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
Master of the King's Music (or Master of the Queen's Music, or earlier Master of the King's Musick) is a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England, directing the court orche ...
.
As a student at both the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
and 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 ...
, Davies formed a group dedicated to contemporary music called the
New Music Manchester
New Music Manchester refers to a group of English composers and performers who studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the RNCM) and Manchester University in the 1950s. The Manchester School is principally identified with the composer ...
with fellow students
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 ''Th ...
,
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. Davies’s compositions include eight works for the stage—from the
monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.
In opera
In opera, a monodrama was originally a melodrama with one role such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's '' Pygmalion'', which w ...
''
Eight Songs for a Mad King
''Eight Songs for a Mad King'' is a monodrama by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with a libretto by Randolph Stow, based on words of George III. The work was written for the South-African actor Roy Hart and the composer's ensemble, the Pierrot Player ...
'', which shocked the audience in 1969, to ''
Kommilitonen!
''Kommilitonen!'' (''Young Blood!'', or ''Student Activists'', literally ''Fellow Students!'') is an opera by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto is by David Pountney, who was also the director of the premiere performances in March 2011.
Gene ...
'', first performed in 2011—and ten
symphonies, written between 1973 and 2013.
As a conductor, Davies was artistic director of the
Dartington International Summer School
Dartington International Summer School is a summer school and festival of music held on the medieval estate of Dartington Hall and is a department of the Dartington Trust.
Operation
First established at Bryanston School in 1948 (largely throu ...
from 1979 to 1984 and associate conductor/composer with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
from 1992 to 2002, holding the latter position with 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 MediaC ...
as well.
Early life and education
Davies was born in Holly Street, Langworthy,
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, and lived in Trafford Road before moving to Wyville Drive in Swinton. He was the son of Thomas Davies, a manufacturer of optical instruments, and his wife Hilda, an amateur painter. At age four, after being taken to a performance of
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
's ''
The Gondoliers
''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...
'', he told his parents that he was going to be a composer.
He took piano lessons and composed from an early age. As a 14-year-old, he submitted a composition called ''Blue Ice'' to the radio programme ''
Children's Hour'' in Manchester. BBC producer
Trevor Hill showed it to resident singer and entertainer
Violet Carson
Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
, who said, "He's either quite brilliant or mad". Conductor
Charles Groves nodded his approval and said, "I'd get him in". Davies's rise to fame began under the careful mentorship of Hill, who made him the programme's resident composer and introduced him to various professional musicians both in the UK and Germany.
After attending
Leigh Boys Grammar School, Davies studied at the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
and at 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 ...
(amalgamated into the
Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...
in 1973), where one of his teachers was
Hedwig Stein
Hedwig Maximiliane Stein (1907-1983) was a German-British concert pianist and teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music. She was born in Jena, Thuringia, Germany on 21 October 1907 and died in Braintree, Essex, England on 11 June 1983 (age ...
; his fellow students 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 ''Th ...
,
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. Together they formed
New Music Manchester
New Music Manchester refers to a group of English composers and performers who studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the RNCM) and Manchester University in the 1950s. The Manchester School is principally identified with the composer ...
, a group committed to contemporary music. After graduating in 1956, he studied on an Italian government scholarship for a year with
Goffredo Petrassi
Goffredo Petrassi (16 July 1904 – 3 March 2003) was an Italian composer of modern classical music, conductor, and teacher. He is considered one of the most influential Italian composers of the twentieth century.Petrassi, Goffredo. (2008). ...
in Rome.
In 1959, Davies became Director of Music at
Cirencester Grammar School
Cirencester Grammar School (CGS) was a grammar school in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, founded in about 1461 and closed in 1966.
History
The principal founder of the school was John Chadworth (d. 1471), Bishop of Lincoln. He is record ...
. He left in 1962 after securing a
Harkness Fellowship
The Harkness Fellowship (previously known as the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) is a program run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. This fellowship was established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several cou ...
at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
(with the help of
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
and
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 ...
); there he studied with
Roger Sessions
Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...
,
Milton Babbitt
Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his Serialism, serial and electronic music.
Biography
Babbitt was born in Philadelphia t ...
and
Earl Kim
Earl Kim (1920–1998; née Eul Kim) was an American composer, and music pedagogue. He was of Korean–descent.
