William Alwyn (born William Alwyn Smith; 7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985), was an English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, conductor, and music teacher.

Life and music

William Alwyn was born William Alwyn Smith in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, the son of Ada Tyler (Tompkins) and William James Smith. He showed an early interest in music and began to learn to play the

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

. At the age of 15 he entered 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 ...

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 ...

where he studied

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

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 ...

. He was a virtuoso flautist and for a time was a flautist with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. Alwyn served as professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1926 to 1955.Mervyn Cooke, "Alwyn, William", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001). Alwyn was a distinguished

polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingualism, monolingual speakers in the World population, world's pop ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, and

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

, as well as musician. In 1948 he became a member of the

Savile Club The Savile Club is a traditional London gentlemen's club founded in 1868. Located in fashionable and historically significant Mayfair, its membership, past and present, include many prominent names. Changing premises Initially calling itself th ...

in London. He helped found the Composers' Guild of Great Britain (now merged into 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 ...

), and was its chairman in 1949, 1950 and 1954. He was also sometime Director of the

Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) is an organisation that collects royalties and protects rights for music publisher, song writer and composer members, when their music is reproduced, in any format – including online, physical a ...

, a Vice-President of the

Society for the Promotion of New Music The Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM), originally named The Committee for the Promotion of New Music, was founded in January 1943 in London by the émigré composer Francis Chagrin, to promote the creation and performance of new music in ...

(S.P.N.M.) and Director of the

Performing Right Society PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertake ...

. For many years he was one of the panel engaged by the BBC to read new scores to help assess whether the works should be performed and broadcast. He was appointed a CBE in 1978 in recognition of his services to music. His compositional output was varied and large and included five symphonies, four operas, several concertos, film scores and string quartets. Alwyn wrote over 70 film scores from 1941 to 1962. His classic film scores included ''

Green for Danger ''Green for Danger'' is a popular 1944 detective novel by British writer Christianna Brand, praised for its clever plot, interesting characters, and wartime hospital setting. It was made into a 1946 film which is regarded by film historians ...

'', ''

Odd Man Out ''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade polic ...

'', ''

Desert Victory ''Desert Victory'' is a 1943 film produced by the British Ministry of Information, documenting the Allies' North African campaign against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps. This documentary traces the struggle between General Erw ...

'', ''

Fires Were Started ''Fires Were Started'' is a 1943 British film written and directed by Humphrey Jennings. Filmed in documentary style, it shows the lives of firefighters through the Blitz during the Second World War. The film uses actual firemen (including Cyril ...

'', '' The History of Mr. Polly'', '' The Fallen Idol'', ''

The Black Tent ''The Black Tent'' is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel (actor), Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence. It is set in North Africa, during the Second Wor ...

'', ''

The Way Ahead ''The Way Ahead'' (also known as ''Immortal Battalion'') (1944) is a British Second World War drama film directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov. The film stars David Niven, Stanley Holloway and Willi ...

'', ''

The True Glory ''The True Glory'' (1945) is a co-production of the US Office of War Information and the British Ministry of Information, documenting the victory on the Western Front, from Normandy to the collapse of the Third Reich. Although many individuals ...

'' and ''

The Crimson Pirate ''The Crimson Pirate'' is a 1952 British-American international co-production Technicolor tongue-in-cheek comedy-adventure film from Warner Bros. produced by Norman Deming and Harold Hecht, directed by Robert Siodmak, and starring Burt Lancaste ...

''. Some of the scores have been lost, although many scores and sketches are now in the William Alwyn Archive at Cambridge University Library. In recent years CD recordings have been made. Some works, for which only fragmentary sketches remained, were reconstructed by Philip Lane or

Christopher Palmer Christopher Francis Palmer (9 September 194622 January 1995) was an English composer, arranger and orchestrator; biographer of composers, champion of lesser-known composers and writer on film music and other musical subjects; record producer; and ...

from the film soundtracks themselves.Philip Lane, "Reconstructing Film Scores", ''William Alwyn Society Newsletter'' (December 1997). Alwyn relished dissonance, and devised his own alternative to twelve-tone serialism. For instance, in his third symphony (1955–56), eight notes of the possible twelve are used in the first movement, with the remaining four (D, E, F, and A) constituting the middle movement, and all twelve being combined for the finale. The work was premièred on the 10th of October 1956 at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

by Sir

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

. Alwyn's concerto for

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

and string orchestra, ''Lyra Angelica'', was popularized when the American

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

Michelle Kwan Michelle Wingshan Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is a retired competitive figure skater and diplomat serving as United States Ambassador to Belize. In figure skating Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist (silver in 1998, bronze in 2002), a five-time ...

performed to it at the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

. William Alwyn spent the last twenty-five years of his life at Lark Rise, Dunwich Road,

Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split ...

