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Malcolm Arnold

 
Artist: Malcolm Arnold
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Sir William Walton

Influenced By:

Edward Elgar, Sir Arnold Bax
  • Born: October 21, 1921, Northampton, England
  • Died: September 23, 2006, Norwich, England
  • Active: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s
  • Genres: Soundtrack
  • Instrument: Conductor
  • Representative Albums: "Hurrah for Malcolm Arnold," "David Copperfield/The Roots of Heaven," "Overtures"

Biography

Sir Malcolm Arnold towers among the premier British composers of the 20th century. The author of nine symphonies, 17 concertos, and 132 film scores, chief among them the Academy Award-winning The Bridge on the River Kwai, his adherence to tonality and melody positioned him in stark opposition to prevailing musical tastes, and he remains a critical lightning rod, championed by admirers for his populist sensibilities and decried by critics for the same reason. Born in Northampton on October 21, 1921, Arnold studied violin as a child. After witnessing a Louis Armstrong concert, the 12-year-old became obsessed with jazz, and its energy and spirit would profoundly shape his own music throughout his professional career. Armstrong also inspired Arnold to adopt the trumpet, and at 16 his virtuosity resulted in a scholarship to London's Royal College of Music. While in school he regularly moonlighted with London-area orchestras, and in addition to trumpet, he also studied composition under Gordon Jacob. At age 20 Arnold volunteered for World War II. Assigned to play cornet in a military band, he found the experience so distasteful that he literally shot himself in the foot to earn a medical discharge. The event was also emblematic of the mental illness that plagued him throughout his life. He was soon after diagnosed as a schizophrenic, and in the decades to follow endured a series of nervous breakdowns. Upon returning to civilian life, Arnold was appointed first trumpet chair with the London Philharmonic. In 1943, he completed his first major orchestral composition, the overture "Beckus the Dandipratt," followed months later by his creative breakthrough, "Three Shanties Op. 4," which crystallized his elegant, lyrical, and often cheeky approach. After winning the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1948, Arnold channeled the sum of his creative energies into composing, completing his first symphony the following year. Around the same time, he also began scoring films, beginning with the feature Avalanche Patrol. Arnold's Second Symphony, completed in 1953, would prove the most critically acclaimed of his major works, but his remarkable melodic gifts were to earn more academic scorn than approval in the years to come. Moreover, each of his nine symphonies is strikingly different from the others, making it even more difficult to pigeonhole his body of work within the narrow confines of the establishment canon. Arnold nevertheless emerged as a popular favorite, winning his first Oscar for his work on David Lean's 1957 epic The Bridge on the River Kwai. His other notable cinematic efforts include 1958's Ivor Novello Award-winning The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, 1959's Suddenly Last Summer, and 1960's Tunes of Glory, and he was a collaborator of such pantheon filmmakers as Carol Reed, John Huston, and Ronald Neame. By 1966 the pressures of living and working in London finally grew too much for Arnold, however, and he retreated to Cornwall, where his music adopted a pastoral beauty evoking his new home. He nevertheless remained a mercurial talent, and in 1969 conducted the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, written by pianist Jon Lord for his hard rock band Deep Purple. The decade to follow proved one of the most difficult periods of Arnold's life, marked by suicide attempts, prolonged hospital stays, and a series of alternative treatments and therapies. His creative output dwindled in response, although 1978's darkly ironic "Symphony for Brass" remains one of his acknowledged masterpieces. In 1984 a British court deemed Arnold unfit to live alone, and he spent the remainder of his life under the watch of devoted caregiver Anthony Day, to whom the composer dedicated 1986's Ninth Symphony. A poignantly powerful work incorporating conscious evocations of Tchaikovsky's and Mahler's musical farewells, the Ninth Symphony effectively ended Arnold's career, but in the years to follow a new generation of critics began reviewing his work in a more favorable light than their predecessors. Knighted in 1993, in 2001 Arnold received a Fellowship of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, an honor bestowed during an 80th birthday celebration at London's Wigmore Hall. A host of celebrations were planned in commemoration of Arnold's 85th birthday, but the composer did not live to see them. He died September 23, 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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Actor: Malcolm Arnold
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Oct 21, 1921 in Northampton, England
  • Died: Sep 23, 2006 in Norwich, England
  • Active: '50s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Hobson's Choice, The Belles of St. Trinian's
  • First Major Screen Credit: Eye Witness (1949)

Biography

Few world-class composers can rival the dazzling Sir Malcolm Arnold in terms of voluminous output. His résumé alone -- 132 film scores (an average of six per year), seven ballets, 20 concertos, nine symphonies, and a host of compositions for brass bands, chorales, and chamber musicians -- suggest a creative mind that never ceased, and would doubtless have kept on producing music, indefinitely, for as long as Arnold lived.