Early life, education, and training
Kim was born on January 6, 1920 in Dinuba, California, to immigrant Korean parents. He began p ...
. He then moved to Australia, where he was Composer in Residence at the
Elder Conservatorium of Music
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...
,
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
, 1965–66.
Career
Davies was known as an ''enfant terrible'' of the 1960s, whose music frequently shocked audiences and critics. One of his overtly theatrical and shocking pieces was ''
Eight Songs for a Mad King
''Eight Songs for a Mad King'' is a monodrama by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with a libretto by Randolph Stow, based on words of George III. The work was written for the South-African actor Roy Hart and the composer's ensemble, the Pierrot Player ...
'' (1969), in which he utilised "musical parody" by taking a canonical piece of music –
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...
's ''
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
'' – and subverting it to explore the periods of madness of
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
.
In 1966 Davies returned to the United Kingdom and moved to the
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
Islands, initially to
Hoy
Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the tw ...
in 1971, and later to
Sanday. Orkney (particularly its capital,
Kirkwall
Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland.
The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
) hosts the
St Magnus Festival
The St Magnus International Festival is an annual, week-long arts festival which takes place at midsummer on the islands of Orkney, off the north coast of mainland Scotland.
History and management
The festival was founded in 1977 by a group inc ...
, an arts festival founded by Davies in 1977. He frequently used the festival to premiere new works (often played by the local school orchestra).
Davies was Artistic Director of the
Dartington International Summer School
Dartington International Summer School is a summer school and festival of music held on the medieval estate of Dartington Hall and is a department of the Dartington Trust.
Operation
First established at Bryanston School in 1948 (largely throu ...
from 1979 to 1984. From 1992 to 2002 he was associate conductor/composer with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
, a position he also held with 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 MediaC ...
, and he has conducted a number of other prominent orchestras, including 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 ...
, the
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
, the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
and the
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...
. In 2000 Davies was Artist in Residence at the Barossa Music Festival when he presented some of his
music theatre
Music theatre is a performance genre that emerged over the course of the 20th century, in opposition to more conventional genres like opera and musical theatre. The term came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s to describe an avant-garde approach ...
works and worked with students from the Barossa Spring Academy. Davies is also Composer Laureate of the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and S ...
, for whom he wrote a series of ten ''Strathclyde Concertos''.
Davies was one of the first classical composers to open a
music download
A music download (commonly referred to as a digital download) is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. Thi ...
website, ''MaxOpus'' (in 1996).
He was awarded a number of honorary doctorates, including
Honorary Doctor of Music
The Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus., D.M., Mus.D. or occasionally Mus.Doc.) is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted b ...
from
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
in July 2005. He had been President of
Making Music (The National Federation of Music Societies) since 1989. Davies was made a
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1981 and
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed in 1987. He was appointed
Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the King's Music (or Master of the Queen's Music, or earlier Master of the King's Musick) is a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England, directing the court orche ...
in March 2004 but, in a break from the tradition of lifetime tenure, his appointment was limited to ten years. He was made a Freeman of the City of Salford August 2004. On 25 November 2006, he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of
Canterbury Christ Church University
, mottoeng = The truth shall set you free
, established = 2005 – gained University status 1962 – teacher training college
, type = Public
, religious_affiliation = Church of England
, city ...
at a service in
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...
. He was Visiting Professor of Composition at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
, and in 2009 became an
Honorary Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Homerton College, Cambridge
Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the co ...
. Davies received an Honorary Doctorate from
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
in 2002
Personal life
Davies was known by friends and colleagues as "Max", after his middle name "Maxwell", and was openly
homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
throughout his adult life.
Although he sometimes set sacred texts, Davies was an atheist.
In 2005 his house on Sanday was raided by police, who removed parts of a
whooper swan
The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/) (''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, pronounced ''hooper swan'', is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type specie ...
(a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act) which Davies had been planning to eat; he stated he had found the swan electrocuted beneath power lines.
In 2007, a controversy arose regarding an intended
civil partnership
A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
with Davies' partner of five years, builder Colin Parkinson. They were told that the ceremony could not take place on the
Sanday Light Railway
The Sanday Light Railway was a privately owned ridable miniature railway situated in Braeswick, on the island of Sanday, Orkney, Scotland.
