Paul Mealor
Encyclopedia
Paul Mealor is a Welsh
composer
. Described by the New York Times as "one of the most important composers to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias
", Mealor’s motets, songs and cycles have been performed, broadcast and recorded by artists around the world.
, Denbighshire
, North Wales
, Mealor studied composition privately with John Pickard
and read music at the University of York
(1994–2002). He then studied composition with Nicola LeFanu
, and in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen
(1998–99).
Since 2003 he has taught at the University of Aberdeen
, where he is currently Reader in Composition and has held visiting professorships in composition at institutions in Scandinavia and the United States. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
and in 2006 signed an exclusive publishing contract with the University of York Music Press Ltd. In early 2008, Mealor was appointed Principal Conductor of Con Anima
Chamber Choir and also conducts the University of Aberdeen Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra.
On 29 April 2011, Mealor's motet, Ubi Caritas et Amor
, was premiered at the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales with Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal conducted by James O'Donnell.
Chamber Choir directed by Paul Mealor. Includes Mealor's 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal' and Morten Lauridsen
's 'Madrigali' and 'Chanson Éloignée'.
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (Divine Art DDS 29002) digital-only EP, pre-release taken from Madrigali: Fire and Roses - Con Anima
Chamber Choir directed by Paul Mealor
Mealor: Stabat Mater (Campion Cameo 2083) – Irene Drummond (soprano); Drew Tulloch (piano) Con Anima
Chamber Choir/Paul Mealor.
All Mealor CD including: Stabat Mater; Let Fall the Windows of Mine Eyes; Between Eternity and Time; Beata es, Virgo Maria; Lux Benigna; Ave
Borderlands (Campion Cameo 2053) – Chagall Trio.
Includes Mealor’s ‘Borderlands’ alongside music by John Pickard
, Camden Reeves and Philip Grange
Christmas favourites from Aberdeen (KCL 2009) – Chapel Choir of King’s College, Aberdeen/ Roger Williams (organist)
.
Includes Mealor’s ‘Locus Iste’
A Tender Light (14 November 2011)
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
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...
. Described by the New York Times as "one of the most important composers to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias
William Mathias
William Mathias CBE was a Welsh composer.-Brief biography:Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and composing at the age of five. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Lennox Berkeley, where he was elected a fellow...
", Mealor’s motets, songs and cycles have been performed, broadcast and recorded by artists around the world.
Biography
Born in St AsaphSt Asaph
St Asaph is a town and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele,...
, Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, Mealor studied composition privately with John Pickard
John Pickard
John Pickard may refer to:* John Pickard , Canadian businessman and politician* John Pickard , British composer of classical music* John Pickard , British actor...
and read music at the 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...
(1994–2002). He then studied composition with Nicola LeFanu
Nicola LeFanu
Nicola 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...
, and in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen is a Danish composer.Born in Copenhagen, Abrahamsen first got to know music through playing the French horn at school. He went on to study music theory at the Royal Danish Academy of Music...
(1998–99).
Since 2003 he has taught at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, where he is currently Reader in Composition and has held visiting professorships in composition at institutions in Scandinavia and the United States. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
and in 2006 signed an exclusive publishing contract with the University of York Music Press Ltd. In early 2008, Mealor was appointed Principal Conductor of Con Anima
Con Anima
- History :Con Anima was originally founded in 1995, and between that date and 1999 gave a number of concerts, mostly at , Aberdeen.In late 2001 Con Anima re-formed, and met informally for several months, before asking local pianist Robert Howie to direct them in a public concert...
Chamber Choir and also conducts the University of Aberdeen Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra.
On 29 April 2011, Mealor's motet, Ubi Caritas et Amor
Ubi caritas
Ubi caritas is a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday. The Gregorian melody was composed sometime between the fourth and tenth centuries, though some scholars believe the text dates from early Christian gatherings before the...
, was premiered at the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales with Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal conducted by James O'Donnell.
Selected works
- Ubi Caritas et AmorUbi caritasUbi caritas is a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday. The Gregorian melody was composed sometime between the fourth and tenth centuries, though some scholars believe the text dates from early Christian gatherings before the...
