Ruth Gipps: Symphony No.4 Context By the time of her death in 1999, Ruth Gipps had an incredible oeuvre of music to represent her career throughout the 20th century. A pupil of Gordon Jacob, Arthur Alexander and Ralph Vaughan Williams whilst at the Royal College of Music, Gipps multitasked as Read more…
Ruth Gipps: Song for Orchestra Context By the time of her death in 1999, Ruth Gipps had an incredible oeuvre of music to represent her career throughout the 20th century. A pupil of Gordon Jacob, Arthur Alexander and Ralph Vaughan Williams whilst at the Royal College of Music, Gipps multitasked Read more…
Dulcie Holland: Fantasy Trio Context Composed in 1938 for a violin, cello and piano trio, Australian composer Dulcie Holland’s (1913-2000) Fantasy Trio is a real treat for the ears. Regarded as one of most significant composers of her time, Holland’s music spans from chamber to solo repertoire. Holland’s work as Read more…
Germaine Tailleferre: Sonata for Harp Context French composer Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) composed her Sonata for Harp in 1953 for the Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta. The sonata was later revised in 1957 after the premiere. The sonata is praised for its influences of jazz, Spanish Habanera and expressionism. The Music Read more…
Tera de Marez Oyens: String Quartet Contrafactus Context Born in August 1932, Tera de Marez Oyens was a talented Dutch pianist composer who studied at the Amsterdam Conservatoire under Jan Odé. Oyens wrote a catalogue of over 200 works which mainly focused on song cycles and chamber music. However, during Read more…
Ann Southam: Webster’s Spin Context After years of writing electronic music, Canadian composer Ann Southam abandoned the tapes and tracks and focused on more classically-inclined pieces. Webster’s Spin, a composition for string orchestra, was composed in 1993 after a commission came from the CBC. The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra premiered the Read more…
Anna Clyne: This Midnight Hour Context Grammy Award nominated composer Anna Clyne was born in 1980 in London. She formally studied music at the University of Edinburgh for her BMus, and then at the Manhattan School of Music for her MA degree in music. She has received tutelage from the Read more…
Rebecca Clarke: Chinese Puzzle Context Composed in 1921 for solo violin and piano, Rebecca Clarke’s Chinese Puzzle is an intricate study for the violin. Using the pentatonic scale, Clarke bases this short study on typical Oriental themes and harmony. The Music Throughout the entirety of Chinese Puzzle, the violin Read more…
Amy Beach: Gaelic Symphony Context In 1896, Amy Beach premiered her First Symphony – Gaelic Symphony. This was a massive milestone in women’s music as Beach became the first American woman to compose and then further publish a symphony. In 1900 Beach was the soloist for the premiere of her Read more…
Cécile Chaminade: Automne Context Cécile Chaminade was born in Paris, 1857. At a young age she started playing the piano, with her mother being her first teacher. She then learnt with Félix Le Couppey. As well as learning the piano, Chaminade also took an interest in learning the violin. She Read more…