Ian Keith Harris
Encyclopedia
Ian Keith Harris is a composer
of classical music
, arranger
, oboist
and music educator
from Australia
.
, living there for the first 26 years of his life. He started the piano at the age of five, was playing cornet in his school band, then violin for a couple of years at high school, and later was school pianist. in 1952, he began his Bachelor of Music degree at Melbourne University Conservatorium of Music taking piano as chief study and oboe as second. He interrupted his studies and served some years as oboist for J. C. Williamson theatres
, playing musicals
, opera
, and several Gilbert and Sullivan
Opera seasons, several ballet seasons (Borovansky Ballet), Australian tours of the Royal Covent Garden Ballet
, and the American Ballet Company
, and as a copyist
/ arranger with GTV channel 9. In 1961 Ian Harris moved to Hobart
, Tasmania
(Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
), was seconded to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (cor anglais) for several months, returned to Tasmania only to be seconded again 1964, this time to the Victorian Symphony Orchestra
(oboe). Back again in Tasmania, his next move was to Wellington
, New Zealand
(1965–1974) to join NZBCSO (the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation Symphony Orchestra
) as Principal Cor anglais. During this time, in which he yo-yoed across Australasia, Harris tutored in oboe at the universities of Tasmania, Melbourne, and the Victoria University of Wellington
. It was at the latter that he completed his degree in composition
(with David Farquhar
) in 1969. He was to return yet again to Tasmania at the end of 1974. However, this time, he embraced a new career as a music educator with his move. He also conducted the Tasmanian Junior Youth Orchestra for several years.
Later he changed to oboe as his chief study and studied composition
with Arthur Nickson. he was soon in demand as a free-lance orchestral musician, arranger and copyist, working in a very eclectic mix of musical spheres from arranging for Eartha Kitt
(television and various theatrical shows), to playing in opera
, ballet
, chamber music
and symphony orchestras. He was a founding member of the Glendenian Trio, (flute
, oboe
, bassoon
), which gave regular broadcasts over several years. The trio was another area in which his skills at arrangement were frequently employed.
Harris was a dedicated member of policy committees, especially in Education and the Arts and served as music critic for The Mercury
, Hobart's daily newspaper, for several years.
Ian Harris moved back to Sydney definitively in 2000 and has since devoted himself to composition.
His oeuvre consists mainly of chamber music, much of which has been performed and broadcast: Microsymphony for Cor anglais Quartet (cor anglais, string trio
), Oboe Quartet (oboe, string trio), Essay for Bassoon and Strings, Sonata for Viola
and Piano
, amongst many other pieces and numerous arrangements for broadcasts and concerts.
His sense of fun has shown in many of his compositions including, A Piece with Strawberry Jam, The Little Dog's Day (Rupert Brooke
), Paw de trois, a Pas de trois
for an Imaginary Canine Ballet (for Wind Quintet
, with movements dedicated to his dogs by name), The Whitebait Fishers "A sort of Donizetti
-like spoof for harpsichord
, string quartet
and small choir, for which the producer of the hour-long national radio show penned the libretto for this, a special anniversary broadcast of the programme."
Harris orchestrated songs for symphony concerts, including a version of The Last Rose of Summer
for Rita Streich
(1920–1987). He also wrote, directed and even performed in advertising jingles
, playing celesta
, oboe, cor anglais or whatever was required.
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...
of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, oboist
Oboist
An oboist is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the cor anglais, oboe d'amore, shawm and oboe musette....
and music educator
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Biography
Ian Keith Harris was born in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, living there for the first 26 years of his life. He started the piano at the age of five, was playing cornet in his school band, then violin for a couple of years at high school, and later was school pianist. in 1952, he began his Bachelor of Music degree at Melbourne University Conservatorium of Music taking piano as chief study and oboe as second. He interrupted his studies and served some years as oboist for J. C. Williamson theatres
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
, playing musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and several Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
Opera seasons, several ballet seasons (Borovansky Ballet), Australian tours of the Royal Covent Garden Ballet
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...