The railway was of gauge. The first rails were laid down in 1999, and the line closed at the end of 20 ...
. The couple later abandoned their plans but remained together until a break-up in 2012.
The same year, the composer's ''MaxOpus'' site became temporarily unavailable after the arrest in June 2007 of Michael Arnold (one of MaxOpus's directors) on fraud charges arising from money missing from Davies's business accounts. In October 2008 Arnold and his wife Judith (Davies's former agent) were charged with the theft of almost £450,000. In November 2009, Michael Arnold was sentenced to 18 months in jail on a charge of false accounting. Charges of stealing against the couple, to which both had pleaded not guilty, were dropped when the prosecution offered no evidence. MaxOpus was relaunched earlier in 2009.
Davies was appointed
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour
The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...
(CH) in the
2014 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...
for "services to music". He died from leukaemia on 14 March 2016, aged 81, at his home in Orkney.
Political views
Davies was a life-long supporter of gay rights and a Vice-President of the
Campaign for Homosexual Equality
The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) is a membership organisation in the United Kingdom with a stated aim from 1969 to promote legal and social equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in England and Wales. Active throughout the 1970s ...
.
Davies had a keen interest in
environmentalism
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...
. He wrote ''
The Yellow Cake Revue'', a collection of
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
-style pieces that he performed with actress
Eleanor Bron
Eleanor Bron (born 14 March 1938) is an English stage, film and television actress, and an author. Her film roles include Ahme in the Beatles musical ''Help!'' (1965), the Doctor in ''Alfie'' (1966), Margaret Spencer in '' Bedazzled'' (1967), an ...
, in protest at plans to mine
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
ore in Orkney. It is from this suite of pieces that his famous
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
''chanson triste''
interlude
Interlude may refer to:
*a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production
*''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production
*a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...
''Farewell to Stromness'' is taken. The slow, walking bass line that pervades the ''Farewell'' portrays the residents of the town of
Stromness
Stromness (, non, Straumnes; nrn, Stromnes) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital.
E ...
having to leave their homes as a result of uranium contamination. The ''Revue'' was first performed at the St Magnus Festival, in Orkney, by Bron, with the composer at the piano, in June 1980. Stromness, the second largest town in Orkney, would have been two miles from the uranium mine's core, and the centre most threatened by pollution, had the proposed development been approved.
In the run-up to the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in 2003 he marched in protest, and he was an outspoken critic of the Labour governments of both
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
and
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
.
Davies's appointment to the post of Master of the Queen's Music was initially controversial, as he had expressed
republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
views. However, he confirmed in 2010 that contact with the Queen had converted him to
monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
. He told ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', "I have come to realise that there is a lot to be said for the monarchy. It represents continuity, tradition and stability."
He was a member of the
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...
(BASCA)
and the
Incorporated Society of Musicians
The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK and Ireland's professional body for musicians representing over 11,000 individuals across all areas of the music industry. The ISM is also a subject association for music education and is an ind ...
.
Music
Davies was a prolific composer who wrote in a variety of styles and idioms over his career, often combining disparate styles in one piece. Early works include the ''Trumpet Sonata'' (1955), written while he was at college, and his first orchestral work, ''Prolation'' (1958), written while under the tutelage of Petrassi. Early works often use
serial techniques (for example ''Sinfonia'' for chamber orchestra, 1962), sometimes combined with Mediaeval and Renaissance compositional methods. Fragments of
plainsong
Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgy, liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in La ...
are often used as basic source material to be adapted and developed. His "O Magnum Mysterium" (1960) features on several YouTube clips, and was, for some time, his most talked-about work.
Pieces from the late 1960s take up these techniques and tend towards the
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
and to have a violent character. These include ''Revelation and Fall'' (based on a poem by
Georg Trakl
Georg Trakl (3 February 1887 – 3 November 1914) was an Austrian poet and the brother of the pianist Grete Trakl. He is considered one of the most important Austrian Expressionists. He is perhaps best known for his poem " Grodek", which he wr ...