(for choir – SATBSATBIn music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
with divisi, 2011) 4 min. Commissioned by Prince William for his 2011 Royal Wedding. A revised setting of Mealor's Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (2010). Premiered at Westminster Abbey 29 April 2011 by the Choir of Westminster Abbey and The Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace; Conducted by James O’DonnellJames O'Donnell (organist)James O'Donnell, KCGS, LVO, FRCM, FRSCM, HonRAM is Organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey, a position he has held since 2000....
. - Stabat Mater (2009) (New version for Choir, Harp and String Orchestra, 2010) 25 min. Premiered by the St Andrews Chorus and Heisenberg Ensemble; Conducted by Michael Downes, St Andrews, November 2010.
- A Spotless Rose (2010) (SATB with divisi) 4 min. A Christmas Carol, Part of 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal'
- Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (2010) (SATB with divisi) 12 min. Commissioned by the John Armitage Memorial Trust and first performed by the combined choirs of St Salvator's (St Andrews) Chapel Choir, University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir and Edinburgh University Chamber Choir; Conducted by Michael Bawtree in Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, October 2010.
- She Walks in Beauty (2010) (SATB with divisi) 4 min. A new setting this moving text by Lord Byron, written for Octavoce.
- Sanctuary Haunts (2009) (SATB with divisi) 13 min. Written for Polyphony (choir)Polyphony (choir)Polyphony is a small English choir formed by Stephen Layton for one particular concert put on in King's College, Cambridge in 1986. They have released many critically acclaimed recordings, the most recent of which is Bruckner - Mass in E Minor and Motets. They record and perform a wide range of...
and Stephen LaytonStephen LaytonStephen Layton is an English conductor.Layton was raised in Derby, where his father was a church organist. Layton learned the piano as a youth. He was a chorister at Winchester Cathedral, and subsequently won scholarships to Eton College and then King's College, Cambridge as an organ...
and due for first performance in February 2010. - Locus Iste (2009) (Part of 'Sanctuary Haunts') (SATB with divisi) 6 min. Written for the Chapel Choir of King's College, Aberdeen and recorded by them on 'Christmas from Aberdeen' (KCL 2009).
- Stabat Mater (2009) (SATB & Piano) 25 min. Recorded on CD, Mealor: Stabat Mater (Campion Cameo Label).
- Between Eternity and Time (2008) (Soprano & Piano). Duration: 8 Mins. Three Settings of Emily Dickinson commissioned by Irene Drummond and Alasdair Beatson (with funds provided by the Scottish Arts CouncilScottish Arts CouncilThe Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
) and due for first performance at King's College Chapel, Aberdeen, 6 November 2008. - Rising of The Sixfold Sun (1998–2001) (Full Orchestra). Duration: 15 Minutes First performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, St David's Hall, Cardiff, February 2001 conducted by Thomas Dausgaard. Broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
- Liturgy of Fire (2006) (Symphonic Wind Ensemble). 10 Min. Commissioned and first performed by the New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Wind Ensemble, conducted by Christian Wilhjelm at the Frederick Loewe Theatre, 35 W. 4th Street, New York on 6 December 2006. - Let Fall the Windows of Mine Eyes (2007–08) (SATB) 7 Min. Commissioned by the Voices of Shakespeare Festival (Brecon) and first performed by Con AnimaCon Anima- History :Con Anima was originally founded in 1995, and between that date and 1999 gave a number of concerts, mostly at , Aberdeen.In late 2001 Con Anima re-formed, and met informally for several months, before asking local pianist Robert Howie to direct them in a public concert...
on 12 July 2008 at the Living Willow Theatre, Brecon http://www.shakespearelink.co.uk/Glob_Byw.html. - And Profoundest Midnight Shroud The Serene Lights of Heaven (2002) (16 Part A-Cappella Choir) 8 Min. Text: Rilke & Shelley (English). Commissioned by & First performed by York Vocal Index (directed by John Potter) at the Sir Jack Lyons Hall, York, May 2002. Further performance at Canterbury Cathedral by the Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, and during their tour of Finland, 2003.
- The Shadows of Dreams (2007) (Soprano, Cello & Piano) 10 min. First performed by Sarah Leonard (Soprano), Ian Mitchell (Clarinet) and Huw Watkins (Piano), Elphinstone Hall, Aberdeen, 20 April 2008.
