Arthur Butterworth mention a great divide in the compositional style of English composers born in the 1920s compared to those born in the 1930's. For example Malcolm Arnold, Ruth Gipps, Robert Simpson, Arthur Butterworth sound much more traditional and completely different from Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Goehr born just a few years later. These are all excellent composers but it is interesting the vast sound difference which seems to fall into two categories within this brief window. What are your thoughts on the standout or neglected composers in the intrawar years and what is the reason for the gap in style? Some standout examples (note: I omitted examples I didn't recognize so let me know if I missed a great contributor).
George Lloyd (1913-1998) <- an odd inclusion since he was born the same year as Sir Benjamin Britten who is not on this list and is pre WWI, but I consider George Lloyd to be sort of intrawar especially stylistically so this is basically a subjective judgement.
Arthur Butterworth (1923-2014)
Sir Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)
Richard Arnell (1917–2009)
Peter Racine Fricker (1920–1990)
Geoffrey Bush (1920–1998)
Malcolm Arnold (1921–2006)
Ruth Gipps (1921–1999)
Robert Simpson (1921–1997)
John Joubert (born 1927)
Graham Whettam (1927–2007)
Kenneth Leighton (1929–1988)
Harrison Birtwistle (born 1934)
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016)
Nicholas Maw (1935–2009)
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936–2012)
Fascinating thread, but did you mean "post-WWII" instead of intrawar (which refers to the period between WWI and II)? Some of the composers you have listed hadn't even started composing in 1939.
Quote from: schnittkease on September 25, 2018, 06:34:10 PM
Fascinating thread, but did you mean "post-WWII" instead of intrawar (which refers to the period between WWI and II)? Some of the composers you have listed hadn't even started composing in 1939.
I assume the intent was those composers who were born between 1919 and 1939, and hence "came of age" in the 40s and 50s.
Reginald Smith Brindle (1917-2003), wrote alot of guitar music for Julian Bream, which he os perhaps best known for
Also wrote the book Serial Composition
not to forget one of my personal favourites, Cornelius Cardew (1936-81)
I think the idea of a stylistic gap is overstated—the music of figures like Davies & Birtwistle is not especially different stylistically from that of Elisabeth Lutyens (*1906) or Roberto Gerhard (*1896) or even Humphrey Searle (*1915). And traditionalist figures like John McCabe (*1939) and David Matthews (*1943) continued to emerge later alongside members of the first genuine British avant-garde such as Keith Rowe (*1940) and Trevor Wishart (*1946). Despite its tendency towards conservatism British music has always supported a fairly wide aesthetic variety.
As well as John White, also born 1936.
I'd add Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003) who, although Australian, became 'Master of the Queen's Musick' and was associated with the British musical scene.
I greatly admire his music, especially Symphony 1 'Elevamini', the Violin and Organ Concerto and many other works.
Quote from: schnittkease on September 25, 2018, 06:34:10 PM
Fascinating thread, but did you mean "post-WWII" instead of intrawar (which refers to the period between WWI and II)? Some of the composers you have listed hadn't even started composing in 1939.
Good point - I was confusing. I meant born in the intrayear wars. For example Arthur Butterworth (b. 1923) was a WWII veteran and really not a composer till post WWII. He described himself belonging to a unique period where tonality still mattered since those born in 1940 would grow up in the 60's and were a very different style generally.