, Suffolk, where he composed his Concerto Grosso no. 3 (1964) two operas, ''Juan, or the Libertine'' and ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' and his last major orchestral work, Symphony No. 5 ''Hydriotaphia'' (1972–73). Alwyn recorded his five symphonies as conductor for the

Lyrita Lyrita is a British European classical music, classical music record label, specializing in the works of List of British classical composers, British composers. Lyrita began releasing LP album, LPs in October 1959 as Lyrita Recorded Edition f ...

label in the 1970s, recordings which have since been reissued on CD. Most of Alwyn's orchestral and chamber music has more recently been recorded on CD for

Chandos Records Chandos Records is a British independent classical music recording company based in Colchester. It was founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

conducted by

Richard Hickox Richard Sidney Hickox (5 March 1948 – 23 November 2008) was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music. Early life Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family. After attending the Royal Gram ...

. Alwyn's opera ''

'' has been recorded twice: for Lyrita, and in 2019 for Chandos conducted by

Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...

Personal life

He was married first to Olive Mary Audrey (Pull).John C. Dressler: William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide
(Chapter 4: ''Olive'', p. 35) ''books.google.ca'', Retrieved 14 December 2020 He died in

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

, Suffolk, in 1985. Alwyn was survived by his second wife, the composer

Doreen Carwithen Doreen Mary Carwithen (15 November 19225 January 2003) was a British composer of classical and film music. She was also known as Mary Alwyn following her marriage to William Alwyn. Biography Doreen Carwithen was born at 8, High Street, Haddenham, ...

. His great-grandson is the actor

Joe Alwyn Joseph Matthew Alwyn (born 21 February 1991) is an English actor. He made his feature film debut as the titular character in Ang Lee's 2016 war drama, '' Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk,'' and has since played supporting roles in films such as ...

Selected works

;Stage * ''The Fairy Fiddler'', opera (1922) * ''Fedelma'', mime ballet in one scene (February 1931); libretto:

Padraic Colum Padraic Colum (8 December 1881 – 11 January 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival. Early life Col ...

, choreography:

Ninette de Valois Dame Ninette de Valois (born Edris Stannus; 6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer, and director of classical ballet. Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russ ...

; costumes: Dolly Travers-Smith;

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

Dublin * ''Farewell, Companions'',

Radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...

(1955); libretto by H.A.L. Craig * ''Juan, or The Libertine'', opera in 4 acts (1965–1971); libretto by the composer freely adapted from

James Elroy Flecker James Elroy Flecker (5 November 1884 – 3 January 1915) was a British novelist and playwright. As a poet, he was most influenced by the Parnassian poets. Biography Herman Elroy Flecker was born on 5 November 1884 in Lewisham, London, to Willia ...

's play ''Don Juan'' and other works * ''

'', opera in 2 acts (1972–1976); libretto by the composer after the 1888 play by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

;Orchestral * Five Preludes (1927) * ''Aphrodite in Aulis'', Eclogue after George Moore for small orchestra (1932) * ''The Innumerable Dance'', an English Overture (1933) * ''Tragic Interlude'' for 2 horns, timpani and string orchestra (1936) * ''Overture to a Masque'' (1940) * Concerto Grosso No. 1 in B major (1942) * Score for ''Country Town'' (1943) * ''Suite of Scottish Dances'' for small orchestra (1946) * Concerto Grosso No. 2 in G major for string quartet and string orchestra (1948) * Symphony No. 1 (1948–1949) * ''Festival March'' (1951) * ''The Magic Island'', Symphonic Prelude (1952) * Symphony No. 2 (1953) * Symphony No. 3 (1955–1956) * ''Elizabethan Dances'' (1956–1957) * ''Fanfare for a Joyful Occasion'' for brass and percussion (1958) * Symphony No. 4 (1959) * ''Derby Day'', Overture (1960) * Concerto Grosso No. 3 (1964) * Sinfonietta o. 1for string orchestra (1970) * Symphony No. 5 ''Hydriotaphia'' (1972–1973) * Sinfonietta No. 2 for string orchestra (1976) ;Band * ''The Moor of Venice'', Overture for brass band (1956) ;Concertante * Piano Concerto No. 1 (1930) * Violin Concerto (1939) * ''Pastoral Fantasia'' for viola and string orchestra (1939) * Concerto for oboe, harp and strings (1944) * ''Autumn Legend'' for

cor anglais The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...

