1902–83 English composer After singing in the choir at Christ Church, Oxford, Walton became an undergraduate there, his talent attracting the attention of the Sitwell family (the poets Edith and Osbert and their writer brother Sacheverell). They supported him for 10 years, enabling him to write music at leisure until he earned enough to become independent. At ...
1902–83, English Walton had a strong musical background and was the child of two musicians – his mother was a voice teacher and his father was a chorus-master. Walton as a young boy was a chorister at Christ Church, Oxford, later becoming an undergraduate there. His Belshazzar’s Feast (1931) and Symphony No. 1 (1935) assured him of his ...
Composers of the early twentieth century sought out further percussion instruments to add to their sound palette. Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra (1913) requires a xylorimba: a composite instrument, with a top end sounding like a xylophone, the bass end like a marimba. Walton’s Façade (1926) requires wood blocks: stemming from Africa, these are a series of resonant ...
a number of guitar solos, no other piece ever had the same impact, much to the composer’s annoyance. Other important guitar music has been written by Britten, Walton and Arnold. In addition, composers such as Mahler and Schoenberg have included it in chamber ensemble or orchestral works. The guitar was a central part of the personal iconography ...
enlarged by works from some of the composing heavyweights of the twentieth century, including Francis Poulenc (1899–1963), Benjamin Britten (1913–76), Michael Tippett (1905–98), Hans Werner Henze (b. 1926), William Walton (1902–83) and Rodney Bennett (b. 1936). Segovia’s zeal for encouraging new work has been taken up by a number of guitarists, including Julian Bream (b. 1933) and David Starobin ...
A range of metal percussion instruments are found in the western orchestra, many of which have ancient and global origins. Triangle The triangle comprises a slim steel bar, circular in cross-section, bent into an equilateral triangle (18 cm/7 in each side) with one corner open. It is played with a metal rod, and is suspended from a ...
The vibraphone is a kind of electronic steel marimba, initially produced in the US in 1916. The player uses rubber-topped beaters to strike two rows of metal bars. The sound is not amplified electronically: it is amplified by the action of the resonators (like the marimba) which enhance the sound. Each resonator has a fan, and all are joined ...
Louis-Hector Berlioz (1803–69) and Mendelssohn soon expanded the instrument’s reputation for solo playing. The great works for viola, though, came in the twentieth century. Composers including Bartók, Walton, Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), Benjamin Britten (1913–76), Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–75) and Luciano Berio (1925–2003) all wrote excellent solo works. Not only that, but the viola ...
1903–76 American cellist Piatigorsky left his native Russia in 1921, having been principal cellist in the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra. In 1929, after four years with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, he embarked on a solo career. He gave the first performances of concertos by Hindemith and Walton. A player of great taste and virtuosity, he devoted much time ...
derived from J. S. Bach. Recommended Recording: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, French National Radio Orchestra (cond) Heitor Villa-Lobos (EMI/Warner) Introduction | Modern Era | Classical Personalities | (Sir) William Walton | Modern Era | Classical ...
voice is equally at home with Handel, Mozart, Donizetti, Berlioz and Walton. Britten wrote the role of Kate Julian for her in Owen Wingrave, while William Walton (1902–83) adjusted the part of Cressida in Troilus and Cressida to suit her voice. In 1966, she made her Covent Garden debut in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ...
Petersburg. He made his Berlin debut in 1912, and his New York debut in 1917. As well as performing the standard repertory he commissioned new works, including the Walton Violin Concerto. His powerful tone was combined with a technique of almost nonchalant precision and brilliance. From 1962 he taught in Los Angeles. Introduction | Modern Era | Classical Personalities ...
arguably the greatest ever recorded. His Peter Grimes, while not approved by Britten, also stands as a benchmark interpretation. Introduction | Modern Era | Opera Personalities | William Walton | Modern Era | Opera ...
, with whom he performed and recorded Elizabethan lute songs. He formed the Julian Bream Consort in 1959. Among composers who wrote guitar works for him were Britten and William Walton (1902–83). Introduction | Contemporary | Classical Personalities | Alfred Brendel | Contemporary | Classical ...
(Vocals, b. 1935) Singer Koko Taylor (née Cora Walton) earned the title ‘The Queen of Chicago Blues’ due to her no-nonsense, brazen vocal style. She writes much of her own material, songs that resonate with womanly power and assert her claim to blues royalty. Taylor grew up singing gospel in Memphis and switched to the blues after moving ...
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