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{{short description|Scottish composer, musicologist, and music historian}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
{{dablink|For the mathematician of the same name, see [[John Purser (mathematician)]].}}
{{dablink|For the mathematician of the same name, see [[John Purser (mathematician)]].}}


{{Infobox person
⚫
'''John Purser''' (born 1942 in [[Glasgow]]) is a Scottish composer, musicologist, and music historian. He is also a playwright.<ref name=cd>cover notes from ''Scotland's Music'' CD</ref><ref>[http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/smo/naidheachd/fiosan/cursaciuil_b.htm Sabhal Mòr Ostaig - News]</ref>
| name = John Purser
| image = John Purser at SMO.jpg
| caption = John Purser at Scotland Music
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1942}}
| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland
| occupation = Composer, musicologist, music historian, playwright
| education =
| alma_mater =
| notable_works = Scotland's Music, Carver (play)
}}


⚫
'''John Purser''' (born 1942) is a Scottish composer, musicologist, and music historian. He is also a playwright.<ref name=cd>cover notes from ''Scotland's Music'' CD</ref><ref>[http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/smo/naidheachd/fiosan/cursaciuil_b.htm Sabhal Mòr Ostaig - News]</ref>
⚫
He initiated the reconstruction that commenced in 1991 of the [[Iron Age]] [[Carnyx|Deskford Carnyx]], producing a replica that was first played in 1993 by trombonist [[John Kenny (trombonist)|John Kenny]].<ref>[http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id15.html The Carnyx, an Ancient Instrument] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907185217/http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id15.html |date=2005-09-07 }}</ref>

⚫
Purser was born in [[Glasgow]]. He initiated the reconstruction that commenced in 1991 of the [[Iron Age]] [[Carnyx|Deskford Carnyx]], producing a replica that was first played in 1993 by trombonist [[John Kenny (trombonist)|John Kenny]].<ref>[http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id15.html The Carnyx, an Ancient Instrument] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050907185217/http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id15.html |date=2005-09-07 }}</ref>


Purser's book ''Scotland's Music'',<ref>Purser, John, ''Scotland's Music: A History of the Traditional and Classical Music of Scotland from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'', Mainstream Publishing 1992 {{ISBN|1-85158-426-9}}</ref> published in March 1992 (new edition October 2007), was a major reference work on musical history from the [[Bronze Age]] to the present. It was followed by a thirty-programme radio series of the same title, written and presented by him, which was broadcast on [[BBC Radio Scotland]] and totalled 45 hours, with recordings commissioned for the series including reconstructions of early music and works by many little-known composers. A double CD was subsequently produced with a small selection of the music.<ref name=cd/> Purser's work has contributed to a revival of interest in such composers as [[John Clerk of Penicuik]]<ref>[http://www.concal.org/clerk.htm John Clerk of Penicuik (1676-1755)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505071456/http://www.concal.org/clerk.htm |date=2006-05-05 }}, Concerto Caledonia</ref> and [[John Thomson (composer)|John Thomson]].
Purser's book ''Scotland's Music'',<ref>Purser, John, ''Scotland's Music: A History of the Traditional and Classical Music of Scotland from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'', Mainstream Publishing 1992 {{ISBN|1-85158-426-9}}</ref> published in March 1992 (new edition October 2007), was a major reference work on musical history from the [[Bronze Age]] to the present. It was followed by a thirty-programme radio series of the same title, written and presented by him, which was broadcast on [[BBC Radio Scotland]] and totalled 45 hours, with recordings commissioned for the series including reconstructions of early music and works by many little-known composers. A double CD was subsequently produced with a small selection of the music.<ref name=cd/> Purser's work has contributed to a revival of interest in such composers as [[John Clerk of Penicuik]]<ref>[http://www.concal.org/clerk.htm John Clerk of Penicuik (1676-1755)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060505071456/http://www.concal.org/clerk.htm |date=2006-05-05 }}, Concerto Caledonia</ref> and [[John Thomson (composer)|John Thomson]].