and string orchestra (1954) * ''Lyra Angelica'', Concerto for harp and string orchestra (1954) * Piano Concerto No. 2 (1960) * Concerto for flute and 8 wind instruments (1980) ;Chamber music * Sonatina for violin and piano (1933) * Sonata for oboe and piano (1934) * ''2 Folk Tunes'' for cello or viola and piano (or harp) (1936) * ''Novelette'' for string quartet (1938) * ''Ballade'' for viola and piano (1939) * ''Sonata Impromptu'' for violin and viola (1939) * ''Rhapsody'' for violin, viola, cello and piano (1939) * ''Divertimento'' for solo flute (1940) * Sonatina for viola and piano (1941) * Suite for oboe and harp (1944) * Sonata for flute and piano (1948) * ''Three Winter Poems'' for string quartet (1948) * ''Conversations'' for violin, clarinet and piano (1950) * Trio for flute, cello and piano (1951) * String Quartet No. 1 in D minor (1953) * ''Crepuscule'' for harp (1955) * Sonata for clarinet and piano (1962) * String Trio (1962) * ''Moto Perpetuo'' for recorders (1970) * ''Naiades'', Fantasy Sonata for flute and harp (1971) * String Quartet No. 2 ''Spring Waters'' (1975) * ''Chaconne for Tom'' for descant recorder and piano (1982) * String Quartet No. 3 (1984) ;Piano * ''Hunter's Moon'' (1920s) * ''Odd Moments'', Suite (1920s) * ''The Orchard'' (1920s) * ''Haze of Noon'' (1926) * ''Two Irish Pieces'' * ''April Morn'', 4 Petites Pièces (1924–1926) * ''Fancy Free'', 4 Pieces * ''Contes Barbares'', Hommage à

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

(1930–1933) * ''Night Thoughts'' (1940) * ''Prelude and Fugue Formed on an Indian Scale'' (1945) * ''Sonata alla Toccata'' (1946) * ''By the Farmyard Gate'', 4 Pieces * ''From Ireland'', 7 Traditional Tunes * ''Wooden Walls'', Suite * ''Midsummer Night'', Suite * ''Green Hills'' * ''Five Pieces'', Suite * ''Two Intermezzi'' * ''Two Pieces'' * ''Harvest Home'', Suite * ''The Tinker's Tune'' * ''Down by the Riverside'' * ''Nine Children's Pieces'' * ''Fantasy-Waltzes'' (1956) * ''Twelve Preludes'' (1958) * ''Movements'' (1961) * ''Twelve Diversions for the Five Fingers'' ;Vocal * ''3 Songs to Words by Trevor Blakemore'' for voice and piano (1940) * ''Mirages'', Song Cycle for baritone and piano (1970) * ''6 Nocturnes'' for baritone and piano (1973) * ''Invocations'', Song Cycle for soprano and piano (1977) * ''A Leave Taking'', Songs for tenor and piano (1978) * ''Seascapes'', Song Cycle for soprano, treble recorder and piano (1980)

Film scores

References

External links

William Alwyn FoundationWilliam Alwyn Archive at Cambridge University Library
* *
The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn
by Adrian Wright, the first full biography published by the Boydell Press in 2008.
Composing in words: William Alwyn on his art
edited by Andrew Palmer, includes many of Alwyn's autobiographical writings, and other writings on music published by Toccata Press, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alwyn, William 1905 births 1985 deaths 20th-century classical composers English classical composers English opera composers Male opera composers English male classical composers English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) English film score composers English male film score composers Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Academics of the Royal Academy of Music People from Northampton People from Blythburgh Commanders of the Order of the British Empire London Symphony Orchestra players English classical flautists 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century flautists