Peter Dickinson (born 15 November 1934) is an English composer,

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

, author, and pianist,Baker's 20th Century Composers, p. 317 best known for his experimental musical compositions and writings on American music.

Biography

He was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, and studied organ at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, where he was a student of Philip Radcliffe.Grove online In 1958 he became a student at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

in New York City, and studied with

Bernard Wagenaar Bernard Wagenaar (July 18, 1894 – May 19, 1971) was a Dutch-American composer, conductor and violinist. Wagenaar was born in Arnhem. He studied at Utrecht University before starting his career as a teacher and conductor in 1914. He moved to ...

, and encountered the works of experimental composers such as Cowell,

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...

, and Edgard Varèse. Returning to England in 1962, he established courses in

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

and experimental music at the College of St. Mark and St. John, Chelsea. After a lectureship at Birmingham (1966–1970), he became the first professor of music at

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

in 1974, where he created an important center for the study of American music. He held that position until 1984. He served as chair of music at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wo ...

, University of London from 1991 to 1997, and in 1996 became a Fellow and head of music at the Institute of United States Studies in London. In July 1964 he married Bridget Jane Tomkinson, and they have two sons. As a pianist, he has often performed works by Charles Ives with his sister, mezzo-soprano Meriel Dickinson, reflecting his affinity for that composer. He has also accompanied several acclaimed instrumentalists, such as violinist Ralph Holmes and oboist Sarah Francis. He has also made several international lecture-recital tours. In 1980 he became a founding member of the Association of Professional Composers and was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts a year later. He has also been a board member of Trinity College of Music since 1984 and a member of the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sig ...

since 1985. He is also chair of the Bernarr Rainbow Trust, a charity set up in 1997 for the benefit of music education.

Music

His musical compositions include experimental and aleatoric elements, and are compared to works by Stravinsky,

Ives Ives is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alice Emma Ives (1876–1930), American dramatist, journalist * Burl Ives (1909–1995), American singer, author and actor * Charles Ives (1874–1954), Amer ...

and

Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conse ...

. Other influences include the music of John Cage,Morton, Contemporary Composers, p. 227 as well as

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

, blues, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

.Baker's Biographical 20th Century, p. 317 He layers both serious and popular musical styles together to create what he calls a ''style modulation''. The composer explained his interest in combining musical styles: "Ever since hearing live performances of Charles Ives in New York in the late 1950s and first meeting John Cage there, I have been interested in the effect of hearing different types of music simultaneously." His layering is achieved in a different manner to

William Bolcom William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. He ...

's "aggressively parodic and deconstructive manner", using more of a "genuine warmth of enthusiasm for the material he is exploiting which suggests something closer to a homage.", The core of Dickinson's output is the set of three concertos, for organ, piano and violin. The Organ Concerto was written for the 1971

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 ...

. The Piano Concerto (dedicated to the soloist

Howard Shelley Howard Gordon Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. He was married to fellow pianist Hilary Macnamara (her death), with whom he has performed and recor ...

) was commissioned by the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Ra ...

and first performed on July 22, 1984, at Cheltenham Town Hall, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by

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 hi ...

. The Violin Concerto was commissioned by the BBC and first performed and broadcast on 27 March 1987 by the BBC Philhamonic Orchestra, soloist Ernst Kovacic, conducted by

Bryden Thomson Bryden Thomson (16 July 1928 – 14 November 1991) was a Scottish conductor remembered especially for his championship of British and Scandinavian composers. His recordings include influential surveys of the orchestral music of Hamilton Harty a ...

. It was recorded for the first time by the BBC in 2014 to mark the composer's 80th birthday by

Chloe Hanslip Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...

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 ...

conducted by Clark Rundell. All three are concentrated works, in single movement form and (like much of Dickinson's music) all three have connections with popular music. The Organ Concerto includes a blues song, there's a rag in the Piano Concerto, and the Violin Concerto's opening theme combines Beethoven with a waltz and a 1930s popular song. His instrumental compositions are for a great variety of musical ensembles, from full orchestra to a single instrument, and there are many keyboard works. He has also composed many songs for solo voice and pieces for various choral ensembles. His modern works for

historical instruments In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authenti ...

are notable. He has composed for better-known historical instruments such as

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

and harpsichord, as well as for less-familiar ones, such as the

clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was mostly used as a practice instrument and as an aid to compositi ...

and

baryton The baryton is a bowed string instrument similar to the viol, but distinguished by an extra set of sympathetic but also pluckable strings. It was in regular use in Europe until the end of the 18th century. Design The baryton can be viewed as a ...

. In contrast to the use of these instruments, he has also added electronic sounds to some works.

Writing

As a prolific writer, he has often shown his varied interests in American music. He wrote a series of articles on improvisation in 1964, and more recently has discussed

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

, coining the term 'style modulation' to describe the weaving together of serious and popular or past and present music. The term can be applied to his own music, which adds a mix of ragtime, jazz, serial music, and even electronic playback to more traditional types of instrumental musical forms.