'Consider the Story', a privately released disc of Purser's music, was released in 2021. It includes the song cycle ''Six Sea Songs'' (1966, setting words by the composer's father J W R Purser), the ''Kalavrita'' string quartet (1981), and the Sonata for Trombone and Piano (2001).<ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Dec/Purser-story.htm 'Consider the Story', reviewed at ''MusicWeb International'']</ref>


Purser's plays include the radio play ''[[Carver (play)|Carver]]'' about [[Robert Carver (composer)|Robert Carver]], the 16th-century Scottish composer of church music, which won a [[Giles Cooper Award]].<ref name=cd/> He also wrote ''Parrots and Owls'' about [[John Ruskin]] and the [[O'Shea brothers]].
Purser's plays include the radio play ''[[Carver (play)|Carver]]'' about [[Robert Carver (composer)|Robert Carver]], the 16th-century Scottish composer of church music, which won a [[Giles Cooper Award]].<ref name=cd/> He also wrote ''Parrots and Owls'' about [[John Ruskin]] and the [[O'Shea brothers]].
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* ''Three Studies'' for horn and piano (1976)
* ''Three Studies'' for horn and piano (1976)
* ''Carrier Strike'' for piccolo, trumpet and harpsichord (1977)
* ''Carrier Strike'' for piccolo, trumpet and harpsichord (1977)
* String Quartet (1981)
* String Quartet ''Kalavrita'' (1981)
* ''Prelude and Toccata'' for guitar (1985)
* ''Prelude and Toccata'' for guitar (1985)
* Sonata for cello and piano (1988)
* Sonata for cello and piano (1988)
* Sonata for violin and piano (1989)
* Sonata for violin and piano (1989)
* ''Skyelines'' for tenor trombone and organ (1994)
* ''Skyelines I / II'' for tenor trombone and organ (1994)
* ''Skyeline III'' for string quartet (1995)
* ''Skyeline III'' for string quartet (1995)
* Sonata for trombone and piano (2002)
* ''Ave atque vale'' for trombone (1996)
⚫
* ''Lament for a Chickadee'' for [[carillon]] (1998)
* Sonata for Trombone and Piano (2002)
* ''In Memory of Michael Miles'' for flute solo (2005)
* ''In Memory of Michael Miles'' for flute solo (2005)
* ''Piobaireachd "Wai Taheke"'' for flute solo (2005)
* ''Piobaireachd "Wai Taheke"'' for flute solo (2005)
* ''Puna'' for [[Taonga pūoro]] and bassoon (2005)
* ''Silver Reflections'' for cello and piano (2013)
* ''The Butterfly'' for flute, harp and organ
* ''The Butterfly'' for flute, harp and organ
⚫
* ''Lament for a Chickadee'' for [[carillon]]


===Keyboard===
===Keyboard===
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* ''Ave Atque Vale'' for alto and baritone
* ''Ave Atque Vale'' for alto and baritone
* ''Five Landscapes'' for voice and piano
* ''Five Landscapes'' for voice and piano
* ''Love My Lewd Pilot'' for soprano, baritone, flute and piano; words by [[Edmund Spenser]]
* ''Love My Lewd Pilot'' for soprano, baritone, flute and piano; words by [[Edmund Spenser]] (2002)
* ''Lovely Molly'' for voice and piano
* ''Lovely Molly'' for voice and piano
* ''Six Sea Songs'' for tenor and piano
* ''Six Sea Songs'' for tenor and piano (1966)
* ''Throat'' for soprano, [[carnyx]] and percussion
* ''Throat'' for soprano, [[carnyx]] and percussion


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== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120322021107/http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/directory/r84/ Scottish Music Center biography]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120322021107/http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/directory/r84/ Scottish Music Center biography]
* [http://www.carnyxscotland.co.uk/carnyxco/lecture.htm#Cry Carnyx & Co.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070428083206/http://www.carnyxscotland.co.uk/carnyxco/lecture.htm#Cry Carnyx & Co.]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scottish classical composers]]
[[Category:Scottish classical composers]]
[[Category:British male classical composers]]
[[Category:Scottish dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Scottish dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:People from Glasgow]]
[[Category:Musicians from Glasgow]]
[[Category:People educated at Fettes College]]
[[Category:People educated at Fettes College]]
[[Category:Opera in Scotland]]
[[Category:Opera in Scotland]]
[[Category:Scottish poets]]
[[Category:Scottish poets]]
[[Category:Scottish opera composers]]
[[Category:Scottish opera composers]]
[[Category:Male opera composers]]
[[Category:British male opera composers]]
[[Category:Scottish music historians]]
[[Category:Scottish music historians]]

Latest revision as of 05:18, 11 April 2024

For the mathematician of the same name, see John Purser (mathematician).
John Purser
John Purser at Scotland Music
Born1942 (age 81–82)
Glasgow, Scotland
Occupation(s)Composer, musicologist, music historian, playwright
Notable workScotland's Music, Carver (play)

John Purser (born 1942) is a Scottish composer, musicologist, and music historian. He is also a playwright.[1][2]

Purser was born in Glasgow. He initiated the reconstruction that commenced in 1991 of the Iron Age Deskford Carnyx, producing a replica that was first played in 1993 by trombonist John Kenny.[3]

Purser's book Scotland's Music,[4] published in March 1992 (new edition October 2007), was a major reference work on musical history from the Bronze Age to the present. It was followed by a thirty-programme radio series of the same title, written and presented by him, which was broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland and totalled 45 hours, with recordings commissioned for the series including reconstructions of early music and works by many little-known composers. A double CD was subsequently produced with a small selection of the music.[1] Purser's work has contributed to a revival of interest in such composers as John Clerk of Penicuik[5] and John Thomson.

