George Lloyd (composer)
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George Walter Selwyn Lloyd (28 June 1913 – 3 July 1998) was a British composer.


Biography


Early life

Born in
St Ives, Cornwall St Ives ( kw, Porth Ia, meaning "Ia of Cornwall, St Ia's cove") is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commerci ...
, of part Welsh, part American ancestry, Lloyd grew up in a very musical family. His father, William A. C. Lloyd, was an Italian opera ''aficionado''. He was born in Rome and returned to England on the death of his father, a retired naval officer. William Lloyd wrote a biography of Bellini. He was also an accomplished flautist. George Lloyd's mother played the violin, viola and piano. Both were leading members of the St Ives Arts Club and their house was a regular weekly venue for chamber music, so the young composer grew up with music all around him. His grandmother, the American painter Frances (Fanny) Powell, had been an opera singer, and was an early pioneer of the St Ives artists' colony. George Lloyd showed his talent as a composer early; he began composing at the age of 9, and began serious study at the age of 14. He was mainly educated at home because of
rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...
. He was trained in the dramatic aspects of opera by his father, who would regularly give him scenes from English plays to set to music, and he later studied
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
with
Albert Sammons Albert Edward Sammons CBE (23 February 188624 August 1957) was an English violinist, composer and later violin teacher. Almost self-taught on the violin, he had a wide repertoire as both chamber musician and soloist, although his reputation res ...
and
composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
with Frank Kitson and
Harry Farjeon Harry Farjeon (6 May 1878 – 29 December 1948) was a British composer and an influential teacher of harmony and composition at the Royal Academy of Music for more than 45 years. Early life and studies Harry Farjeon was born in Hohokus Township, ...
. He was a student at
Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom, which offers graded and diploma qualifications (up to postgraduate level) across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and ...
. His first symphony, written at the age of 19, was premiered in 1932 by the Penzance Orchestral SocietyReport and review in ''The Cornishman and Cornish Telegraph'', Thursday 1 December 1932Grove Music Online (subscription required) and was performed again in 1933 by the
Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, ...
, with the composer conducting on both occasions.Lloyd's obituary in ''The Times'' mistakenly gave the Bournemouth performance as the premier. The obituary is reproduced (uncorrected) on www.georgelloyd.com, and the error has been much copied around the web. A second symphony had its premiere in 1935 and was soon followed by a third. George Lloyd and his father William, formed The New English Opera Company in 1935, with the intention of establishing a school of English opera. George Lloyd's first opera, ''Iernin'', with a libretto by his father, was performed in 1934 in Penzance, before being transferred to the Lyceum Theatre, London, where it had an unusually long run. His second opera, ''The Serf'', was staged by
Vladimir Rosing Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing (russian: Владимир Серге́евич Розинг) (November 24, 1963), also known as Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in the United ...
at
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
in 1938.


Royal Marines

Lloyd served in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
with the
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
as a Bandsman. On board the
cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
on
Arctic convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...
he was one of the Bandsmen manning the Transmitting Station, which was situated deep in the hull of the ship. In 1942, during an engagement, the ship fired a faulty
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
which travelled in a circular track and hit the ship, fracturing a large fuel oil tank. Many of Lloyd's shipmates were drowned in the fuel oil, and he was the last man to escape from the compartment. He suffered severe mental and physical trauma from the
shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...
, and was hospitalised before being discharged from the Royal Marines. After 4 years he was well enough to start composing again, through the devotion and love of his Swiss wife, Nancy.


Later life

When the war ended, his wife took him to Switzerland. In 1946 Lloyd resumed composition and wrote two symphonies and the opera '' John Socman'', the last commissioned for the 1951
Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...
. Lloyd's health deteriorated further, and in 1952, he took up full-time residence in
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
. For 20 years, in addition to intermittent composition, he was a market gardener and grew
mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...
s and
carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...
s. He composed regularly from 4:30 AM to 7:30 AM, before the start of the rest of his working day. During this period he continued to write in a tonal, melodic style, contrary to the prevailing climate of modernist and ''avant garde'' styles, so he met with difficulties in obtaining performances of his music. He recalled: ''"I sent scores off to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. They came back, usually without comment. I never wrote 12-tone music because I didn't like the theory. I studied the blessed thing in the early 1930s and thought it was a cock-eyed idea that produced horrible sounds. It made composers forget how to sing."'' In 1972 he sold his market garden business and moved to London to "pick up the pieces of my musical life" as he put it, and began an extraordinary and productive Indian summer. A number of his scores were accepted for broadcast by the BBC, and he went on to collaborate with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and to record 7 of his 12 symphonies and 3 of his piano concertos with that orchestra. He was a very early adopter of digital technology, and established his own recording, production, publishing and distribution company, making 22 CD recordings in all. After his death he was Composer of the Week on Radio 3, and the 2013 BBC Proms programme included performances of his ''Requiem'' and his ''H.M.S. Trinidad March for Orchestra'' on the Last Night of The Proms. The George Lloyd Society and the musical estate is administered by William Lloyd, who worked with the composer as business manager, executive producer and record distributor for the last 10 years of his life.