Musical compositions

Vocal music ''Stage works'' *The Judas Tree (music theatre, T. Blackburn), actors, 2 T, chorus, brass, perc, str, 1965 ''Choral works'' *Jesus Christ is Risen

orn Orn or ORN may refer to: *Orn (name), a given name and surname * ''Orn'', the second book in Piers Anthony's trilogy Of Man and Manta * Offshoring Research Network, an international network researching the offshoring of business processes and ser ...

Today, SATB, 1955 *Mag and Nunc, unison chorus, organ, 1963 *2 Motets (Blackburn): John, Mark, ATB, 1963, rev. SATB, 1990 *Christmas is Coming, SATB, 1964 *4 Poems ( Gerard Manly Hopkins), Bar soloists, chorus, org, 1964 *Mass, SATB, 1965 *When I was a Sailor, chorus, 2 insts, perc, 1965 *For the Nativity, SATB, 1966 *Martin of Tours (Blackburn), T, Bar, chorus 2vv, chbr org, pf duet, 1966 *3 Complaints, unison chorus, insts, perc, 1966 *The Dry Heart (A. Porter), SATB, 1967 *Communion Service, 2 pt chorus, org, 1968 *Outcry (W. Blake, J. Clare, T. Hardy), A, SATB, orch, 1968 *Late Afternoon in November (Dickinson), 16 solo vv, 1975 *A Mass of the Apocalypse, SATB, spkr, perc, pf, 1984 *Tiananmen 1989, double SATB, tubular bells, 1990 ''Solo vocal'' *Four Songs (

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

), S, pf, 1956 *A Dylan Thomas Cycle, Bar, pf, 1959 *Let the Florid Music, T, pf, 1960 *Three Comic Songs (

), T, pf, 1960, rev. 1972 *An

e. e. cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

cycle, Mez, pf, 1965 *somewhere i have never travelled (

)Mez, pf, 1965 *Elegy (Swinburne), Ct, vc, hpd, 1966 *A Red, Red Rose (Burns), Mez, pf, 1967 rom ''Songs in Blue''*4 Poems (A. Porter), Ct, hpd, 1967 *Extravaganzas (G. Corso), Mez, pf, 1970 *So We'll go no more A-Roving (Byron), Mez, pf, 1971 n ''Songs in Blue'' *Winter Afternoons (

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, Massac ...

), 6 solo vv, db, 1971 *Surrealist Landscape (Lord Berners), Ct/Mez, pf, tape *Lust (St. Augustine, Dickinson), 6 solo vv, 1974 *A Memory of David Munrow (wordless), 2 Ct, 2 rec, va da gamba, hpd, 1977 *Schubert in Blue (

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

), Mez, pf, 1977 fter_Franz_Schubert;_in_''Songs_in_Blue''.html" ;"title="Franz_Schubert.html" ;"title="fter Franz Schubert">fter Franz Schubert; in ''Songs in Blue''">Franz_Schubert.html" ;"title="fter Franz Schubert">fter Franz Schubert; in ''Songs in Blue''*Songs in Blue, med voice, pf, 1977 *Reminiscences, Mez, sax, pf, 1978 *The Unicorns (J. Heath-Stubbs), S, brass band, 1982 *Stevie's Tunes (S. Smith), Mez, pf, 1984 *Larkin's Jazz, spkr/Bar, fl + a fl, cl + b cl + E cl, s sax, tpt, vc, pf, perc, 1989 *Summoned by Mother (J. Betjeman), Mez, hp, 1991 *Three Carols, SSA, 1997 Instrumental works ''Orchestral works'' *Vitalitas, 1959/1960 *Monologue, strings, 1959 *Five Diversions, 1969 *Satie Transformations (based on Trois Gnossiennes), 1970 *Concerto for strings, percussion, and Electronic organ, 1971 [withdrawn] *Organ Concerto, 1971 *A Birthday Surprise (Three variations on Happy Birthday to You), 1979 *Piano Concerto, 1984 *Violin Concerto, 1986 *Jigsaws, chamber orchestra, 1988 *Merseyside Echoes, 1988 Chamber and solo instrumental *Fantasy, cl, pf, 1956; *Threnody, vc, pf, 1956 *String Quartet no. 1, 1958 *Air, fl, 1959 *Fantasia, vn, 1959 *3 Juilliard Dances, fl, cl, bn, tpt, trombones, perc, pf, vc, 1959 *Sonata, vn, pf, 1961 *Baroque Trio, fl, ob, hpd, 1962 *4 Duos, fl/ob, vc, 1962 *Music for Oboe and Chamber Organ, 1962 *Sonatina, solo bassoon, 1966 *Fanfares and Elegies, 3 tpt, 3 trombones, org, 1967 *Metamorphosis, fl, 1971 *Translations, recorder, bass viol, harpsichord, 1971 *Recorder Music, recorder, tape, 1973 *String Quartet no.2, with tape/pf, 1975 *Solo for Baryton, tape/b viol/