- Aurora Lucis Rutilat (2006) (Organ) 5 Min. Composed for Roger Williams (organist)Roger Williams (organist)Dr Roger Bevan Williams, MBE is a British organist and musicologist. In 2010, he retired as Master of Ceremonial Music and Organist to the University of Aberdeen, a Music department in which he had been a member for over 30 years....
and first performed by him at King's College, Cambridge, February 2007 - De Profundis (2005) (Organ) 12 Min. Commissioned by George Chittenden and first performed by him at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 6 August 2005.
- Borderlands (2003–04) (Piano Trio) 8 Min. First performed by the Chagall Trio at the University of Manchester, recorded for commercial CD, 'Borderlands' (Campion Cameo Label)http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Mar06/trios_CAMEO2053.htm
- Elegy for a Play of Shadows (2001) 7 Min. (Version 1: Cor Anglais Solo with Harp. Version 2: Cor Anglais Solo with Five Instruments). Version 1: First performed by Eamonn O'Dwyer at Sir Jack Lyons Hall, York. Version 2: First performed by the Britten SinfoniaBritten SinfoniaBritten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the East of England. It is a flexible ensemble composed of...
, Canterbury, November 2001 conducted by Nicholas CleoburyNicholas CleoburyNicholas Cleobury is an English conductor.He was organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford and held assistant organist posts at Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church, Oxford before turning to orchestral and operatic work...
. - Hidden Arias (2001) (Solo Oboe). 5 Min. First performed by Melinda Maxwell at Dartington Hall, August 2001.
Discography
Madrigali: Fire & Roses (Divine Art DDA 25094) due for release late 2011 - Con AnimaCon Anima
- History :Con Anima was originally founded in 1995, and between that date and 1999 gave a number of concerts, mostly at , Aberdeen.In late 2001 Con Anima re-formed, and met informally for several months, before asking local pianist Robert Howie to direct them in a public concert...
Chamber Choir directed by Paul Mealor. Includes Mealor's 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal' and Morten Lauridsen
Morten Lauridsen
Morten Johannes Lauridsen is an American composer. He was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 30 years.-Biography:Lauridsen was born February 27, 1943, in...
's 'Madrigali' and 'Chanson Éloignée'.
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal (Divine Art DDS 29002) digital-only EP, pre-release taken from Madrigali: Fire and Roses - Con Anima
Con Anima
- History :Con Anima was originally founded in 1995, and between that date and 1999 gave a number of concerts, mostly at , Aberdeen.In late 2001 Con Anima re-formed, and met informally for several months, before asking local pianist Robert Howie to direct them in a public concert...
Chamber Choir directed by Paul Mealor
Mealor: Stabat Mater (Campion Cameo 2083) – Irene Drummond (soprano); Drew Tulloch (piano) Con Anima
Con Anima
- History :Con Anima was originally founded in 1995, and between that date and 1999 gave a number of concerts, mostly at , Aberdeen.In late 2001 Con Anima re-formed, and met informally for several months, before asking local pianist Robert Howie to direct them in a public concert...
Chamber Choir/Paul Mealor.
All Mealor CD including: Stabat Mater; Let Fall the Windows of Mine Eyes; Between Eternity and Time; Beata es, Virgo Maria; Lux Benigna; Ave
Borderlands (Campion Cameo 2053) – Chagall Trio.
Includes Mealor’s ‘Borderlands’ alongside music by John Pickard
John Pickard
John Pickard may refer to:* John Pickard , Canadian businessman and politician* John Pickard , British composer of classical music* John Pickard , British actor...
, Camden Reeves and Philip Grange
Philip Grange
Philip Grange is an English composer.Grange was born in London. He attended Peter Maxwell Davies’s classes at Dartington, and then took further, private, lessons with Davies while at The University of York, where he also studied composition with David Blake...
Christmas favourites from Aberdeen (KCL 2009) – Chapel Choir of King’s College, Aberdeen/ Roger Williams (organist)
Roger Williams (organist)
Dr Roger Bevan Williams, MBE is a British organist and musicologist. In 2010, he retired as Master of Ceremonial Music and Organist to the University of Aberdeen, a Music department in which he had been a member for over 30 years....
.
Includes Mealor’s ‘Locus Iste’
A Tender Light (14 November 2011)