Gordon Crosse
Encyclopedia
Gordon Crosse is an English
composer
.
, Lancashire
and in 1961 graduated from St Edmund Hall, Oxford
with a first class honours degree in Music. He then undertook two years of postgraduate research on early fifteenth-century music before beginning an academic career at the University of Birmingham
. Subsequent employment included posts at the Universities of Essex
, Cambridge and California
. He won the Worshipful Company of Musicians
' Cobbett Medal for services to music in 1976. For two years after 1980 he taught part time at the Royal Academy of Music in London but then retired to his Suffolk
home to compose full time.
Crosse first came to prominence at the 1964 Aldeburgh Festival
with Meet My Folks! (Theme and Relations, op.
10), a music theatre work for children and adults based on poems by Ted Hughes
. Hughes would also provide the lyrics for five of Crosse's subsequent works: the "cantata
" The Demon of Adachigahara (op.21, 1968); The New World for voice and piano (op.25); the opera The Story of Vasco (op.29, 1974); Wintersong for six singers and optional percussion (op.51); and Harvest Songs for two choirs and orchestra (op.56). The Demon of Adachigahara, another music theatre work for children and adults, is a retelling of a traditional Japan
ese folk-tale akin to a Brothers Grimm
story; it warns of the dangers of curiosity. The Story of Vasco, premièred in 1974 by Sadler's Wells Opera at the Coliseum Theatre
in London, is a setting of Hughes' translation and adaptation of Georges Schehadé
's play Histoire de Vasco.
Crosse's first opera, Purgatory (op.18), is a one-act setting of the play by William Butler Yeats
. It was written in 1966 and premièred at the Cheltenham Music Festival
later that year. In 1969, Crosse returned to the Aldeburgh Festival to hear the English Opera Group
première his second opera The Grace of Todd (op.20) and revive Purgatory. The following year, the piece Some Marches on a Ground for full orchestra elaborated material that would later appear in The Story of Vasco of 1956.
Crosse also composed the music for King Lear, the 1983 television production of Shakespeare's play
, in which Laurence Olivier
played the title role, and for which the celebrated actor won the last of his five Emmy Award
s. The production marked Olivier's last appearance in a Shakespearean role. This is the only television production for which Crosse has composed the music.
Crosse's interest in the relationship between music, literature and drama is evident in his concert as well as his theatrical work. Two examples are Memories of Morning: Night for mezzo-soprano
and orchestra, based on Jean Rhys
' novel Wide Sargasso Sea
; and World Within for actress, soprano and small ensemble, based on a text by Emily Brontë
. Crosse also developed an interest in ballet
after he adapted his orchestral piece Play Ground (1977) for choreographer Kenneth MacMillan
. The ballet version of Play Ground was premièred at the 1979 Edinburgh Festival
by the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet
, after which MacMillan then choreographed Crosse's chamber
piece Wildboy (clarinet and ensemble, 1978) to produce a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre
. In 1984, following a request by choreographer David Bintley
, Crosse extended Benjamin Britten
's Young Apollo
for use as ballet music; the resulting ballet was premièred later that year by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
in Covent Garden, London.
Works for soloist and orchestra form the other major strand in Crosse's composition. These include two violin concertos, a cello concerto (written in 1979 "in memoriam Luigi Dallapiccola
", based on a motif
from Dallapiccola's piece Piccola Musica Notturna) and three works featuring blown instruments (Ariadne for oboe, Thel for flute and Wildboy for clarinet).
His fiftieth birthday was celebrated in 1987 with featured performances at several festivals, and he was BBC Radio 3 "Composer of the Week" in December.
Following the completion of "Sea Psalms", written for Glasgow forces in its year as European City of Culture, 1990, Crosse shifted his focus to computer programming and music technology
, and in the following 17 years, produced little music, except several songs with recorder parts, written for the recorder player John Turner.
With "Dirge from Cymbeline" for baritone and harp, written in 2007 for the NMC Songbook, Crosse is once again active as a composer and has written several larger works, notably a Trio for oboe, violin and cello and a "Fantasia" for flute, harp and strings.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Biography
Crosse was born in BuryBury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and in 1961 graduated from St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...
with a first class honours degree in Music. He then undertook two years of postgraduate research on early fifteenth-century music before beginning an academic career at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
. Subsequent employment included posts at the Universities of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
, Cambridge and California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. He won the Worshipful Company of Musicians
Worshipful Company of Musicians
The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of music making in London moved from the City to the...
' Cobbett Medal for services to music in 1976. For two years after 1980 he taught part time at the Royal Academy of Music in London but then retired to his Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
home to compose full time.