, 1976 *Aria, ob, cl, bn, hn, 1977 *Lullaby, ob/cl, pf, 1982 *The Unicorns, brass band, 1984 rr. of vocal work 1982–1984 *American Trio (Hymns, Rags and Blues), vn, cl, pf, 1985 *London Rags, 2 tpt, hn, trombones, tuba, 1986 *Auden Studies, ob, pf, 1988 *Cellars Clough Duo, 2 guitars, 1988 *5 Explorations, guitar, 1989 *Suffolk Variations, guitar, 1992 *Swansongs, vc, pf, 1993 *Celebration Trio, vn, cl, pf, 2009 *Bach in Blue, vn, cl, pf, 2012 *Three Early Pieces, arr. recorder, piano, 2012 ''Keyboard'' *A Cambridge Postlude, organ, 1953 *Postlude on ''Adeste Fideles'', organ, 1954 *Toccata, organ, 1955 *Vitalitas Variations, piano, 1957, orchestrated for ballet, 1959 *Variations on a French Folk Tune, harpsichord, 1957 *Meditation on ''Murder in the Cathedral'', organ, 1958 *Study in Pianissimo, organ, 1959 *Paraphrase 1, organ, 1967 *Paraphrase 2, piano, 1967 *Satie Transformations, piano, 1970 *Suite for the Centenary of Lord Berners,

, 1972 *Conc. Rag, piano, 1973, rev. 1984 *Piano Blues, 1973 *Quartet Rag, piano, 1975 *Blue Rose, piano, 1979 *Hymn-Tune Rag, piano, 1985 *Wild Rose Rag, piano, 1985 *Blue Rose Variations, organ, 1985 *Patriotic Rag, piano, 1986 *Sonatas for piano, piano & tape playback, 1987 *A Millennium Fanfare, organ, 1999 *Bach in Blue, piano, 2004

Written publications

*'Charles Ives 1874–1954', MT, cv (1964), 347–9 *'Improvisation', MT, cv (1964), 294–5, 377–8, 538–9, 612–13, 688–9, 766–7 *'John Cage', Music and Musicians, xiv/3 (1965–66), 32–4, 54 only, 56 only *'Erik Satie (1866–1925)', MR, xxviii (1967), 139–46 *'A New Perspective for Ives', MT, cxv (1974), 836–8 *ed.: American Music: Keele 1975 *ed.: Twenty British Composers (London, 1975) ncl. ‘Transformations of Erik Satie’, p. 47*'A Note on Some Recent Works', MT, cxviii (1977), 559 only n Dickinson's works*'Recent Research on American Musical Traditions', IMSCR XII: Berkeley 1977, 353–82 *‘The Achievement of Ragtime: an Introductory Study with some Implications for British Research in Popular Music’, PRMA, cv (1978–79), 63–76 *‘Lord Berners, 1883–1950’, MT, cxxiv (1983), 669–72 *‘William Schumann: an American Symphonist at 75’, MT, cxxvi (1985), 457–8 *‘Stein, Satie, Cummings, Thomson, Berners, Cage: Toward a Context for the Music of Virgil Thomson’, MQ, lxxii (1986), 394–409 *‘Directors of a Decade’, MT, cxxviii (1987), 15–17 *The Music of Lennox Berkeley (London, 1988; 2nd enlarged edition Woodbridge, 2003) *‘The American Concerto’, A Companion to the Concerto, ed. R. Layton (New York, 1989), 305–325 *‘Style-Modulation: an Approach to Stylistic Pluralism’, MT, cxxx (1989), 208–11 *‘Virgil Thomson (1896–1989)’, MT, cxxxi (1990), 31 only *‘Nationalism is Not Enough: a Composer's Perspective’, Music and Nationalism in 20th-Century Great Britain and Finland, ed. T. Mäkelä (Hamburg, 1997), 27–34 *Marigold: the Music of Billy Mayerl (Oxford, 1999) *Copland Connotations: Studies and Interviews (Woodbridge, 2002) *CageTalk: Dialogues with & about John Cage (Rochester, NY, 2006) *Lord Berners: Composer, writer, Painter (Woodbridge, 2008) *Samuel Barber Remembered (Rochester, NY, 2010) *Lennox Berkeley and Friends: Writings, Letters and Interviews (Woodbridge, 2012) *Words and Music (Woodbridge, 2016) *Many other articles and reviews in the ''Musical Times'', ''Music and Letters'', ''The Musical Quarterly'', ''The Independent'', ''The Times Literary Supplement'', Musical Opinion and ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' Supplement''Morton, Contemporary Composers, p. 226

Footnotes

References

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