'Consider the Story', a privately released disc of Purser's music, was released in 2021. It includes the song cycle Six Sea Songs (1966, setting words by the composer's father J W R Purser), the Kalavrita string quartet (1981), and the Sonata for Trombone and Piano (2001).[6]

Purser's plays include the radio play Carver about Robert Carver, the 16th-century Scottish composer of church music, which won a Giles Cooper Award.[1] He also wrote Parrots and Owls about John Ruskin and the O'Shea brothers.

Selected works[edit]

Stage[edit]

  • The Undertaker, Opera (1969)
  • The Bell, Opera

Radio[edit]

Orchestral[edit]

  • Intrada for Strings for string orchestra, Op. 17 (1966)
  • Clydefair Overture (1972)
  • Ane Gentill Chantecleir (1990)
  • Bannockburn
  • Epitaph
  • Variations on an Irish Folk-Tune for string orchestra

Concertante[edit]

  • Concertino for piano and orchestra (1986)
  • Concerto for viola and string orchestra

Chamber music[edit]

  • Sonata for flute and piano, Op. 11 (1964–1965)
  • Dances of Ilion for clarinet and piano, Op. 24
  • Suite for Unaccompanied Violin, Op. 29
  • Three Studies for horn and piano (1976)
  • Carrier Strike for piccolo, trumpet and harpsichord (1977)
  • String Quartet Kalavrita (1981)
  • Prelude and Toccata for guitar (1985)
  • Sonata for cello and piano (1988)
  • Sonata for violin and piano (1989)
  • Skyelines I / II for tenor trombone and organ (1994)
  • Skyeline III for string quartet (1995)
  • Ave atque vale for trombone (1996)
  • Lament for a Chickadee for carillon (1998)
  • Sonata for Trombone and Piano (2002)
  • In Memory of Michael Miles for flute solo (2005)
  • Piobaireachd "Wai Taheke" for flute solo (2005)
  • Puna for Taonga pūoro and bassoon (2005)
  • Silver Reflections for cello and piano (2013)
  • The Butterfly for flute, harp and organ

Keyboard[edit]

  • Toccata for organ (1968, revised 2003)
  • Clavier Sonata for chamber organ (or piano) (1974)
  • Circus Suite for Nick for piano (1975)

Vocal[edit]

  • Johnnie Faa, Variation 6 for soprano, flute, cello and harp (1988)
  • The Seal of the City for soprano, tenor, bass, clarinet, trumpet, horn, percussion and organ (1996)
  • Ave Atque Vale for alto and baritone
  • Five Landscapes for voice and piano
  • Love My Lewd Pilot for soprano, baritone, flute and piano; words by Edmund Spenser (2002)
  • Lovely Molly for voice and piano
  • Six Sea Songs for tenor and piano (1966)
  • Throat for soprano, carnyx and percussion

Choral[edit]

  • Magnificat for mixed chorus a cappella (1964)
  • The Wren Boys for mixed chorus, 2 piccolos, string orchestra and organ (1983)
  • Epithalamion for mixed chorus a cappella (1984)
  • If All You Gave for mixed chorus a cappella
  • Nunc Dimittis for mixed chorus a cappella
  • Love in Season for mixed chorus a cappella
  • Simplon Pass for mixed chorus a cappella

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c cover notes from Scotland's Music CD
  2. ^ Sabhal Mòr Ostaig - News
  3. ^ The Carnyx, an Ancient Instrument Archived 2005-09-07 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Purser, John, Scotland's Music: A History of the Traditional and Classical Music of Scotland from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, Mainstream Publishing 1992 ISBN 1-85158-426-9
  5. ^ John Clerk of Penicuik (1676-1755) Archived 2006-05-05 at the Wayback Machine, Concerto Caledonia
  6. ^ 'Consider the Story', reviewed at MusicWeb International

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Purser&oldid=1218347289"