Reception

Lloyd's first opera ''Iernin'' made his reputation in 1935, and he attracted the attention and approval of Boughton, Beecham, Ireland, Vaughan Williams, and Christie at Glyndebourne. He consolidated his reputation with ''The Serf'' at Covent Garden in 1938, which led to his commission for the Festival of Britain. Thereafter his reputation suffered because he was unwilling to change his style to accord with changes in the musical and critical environment. Nevertheless, Lloyd's champions included conductors
Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting ...
and
Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for his ...
and the virtuoso pianist
John Ogdon John Andrew Howard Ogdon (27 January 1937 – 1 August 1989) was an English pianist and composer. Biography Career Ogdon was born in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, and attended the Manchester Grammar School, before studying at the Ro ...
who studied composition with Lloyd and for whom Lloyd wrote his first piano concerto (''Scapegoat'') and other works for solo piano. Lloyd devoted more time to composition from 1973 onwards, and began to receive greater attention in subsequent years. The BBC broadcast his Symphony No. 8 in 1977, 8 years after its acceptance for broadcast in 1969. His Symphony No. 6 received a performance at
The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
in 1981. Lyrita Records Conifer Records and the American label Albany Records championed Lloyd's music through recordings. He developed a strong relationship with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, which recorded and broadcast seven of his symphonies. For Albany Records, Lloyd conducted his own music, with orchestras including the
Albany Symphony Orchestra The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony ...
, the
Philharmonia The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...
Orchestra, and the
BBC Philharmonic 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 MediaC ...
. He was for two seasons Principal Conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra (New York State), where he conducted his own symphonies and work by 20th century American composers. He was guest conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, which premiered a number of his works. The US premiere of his Seventh Symphony was given by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He conducted 25 CD recordings in all, including two operas, in addition to those recorded by Sir Edward Downes and others. Only two orchestral works and his opera ''The Serf'' remained unrecorded at the time of his death. Critical opinion of his work tended to polarise around those who appreciated his melodic and tonal, late romantic style, and those who found his work regressive. Many critics from both factions agreed on his mastery of orchestration and orchestral colour. His works for brass band found favour, being regularly adopted as test pieces in brass band contests throughout the UK and Europe.


Personal life

George Lloyd's traumatic experience of the torpedo strike on HMS Trinidad had a profound effect on his mental, physical and emotional health. He spent several months in the Naval Hospital at
Newmachar Newmachar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland about 10 miles (16 km) to the north-west of Aberdeen. The settlement has a long history previously being known as Summerhill within the parish of New Machar, later being renamed Newmachar. S ...
, near
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, suffering from shellshock (PTSD) which caused an uncontrollable shaking of the limbs, and which recurred for over 20 years. He acknowledged that he could not have recovered without the care and attention of his Swiss wife Nancy (née Juvet.) His fragile health was the primary cause of his abandoning his full-time musical career in 1951. Lloyd had heart trouble toward the end of his life, but recovered sufficiently to complete his
Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
three weeks before he died in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
at the age of 85. Lloyd inscribed the score, his last composition, "Written in memory of
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
". Lloyd and Nancy married in 1937. The marriage lasted until Lloyd's death. She survived him by 18 months, and the couple had no children.


Music

Lloyd's works include 12
symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
and four
piano concerto A piano concerto is a type of concerto, a solo composition in the classical music genre which is composed for a piano player, which is typically accompanied by an orchestra or other large ensemble. Piano concertos are typically virtuoso showpiec ...
s, two
violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...
s and a
cello concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...
. For his three
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
s, Lloyd's father wrote the libretti. Lloyd also wrote five works for brass band: ''Royal Parks'', ''Diversions on a Bass Theme'', ''English Heritage'', ''Evening Song'' and ''Kings Messenger''. He wrote the official ship's march for the Royal Marine Band on , and later arranged the work for orchestra and for brass band. He also wrote a work for wind band: ''Forest of Arden''. His choral-orchestral works include ''Pervigilium Veneris'' (''The Vigil of Venus''), ''A Litany'' and ''A Symphonic Mass''. His chamber-works include music for solo and duet piano, brass quintet, and works for violin and piano. Lloyd's first opera, ''Iernin'', was inspired by the Nine Maidens standing stones on the West Penwith moors, and tells the story of one of the Maidens who comes back to life as a fairy. The opera was first performed in 1934 at the Pavilion in
Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. It was recorded in 1985 by the
BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale symp ...
, with the composer conducting and Marilyn Hill-Smith singing the title role. To mark the centenary of Lloyd's birth, the opera was staged by Surrey Opera, in a new production directed by Alexander Hargreaves and conducted by Surrey Opera's artistic director Jonathan Butcher, in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, in October 2013, and on 1 and 2 November in Penzance. In 2013, the British Library acquired all of George Lloyd's autograph music manuscripts, sketches and draft scores. In 2018, the Ealing Symphony Orchestra announced that they would perform the complete cycle of George Lloyd's 12 Symphonies under conductor John Gibbons. In 2019 The George Lloyd Society published the first major survey of his work: The Swing of the Pendulum by Peter Davison.


Notes


References


External links


George Lloyd

George Lloyd Recordings catalogue

George Lloyd Photographs

George Lloyd Symphonies
review for the 2013 100th anniversary at ''
Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
'' magazine
George Lloyd Symphonies
by Paul Conway

on the Famous Cornish People website

at the
Royal Marines Band Service The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy and an independent element of the Royal Marines. It currently consists of five bands plus a training wing – the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS ''Nelson'' – and its ...

HMS Trinidad and the Music of George Lloyd Part 2
at the
Royal Marines Band Service The Royal Marines Band Service is the musical wing of the Royal Navy and an independent element of the Royal Marines. It currently consists of five bands plus a training wing – the Royal Marines School of Music at HMS ''Nelson'' – and its ...

Review of Symphony No. 11
at classicstoday.com

8 November 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, George 1913 births 1998 deaths 19th-century British male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians Brass band composers British classical composers British military musicians Cornish composers English Romantic composers English classical composers English male classical composers Alumni of Trinity College of Music People from St Ives, Cornwall Royal Marines ranks Royal Marines personnel of World War II Albany Records artists Military personnel from Cornwall