Anthony J. Hedges (5 March 1931 – 19 June 2019) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

composer, the son of children's writer Sidney Hedges.

Life

Hedges was born in

Bicester Bicester ( ) is a historical market towngarden town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cherwell (district), Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in Southern England that also comprises an Eco-towns, eco town at North Wes ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and studied music at Keble College Oxford, where his tutors included Thomas Armstrong. While on National Service for two years at Catterick (from 1955) he was a member of the Band of the Royal Signals Regiment. From 1957 he was a music lecturer at The

Royal Scottish Academy of Music The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and from 1962 a lecturer at The

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

(1962–94) where he was awarded an Hon.DMus. During his time in Glasgow he also contributed regular reviews and articles on music to ''

The Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'', ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

''. While at Hull he met the poet

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...

. Anthony Hedges lived in

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

with his wife Joy where he supported the Beverley Chamber Music Festival and set up his own publishing company, Westfield Music. Hull Central Library established an archive collection of his compositions and working sketches in 1990. After his death in June 2019 his daughter Fiona Hedges acted as executor, owner and promoter of his music.Westfield Music, biography of Anthony Hedges
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Works

Hedges is often regarded primarily as a light-music composer due to the large number of recordings of his light orchestral music, such as the ''Four Miniature Dances'' (1967) and the popular ''Kingston Sketches'' of 1969. But such works in fact represent only a small portion of his overall output. His orchestral works include two symphonies, a ''Sinfonia Concertante'', concertinos for flute, horn, trumpet, bassoon, and the ''Variations on a theme of Rameau''. There are numerous pieces for chorus and orchestra, including the dramatic cantata ''Bridge for the Living'', (for which Philip Larkin wrote the text), ''The Temple of Solomon'' (a Huddersfield Choral Society commission), ''The Lamp of Liberty'', (commissioned by Hull Philharmonic Orchestra for the Wilberforce bicentennary), ''I Sing the Birth (Canticles for Christmas)'' together with a number of large-scale works for massed junior choirs and orchestra which have been widely performed. Hedges' chamber-music output was also extensive, from solo to ensemble works and his vocal compositions equally numerous and varied. He also published a considerable amount of educational music.

References

Bibliography

*Bayliss, Colin (1990). "The Music of Anthony Hedges". Humberside Leisure Service *Borthwick, Alastair. 2001. "Hedges, Anthony (John)". ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers. *Grove, George. 1954. ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', fifth edition, nine volumes, edited by

Eric Blom Eric Walter Blom (20 August 188811 April 1959) was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1954). Biogr ...

. London: Macmillan Publishers; New York: St. Martin's Press *Kennedy, Michael (2006), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'', 985 pages,

External links

Anthony Hedges
at Westfield Music - discography, samples
Anthony Hedges on Soundcloud
* * YouTube:
Kingston Sketches
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hedges, Anthony 1931 births 2019 deaths Academics of the University of Hull Alumni of Keble College, Oxford English composers People from Bicester Light music composers