Ronald Senator
Encyclopedia
Ronald Senator is a British composer who divides his time between New York
and London
.
, a distinguished pupil of Arnold Schoenberg
, and later (1955-58) with Arnold Cooke
, a pupil of Paul Hindemith
, at London University.
, the USA and Canada
.
Holocaust Requiem was premiered at Canterbury Cathedral
in 1986, under the aegis of the United Nations
, the International Council of Christians and Jews, the German Government, and the B'nai Brith. It has since been performed in many places worldwide, including the USA (Tillis Center 1988: Manhattan 1990), Moscow (1993), Czechoslovakia (Terezin 1995), Rome (1991, one month after 9/11,). For the Manhattan performance of 1990, Lukas Foss
conducted the Brooklyn Philharmonic
and Ron Silver
was Narrator.
Concerts devoted entirely to Senator's music have been given in New York
(1990, 1998, 2001), London
(1989,1997, 2006), Sydney
(1978), Moscow
(1993), and St Petersburg (1991).
Senator has composed six operas and musicals on texts by modern authors including Anthony Burgess
, Peter Porter
, and Ursula Vaughan Williams
. Many of his chamber works are composed for eminent colleagues, such as the singers Sybil Michelow, Jane Manning
, Willard White
, the violist Rivka Golani
, the clarinettist Stanley Drucker
and the pianist Miriam Brickman, the composer's wife.
Senator's work as an author includes his Requiem Letters, called by the US Publishers Weekly "a deeply moving and haunting autobiographical memoir".
Like his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, Senator has established an international reputation as a composer and as a leading innovator in musical education. His work on the universal operations of music, set out in his book The Gaia of Music, had a practical counterpart in his system of musical education called Musicolor. This was developed in a programme at London University sponsored by the UK Social Science Research Council, and involved teachers at every level of education. The system has been used in schools and colleges and was the subject of two BBC documentaries.
Senator was a founding member of the Montserrat Composers’ Association for Sacred Music, which was initiated with the support of composers including Stravinsky, Messiaen, André Jolivet
and Penderecki. He was also the founding director of the National Association of Music Theatre in the UK.
He was honoured by H. M. the Queen in 1981.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and 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...
.
Early life
Senator studied at Oxford University (1944-1947) with Egon WelleszEgon Wellesz
Egon Joseph Wellesz was an Austrian-born British composer, teacher and musicologist, notable particularly in the field of Byzantine music.- Life :...
, a distinguished pupil of Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, and later (1955-58) with Arnold Cooke
Arnold Cooke
Arnold Atkinson Cooke was a British composer.-Career:He was born at Gomersal, West Yorkshire into a family of carpet manufacturers. He was educated at Repton School and at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he read History, but he was already attracted to a career in music...
, a pupil of Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, at London University.
Career
He became a Senior Lecturer in Music at London University, then in 1981 was appointed Professor of Composition at the Guildhall School of Music. He has also held visiting Professorships at universities in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Work
Senator's oratorioOratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Holocaust Requiem was premiered at Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
in 1986, under the aegis 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...
, the International Council of Christians and Jews, the German Government, and the B'nai Brith. It has since been performed in many places worldwide, including the USA (Tillis Center 1988: Manhattan 1990), Moscow (1993), Czechoslovakia (Terezin 1995), Rome (1991, one month after 9/11,
Lukas Foss
Lukas Foss was a German-born American composer, conductor, and pianist.-Music career:He was born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922. His father was the philosopher and scholar Martin Fuchs...
conducted the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City...
and Ron Silver
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
was Narrator.
Concerts devoted entirely to Senator's music have been given in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1990, 1998, 2001), 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...
(1989,1997, 2006), Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(1978), Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(1993), and St Petersburg (1991).
Senator has composed six operas and musicals on texts by modern authors including Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
, Peter Porter
Peter Porter
Peter Porter is the name of:* Peter Buell Porter , U.S. political figure and soldier* Peter A. Porter , U.S. political figure and grandson of Peter Buell Porter* Peter Porter , Australian-born British poet...
, and Ursula Vaughan Williams
Ursula Vaughan Williams
Ursula Vaughan Williams, née Joan Ursula Penton Lock was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.-Biography:...
. Many of his chamber works are composed for eminent colleagues, such as the singers Sybil Michelow, Jane Manning
Jane Manning
Jane Manning OBE is an English concert and opera soprano, writer on music, and Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music. She has been described by one critic as "the irrepressible, incomparable, unstoppable Ms...
, Willard White
Willard White
Sir Willard Wentworth White, OM, CBE is a Jamaican-born British bass-baritone.-Early life:He was born into a poor but supportive Jamaican family in Kingston. His father was a dockworker, his mother a housewife. White first began to learn music by listening to the radio and singing Nat King Cole...
, the violist Rivka Golani
Rivka Golani
Rivka Golani is an Israeli viola player.She has performed as soloist with orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Hong Kong Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan,...
, the clarinettist Stanley Drucker
Stanley Drucker
Stanley Drucker is an American clarinetist. Of Ukrainian ancestry, he began clarinet studies at age ten with Leon Russianoff, and remained his student for five years. He attended the High School of Music & Art...
and the pianist Miriam Brickman, the composer's wife.
Senator's work as an author includes his Requiem Letters, called by the US Publishers Weekly "a deeply moving and haunting autobiographical memoir".
Like his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, Senator has established an international reputation as a composer and as a leading innovator in musical education. His work on the universal operations of music, set out in his book The Gaia of Music, had a practical counterpart in his system of musical education called Musicolor. This was developed in a programme at London University sponsored by the UK Social Science Research Council, and involved teachers at every level of education. The system has been used in schools and colleges and was the subject of two BBC documentaries.
Senator was a founding member of the Montserrat Composers’ Association for Sacred Music, which was initiated with the support of composers including Stravinsky, Messiaen, André Jolivet
André Jolivet
André Jolivet was a French composer. Known for his devotion to French culture and musical thought, Jolivet's music draws on his interest in acoustics and atonality as well as both ancient and modern influences in music, particularly on instruments used in ancient times...
and Penderecki. He was also the founding director of the National Association of Music Theatre in the UK.
He was honoured by H. M. the Queen in 1981.