, and the American Ballet Company
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, and as a copyist
Copyist
A copyist is a person who makes written copies. In ancient times, a scrivener was also called a calligraphus . The term's modern use is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are employed by the music industry to produce neat copies from a composer or arranger's manuscript.-Music...
/ arranger with GTV channel 9. In 1961 Ian Harris moved to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
), was seconded to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (cor anglais) for several months, returned to Tasmania only to be seconded again 1964, this time to the Victorian Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
(oboe). Back again in Tasmania, his next move was to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(1965–1974) to join NZBCSO (the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
) as Principal Cor anglais. During this time, in which he yo-yoed across Australasia, Harris tutored in oboe at the universities of Tasmania, Melbourne, and the Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
. It was at the latter that he completed his degree in composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
(with David Farquhar
David Farquhar (composer)
David Andress Farquhar was born in Cambridge, New Zealand in 1928 but spent most of his early years in Fiji.He was educated in New Zealand and began his university studies in Christchurch before completing his degree at Victoria University of Wellington where he studied with Douglas Lilburn...
) in 1969. He was to return yet again to Tasmania at the end of 1974. However, this time, he embraced a new career as a music educator with his move. He also conducted the Tasmanian Junior Youth Orchestra for several years.
Later he changed to oboe as his chief study and studied composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
with Arthur Nickson. he was soon in demand as a free-lance orchestral musician, arranger and copyist, working in a very eclectic mix of musical spheres from arranging for Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
(television and various theatrical shows), to playing in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, 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...
, chamber music
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...
and symphony orchestras. He was a founding member of the Glendenian Trio, (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
), which gave regular broadcasts over several years. The trio was another area in which his skills at arrangement were frequently employed.
Harris was a dedicated member of policy committees, especially in Education and the Arts and served as music critic for The Mercury
The Mercury (Hobart)
The Mercury is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd, part of News Limited and News Corporation...
, Hobart's daily newspaper, for several years.
Ian Harris moved back to Sydney definitively in 2000 and has since devoted himself to composition.
Works
Ian Keith Harris destroyed most of his early compositions on completion, "never satisfied in their worth".His oeuvre consists mainly of chamber music, much of which has been performed and broadcast: Microsymphony for Cor anglais Quartet (cor anglais, string trio
String trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. The term is generally used with reference to works of chamber music from the Classical period to the present.-History:...
), Oboe Quartet (oboe, string trio), Essay for Bassoon and Strings, Sonata for Viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, amongst many other pieces and numerous arrangements for broadcasts and concerts.
His sense of fun has shown in many of his compositions including, A Piece with Strawberry Jam, The Little Dog's Day (Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
), Paw de trois, a Pas de trois
Pas de trois
Pas de trois. French term usually referring to a dance in ballet between three people. Typically a Pas de trois in ballet consists of 6 parts -#The Entrée...
for an Imaginary Canine Ballet (for Wind Quintet
Wind quintet
A wind quintet, also sometimes known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players . The term also applies to a composition for such a group....
, with movements dedicated to his dogs by name), The Whitebait Fishers "A sort of Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
-like spoof for harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
and small choir, for which the producer of the hour-long national radio show penned the libretto for this, a special anniversary broadcast of the programme."
Harris orchestrated songs for symphony concerts, including a version of The Last Rose of Summer
The Last Rose of Summer
The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. Moore wrote it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland...
for Rita Streich
Rita Streich
Rita Streich , was one of the most admired and recorded sopranos of the post-war period.Rita Streich was born in Barnaul in Russia, and moved to Germany with her parents during her childhood. She grew up bilingual, something that was extremely helpful during her later career...
(1920–1987). He also wrote, directed and even performed in advertising jingles
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
, playing celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, oboe, cor anglais or whatever was required.