George Lloyd (composer)
George Walter Selwyn Lloyd (born June 28, 1913 in St Ives (Cornwall) , † July 3, 1998 in London ) was an English composer.
Life
George Lloyd's parents were both musicians: his father William was a flautist and his mother played several string instruments. He started learning the violin at the age of 5 and to compose at the age of 10. The family later moved to London, where George received private lessons in composition from Harry Farjeon and counterpoint from CH Kitson. He achieved early compositional success with the operas Lernin (1934) and The Serf (1938). In 1936 he met Nancy Juvet in Switzerland, whom he married in 1937.
The Second World War marked a serious turning point for Lloyd. In 1941/42 he was in service with the Royal Navy on patrol in arctic waters. In 1942, on the voyage to Murmansk, the ship HMS Trinidad , on which he served, was hit by its own torpedo ( circular rotor ), with numerous fatalities. Lloyd was able to save himself, but suffered a severe war neurosis from which he should only recover very slowly. During his convalescence he stayed in Switzerland from 1945 to 1948 (where his 4th and 5th symphonies were composed), then returned to Cornwall and finally moved to rural Dorset , where he and his wife first grew cloves and then mushrooms , but also increasingly composed again. In old age he was again given increasing recognition; For example, the pianist John Ogdon advocated his piano concertos. From 1984 he appeared again as a conductor of his own works. Many of his works have been recorded by the Lyrita and Albany Records labels .
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Lloyd's works are in the tradition of late English Romanticism (although he expressed no sympathy for the English School, with the exception of Elgar and Ireland ), are tonal, orchestrated in color and mostly easily accessible (which also accuses him of a certain banality of the thematic invention brought in). Lloyd particularly admired the melodic ideas and processes in Verdi and Puccini .
Lloyd composed, among other things, 12 symphonies (1932–1993), 7 solo concerts (including four piano concertos) and 3 operas as well as numerous works for wind ensemble. His Symphonic Mass for choir and orchestra premiered in 1993 with great success. His last work was a requiem for choir, organ and countertenor dedicated to Princess Diana (1998).
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lloyd, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lloyd, George Walter Selwyn (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 28, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St Ives (Cornwall) |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 3, 1998 |
| Place of death | London |