Composed in 1944–45 and first performed on 7 June 1945, Peter Grimes reopened London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre following the Second World War – at the request of managing director, soprano Joan Cross. This opera, and its success, provided the momentum that the post-war arts environment needed. From the moment Britten read ‘The Borough’ he began making plans ...
b. 1934 English composer Early use of serialism (Trumpet Sonata, 1955) led Davies to a less systematic method of composing with smaller sets of pitches (Prolation, 1958). Alongside this grew a fascination for the pre-Baroque. Davies makes particular use of plainsong themes, which he then subjects to quasi-serial transformations. A peculiar leaning towards parody was central to Davies’s ...
1910–86 English tenor Pears was the life-long companion of Britten, who wrote all his tenor roles and many of his concert works for him. He was a choral singer in the 1930s; in 1943, after returning with Britten from the US, he joined Sadler’s Wells Opera, singing mainly lyrical parts. At Covent Garden in the 1950s his ...
Alternative-rock guitarist Peter Buck (b. 1956) was born in Berkeley, California. After dropping out of college, he moved to Athens, Georgia, where he met singer Michael Stipe while working in a record shop. The pair discovered that they had similar tastes in music: punk rock, Patti Smith and Television. Together with Mike Mills (bass) and ...
1824–74, German The German composer Peter Cornelius first intended to be an actor, but instead chose music after studying in Mainz, his home town, and Berlin. In 1852, Cornelius went to Weimar, where he encountered Liszt, then Kapellmeister to the grand duke. While admiring him, Cornelius was wary of the influence of Wagner ...
(Pa’-ter Kôr-nal’-yoos) 1824–74 German composer Although gifted as an actor, Cornelius studied music in Berlin and joined Liszt’s circle in Weimar (1852), alongside Bülow, Joachim and others. He was a vociferous literary champion of the ‘New German School’ of Liszt and Wagner, yet his own works are surprisingly un-Wagnerian. They include many attractive Lieder, to his own poetry ...
Peter Frampton (b. 1950) rode a slow-developing wave of popularity that transported him from British teen idol to international pop megastar, only to see the wave crash in a show-business wipeout of legendary proportions. In the ensuing 30 years, Frampton has managed to mix a fair number of successes with disappointments while navigating much calmer musical seas. Frampton got ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1950) Beginning a solo career after leaving Humble Pie, his third album Frampton Comes Alive (1976) was a phenomenal success in America, becoming the best-selling live album of all time. The transatlantic hit ‘Show Me The Way’ featured Frampton’s trademark use of the talk box device. 1977’s million-selling I’m In You was a relative ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1950) Gabriel left Genesis in 1975. His first solo album produced the intriguing hit ‘Solsbury Hill’, telling of that departure. In 1980, the avant-pop of ‘Games Without Frontiers’ began a run of accessible art rock albums and singles including the political ‘Biko’, 1982’s Peter Gabriel (Security in the US), and 1986’s triumphant world-music influenced So and its ...
Blues-rock guitarist Peter Green was born Peter Greenbaum in Bethnal Green, London in 1946. He began playing guitar at the age of 10. Among his early influences were Hank Marvin, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. After Green played bass in several semi-pro outfits, keyboardist Peter Bardens invited him to play lead in his band. Three months later ...
1910–86, English England’s leading tenor from 1945 to 1960, Pears created many of Benjamin Britten’s leading roles, including Peter Grimes, Albert Herring, The Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia) and Aschenbach (Death in Venice). An oratorio specialist, he performed the Evangelist in the Bach Passions with distinction, while in recitals, often accompanied by ...
(Vocals, guitar, b. 1942) Peter Rowan was a member of Bill Monroe And The Blue Grass Boys from 1964 to 1967 and that stint gave him a solid, traditional foundation for everything he did after that, no matter how wild, whether it was the art-rock band Earth Opera (with David Grisman), the folk-rock band Sea Train ...
b. 1935 German tenor Schreier made his debut as the First Prisoner in Fidelio (Dresden, 1961), before joining the Berlin State Opera. On the death of Fritz Wunderlich in 1966, he became the best-known exponent of Mozart’s Belmonte, Don Ottavio, Ferrando and Tamino (The Magic Flute), the part with which he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in ...
1929–2014 Australian composer Following a period of study in Oxford (1958–1960), Sculthorpe returned to Australia, where he remained until his death. A slightly self-conscious style of writing, whereby he added together many tiny parts, gave his work a clear personal stamp. Sculthorpe had a strong relationship with Aboriginal culture, writing works that were evocative of places (Mangrove ...
Peter Tosh (1944–87), born Winston Hubert McIntosh, was the guitarist in the original Wailing Wailers. His mercurial temperament, provocative advocacy of the Rastafari movement and untimely death drew attention from his role in the most important band in the history of reggae. Tosh grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. His height (6ft 5in/2m) and temperament earned him the nickname ...
AUTHORITATIVE
An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
CURATED
Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.