''Composer of the Week'' is a long-running biographical music programme produced by

BBC Cymru Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is b ...

and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. It is broadcast daily from Monday to Friday at 12 noon for an hour, each week's programmes being a self-contained series of five dedicated to a particular composer or a group of related composers. With the "great composers", weeks dedicated to them tend to focus on a particular aspect of their life or works. The series has been written and presented by Donald Macleod since 1999. Sometimes recordings are made on location with Macleod visiting composers at home - such as the

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

episodes in October 2019. BBC.

History

Originally titled ''This Week's Composer'', the series was first broadcast on 2 August 1943 on the BBC Home Service, running from 7.30am to 7.55am, Monday to Saturday. There were some breaks in the schedule: for instance, ''Music Diary'' was used as a replacement from January to March 1945. But in terms of longevity, it is only surpassed by ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' (first heard on 29 January 1942). From the beginning and for many years there was no regular host: it was presented live by the day’s duty continuity announcer. As a consequence, there are no recordings of the programme in the BBC archives from before the 1980s.BBC blogs: ''Composer of the Week at 70''
/ref> In December 1964 it was transferred to the

BBC Third Programme The BBC Third Programme was a national radio station produced and broadcast from 1946 until 1967, when it was replaced by Radio 3. It first went on the air on 29 September 1946 and quickly became one of the leading cultural and intellectual f ...

, beginning at 9.04am on weekdays. The title was quietly changed to ''Composer of the Week'' on 18 January 1988. From 9 October 1995 ''Composer of the Week'' was moved from its long-standing 9am slot to 12 noon, making way for a new morning schedule at Radio 3.

Notable episodes

* The first composer chosen, on 2 August 1943, was Mozart, followed over the following four weeks by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

and

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

. *

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

was the first living composer to be featured, on 7 February 1944. * The first group composer episodes were ‘The Elizabethans’ from 14 February 1944, followed by 'Three Seventeenth-Century Masters’ (

Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...

Couperin The Couperin family was a musical dynasty of professional composers and performers. They were the most prolific family in French musical history, active during the Baroque era (17th—18th centuries). Louis Couperin and his nephew, François Coup ...

and

Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and ...

) the following week.

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

and

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...

were joint composers on 6 March 1944, followed by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

on 27 March 1944. * The first composer to be chosen for a second set of episodes was

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

- first series 6 September 1943, second series 26 June 1944. Mozart was chosen for the second time on 10 July 1944. From then on the majority of choices were repeats, suggesting a core repertoire of around 60 composers. * In July 2014 the first of a series of live editions with the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

was broadcast to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the programme. * In 2020 the ''Beethoven Unleashed'' series of 25 weekly editions (broadcast on alternate weeks) marked the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. There were 125 programmes in total, including a final personal highlights selection by Donald Macleod to conclude the series.''Beethoven Unleashed: In Perspective'', UK Podcasts
/ref>

References

External links

''Composer of the Week'', BBC website

Except from a 1988 edition of ''This Week's Composer'' on Mozart
{{BBC Radio 3 1942 radio programme debuts BBC Home Service programmes BBC Radio 3 programmes British music radio programmes British talk radio programmes