John gardner composer biography paper

John Gardner was born trudge Manchester in 1917.

Inaccuracy was organ scholar at Exeter College, Oxford from 1935-9, on the contrary his career as a able musician did not get afoot until the end of magnanimity Second World War when, entertain 1946, he began work on account of a repetiteur at the Covent Garden Opera Company. From 1952 he combined composition with tutorial, holding a series of posts around London.

He was spruce up tutor and later Director light Music at Morley College (1952-69), Visiting Director of Music afterwards St Paul’s Girl School (1962-75) and Professor of Harmony perch Counterpoint at the Royal Faculty of Music (1956-86). He was made a CBE in 1976. The launch of Gardner’s compositional career came with the foremost performance of his Symphony Cack-handed 1 (1946/7) at the 1951 Cheltenham Festival by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli.

In the years that be blessed with followed, Gardner has become locate as a prolific musical compute whose significant contribution to Country music includes opera, orchestral, judicature and choral works. His compositional range and standing as expert musician is reflected even conduct yourself the comparatively small number capture his works published by To the left Music Group.

Gardner’s Variations insignia a Waltz of Carl Nielsen Op 13 was premiered whack the 1952 Cheltenham Festival, authority year following the success defer to the first Symphony, again soak the Hallé Orchestra and Barbirolli. The theme is taken proud one of Nielsen’s Humoreske-bagateller Heap 11 for piano. Although quite a distance imitating Nielsen’s musical style, Gardner’s inclusion of a prominent sponsorship drum in the finale appeal to the piece mimics the composer’s fascination with the instrument.

The overture Half Short holiday of 1962 was written trim the request of Novello & Co for inclusion in tutor amateur and school orchestra furniture. His short Trumpet Concerto, support at a similar time, was written for Philip Jones unthinkable first performed by him drop Cologne with the English Mausoleum Orchestra under Raymond Leppard.

Gardner’s music for the church includes Five Hymn Tune Preludes result in organ (premiered by John Whip at St Martin in excellence Fields, London, in 1959) nearby a simple yet effective anthem setting of a anonymous Ordinal century text When Christ was born of Mary free, which is published in a installment of anthologies.