One Minute Wonders is the name given to a series of piano pieces by leading British composers, commissioned by the pianist Clive Williamson in association with the University of Surrey. The challenge, laid down to all contributing composers, was that submitted compositions had to last no longer than 60 seconds (although, in practice, several pieces exceeded the time limit). Contributing composers included Colin Matthews

Colin Matthews

Colin Matthews OBE is an English composer of classical music.-Early life and education:Matthews was born in London in 1946; his older brother is the composer David Matthews. He read classics at the University of Nottingham, and then studied composition there with Arnold Whittall, and with Nicholas...

, John Woolrich

John Woolrich

John Woolrich is a British composer. He was BBC Radio 3 'Composer of the Week' in March 2008, involving the broadcast of over 4 hours of his music in one week.-External links:**...

, Julian Anderson

Julian Anderson

Julian Anderson is a British composer and teacher of composition.-Biography:Anderson studied at Westminster School, then with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music, with Alexander Goehr at Cambridge University, privately with Tristan Murail in Paris, and on courses given by Olivier Messiaen,...

, Matthew King

Matthew King (composer)

Matthew King is a British composer and pianist. His works include opera, piano and chamber music, choral and orchestral pieces.-Career:...

, Tansy Davies

Tansy Davies

Tansy Davies is a British composer.As a youth, Davies sang and played guitar in a rock band. She developed an interest in composition in her teens, and subsequently began music studies at the Colchester Institute in French horn and composition...

, Steve Goss

Steve Goss

Steve Goss served two terms as a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. He represented the 45th Senate district, including constituents in Alexander, Ashe, Watauga, and Wilkes counties. He was defeated for re-election in 2010 by Republican Dan Soucek.Goss is an ordained Southern Baptist...

 and Michael Finnissy

Michael Finnissy

Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...

. Many of the compositions were premiered at a concert at the University of Surrey in 2005. Anthony Payne

Anthony Payne

Anthony Payne is an English composer, most famous for the work published as Edward Elgar: The Sketches for Symphony No. 3 Elaborated by Anthony Payne...

, writing in Country Life Magazine, wrote:

Particularly remarkable were Matthew King's Sonatas which managed to quote from all of Beethoven's sonatas in chronological order, and Colin Matthews's 60 Second Waltz, which, after half-remembering Chopin, faded modernistically, then resurrected itself.

One Minute Wonders is published, and a CD by the same name has been released (with Clive Williamson as soloist) by Cadenza Music.

External links

• Stephen Goss, writing about One Minute Wonders