), the music theatre pieces ''
Eight Songs for a Mad King
''Eight Songs for a Mad King'' is a monodrama by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with a libretto by Randolph Stow, based on words of George III. The work was written for the South-African actor Roy Hart and the composer's ensemble, the Pierrot Player ...
'' and ''Vesalii Icones'', and the opera ''
Taverner''. ''Taverner'', again, shows an interest in Renaissance music, taking as its subject the composer
John Taverner
John Taverner ( – 18 October 1545) was an English composer and organist, regarded as one of the most important English composers of his era. He is best-known for ''Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas'' and ''The Western Wynde Mass'', and ''Missa Coro ...
, and consisting of parts resembling Renaissance forms. The orchestral piece ''St Thomas Wake'' (1969) shows this interest and is a particularly obvious example of Davies's polystylism. It combines a suite of
foxtrot
The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...
s (played by a twenties-style dance band), a
pavane
The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).
The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...
by
John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
and Davies' "own" music (the work is described by Davies as a "Foxtrot for orchestra on a pavan by John Bull"). Many works from this period were performed by the Pierrot Players, which Davies founded with Harrison Birtwistle in 1967; they were reformed as the
Fires of London
The Fires of London, founded as the Pierrot Players, was a British chamber music ensemble which was active from 1965 to 1987.
The Pierrot Players was founded by Harrison Birtwistle, Alan Hacker, and Stephen Pruslin.''Who’s Who 1975'', page 13 ...
in 1970, then disbanded in 1987.
After his move to Orkney, Davies often drew on Orcadian or more generally Scottish themes in his music, and has sometimes set the words of Orcadian writer
George Mackay Brown
George Mackay Brown (17 October 1921 – 13 April 1996) was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist with a distinctly Orcadian character. He is widely regarded as one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century.
Biography Early life and caree ...
. He has written a number of other operas, including ''
The Martyrdom of St Magnus
''The Martyrdom of St Magnus'' is a chamber opera in one act (with nine scenes) by the British composer Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto, by Davies himself, is based on the novel ''Magnus'' by George Mackay Brown. The opera was first performe ...
'' (1976), ''
The Lighthouse'' (1980, his most popular opera), and ''
The Doctor of Myddfai'' (1996). The ambitious, nihilistic parable ''
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
'' (1987), which includes parts for a rock band, was nearly twenty years in gestation.
Davies was interested in classical forms, completing his first
symphony
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 ...
in 1976. He wrote ten numbered symphonies – a symphonic cycle of the Symphonies Nos.1–7 (1976–2000), a Symphony No. 8 titled the ''Antarctic'' (2000), a Ninth Symphony (premiered on 9 June 2012 by the Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra), a Tenth Symphony (see below), a Sinfonia Concertante (1982), as well as the series of ten ''
Strathclyde Concertos'' for various instruments (pieces born out of his association with the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and S ...
, 1987–1996). In 2002, he began work on a series of
string quartet
The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...
s for the
Maggini String Quartet
The Maggini Quartet is a British string quartet. Its members are Julian Leaper (Violin 1), Ciaran McCabe (Violin 2), Martin Outram (Viola) and Michal Kaznowski (Cello).
Formed in 1988, the Quartet is known for championing the British repertoir ...
to record on
Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
(the ''
Naxos Quartets
The Naxos Quartets are a series of ten string quartets by the English composer Peter Maxwell Davies.
They were written between 2001 and 2007 to a commission from Naxos Records. In 2001 the Maggini Quartet was appointed to record all ten for the ...
''). The whole series was completed in 2007, and was viewed by the composer as a "novel in ten chapters".
Davies's lighter orchestral works have included ''Mavis in Las Vegas'' (a title inspired by a Las Vegas hotelier's mishearing of "Maxwell Davies" and registering him as "Mavis") and ''
An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise'' (which features the
bagpipes
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...
), as well as a number of theatre pieces for children and a good deal of music with educational purposes. Additionally he wrote the scores for
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...
's films ''
The Devils'' and ''
The Boy Friend''. His Violin Concerto No. 2 received its UK premiere on 8 September 2009 (the composer's 75th birthday) in the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
, London, as part of the 2009 season of
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 ...
.
