Geoffrey Alan Burgon (15 July 194121 September 2010) was an English composer best known for his television and film scores. Among his most recognisable works are ''

Monty Python's Life of Brian ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). It ...

'' for film, and ''

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' is a 1974 spy novel by British author John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of taciturn, aging spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has receive ...

'' and ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'' for television, the latter two earning

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

s in 1979 and 1981 respectively. He also won

BAFTAs The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

for his themes for the remake of ''

The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle the vici ...

'' and ''

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

''. Burgon also achieved success and a serious following with vocal, orchestral, concert and stage works.

Life and career

Burgon was born in

Hambledon, Hampshire Hambledon is a small village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of Hampshire in England, situated about north of Portsmouth within the South Downs National Park. Hambledon is best known as the 'Cradle of Cricket'. It is ...

, in 1941, and taught himself the trumpet in order to join a jazz band at school (Pewley Grammar School,

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

). He entered the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

with the intention of becoming a professional trumpet player. However, under the direction of his mentor, composer Peter Wishart, he found that he was more interested in composition. Burgon initially supported himself and his family as a freelance jazz trumpeter. At the age of 30 he sold his instruments, except one, and devoted himself to composition. He lived through a lengthy period of poverty before critical success eventually brought financial reward. The critical success of his ''Requiem'' at the

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

in 1976 sealed his reputation as a composer and led to many commissions from major organisations. Continuing the tradition established 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 ...

, Burgon's fluent and effortless language was particularly well suited to the voice and he had a long-standing collaboration with counter-tenor James Bowman. Burgon also had considerable success writing for film and television and twice received both BAFTA and

s. His style was essentially conservative, influenced by

and medieval music rather than modern styles. His music was therefore not favoured by music critics and was sometimes labelled as commercial, but nevertheless it was widely appreciated.''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' 24 Sep 2010 Burgon saw his work in film and television as subsidising his passion for, and ability to devote time to what he called his "serious work" for concert. (Perhaps his most noted piece is his ''Nunc dimittis,'' which was composed in 1979 for use in the television series, ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''.) He married Janice Elizabeth Garwood in 1963 and had a son, Matthew and a daughter, Hannah. They were separated in 1970 and the marriage was dissolved in 1975. In 1992 he married Jacqueline Kroft, a Canadian pianist and singer/songwriter; they had a son, Daniel. He was a keen cricketer and wrote detective novels in his spare time. Burgon died on 21 September 2010 after a short illness.

Career highlights

*1974 – ballet ''The Calm'' for London Contemporary Dance Theatre, first of many dance scores. *1976 – first breakthrough, with ''Requiem'' at the Three Choirs Festival. *1979 –

for score of BBC television series ''

''. *1981 – Ivor Novello Award for score of Granada television series ''

''. *1997 – premiere of ''City Adventures'', percussion concerto for

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish people, Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Sco ...

at BBC Proms. *2001 – wrote ''Heavenly Things'', commissioned by the BBC for baritone

Christopher Maltman Christopher Maltman (born 6 February 1970) is a British operatic baritone. Christopher Maltman was born in Cleethorpes and was educated at Warwick University where he received a degree in Biochemistry and subsequently studied music at the Royal A ...

Selected works

Stage

* ''The Golden Fish'', ballet (1964) * ''Joan of Arc'', music drama for 2 sopranos, tenor, baritone, narrator, flute, cello, harp and percussion (1970) * ''The Calm'', ballet (1974) * ''The Fall of Lucifer'', music drama in 2 acts for soloists, chorus and five instruments (1974) * ''Goldberg's Dream (Running Figures)'', ballet (1975) * ''Step at a Time'', ballet (1976) * ''Songs, Lamentations and Praises'', ballet (1979) * ''Orpheus'', music drama (1982) * ''Mass'', ballet for chorus, 4 trombones and percussionist (playing piano) (1984) * ''Macbeth'', incidental music (1986) * ''Murder in the Cathedral'', incidental music (1987) * ''Blood Wedding'', incidental music (1988) * ''The Trial of Prometheus'', ballet (1988) * ''Hard Times'', opera (1991); after the novel by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

* ''Nicholas Nickleby'', incidental music for the play by

(2001)

Orchestral

* Concerto for string orchestra (1963) * ''Gending'' for brass, woodwind, celesta and percussion (1968) * ''Alleluia Nativitas'' (1970) * ''Cantus Alleluia'' (1973) * ''Brideshead Variations'' (1982) * ''Suite from The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1991) * ''Suite from Bleak House'' (1991) * ''Suite from Martin Chuzzlewit'' (1994) * ''Suite from Testament of Youth'' (1991) * ''A Different Dawn'' for celesta, percussion and string orchestra (1999) * ''Industrial Dreams'' (2006)

Brass band

* ''Narnia Suite'' (1998) * ''Paradise Dances'' (1994)