Crosse first came to prominence at the 1964 Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
with Meet My Folks! (Theme and Relations, op.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
10), a music theatre work for children and adults based on poems by Ted Hughes
Ted Hughes
Edward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
. Hughes would also provide the lyrics for five of Crosse's subsequent works: the "cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
" The Demon of Adachigahara (op.21, 1968); The New World for voice and piano (op.25); the opera The Story of Vasco (op.29, 1974); Wintersong for six singers and optional percussion (op.51); and Harvest Songs for two choirs and orchestra (op.56). The Demon of Adachigahara, another music theatre work for children and adults, is a retelling of a traditional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese folk-tale akin to a Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
story; it warns of the dangers of curiosity. The Story of Vasco, premièred in 1974 by Sadler's Wells Opera at the Coliseum Theatre
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
in London, is a setting of Hughes' translation and adaptation of Georges Schehadé
Georges Schehadé
Georges Schehadé was a Lebanese playwright and poet writing in French.-Life and career:Georges Schehadé was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in a Greek orthodox family but spent most of his life in Beirut, Lebanon...
's play Histoire de Vasco.
Crosse's first opera, Purgatory (op.18), is a one-act setting of the play by William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
. It was written in 1966 and premièred at the Cheltenham Music Festival
Cheltenham Music Festival
The Cheltenham Music Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in Britain, held annually in Cheltenham in June/July since 1945. The festival is renowned for premieres of contemporary music, hosting over 250 music premieres as of July 2004....
later that year. In 1969, Crosse returned to the Aldeburgh Festival to hear the English Opera Group
English Opera Group
The English Opera Group was a small company of British musicians formed in 1947 by the composer Benjamin Britten for the purpose of presenting his and other, primarily British, composers' operatic works. The group later expanded in order to present larger-scale works, and was renamed the English...
première his second opera The Grace of Todd (op.20) and revive Purgatory. The following year, the piece Some Marches on a Ground for full orchestra elaborated material that would later appear in The Story of Vasco of 1956.
Crosse also composed the music for King Lear, the 1983 television production of Shakespeare's play
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, in which Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
played the title role, and for which the celebrated actor won the last of his five Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s. The production marked Olivier's last appearance in a Shakespearean role. This is the only television production for which Crosse has composed the music.
Crosse's interest in the relationship between music, literature and drama is evident in his concert as well as his theatrical work. Two examples are Memories of Morning: Night for mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
and orchestra, based on Jean Rhys
Jean Rhys
Jean Rhys , born Ella Gwendolen Rees Williams, was a mid 20th-century novelist from Dominica. Educated from the age of 16 in Great Britain, she is best known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea , written as a "prequel" to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.-Early life:Rhys was born in Roseau, Dominica...
' novel Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 postcolonial parallel novel by Dominica-born author Jean Rhys. Since her previous work, Good Morning, Midnight, was published in 1939, Rhys had lived in obscurity. Wide Sargasso Sea put Rhys into the limelight once more, and became her most successful novel.The novel...
; and World Within for actress, soprano and small ensemble, based on a text by Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
. Crosse also developed an interest in ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
after he adapted his orchestral piece Play Ground (1977) for choreographer Kenneth MacMillan
Kenneth MacMillan
Sir Kenneth MacMillan was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977.-Early years:...
. The ballet version of Play Ground was premièred at the 1979 Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
by the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
, after which MacMillan then choreographed Crosse's chamber
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
piece Wildboy (clarinet and ensemble, 1978) to produce a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
. In 1984, following a request by choreographer David Bintley
David Bintley
David Bintley, CBE, is a former English ballet dancer, the current artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and co-artistic director of the New National Theatre Tokyo ballet company.- About :...
, Crosse extended Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's Young Apollo
Young Apollo
Young Apollo, Op. 16, is a music composition for piano and strings that was composed by Benjamin Britten. Commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Britten completed the work in 1939; just after his arrival in the United States. The work premiered on 27 August 1939 on CBC Radio's...
for use as ballet music; the resulting ballet was premièred later that year by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in Covent Garden, London.
Works for soloist and orchestra form the other major strand in Crosse's composition. These include two violin concertos, a cello concerto (written in 1979 "in memoriam Luigi Dallapiccola
Luigi Dallapiccola
Luigi Dallapiccola was an Italian composer known for his lyrical twelve-tone compositions.-Biography:Dallapiccola was born at Pisino d'Istria , to Italian parents....
", based on a motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
from Dallapiccola's piece Piccola Musica Notturna) and three works featuring blown instruments (Ariadne for oboe, Thel for flute and Wildboy for clarinet).
His fiftieth birthday was celebrated in 1987 with featured performances at several festivals, and he was BBC Radio 3 "Composer of the Week" in December.
Following the completion of "Sea Psalms", written for Glasgow forces in its year as European City of Culture, 1990, Crosse shifted his focus to computer programming and music technology
Music technology
Music technology is a term that refers to all forms of technology involved with the musical arts, particularly the use of electronic devices and computer software to facilitate playback, recording, composition, storage and performance. This subject is taught at many different educational levels,...
, and in the following 17 years, produced little music, except several songs with recorder parts, written for the recorder player John Turner.
With "Dirge from Cymbeline" for baritone and harp, written in 2007 for the NMC Songbook, Crosse is once again active as a composer and has written several larger works, notably a Trio for oboe, violin and cello and a "Fantasia" for flute, harp and strings.
