William Walton

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William Walton, 1937

Sir William Turner Walton OM (born March 29, 1902 in Oldham , Lancashire , † March 8, 1983 in Forio on Ischia ) was an English composer and conductor .

Life

Walton was the son of choirmaster and singing teacher Charles Walton and singer Louisa, nee Turner. As a child, despite taking piano and violin lessons, he showed no particular interest in music, but had a beautiful voice and therefore became a choirboy at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford at the age of ten . Now he developed musically and composed his first works as early as 1914, mainly choral and organ music. He also studied at Oxford, but without obtaining a degree.

From 1920 he lived in Chelsea with Osbert and Sachverell Sitwell , who enabled him to compose freely, as did several other patrons soon after. In 1923 Façade was published , a work based on 21 experimental poems by Edith Sitwell , which established Walton's reputation as an "enfant terrible". But even in his viola concerto, which Paul Hindemith played the solo part in its premiere in 1929 , neo-romantic influences could be felt in his modern tonal language, which became more and more dominant over the years.

In 1931 the Leeds Festival first performed Belshazzar's Feast , one of the most important English choral works of the 20th century. From 1934 Walton began to work as a film composer on the initiative of director Paul Czinner , and for the first time received regular income. The Crown Imperial coronation march for the enthronement of King George VI. 1937 consolidated his position as an established British sound artist, impressively confirmed by his first symphony, which was first performed in full in 1935 after a long period of composition. This is how his Violin Concerto (1939) was commissioned for the famous violinist Jascha Heifetz , which was followed by a commission from Gregor Piatigorsky for a cello concerto in 1957 . In 1947 he was one of the first to be awarded the gold medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society after World War II .

In 1948 Walton married the young Argentine Susana Gil (born August 30, 1926 in Buenos Aires, † March 21, 2010 Ischia) and moved with her to Ischia , where they created the property with the La Mortella Park , where Walton was also buried. After the Second World War he first turned to chamber music and composed a string quartet in A minor (1947) and a violin sonata (1949). He then wrote his first opera Troilus and Cressida on a libretto by Christopher Hassall (after Geoffrey Chaucer , not after Shakespeare ); it premiered in 1954 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden . 1951 Walton was by King George VI. Knighted as a Knight Bachelor . In addition to his activity as a conductor, Walton now mainly composed on a commission basis. The most important works of these years are his second symphony (1960), the Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (1963) and the second opera The Bear (1967; libretto: Paul Dehn , based on Chekhov ). Walton was a slow composer all his life and left behind a relatively narrow oeuvre, but there are many outstanding works among them.

On November 20, 1967, in recognition of his services to music, Walton was accepted into the prestigious Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II , whose regular membership is limited to just 24 people.

In the 1970s, Walton was inspired by guitarist Julian Bream to write for this instrument. The “Five Bagatelles for Solo Guitar” then emerged from lively cooperation with the performer. Today they form an important part of the modern-contemporary guitar repertoire.

Works

  • Operas
    • Troilus and Cressida (1950–1954; UA 1954; revised 1975–1976). Libretto : Christopher Hassall (1912–1963)
    • The Bear . Extravaganza (1965–1967; UA 1967). Libretto: Paul Dehn
  • Ballets
    • The Wise Virgins (1940; arrangement of works by JS Bach)
    • The Quest (1943)
  • Symphonies
  • Concerts
    • Sinfonia concertante for orchestra and obbligato piano (1926–1927; revised 1943)
    • Viola Concerto (1928–1929; revised 1961)
    • Violin Concerto (1938–1939)
    • Cello Concerto (1956)
  • further orchestral works
    • Portsmouth Point . Overture (1925)
    • Siesta for small orchestra (1926)
    • Crown Imperial . Coronation March (1937)
    • Music for Children (1940)
    • Scapino . Comedy overture (1940)
    • Spitfire Prelude and Fugue (1942), from the score for The First of the Few
    • Orb and Scepter . Coronation March (1953)
    • Johannesburg Festival Overture (1956)
    • Partita (1957)
    • Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (1962–1963)
    • Capriccio burlesco (1968)
    • Improvisations on an Impromptu of Benjamin Britten (1969)
    • Sonata (1971–1972; arrangement of the string quartet in A minor)
  • Chamber music
    • Piano quartet (1918-1919; revised 1921)
    • Duets for Children for piano (1940)
    • First string quartet (1920–1922) arr. Christopher Palmer
    • String Quartet in A minor (1945–1947)
    • Violin Sonata (1949)
    • 2 pieces for violin and piano (1949–1950)
    • 5 bagatelles for guitar (1972)
  • Choral works with orchestra and / or organ
    • Belshazzar's Feast for baritone, choir and orchestra (1930–1931)
    • In Honor of the City of London for choir and orchestra (1937)
    • Coronation Te Deum for choir, orchestra and organ (1952–1953)
    • Gloria for alto, tenor, baritone, choir and orchestra (1961)
    • The Twelve for choir and organ (1965)
    • Missa brevis for choir and organ or orchestra (1966)
    • Jubilate Deodorant for choir and organ (1972)
    • Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for choir and organ (?)
  • Choral works a cappella
    • A litany (1916)
    • Make we joy now in this fest (1931)
    • Set me as a seal upon thine heart (1938)
    • Where does the uttered music go? (1946)
    • What cheer (1961)
    • All this time (1970)
    • Cantico del sole (1974)
    • King Herod an the Cock (1977)
  • Works for solo voice
    • The Winds for solo voice and piano (1918)
    • Tritons for solo voice and piano (1920)
    • Façade for speakers and instruments (1921–1922; edited 1942; two orchestral suites from it)
    • Bucolic Comedies . 5 songs after Edith Sitwell for solo voice and orchestra (1924, withdrawn; published in 1932 three songs arranged for solo voice and piano)
    • Under the Greenwood Tree for solo voice and piano (1936)
    • Anon. in love . 6 songs for tenor and guitar or orchestra (1959)
    • A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table . six songs for soprano and piano or orchestra (1962)
  • Incidental music
    • The Son of Heaven (1925)
    • The Boy David (1936)
    • Macbeth (1941)
  • Music for the radio
    • Christopher Columbus (1942)

Film music

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Walton, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walton, William Turner (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Oldham
DATE OF DEATH March 8, 1983
Place of death Forio on Ischia