Handel and the Castrati at the Handel House Museum
, London. His second book, Budapest, City of Music, was published in March 2009.
Countertenor
A 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...
, singing-teacher and author.
Life and career
Clapton was born in WorcesterWorcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England and read music at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. He studied singing with David Mason and is now a pupil of Diane Forlano. He made his professional debut at the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in 1984. In the following year, he was a double prize-winner at the Concurso "Francisco Viñas" in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, and in 1987 he won the English Song Award.
Clapton is particularly known for countertenor roles in contemporary opera, the heroic castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
repertoire of the eighteenth century, and romantic art song (in partnership with the pianist Jennifer Partridge). He has performed in major opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s and concert halls around the world, and has given twenty-nine world premières (including six operas).
Unusual events in his career have included: a Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
concert in that composer's tercentenary year in a former Palace of Culture in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
; playing three different reincarnations of the great castrato Farinelli
Farinelli
Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...
; and accompanying himself on the castanets in Simon Holt
Simon Holt
Simon Holt is a British composer.-Biography:Holt was educated at Bolton School. Shortly after graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music, he became firmly established on the new music circuit with a series of commissions and fruitful collaborations with the London Sinfonietta and the Nash...
's Six Caprices. In concert and oratorio, as well as major works by Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and Handel, Clapton's repertoire includes Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder
Wesendonck Lieder
The Wesendonck Lieder is a song cycle composed by Richard Wagner while he was working on Die Walküre. This, and the Siegfried Idyll, are his only two non-operatic works that are still regularly performed....
, Elgar's Sea Pictures
Sea Pictures
Sea Pictures, Op. 37 is a song cycle by Sir Edward Elgar consisting of five songs written by various poets. It was set for contralto and orchestra, though a distinct version for piano was often performed by Elgar...
, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs
Five Mystical Songs
The Five Mystical Songs are a composition by Ralph Vaughan Williams, written between 1906 and 1911. The work sets four poems by George Herbert, from his 1633 collection The Temple: Sacred Poems. While Herbert was a priest, Vaughan Williams himself was an agnostic, though this did not prevent his...
and the Verdi Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
.
Having taught for several years at Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
in London, Nicholas Clapton is now a professor of Singing 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...
. He gives regular master-classes at the Dartington
Dartington
Dartington is a village in Devon, England. Its population is 1,917. It is located west of the River Dart, south of Dartington Hall and about two miles from Totnes...
International Summer School, and is a Visiting Professor at the Zeneakadémia in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. He has also taught in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and the Netherlands. His 2004 biography of Alessandro Moreschi
Alessandro Moreschi
Alessandro Moreschi was the most famous castrato singer of the late 19th century, and the only castrato of the classic bel canto tradition to make solo sound recordings.-Life:...
was chosen by the Tablet magazine as one of its Books of the Year for 2005; (it was re-issued in a larger second edition as Moreschi and the Voice of the Castrato in 2008). In June 2005 Clapton became a Doctor of Liberal Arts of the Liszt Ferenc Music University. In 2006 he presented the documentary Castrato for BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
television, and curated the exhibition Handel and the Castrati at the Handel House Museum
Handel House Museum
The Handel House Museum is a museum in Mayfair, London dedicated to the life and works of the German born baroque composer George Frideric Handel, who made his home in London in 1712 and eventually became a British citizen in 1727. Handel was the first occupant of 25 Brook Street, which he rented...
, London. His second book, Budapest, City of Music, was published in March 2009.
Discography
- Gerald Barry: The Intelligence Park (NMC)http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nmc00122a.html and The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit (Largo)
- Maurice DurufléMaurice DurufléMaurice Duruflé was a French composer, organist, and pedagogue.Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure. In 1912, he became chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haelling...
: Requiem (CRD) - Nicola LeFanuNicola LeFanuNicola LeFanu is a British composer, academic, lecturer and director.-Life:Nicola LeFanu was born in England to William LeFanu and Elizabeth Maconchy . She studied at St Hilda's College, Oxford, before taking up a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard. In 1972 she won the Mendelssohn Scholarship...
: Canción de la Luna (Naxos) - Nicola PorporaNicola PorporaNicola Porpora was an Italian composer of Baroque operas and teacher of singing, whose most famous singing student was the castrato Farinelli. One of his other students was composer Matteo Capranica.-Biography:Porpora was born in Naples...
: Cantatas (Hungaroton)