Gerald Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners
Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners (born Tyrwhitt , born September 16, 1882 in Apley Park near Birdgnorth , Shropshire , † April 19, 1950 in Faringdon , Oxfordshire ) was a British peer composer , writer and painter .
Life
He was the only child of the Hon. Hugh Tyrwhitt and Julia Mary Foster. His father was a Commodore in the Royal Navy and the third son of Sir Henry Thomas Tyrwhitt, 3rd Baronet and Emma Harriet Wilson, 12th Baroness Berners .
He attended the famous Eton College and traveled to Dresden , Vienna , France and Italy in preparation for the diplomatic service . He served as an honorary attaché in Constantinople and Rome . In 1918, on the death of his uncle Raymond Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 13th Baron Berners , he inherited the nobility titles 14th Baron Berners and 5th Baronet, of Stanley Hall , as well as several estates on which he later spent most of his life. Through the baron title he also became a member of the House of Lords . On March 31, 1919, he changed his family name from Tyrwhitt to Tyrwhitt-Wilson by royal license .
Tyrwhitt-Wilson was open about his homosexuality even in his youth . He was considered an eccentric ; For example, he colored the pigeons in Faringdon Manor where he lived, a tradition that has been maintained to this day. He also invited a horse to one of his tea parties. In the literary circles of the United Kingdom in the 1920s and 1930s, he was a well-known figure mentioned in many books and biographies. He was friends with the Mitford Sisters ; Diana was especially close to him. Nancy Mitford made him a figure in her autobiographical novels as "Merlin". The garden designer Norah Lindsay was one of his friends, they often played music together, and Lindsay designed his flower garden
Tyrwhitt-Wilson suffered from depression especially in the last years of his life .
He became known both as a talented composer and as a painter and writer. This earned him the title of “the versatile peer” in the press. Tyrwhitt-Wilson published two autobiographies and several novels. His compositions are of lasting importance. In addition to short musical studies with Igor Stravinsky and Alfredo Casella , he continued his education essentially self-taught. He wrote songs, piano pieces, a one-act opera and film scores. In collaboration with the choreographer Frederick Ashton and the conductor Constant Lambert , he brought out several ballets. In his early creative phase his style was avant-garde, and even in his later, more moderate works, he did not lose his individual expression. His friend and colleague William Walton , whom he sponsored, dedicated the oratorio Belshazzar's Feast to him . He left his property to his partner Robert ("Boy") Heber-Percy. The barony fell to his cousin Vera Ruby Williams .
Works
Ballets
- The Triumph of Neptune (1926)
- Luna Park (1930)
- A Wedding Bouquet (1936)
- Cupid and Psyche [Amor and Psyche] (1939)
- Les Sirènes [The Maids] (1946)
Film music
- Champagne Charlie (1944)
- The Halfway House (1944)
- Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
Piano music
- Le poisson d'or (1919)
- 4 Valse bourgeoise for four hands (1919)
- 3 Little Funeral Marches (1920)
- 3 Fragments Psychologique (1921)
Opera
- Le Carosse du Saint Sacrament (1923)
Other orchestral work
- Trois Morceaux (1918)
- Fantaisie Espagnole (1919)
literature
- Peter Dickinson : Lord Berners, Composer, Writer, Painter. Boydell, Woodbridge 2010, ISBN 978-1-84383-551-6 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Gerald Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners in the catalog of the German National Library
- Lord Gerald Hugh Berners (1883-1950) on klassika.info
- Lord Berners in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Pictures of Lord Berners in the National Portrait Gallery
- Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Lord Berners on thepeerage.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mr Gerald Tyrwhitt-Wilson in Hansard (English)
- ^ Allyson Hayward: Norah Lindsay, the life and art of a garden designer. Frances Lincoln, London 2007, p. 263
- ^ Allyson Hayward: Norah Lindsay, the life and art of a garden designer. Frances Lincoln, London 2007, p. 263
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
Raymond Tyrwhitt-Wilson |
Baron Berners 1918–1950 |
Vera Williams |
Raymond Tyrwhitt-Wilson |
Baronet, of Stanley Hall 1918-1950 |
Title expired |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Gerald, 14th Baron Berners |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Gerald Hugh, 14th Baron Berners; Tyrwhitt, Gerald Hugh |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British nobleman, composer, painter and writer |
DATE OF BIRTH | September 16, 1882 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Apley Park at Birdgnorth , Shropshire |
DATE OF DEATH | April 19, 1950 |
Place of death | Faringdon , Oxfordshire |