Gilbert Vinter (4 May 1909 – 10 October 1969) was an English conductor and composer, most celebrated for his compositions for brass bands.

Life

Vinter was born in Lincoln. As a youth, he was a chorister at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

, and eventually became Head Chorister there. He later became a

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

ist, playing in

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...

's newly-formed

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

. In 1930, he joined the BBC Military Band, where he did much of his early conducting. It was during that time that he also began to compose. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Vinter played in The Central Band of the RAF and later led several other RAF bands. He was the first principal conductor of the

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

, from 1952 to 1953. In 1960, The '' Daily Herald'' newspaper and sponsors of brass band contests, commissioned Vinter to write his first major work for brass band, the result of which was ''Salute to Youth''. Vinter was an adjudicator at the British Open Championships at

Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, sited east of the city centre; it is bordered by the Hope Valley line to the east and the Glossop line to the west. It is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. History In 1897, the machine tool ...

, in 1969 where his ''Spectrum'' was the test piece. Midway through the contest, however, he was forced to retire from 'the box' due to his failing health. His position at the contest on the day was taken by Tom F Atkinson. Vinter died in

Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena (, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle ...

, aged 60.

Major works

Vinter wrote a number of works for brass band, including: Vinter's other works include three brass quartets: * ''Elegy and Rondo'' (written at the request of the GUS (Footwear) Band Quartet to play at the 1966 National Brass Quartet Championship) * ''Fancy's Knell'' (written for the 1967 Championship) * ''Alla Burlesca'' (written for the 1968 Championship).

References

External links

The Brass Herald, page on Sounds of Brass Programmes in honour of Gilbert Vinter

BBC Concert Orchestra history page

4BR wonders what Vinter would have thought: Salute to what Youth?
1909 births 1969 deaths 20th-century English classical musicians 20th-century English composers Brass band composers English classical bassoonists English conductors (music) English light music composers Musicians from Lincoln, England Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Principal conductors of the BBC Concert Orchestra {{UK-composer-stub