On 13 October 2009, his string sextet ''The Last Island'' was first performed by the
Nash Ensemble
The Nash Ensemble of London is an English chamber ensemble. It was founded by Artistic Director Amelia Freedman and Rodney Slatford in 1964, while they were students at the Royal Academy of Music, and was named after the Nash Terraces around ...
at
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...
in a 75th birthday concert for the composer. His Symphony No. 10 had its world premiere at the
Barbican Hall
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibi ...
,
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 ...
on 2 February 2014.
''Throstle's Nest Junction'', opus 181 (1996), and ''A Spell for Green Corn – The MacDonald Dances'' both had their London premiere at the BBC's Maida Vale studios, broadcast live on Radio 3 with the composer's participation on 19 June 2014, in celebration of his 80th birthday. The music was played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and presented by
Petroc Trelawny
James Edward Petroc Trelawny (born 27 May 1971) is a British classical music radio and television broadcaster. Since 1998 he has been a presenter on BBC Radio 3.
Career
James Edward Petroc Trelawny was born in Worcester and grew up in the Mene ...
.
![Companion of Honour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Companion_of_Honour.jpg)
The last months of his life, as he struggled with terminal illness, showed continuing creative power and energy. There was The Hogboon (op. 335, a children's opera), the epiphany carol A Torrent of Gold, and the short choral work The Golden Solstice. He was working on a String Quartet (op.338) at the time of his death; only the first movement was completed.
Career highlights
*1953–58 – studied in Manchester and Rome.
*1967 – together with
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 ''Th ...
, founded the contemporary music touring ensemble the
Pierrot Players
The Fires of London, founded as the Pierrot Players, was a British chamber music ensemble which was active from 1965 to 1987.
The Pierrot Players was founded by Harrison Birtwistle, Alan Hacker, and Stephen Pruslin.''Who’s Who 1975'', page 13 ...
(later renamed The Fires of London).
*1971 – moved to
Hoy
Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the tw ...
in the Orkney Islands.
*1977 – founded the
St Magnus Festival
The St Magnus International Festival is an annual, week-long arts festival which takes place at midsummer on the islands of Orkney, off the north coast of mainland Scotland.
History and management
The festival was founded in 1977 by a group inc ...
.
*1987 – knighted.
*1987–96 – wrote the ten
Strathclyde Concertos for the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) is an Edinburgh-based UK chamber orchestra. One of Scotland's five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and S ...
.
*2001–07 – wrote a
cycle of ten string quartets, commissioned by
Naxos
Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...
.
*2004 – appointed
Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the King's Music (or Master of the Queen's Music, or earlier Master of the King's Musick) is a post in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. The holder of the post originally served the monarch of England, directing the court orche ...
.
*2005 – the Honorary Doctorate of Music conferred by the University of Oxford.
*2008 – became Patron of the Manchester University Music Society (MUMS).
*2009 – became an
Honorary Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Homerton College, Cambridge
Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the co ...
.
*2014 – appointed to the Order of Companions of Honour.
*2015 – awarded the Gold Medal of the
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
.
Selected compositions
* ''First Taverner Fantasia'' (1962)
* ''Second Taverner Fantasia'' (1964)
* ''Revelation and Fall'' (1966)
* ''
Worldes Blis'' (1966–69)
* ''St Thomas Wake'' (1969)
* ''
Eight Songs for a Mad King
''Eight Songs for a Mad King'' is a monodrama by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with a libretto by Randolph Stow, based on words of George III. The work was written for the South-African actor Roy Hart and the composer's ensemble, the Pierrot Player ...
'' (1968; for singer/narrator/actor and chamber ensemble)
* ''Missa super l'homme armé'' (1968, rev. 1971; for male or female speaker or singer and ensemble)
*''Stone Litany'' (1973)
* ''Ave Maris Stella'' (1975; chamber ensemble)
* ''The Door of the Sun'' for Viola Solo, J.132 (1975)
*
Symphony No. 1 (1973–76; orchestra)
*''
The Martyrdom of St Magnus
''The Martyrdom of St Magnus'' is a chamber opera in one act (with nine scenes) by the British composer Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto, by Davies himself, is based on the novel ''Magnus'' by George Mackay Brown. The opera was first performe ...
'' (1977;
chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...
