Wilfrid Mellers
Encyclopedia
Wilfrid Howard Mellers OBE
(26 April 1914 — 17 May 2008) was an English
music
critic
, musicologist and composer
.
, where he read English. At Cambridge, he formed a friendship with F.R. Leavis. He later lived with the Leavises for three years in order to pursue a Music degree.
since the September 1936 issue, he appeared on the editorial board of the January 1942 issue, and continued in that position until the December 1948 issue.
From 1964 until 1981 he was founding professor and head of the Music Department at the University of York
; he remained emeritus
professor of music there until his death. He was also an honorary fellow at Downing College, Cambridge. On July 12, 1981, he received an honorary degree of music from the City University, London
.
The 2004 York
Late Music Festival opened with a weekend tribute to Mellers. A 90th birthday tribute concert was held in October 2004 at Downing College, featuring music by Mellers as well as new pieces written for the occasion by Stephen Dodgson
, David Matthews
and Howard Skempton
, among others.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(26 April 1914 — 17 May 2008) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, musicologist and 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...
.
Early life
Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Downing College, CambridgeDowning College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
, where he read English. At Cambridge, he formed a friendship with F.R. Leavis. He later lived with the Leavises for three years in order to pursue a Music degree.
Career
After writing many articles for ScrutinyScrutiny (journal)
Scrutiny: A Quarterly Review was a literature periodical founded in 1932 by F. R. Leavis, who remained its principal editor until the final issue in 1953...
since the September 1936 issue, he appeared on the editorial board of the January 1942 issue, and continued in that position until the December 1948 issue.
From 1964 until 1981 he was founding professor and head of the Music Department at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
; he remained emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
professor of music there until his death. He was also an honorary fellow at Downing College, Cambridge. On July 12, 1981, he received an honorary degree of music from the City University, London
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....
.
The 2004 York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
Late Music Festival opened with a weekend tribute to Mellers. A 90th birthday tribute concert was held in October 2004 at Downing College, featuring music by Mellers as well as new pieces written for the occasion by Stephen Dodgson
Stephen Dodgson
Stephen Dodgson is a British composer and broadcaster.- Biography :During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy. From 1947 to 1949, Dodgson studied at the Royal College of Music, where he later taught composition. In 1950, he visited Italy on a travelling scholarship, after which he taught in...
, David Matthews
David Matthews (composer)
David Matthews is an English composer of mainly orchestral, chamber, vocal and piano works.- Life :He was born in London into a family that was 'not especially' musical; the desire to compose did not manifest itself until he was sixteen, and for a time he and his younger brother Colin Matthews,...
and Howard Skempton
Howard Skempton
Howard Skempton is a British composer and accordionist. Since the late 1960s, when he helped organize the Scratch Orchestra, he has been associated with the English school of experimental music...
, among others.
Books by Mellers
- Music and Society: England and the European Tradition (1946)
- Studies in Contemporary Music (1947)
- Francois Couperin & the French Classical Tradition (1950)
- Music in the Making (1951)
- Romanticism and the 20th Century, from 1800 (1957)
- The Sonata Principle, from c. 1750 (1957)
- Man and His Music (1962; Vols. 3 & 4 by Mellers)
- Music in a New Found Land: Themes and Developments in the History of American Music (1964)
- Harmonious Meeting: A study of the relationship between English music, poetry and theatre, c.1600 (1965)
- Caliban Reborn: Renewal in Twentieth-Century Music (1968)
- Twilight of the Gods: the Beatles in Retrospect (1973)
- Bach and the Dance of God (1980)
- Beethoven and the Voice of God (1983)
- A Darker Shade of Pale: a Backdrop to Bob Dylan (1984)
- Angels of the Night: Popular Female Singers of Our Time (1986)
- Le Jardin Retrouve. The Music of Frederick Mompou 1893-1987 (1987)
- The Masks of Orpheus: Seven Stages in the Story of European Music (1987)
- Vaughan Williams and the Vision of Albion (1989)
- Percy Grainger (1992)
- Francis Poulenc (1993)
- Between Old Worlds and New (1997)
- Singing in the Wilderness: Music and Ecology in the Twentieth Century (2001)
- Celestial Music?: Some Masterpieces of European Religious Music (2002)