Orchestral
| 1986 | Array | 30' | trumpet and string orchestra | |
| 1979 | Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra | op.44 |
25' | "In Memoriam Luigi Dallapiccola" | |
| 1978 | Play Ground | op.41 | 27' | |
| 1975 | Symphony No.2 | op.37 | 24' | |
| 1974 | Young Apollo | 30' | ||
| Memories of Morning: Night | op.30 |
34' | mezzo-soprano and orchestra | ||
| 1970 |align=left| Some Marches on a Ground | op.28 |
12' | |- |align=left| Concerto No.2 for Violin and Orchestra | op.26 |
34' | |
| Changes: A Nocturnal Cycle | op.17 |
50' | soprano and baritone soloists, chorus, orchestra |
Chamber
| 1986 | Wintersong | op.51 |
30' | six singers, optional percussion | |||
| 1983 | Wavesongs | |
30' | cello and piano | |||
| 1982 | Watermusic | |
11' | recorders (one player) and piano | |||
| 1980 | A Year and a Day | op.48a |
8' | solo clarinet | |||
| 1979 | Verses in Memoriam David Munrow | |
9' | countertenor, recorder, cello and harpsichord | |||
| 1978 |align=left| Wildboy |
op.42 | 27' | clarinet and ensemble |- |align=left| Thel |
op.38 | 14' | flute, two horns and string ensemble |
| 1973 | Dreamsongs |
op.35 | 14' | clarinet, oboe, bassoon, piano | ||
| 1972 | Ariadne | op.31 | 23' | oboe and ensemble | ||
| The New World | op.25 | 20' | voice and piano |
Opera and music theatre
| 1977 | World Within | op.40 | 43' | actress, mezzo-soprano, ensemble |
| 1974 | The Story of Vasco | op.29 | 135' | three-act opera |
| 1968 | The Demon of Adachigahara | op.21 |
30' | children and adults | |
| The Grace of Todd | op.20 | 75' | "comedy in three scenes" | |
| 1966 | Purgatory | op.18 | 40' | one-act opera |
| 1964 | Meet My Folks! (Theme and Relations) | op.10 |
25' | children and adults | |
Recordings
| Meet My Folks! | op.10 | EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... LP CLP-1893 |
|
| Changes: A Nocturnal Cycle | op.17 | Argo Argo Records (UK) Argo Records was a record label founded in 1951 by Harley Usill , and musicologist Cyril Clarke with £500 capital, initially as a company specialising in "British music played by British artists" , but it quickly became a company primarily specialising in spoken-word recordings and other esoteric ... LP ZRG-656 (LP) Lyrita Lyrita Lyrita is a classical music record label, specializing in the works of British composers.Lyrita began releasing LPs in October 1959 as Lyrita Recorded Edition for sale by mail order subscription. The founder of the company, Richard Itter of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, was a businessman and record... SRCD 259 (CD) |
Vyvyan Jennifer Vyvyan Jennifer Vyvyan was a British classical soprano who had an active international career in operas, concerts, and recitals from 1948 up until her death in 1974. She possessed a beautifully clear, steady voice with considerable flexibility in florid music... , Shirley-Quirk John Shirley-Quirk John Shirley-Quirk CBE is an English bass-baritone.He was born in Liverpool, England, and sang in his high school choir. He played the violin and was awarded a scholarship. While studying chemistry and physics at Liverpool University, he studied voice with Austen Carnegie... , LSO London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:... & Chorus cond. Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... del Mar Norman Del Mar Norman Del Mar CBE was a British conductor, horn player, and biographer. As a conductor, he specialized in the music of late romantic composers; including Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss. He left a great legacy of recordings of British music, in particular Elgar, Vaughan Williams,... |
| Purgatory | op.18 | Argo LP ZRG-810 (LP) Lyrita SRCD 313 (CD) |
|
| The New World | op.25 | U-K Unicorn-Kanchana Unicorn-Kanchana was a British independent record label. Originally known as Unicorn Records, the name Kanchana was added later to distinguish the company from Unicorn Records of Montréal, Canada... DKP (CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... ) 9093 |
Muriel Dickinson, voice; Peter Dickinson, piano |
| A Year and a Day | op.48a | Metier MSV CD92013 FP | Kate Romano, clarinet; Alan Hicks, piano |
| Ariadne | op.31 | Argo LP ZRG-842 (LP) Lyrita SRCD 259 (CD) |
featuring Sarah Francis, oboe |
| Watermusic | Olympia OCD714 | John Turner, recorders; Peter Lawson, piano | |
| Wavesongs | NMC 019 | Alexander Baillie, cello; Andrew Ball, piano | |
| Memories of Morning: Night Cello Concerto Some Marches on a Ground > op.30 op.44 op.28 |
NMC D058 | Bickley, mezzo-soprano; Baillie, cello; BBCSO BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:... cond. Brabbins |
|
External links
- Programme notes by Gordon Crosse on his music held by OUPOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
.