Concertante

* Trumpet Concerto: ''The Turning World'' for trumpet, string orchestra and percussion (1993) * ''City Adventures'', concerto for percussion and orchestra (1996) * Piano Concerto (1997) * ''The Calm'', concerto for violin, trumpet, harp and string orchestra (1974, 2004); arranged for the ballet ''The Calm'' * Concerto for cello and chamber orchestra (2007) * Concerto ''Ghosts of the Dance'' for viola and orchestra (2008) * ''On the Street'' for alto saxophone and wind orchestra (2009)

Chamber music

* ''Fanfares and Variants'' for 2 trumpets and 2 trombones (1969) * ''Lullaby and Aubade'' for trumpet and piano (1972) * ''Gloria'' for piccolo, oboe, clarinet, horn, cello and piano (1973) * Three Nocturnes for harp solo (1974) * ''Four Guitars'' for 4 guitars (1977) * ''Four Horns'' for 4 horns (1977) * Six Studies for cello solo (1980); adapted for viola solo (2000); composed for

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julian ...

* ''Little Missenden Variation'' for English horn, clarinet, bassoon and horn (1984) * ''Fanfare'' for horns, trumpets, trombones and tuba (1985) * ''The Wanderer'' for clarinet and string quartet (1997–1998) * String Quartet (1999) * ''On The Street'' for brass quartet (1999) * ''Minterne Dances'' for flute, clarinet, string quartet and harp (2009)

Piano

* ''Theme from Brideshead Revisited'' (1982) * ''Aslan's Theme from The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1988) * ''Waiting'', 9 Easy Pieces (1998)

Vocal

* ''Cantata on Mediaeval Latin Texts'' for countertenor, flute, oboe and bassoon (1964) * ''Acquainted with Night'' for countertenor, harp, timpani and string orchestra (1965) * ''Hymn to Venus'' for mezzo-soprano and piano (1966) * ''Five Sonnets or John Donne'' for soprano, mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet (bass clarinet), horn, cello, piano and timpani (1967) * ''Songs of Mary'' for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano (1970) * ''At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners'' for soprano and organ, with optional trumpet (1971); words by

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

* ''Worldës Blissë'' for countertenor and oboe (1971) * ''Threnody'' for tenor, piano and amplified harpsichord (1971) * ''This Endris Night'' for tenor, female chorus, brass ensemble and timpani (1972) * ''This Ean Night'' for 2 countertenors (1972) * ''Dira vi amores terror'' for countertenor solo (1973) * ''Canciones del Alma'' for 2 countertenors (or mezzo-sopranos) and 13 solo strings (1975) * ''Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis'' (1979) * ''Nunc Dimittis'' (1979) * ''The World Again'' for soprano and orchestra (1983) * ''Lunar Beauty'' for medium voice and guitar (or lute) (1986) * ''Title Divine'' for soprano and orchestra (1986) * ''Nearing the Upper Air'' for countertenor, 2 recorders, cello and harpsichord (1988) * ''The Fire of Heaven'' (setting of Traherne's poetry) * ''Title Divine'' (orchestral song cycle) (1987) * ''First Was the World'' for countertenor (or mezzo-soprano), mixed chorus and orchestra (1994); words by

Andrew Marvell Andrew Marvell (; 31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, satirist and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1678. During the Commonwealth period he was a colleague and friend ...

* ''A Vision'', Song Cycle for tenor and string orchestra (1991); poems by

John Clare John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20th ce ...

* ''Almost Peace'', Three Songs to Poems by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

for soprano and chamber ensemble (1995) * ''Merciless Beauty'' for

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

and orchestra (1996); poems by Anonymous,

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

and

Kit Wright Kit Wright (born 17 June 1944 in Crockham Hill, Kent) is the author of more than twenty-five books, for both adults and children, and the winner of awards including an Arts Council Writers' Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Hawthornd ...

* ''Heavenly Things'' for medium voice and piano (2000) * ''The Road of Love'' for soprano and string quartet (2006)

