John McCabe (composer)
Encyclopedia
John McCabe CBE is an English composer
and pianist
.
, Liverpool
, Merseyside
. A prolific composer from an early age, he had written thirteen symphonies by the time he was eleven (Rickards 2001). After studies in Manchester and Munich he embarked upon a career as a composer and virtuoso pianist (he still tours internationally as a recitalist). He has worked in almost every genre, though large-scale forms lie at the heart of his catalogue with five symphonies, fifteen concertante works and eight ballet scores to his name. Like many composers of his generation, McCabe experimented with serialism
in his early career but his mature style is characterised by a dramatic post-tonalism, and vivid orchestrations.
He first became known as a pianist, playing Bax
, Corigliano
, Haydn
, Hindemith
, Rawsthorne
, and Webern
.
As a composer, he first gained attention with the orchestral song cycle Notturni ed Alba (1970). He has written five acknowledged symphonies (1965-2000), a number of ballet
s, string quartet
s, and solo instrumental music (particularly for the piano
). However, it is for his concerti
that he is perhaps best known. He has written four for his own instrument, the piano (1966-76), and three for one or two violin
s (1959, 1980, 2003) as well as one each for viola
(1962), harpsichord
(1968), oboe d'amore
(1972), clarinet
(1977), orchestra
(1982), trumpet
(1987) and flute
(1990), and double concertos for viola and cello
(1965) and clarinet and oboe (1988).
He has a developing association with the Presteigne
Festival.
John McCabe was made CBE in 1985 for his services to music (Rickards 2001). He has also spent a considerable amount of time teaching. Among his notable pupils is composer Gary Kulesha
.
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...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Biography
John McCabe was born in HuytonHuyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. A prolific composer from an early age, he had written thirteen symphonies by the time he was eleven (Rickards 2001). After studies in Manchester and Munich he embarked upon a career as a composer and virtuoso pianist (he still tours internationally as a recitalist). He has worked in almost every genre, though large-scale forms lie at the heart of his catalogue with five symphonies, fifteen concertante works and eight ballet scores to his name. Like many composers of his generation, McCabe experimented with serialism
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
in his early career but his mature style is characterised by a dramatic post-tonalism, and vivid orchestrations.
He first became known as a pianist, playing Bax
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of romanticism and impressionism, often with influences from Irish literature and landscape. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colourful instrumentation...
, Corigliano
John Corigliano
John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
, Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, Rawsthorne
Alan Rawsthorne
Alan Rawsthorne was a British composer. He was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, and is buried in Thaxted churchyard in Essex.-Career:...
, and Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
.
As a composer, he first gained attention with the orchestral song cycle Notturni ed Alba (1970). He has written five acknowledged symphonies (1965-2000), a number of 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...
s, 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...
s, and solo instrumental music (particularly for the 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...
). However, it is for his concerti
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
that he is perhaps best known. He has written four for his own instrument, the piano (1966-76), and three for one or two violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s (1959, 1980, 2003) as well as one each 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...
(1962), 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...
(1968), oboe d'amore
Oboe d'amore
The oboe d'amore , less commonly oboe d'amour, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the mezzo-soprano of the oboe family, between the oboe itself and the cor...
(1972), clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(1977), orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
(1982), trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(1987) and 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...
(1990), and double concertos for viola and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
(1965) and clarinet and oboe (1988).
He has a developing association with the Presteigne
Presteigne
Presteigne is a town and community in Powys, Wales. It was the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, and is in the Diocese of Hereford...
Festival.
John McCabe was made CBE in 1985 for his services to music (Rickards 2001). He has also spent a considerable amount of time teaching. Among his notable pupils is composer Gary Kulesha
Gary Kulesha
Gary Kulesha is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Since 1995, he has been Composer Advisor to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has been Composer-in-Residence with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian Opera Company . He was awarded the National Arts Centre...
.
Career highlights
- 1974-6 - recorded the complete Piano Sonatas of Haydn (reissued later on CD) for Decca/London.
- 1983 - awarded CBE for services to music.
- 1984 - Rainforest I commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York.
- 1995 - premiere of Edward IIEdward II (ballet)Edward II is a ballet with music by the English composer John McCabe.Commissioned by Stuttgart Ballet, with a narrative conceived by choreographer David Bintley, the ballet largely follows the plot of Christopher Marlowe's play of the same name, rather than the life of the real Edward...
with Stuttgart BalletStuttgart BalletStuttgart Ballet was the first major German ballet company. It rose to fame in the 1960s under Artistic Director John Cranko. The company, which is renowned for presentations of full-length narrative ballets including Romeo and Juliet, Eugene Onegin, The Taming of the Shrew, John Neumeier's Die...
, choreographed by David BintleyDavid BintleyDavid 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 :...
. - 2003 - Les martinets noirs commissioned by Amsterdam Sinfonietta.
- 2004 - received Distinguished Musician Award from the Incorporated Society of MusiciansIncorporated Society of MusiciansIncorporated Society of Musicians is the UK's professional body for musicians. It champions the importance of music and protects the rights of those working within music through a range of services, campaigns, support and practical advice...
.
Key works
- Variations on a theme by Karl Amadeus HartmannKarl Amadeus HartmannKarl Amadeus Hartmann was a German composer. Some have lauded him as the greatest German symphonist of the 20th century, although he is now largely overlooked, particularly in English-speaking countries.-Life:...
(1964; orchestra) - Symphony No. 1, Elegy (1965; orchestra)
- Notturni ed Alba (1970; soprano, orchestra)
- Symphony No. 2 (1971; orchestra)
- Chagall Windows (1974; orchestra)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 (1977)
- Symphony No. 3, Hommages (1978; orchestra)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1979)
- Concerto for Orchestra (1982)
- String Quartet No. 4 (1982)
- Cloudcatcher Fells (1982; brass band)
- Haydn Variations (1983; piano; dedicated to and premiered by Philip FowkePhilip Fowke-Biography:Philip Francis Fowke studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Gordon Green, a pupil of Egon Petri. In 1974 he made his London debut with a recital at the Wigmore Hall . That year he won joint second place at the BBC Piano Competition...
) - Fire at Durilgai (1988; orchestra)
- String Quartet No .5 (1989)
- Flute Concerto (1990)
- Tenebrae (1993; piano)
- Symphony No. 4, Of Time and the RiverOf Time and the RiverOf Time and the River is a 1935 novel by American novelist Thomas Wolfe. It is a fictionalized autobiography, using the name Eugene Gant for Wolfe's, detailing the protagonist's early and mid-twenties, during which time the character attends Harvard University, moves to New York City and teaches...
(1994; orchestra) - Edward II (1995; ballet)
- Pilgrim (1998; double string orchestra)
- Arthur Parts 1 & 2 (1999 and 2001; ballet)
- Woman by the Sea (2001; piano, string quartet)
Recordings
- Edward II - Hyperion CDA 67135/6
- Six Minute Symphony; Concertante Variations of Nicholas Maw; Piano Concerto No 2; Sonata on a Motet - Dutton CDLX 7133
- Symphony ‘Of Time and the River’; Flute Concerto - Hyperion CDA67089
- Dance Prelude for Oboe d'Amore and Piano - Amoris Edition AR 1003 - written for Jennifer Paull (1972)