)
* ''
The Lighthouse'' (1979; chamber opera)
* ''Black Pentecost'' (1979; for mezzo-soprano, baritone, & orchestra)
* ''Cinderella'' (1980; children's opera)
*
Symphony No. 2 (1980)
*
The Yellow Cake Review
''The Yellow Cake Revue'' is a musical composition for piano and voice. Peter Maxwell Davies composed the piece in 1980. He first performed it at the Stromness Hotel, in Stromness, Orkney, as part of the 1980 St Magnus Festival—a summer a ...
(1980), including ''Farewell to Stromness''
* ''Image, Reflection, Shadow'' (1982; ensemble)
*
Symphony No. 3 (1984)
* ''
An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise'' (1985; orchestra)
* Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1985; dedicated to
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist.
Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...
who gave the first performance on 21 June 1986 at the St. Magnus Festival in the Orkney Islands)
*
Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1988)
*
Symphony No. 4 (1989)
* ''
Caroline Mathilde'' (1991; ballet)
*
''Strathclyde'' Concerto No. 3 for horn, trumpet, and symphony orchestra, (German Premiere: Markus Wittgens, horn / Otto Sauter, trumpet / Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Bremen / Conductor: Peter Maxwell Davies – Bremen) (1994)
*
''Strathclyde'' Concerto No. 5 for violin, viola, and string orchestra, J.245 (1991)
* ''A Spell for Green Corn: The MacDonald Dances'' (1993; violin, orchestra)
*
Symphony No. 5 (1994)
*''
The Doctor of Myddfai'' (1996; opera)
*
Symphony No. 6 (1996)
* Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra (1996, opus 182)
* ''Job'' (1997; singers, orchestra)
* ''
Mr Emmet Takes a Walk'' (2000; chamber opera)
*
Symphony No. 7 (2000)
*
Symphony No. 8 (''Antarctic'' Symphony) (2001)
* ''
Naxos Quartets
The Naxos Quartets are a series of ten string quartets by the English composer Peter Maxwell Davies.
They were written between 2001 and 2007 to a commission from Naxos Records. In 2001 the Maggini Quartet was appointed to record all ten for the ...
'' (2001–2007; string quartet)
* ''Homerton'' (2010; for the choir of Homerton College, Cambridge)
* ''
Kommilitonen!
''Kommilitonen!'' (''Young Blood!'', or ''Student Activists'', literally ''Fellow Students!'') is an opera by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto is by David Pountney, who was also the director of the premiere performances in March 2011.
Gene ...
'' (2011; opera)
*
Symphony No. 9 (2012)
*
Symphony No. 10 (''Alla ricerca di Borromini'') (2013)
Recordings
* ''Naxos Quartets'' – Maggini Quartet – Naxos 5-CD set 8.505225
* ''Mass; Missa parvula; two organ pieces; two motets'' – Hyperion CDA67454
* ''Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis'' and ''O Sacrum Convivium'' – Delphian DCD34037
* ''Symphonies 1–6'' – BBC Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic / composer – Collins Classics
* ''Ave Maris Stella; Image, Reflection, Shadow; Runes from a Holy Island'' – Fires of London / composer –
Unicorn-Kanchana
Unicorn-Kanchana is a British independent record label founded by John Goldsmith (died 2020), a former London police officer. Originally known as Unicorn Records, the name Kanchana was added later to distinguish the company from Unicorn Digital ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
*
* :
Sean Shibe
Sean Shibe ( ; born 1992) is a classical and electric guitarist from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is of English and Japanese ancestry. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (and was the youngest student to enter the then Royal Scotti ...
(solo guitar)
A portrait in wordsof the composer by Stephen Moss in
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
The Profile Page of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies at Schott Music ltdSir Peter Maxwell Davies's homepage at Chester MusicPeter Maxwell Davies at Boosey & Hawkes*
*
*
Peter Maxwell Davies' biographyo
Cdmcwebsite
* Andrew Clements
Maxwell Davies: Revelation & Fall; Leopardi Fragments; Five Pieces Op 2; Birtwistle: Tragoedia, Ogdon/ Thomas/ Philips/Pierrot Players/ Melos Ensemble/ Carewe/ Davies/ FosterThe Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, 29 October 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Peter Maxwell
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