David Ellis (composer)

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David Ellis (10 March 1933 – 20 April 2023) was an English composer, arranger and music producer at the BBC. Ellis was born in Liverpool, attending the Liverpool Institute (where he first met fellow composer John McCabe), and then the

Royal Manchester College of Music The Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM) was a tertiary level conservatoire in Manchester, north-west England. It was founded in 1893 by the German-born conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1893. In 1972, the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

(1953–57) where his composition teacher was Thomas Pitfield. His contemporaries studying there included

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 ...

,

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...

, Alexander Goehr,

Elgar Howarth Elgar Howarth (born 4 November 1935), is an English conductor, composer and trumpeter. Biography Howarth was born at Cannock, Staffordshire. He was educated in the 1950s at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music (the ...

and John Ogdon. From 1964 Ellis worked as a producer at the

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, becoming Head of Music for BBC North in 1977. In 1986 he took up the position of artistic director,

Northern Chamber Orchestra The Northern Chamber Orchestra (NCO) is a chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. Established in 1967, the orchestra gives concerts at Heritage Centre, Macclesfield and The Stoller Hall, Manchester as well as a Christmas concert at Tatto ...

where he was also composer-in-residence. From the mid-1990s Ellis took up composition full-time.Biography, Divine Art Recordings Group
/ref> His works include symphonies, concertos (for violin, cello, piano), works for strings (such as the ''Vale Royal Suite''), three string quartets (1980, 1996, 2002) and much other chamber music. His early orchestral Sinfonietta of 1948–50 (in four movements) was revised in 1965, and was followed by three full scale symphonies. Symphony No 1, op 38 (1972-3) was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. No. 2, composed in 1995, had to wait until 22 October 2003 for its first performance by the

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

. No. 3, ''Images from Beyond Infinity'' op.59, was composed in 1998 and is still unperformed. The Violin Concerto was premiered by soloist

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: '' Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and ''Adam-12'', which a ...

in 1962 with the

Halle Orchestra Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...

conducted by Maurice Handford. ''Solus'' for string ensemble was commissioned by the

Manchester Camerata The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances. The orchestra's primary concert venue is The Bridg ...

in 1972. In 2004 the Camerata also premiered the String Quartet No 3, op. 70. He also had a particular interest in composing and arranging works for brass band. He had a wide circle of musical friends - including

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,

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Peter Hope Peter Hope (born 2 November 1930) is a British composer and arranger. He is particularly noted for his light music compositions, such as the ''Ring of Kerry Suite'', which won an Ivor Novello award, and for his arrangements, such as "Mexican Ha ...

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Antony Hopkins Antony Hopkins CBE (21 March 1921 – 6 May 2014) was a composer, pianist, and conductor, as well as a writer and radio broadcaster. He was widely known for his books of musical analysis and for his radio programmes ''Talking About Music'', b ...

, John McCabe, Ian Parrott and his teacher Thomas Pitfield - and wrote a series of shorter works for them as tributes. His catalogue stretches to 91 opus numbers. Ellis was married to the pianist Patricia Cunliffe, who gave the first performance of his Piano Sonata in 1956. They lived at

Bramhall Bramhall is a suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it had a population of 17,436 at the 2011 Census.Bramhall South and Bramhall North Wards History The Anglo-Saxon m ...

, Stockport. There were three children. She died in 2009 and in 2011 Ellis composed the ''September Threnody'' for strings in her memory. Later in life Ellis suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and died at the Macclesfield Infirmary, aged 90, following a fall.John Turner. Obituary, British Music Society, 11 May 2023
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Recordings

* An Image of Truth: The Music of David Ellis, ASC CS CD6 (2000): ''Dewpoint'' (song cycle with chamber ensemble, 1955), ''Sequentia in Tempore Natali Sancti'' (choral, 1965), ''Berceuse'' (clarinet and piano, 1981), ''An Image of Truth'' (soprano, recorder and piano, 1972), ''Divertimento Elegiaco'' (recorder, cello and harpsichord, 1996), ''Four Songs (of Hope and Desire)'' (soprano and piano, 1996), and the String Quartet No 2 (1996). * Concert Music, Divine Art, DDA25119 (2014). ''Vale Royal Suite'', ''Diversions'' (1974), ''Concert Music'' (1959), ''September Threnody'' for strings (2011), ''Solus'' (1973). * Chamber Music and Songs, Prima Facia PFCD138 (2020): Includes: Concertante for violin, horn and harp, op. 78 (2004), ''Fipple-Baguette: Three Encores for solo recorder'', op. 76, ''Concerto Corto e Dolce'', for recorder, viola and harp, op. 80 (2006), ''Dewpoint'' (1955).
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, David 1933 births 2023 deaths 20th-century British male musicians British classical composers British male classical composers 20th-century classical composers Alumni of the Royal Manchester College of Music Musicians from Manchester People educated at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys