John Ireland (composer)

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John Ireland,
ca.1920

John Nicholson Ireland (born August 13, 1879 in Bowdon near Manchester , † June 12, 1962 in Washington , England) was an English composer .

Life

Ireland came from a family of Scottish descent. His parents died soon after he was admitted to the Royal College of Music in London at the age of 14 . There he studied piano and organ, and later also composition with Charles Villiers Stanford . He then became a college teacher himself. His students included Ernest John Moeran (who admired him) and Benjamin Britten (who found the lessons at Ireland uninteresting). He has also worked as organist and choir director at St. Luke's Church, Chelsea , London. Ireland frequently visited the Channel Islands and was inspired by their landscape; from there he was evacuated shortly before the German invasion during World War II . Ireland retired in 1953 and lived in Sussex until his death .

plant

From Stanford Ireland inherited a thorough knowledge of the music of Beethoven , Brahms and other German classics, but as a young man he was also heavily influenced by Debussy and Ravel , as well as the earlier works of Stravinsky and Bartók . Under these influences he developed his own style of "English Impressionism ", which was more based on Russian and French models than on the predominant English folk song style.

Like most Impressionist composers, Ireland preferred small forms and did not write symphonies or operas, although the Piano Concerto in E flat major is one of his best works. His output includes chamber music and a large number of piano works, including his best-known piece The Holy Boy , of which numerous arrangements exist. His songs based on poems by AE Housman , Thomas Hardy , Christina Rossetti , John Masefield and Rupert Brooke are an enrichment of the English vocal repertoire. As a result of his position at St. Luke's Church, he also wrote hymns, choral songs and other sacred choral music . Some of his works, such as the popular A Downland Suite , were completed or rewritten by his student Geoffrey Bush .

Works for orchestra

  • 1899 Tritons Symphonic Prelude for Orchestra
  • 1903–1904 Orchestral Poem in A minor
  • 1917–1918 The Forgotten Rite Prelude for orchestra
  • 1930 Concerto for piano and orchestra
  • 1933 Legend for piano and orchestra
  • 1936 A London Overture
  • 1939 Concertino pastorale for String Orchestra
    • Eclogue
    • Threnody
    • Toccata
  • 1939 Eclogue - Concertino Pastorale for String Orchestra

Works for wind orchestra a. Brass bands

  • 1932 A Downland Suite for Brass Band
    • Prelude
    • Elegy
    • Minuet
    • Round
  • A Downland Suite for concert band
  • 1934 Comedy Overture for Brass Band
  • Comedy Overture for concert band
  • 1947 Man in his labor rejoiced for Chorus and Brass-Band
  • Epic March
  • 1944 The Maritime Overture for concert band

Choral music

  • 1890 The Peaceful Western Wind
  • 1898 Vexilla Regis for Chorus, Brass and Organ
  • 1907 Pater Noster - The Lord's Prayer
  • 1907 Te Deum in F for Choir and Organ
  • 1910 A Laughing Song
  • 1911 In Praise of Neptune
  • 1912 Greater love hath no man Motet for choir and organ
  • 1919 Fraternity hymn tune
  • 1921 Fain would I change that note
  • 1936–1937 These things shall be Cantata for Baritone (or Tenor) Chorus and Orchestra
  • 1940 Missa Brevis - Missa Sancti Stephani for Chorus
  • 1942 Immortality

Film music

  • 1946–1947 The Overlanders Film score
    • March: Scorched Earth
    • Romance: Mary and the Sailor
    • Intermezzo: Open Country
    • Scherzo: Brumbies
    • Finale: Night Stampede

Piano music

  • 1895 In those days : Daydream, Meridian
  • 1900 A Sea Idyll
  • 1912 Decorations : The Island Spell, Moon-Glade, The Scarlet Ceremonies
  • 1913 The Almond Tree
  • 1913 Three Dances : Gipsy dance, Country dance, Reaper's dance
  • 1913–1915 Preludes : The Undertone, Obsession, The Holy Boy, Fire of Spring
  • 1915 Rhapsody
  • 1917–1920 London Pieces : Chelsea Reach, Ragamuffin, Soho forenoons
  • 1918 Leaves from a Child's Sketchbook : By the mere, In the meadow, The hunt's up
  • 1918 Merry Andrew
  • 1918 The Towing Path
  • 1918–1920 Sonata (in E minor-major)
  • 1919 Summer Evening
  • 1921 The Darkened Valley
  • 1921 Two Pieces : For Remembrance, Amberley Wild Brooks
  • 1922 On a birthday morning
  • 1922 Equinox
  • 1922 Soliloquy
  • 1924 Prelude in E flat major
  • 1924–1925 Two Pieces : April, Bergomask
  • 1926–1927 Sonatina
  • 1927 Spring will not wait
  • 1929 ballad
  • 1929-1930 Two Pieces : February's Child, Aubade
  • 1933 Month's Mind
  • 1937 Green Ways: Three Lyric Pieces : The Cherry Tree, Cypress, The Palm and May
  • 1940–1941 Sarnia: An Island Sequence : Le Catioroc, In an May Morning, Song of the Springtides
  • 1941 Three Pastels : A Grecian Lad, The Boy Bishop, Puck's Birthday
  • 1949 Columbine
  • publ. 1968 Ballade for London Nights (op.posth.)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ireland, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ireland, John Nicholson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English composer
DATE OF BIRTH August 13, 1879
PLACE OF BIRTH Bowdon near Manchester
DATE OF DEATH June 12, 1962
Place of death Washington , England