A Happy New Year to all the Readers of The Land of Lost Content 'Blog'.

The New Year is a time for looking back and for looking forward…I guess that I will be posting about some of these composers and their anniversary works over the coming weeks and months.

Composer Anniversaries

Births
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) 350

Charles Avison (1709 -1770) 300 years

Basil Harwood (1859-1949) 150 years

Robin Orr (1909-2006) 100 years

James Macmillan (1959- ) 50 years

Deaths
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759) 250 years

Haydn Wood (1882-1959) 50 years

Felix Swinstead (1880-1959) 50 years

Stanley Bate (1911-1959) 50 years

Robin Milford (1903-1959) 50 years

In 1909 (Centenary) the following works were composed (largely composed) or received their first performance:-

Arnold BAX: In Faery Hills for orchestra

George BUTTERWORTH: ‘I Fear Thy Kisses’, song

Edward ELGAR: Elegy, for string orchestra

Edward GERMAN: Fallen Fairies, comic opera

Hamilton HARTY: Violin Concerto

Josef HOLBROOKE: Pierrot and Pierrette, opera

Gustav HOLST: First Suite for Military Band (composed); A Vision of Dame Christian, incidental music;

John IRELAND: Violin Sonata No 1

Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: A Sea Symphony (completed) The Wasps, incidental music; On Wenlock Edge, song cycle

Roger QUILTER: Seven Elizabethan Lyrics

In 1959 (50th Anniversary) the following were composed (largely composed) or received their first performance:-

William ALWYN: Symphony No 4

Malcolm ARNOLD: Guitar Concerto; Five Songs of William Blake, for voices and strings

Arthur BENJAMIN: String Quartet No 2;

Lennox BERKELEY: Overture for light orchestra; Sonatina for two pianos;

Harrison BIRTWISTLE: Monody for Corpus Christi, for soprano, flute, horn and violin;

Havergal BRIAN: Symphony No.13

Benjamin BRITTEN: Cantata Academica; Carmen Basiliense, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra; Missa Brevis

Alan BUSH: Dorian Passacaglia and Fugue; Symphony No 3, Byron, for baritone, chorus and orchestra (1959-60)

Geoffrey BUSH: Songs of Wonder

Arnold COOKE: Ballet Suite: Jabez and the Devil; Five Part-songs for unaccompanied chorus

Peter Maxwell DAVIES: Ricercare and doubles on 'To many a well'; (revised 1976)

Peter DICKINSON: Three Juillard Dances, for instrumental ensemble; Variations, ballet; Vitalitas, ballet; Monologue for strings

Benjamin FRANKEL: Bagatelles for eleven instruments; Eight Songs for medium voice and piano

Peter Racine FRICKER: Serenade No 1 for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, viola, cello and harp; Serenade No 2 for flute, oboe and piano

Roberto GERHARD: Symphony No 2

Iain HAMILTON: Sinfonia for two orchestras

Alan HODDINOTT: Nocturne and Dance, for harp and orchestra; Piano Sonata No 1

Wilfred JOSEPHS: Concerto a Dodici, for wind ensemble

Elisabeth LUTYENS: Quincunx, for solo voices and orchestra (1959-60)

John McCABE: Violin Concerto No 1

Thea MUSGRAVE: Triptych, for tenor and orchestra

Priaulx RAINIER: Trio-suite for violin, cello and piano (composed) Pastoral Triptych (1958-59)

Alan RAWSTHORNE: Symphony No 2, A Pastoral Symphony

Edmund RUBBRA: Violin Concerto

Robert SIMPSON: Variations and Fugue for recorder and string quartet

With thanks to The Dictionary of Composers and Their Music: A Listener's Companion by Eric Gilder on MusicWeb International