Peter Tranchell
Encyclopedia
Peter Andrew Tranchell was a British
composer
.
Tranchell was born at Cuddalore
, India
, on July 14, 1922, and educated at the Dragon School (Oxford)
, Clifton College (Bristol)
and King's College (Cambridge)
. During the Second World War he served, like his father, Col. H G Tranchell, in the Indian Army
, after which he resumed his Cambridge studies, changing from exhibitioner in Classics to Music.
He was Lecturer in Music at the University of Cambridge
from 1950 to 1989, and Fellow and Director of Studies in music at Gonville and Caius College
from 1960 to 1989. As Praecentor
of the college he directed the chapel choir. He died on 14 September 1993 near his home in Curdridge near Botley in Hampshire.
Amongst other activities at Caius, Tranchell became the patron, at the request of, predominantly, members of the college choir, of a dining society at Caius named the Titus Oates Society as a sort of antidote to other college clubs. He was asked by those wishing to form another dining club for a suitable name and suggested, with his frequent cheekiness, that of the most reprehensible member of Caius thitherto: Titus Oates. The dinners - dinners at on the last day of Full Term in the first two academic terms and a picnic, normally watching the Bumps on the Saturday after the last - known as "Exceedings", were marked by exemplary food and drink from the college's kitchen staff (whom he held in the highest regard) and cellars and ran to some nine or so courses. In 1983, the cost was £17. This was a deliberate policy of Tranchell's to ensure that the cost would not bar anyone. This accords with Tranchell's sense of egalitarianism recorded in his descriptions of his time in the Indian Army. The dinners included various toasts: to Titus Oates, to a saint of the day - preceded by an entertaining biography of each - and to The Queen. The Titus Oates Society ran from the early '70's till around the early '90's, the patronage having been passed to other Fellows of the college on Tranchell's retirement in 1989.
His compositions included the opera The Mayor of Casterbridge
(1951), anthem
s, and a cantata
. He was also a composer of light music
, his output including vocal "entertainments", instrumental miniatures and the musical comedy Zuleika (after Max Beerbohm
), produced in Cambridge in 1954 and revived in 1957. His archive is kept at Cambridge University Library
.
Ballet
Falstaff (1950)
Fate's Revenge (1951), performed by Ballet Rambert at the Lyric, Hammersmith
Images of Love, (1964) produced at Covent Garden
with choreography by Kenneth MacMillan
Opera
The Mayor Of Casterbridge (1951)
Zuleika (1954)
Thackeray Ditties (1962)
His First Mayweek (1963)
Incidental music
Johnson over Jordan (J. B. Priestley
; 1947)
Macbeth
(William Shakespeare
; 1949)
The Merchant of Venice
(Shakespeare; 1950)
This Sorry Scheme of Things (1953)
The Joyous Year (1961)
If ye would hear the angels sing (1965)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
.
Tranchell was born at Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, on July 14, 1922, and educated at the Dragon School (Oxford)
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
, Clifton College (Bristol)
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and King's College (Cambridge)
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. During the Second World War he served, like his father, Col. H G Tranchell, in the Indian Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, after which he resumed his Cambridge studies, changing from exhibitioner in Classics to Music.
He was Lecturer in Music at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
from 1950 to 1989, and Fellow and Director of Studies in music at Gonville and Caius College
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
from 1960 to 1989. As Praecentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
of the college he directed the chapel choir. He died on 14 September 1993 near his home in Curdridge near Botley in Hampshire.
Amongst other activities at Caius, Tranchell became the patron, at the request of, predominantly, members of the college choir, of a dining society at Caius named the Titus Oates Society as a sort of antidote to other college clubs. He was asked by those wishing to form another dining club for a suitable name and suggested, with his frequent cheekiness, that of the most reprehensible member of Caius thitherto: Titus Oates. The dinners - dinners at on the last day of Full Term in the first two academic terms and a picnic, normally watching the Bumps on the Saturday after the last - known as "Exceedings", were marked by exemplary food and drink from the college's kitchen staff (whom he held in the highest regard) and cellars and ran to some nine or so courses. In 1983, the cost was £17. This was a deliberate policy of Tranchell's to ensure that the cost would not bar anyone. This accords with Tranchell's sense of egalitarianism recorded in his descriptions of his time in the Indian Army. The dinners included various toasts: to Titus Oates, to a saint of the day - preceded by an entertaining biography of each - and to The Queen. The Titus Oates Society ran from the early '70's till around the early '90's, the patronage having been passed to other Fellows of the college on Tranchell's retirement in 1989.
His compositions included the opera The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge , subtitled "The Life and Death of a Man of Character", is a tragic novel by British author Thomas Hardy. It is set in the fictional town of Casterbridge . The book is one of Hardy's Wessex novels, all set in a fictional rustic England...
(1951), anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
s, and a cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
. He was also a composer of light music
Light music
Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music, which originated in the 19th century and had its heyday during the early to mid part of the 20th century, although arguably it lasts to the present day....
, his output including vocal "entertainments", instrumental miniatures and the musical comedy Zuleika (after Max Beerbohm
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian "Max" Beerbohm was an English essayist, parodist and caricaturist best known today for his 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson.-Early life:...
), produced in Cambridge in 1954 and revived in 1957. His archive is kept at Cambridge University Library
Cambridge University Library
The Cambridge University Library is the centrally-administered library of Cambridge University in England. It comprises five separate libraries:* the University Library main building * the Medical Library...
.
BalletBalletBallet 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
Falstaff (1950)Fate's Revenge (1951), performed by Ballet Rambert at the Lyric, Hammersmith
Images of Love, (1964) produced at Covent Garden
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...
with choreography by 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:...
OperaOperaOpera 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...
s & musicalMusical theatreMusical 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...
s
The Mayor Of Casterbridge (1951)Zuleika (1954)
Thackeray Ditties (1962)
His First Mayweek (1963)
Incidental musicIncidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
Johnson over Jordan (J. B. PriestleyJ. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
; 1947)
Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
(William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
; 1949)
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
(Shakespeare; 1950)
Choral works
Te Deum in E (1975)This Sorry Scheme of Things (1953)
The Joyous Year (1961)
If ye would hear the angels sing (1965)