Gavin Gordon (24 November 190118 November 1970) was a Scottish bass singer, actor and composer, best known for his 1935 Hogarthian ballet ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

''.

Biography

Gavin Gordon was born in

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1901, as Gavin Muspratt Gordon Brown. He went to

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

then studied music at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

under

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

and other teachers. His ballets ''A Toothsome Morsel'' (1930), ''Regatta'' (1931), ''The Death of Hector'' and ''The Scorpions of Ysit'' (1932) did not remain in the repertory. More lasting fame, however, was accorded to ''

'' (1935), based on the sequence of seven pictures by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

known as ''

A Rake's Progress ''A Rake's Progress'' (or ''The Rake's Progress'') is a series of eight paintings by 18th-century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–1734, then engraved in 1734 and published in print form in 1735. The series ...

''. His ballet suite ''Les Noces Imaginaires'' has been issued on a Heritage label CD, played by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. Gavin Gordon also wrote some orchestral works, including parodies of old-style dances such as ''Four Caricatures'' and ''Work in E major''.Music Web International
/ref> There is also music for a musical based on

Dick Whittington Richard Whittington ( March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal,Will of Richard Whittington: " I leave to my executors named below the entire tenement in which I live in the parish of St. Michael Paternoster Royal, Londo/ ...

, and incidental music for the play ''The Man Behind the Statue'', based on

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

, written by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

and directed by

Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat ( ; 18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. Making his breakthrough film role in Alexander Korda's ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), today he is best remembered for his roles in ''The Count of Monte C ...

. As a singer, he appeared in the stage production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

''.British Classical Music: The Land of Lost Content
/ref> Gavin Gordon died in London in 1970, aged 68.

References

Sources

* Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954 * Bruce R. Schueneman, William Emmett Studwell
Minor ballet composers: biographical sketches of sixty-six underappreciated composers
1901 births 1970 deaths Scottish composers British ballet composers Scottish basses British operatic basses Scottish male film actors Alumni of the Royal College of Music People educated at Rugby School 20th-century Scottish male actors 20th-century Scottish male opera singers 20th-century British composers 20th-century Scottish musicians {{UK-composer-stub