Choral

* ''Three Elegies'' for mixed chorus (1964) * ''Short Mass'' for mixed chorus (1965) * ''Farewell Earth's Bliss'' for 6 solo voices (1966) * ''Three Carols'' for mixed chorus (1967) * ''Two Hymns to Mary'' for mixed chorus (1967, 1969) * ''Think on Dredful Domesday'' for soprano, mixed chorus and orchestra (1969) * ''And There was War in Heaven'' for boys (or soprano) chorus and organ (1970) * ''Five Alleluias'' for 6 solo voices (1970) * ''Golden Eternity'' for mixed chorus, harp and piano (1970) * ''Mai Hamama'' for 6 solo voices (1970) * ''A Prayer to the Trinity'' for mixed chorus (1972) * ''Sleep'' for 5 solo voices (1973) * ''The Fire of Heaven'' for triple chorus (1973) * ''Noche Oscura'' for 6 solo voices (1974) * ''Dos Coros'' for 12 solo voices (1975) * ''Requiem'' for soprano, countertenor (or mezzo-soprano), tenor, mixed chorus and orchestra (1976) * ''This World From'' for mixed chorus and organ (1979) * ''Veni Spiritus'' for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra (1979) * ''Laudate Dominum'' for mixed chorus and organ (1980) * ''Hymn to St. Thomas of Hereford'' for mixed chorus and orchestra (1981); alternate version with organ and optional timpani * ''But Have Been Found Again'' for double mixed chorus (1983) * ''A God and Yet a Man'' for double mixed chorus (1984) * ''The Names of the Hare'' for mixed chorus (1985) * ''The Song of the Creatures'' for mixed chorus and organ (1987) * ''Prayer to St. Richard'' for mixed chorus (1989) * ''Songs of the Creation'' for mixed chorus and organ (1989) * ''Five Love Songs'' for mixed chorus (1992) * ''In a Dark Time'' for mixed chorus (1992) * ''The First World'' for mixed chorus (1992) * ''Christ's Love'' 4 Pieces to Middle English texts for mixed chorus (2000) * ''Magic Words'', 6 Pieces to Inuitt texts for mixed chorus, percussion (played by chorus) (2000) * ''Alleluia Psallat'' for mixed chorus and orchestra (2002) * ''Te Deum'' for mixed chorus and organ (2002) * ''Three Mysteries'' for mixed chorus and chamber orchestra (2003) * ''Of Flowers and Emeralds Sheen'', Anthem for mixed chorus (2004); poem by St. John of the Cross * ''Becket Mass'' for mixed chorus and organ (2005) * ''Come Let Us Pity Death'' for mixed chorus, organ and trumpet (optional) (2005) * ''Death Be Not Proud'' for mixed chorus, organ and trumpet (optional) (2005) * ''

Adam lay Ybounden "Adam lay ybounden", originally titled Adam lay i-bowndyn, is a 15th-century English Christian text of unknown authorship. It relates the Biblical events of Genesis, Chapter 3 on the Fall of Man. Originally a song text, no contemporary musical se ...

'' for mixed chorus (2008)

Film scores

* ''

'' (1979) * '' The Dogs of War'' (1981) * ''

Turtle Diary ''Turtle Diary'' is a 1985 British film directed by John Irvin and starring Glenda Jackson, Ben Kingsley, and Michael Gambon. Based on a screenplay adapted by Harold Pinter from Russell Hoban's novel ''Turtle Diary'', the film is about "peop ...

'' (1985) * ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

'' (1991) * ''

Cider with Rosie ''Cider with Rosie'' is a 1959 book by Laurie Lee (published in the US as ''Edge of Day: Boyhood in the West of England'', 1960). It is the first book of a trilogy that continues with ''As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning'' (1969) and '' A ...

'' (1998)

Television scores

* ''The Letter'' (1969) * ''

The Treasure of Abbot Thomas "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James. It was published in his book ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' (1904). Plot summary The tale tells the story of the Rev. Justin Somerton, a scholar of medieval histo ...

'' (1974) * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'': ''

Terror of the Zygons Terror of the Zygons is the first serial of the 13th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was the first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1975. It was the last regula ...

'' (1975) * ''

'': ''

The Seeds of Doom ''The Seeds of Doom'' is the sixth and final serial of the 13th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 31 January to 6 March 1976. In the serial, the F ...

'' (1976) * ''As You Like It'' (1978) * ''Testament of Youth'' (1979) * '' Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' (1979) * ''

'' (1981) * ''How Many Miles to Babylon?'' (1982) * ''Soft Targets'' (1982) * ''Z for Zachariah'' (1984) * ''Bewitched'' (1985) * ''

Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...

'' (1985) * ''The Death of a Heart'' (1985) * ''The Happy Valley'' (1987) * ''

Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...

'' :: ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1988) :: ''Prince Caspian'' & ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (1989) :: ''The Silver Chair'' (1990) * ''

Children of the North ''Children of the North'' is a British television thriller drama series, written by John Hale, that first broadcast on BBC2 on 30 October 1991. The series, comprising four episodes, was based on the novel trilogy ''The Killing of Yesterday's Ch ...

'' (1991) * ''A Foreign Field'' (1993) * ''

Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between 1842 and 1844. While he was writing it ...

'' (1994) * ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

'' (1996) series 1 only. rom series 2 the opening titles music, prominently featuring contralto vocals, was composed by John Harle * ''Turning World'' (1996) * ''When Trumpets Fade'' (1998) * ''Ghost Stories for Christmas'' (2000) * ''Longitude'' (2000) * ''The Forsyte Saga (2002 TV series), The Forsyte Saga'' (2002–2003) * ''Island at War'' (2004)

References

External links

*
Chester-Novello Biography

Geoffrey Burgon's homepage

Obituary in ''The Guardian''

BBC obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgon, Geoffrey 1941 births 2010 deaths 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers English classical composers Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama BAFTA winners (people) Ivor Novello Award winners English television composers English male composers English trumpeters Male trumpeters Musicians from Hampshire People from Hambledon, Hampshire English male classical composers 20th-century English musicians 20th-century trumpeters 21st-century trumpeters 20th-century British composers