Arnold also demonstrates (as do so many of his contemporaries) that the most enviable creative gifts and the most troubling behavioral dysfunction often walk hand in hand. The victim of schizophrenia at an early age, a well-publicized alcoholic, a survivor of numerous mental breakdowns and suicide attempts, and the recipient of severe treatments for mental illness including institutionalization and a possible lobotomy, Arnold suffered from tremendous psychiatric strain. His life was also fraught with external difficulty, including the death of an infant daughter, the birth of an autistic son, and two failed marriages (to Sheila Nicholson and Isobel Gray, respectively), the second of which saw his wife filing a restraining order against the increasingly violent Arnold. He nonetheless survived these traumas, grew stronger, and -- despite a lengthy period in the middle of his life, sans output -- continued to author music right up through the end.

A Northampton native born on October 21, 1921, Arnold studied music theory and composition as a youngster, then picked up a trumpet after hearing a Louis Armstrong performance at age 12. In time, the young man became so proficient that he secured a job performing with local orchestras, while enrolled at the Royal College of Music. He voluntarily enlisted in the RAF in 1944, but so hated the armed forces that he shot his own foot to get discharged. He then occupied a seat as a trumpeter in the London Philharmonic, but withdrew upon receiving the prestigious Mendelssohn Scholarship, which enabled him to devote all of his time to compositions. As the decades passed, he became a key crossover artist who incorporated eccentric (and, by formally accepted standards, inappropriate) instrumentation into symphonies, and even at one point conducted a symphonic work written by the psychedelic rock band Deep Purple.

Even more incredible, given the size of Arnold's output, is the fact that he composed the preponderance of his significant musical works during the 1940s, '50s, '60s. Over the next two decades, Arnold's emotional and psychological difficulties made it virtually impossible for him to compose anything of significance, but he reportedly picked up his rapid-fire pace again in the '90s. Arnold's most famous film score was unquestionably the one he wrote for David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won an Oscar. Though too numerous to list in full, some of his additional film credits as composer include Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952), Hobson's Choice (1954), The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), The Holly and the Ivy (1954), 1984 (1956), Trapeze (1956), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Solomon and Sheba (1959), Whistle Down the Wind (1962), The Thin Red Line (1964), and Gypsy Girl (1966). He composed his final film score for 1980's The Wildcats of St. Trinian's, directed by Frank Launder, who had directed the original Belles of St. Trinian's.

Queen Elizabeth knighted Arnold in 1993. He died of a chest infection on September 23, 2006, just under a month prior to his 85th birthday and a Northampton-based musical celebration scheduled in his honor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Malcolm Arnold
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MalcolmArnold.jpg

Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer and symphonist.

Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Benjamin Britten and William Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain. His natural melodic gift earned him a reputation as a composer of light music in works such as his sets of Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish and Cornish Dances, and his scores to the St Trinian's films and Hobson's Choice.

Contents

Early life and education

Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, the youngest of five children from a prosperous Northampton family of shoemakers. As a rebellious teenager, he was attracted to the creative freedom of jazz. After seeing Louis Armstrong play in Bournemouth, he took up the trumpet at the age of 12 and 5 years later won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music (RCM).

At the RCM he studied composition with Gordon Jacob and the trumpet with Ernest Hall. In 1941 he joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra as second trumpet and became principal trumpet in 1943.

In 1944 he volunteered for military service but after he found out the army wanted to put him in a military band, he shot himself in the foot to get back to civilian life. After a season as principal trumpet with the BBC Symphony Orchestra he returned to the London Philharmonic in 1946 where he remained until 1948 to become a full-time composer.

Works

Arnold was a relatively conservative composer of tonal works, but a prolific and popular one. He acknowledged Hector Berlioz as an influence, and several commentators have drawn a comparison with Jean Sibelius. Arnold's most significant works are generally considered to be his nine symphonies. He also wrote a number of concertos, including one for guitar for Julian Bream, one for cello for Julian Lloyd Webber, one for clarinet for Benny Goodman, one for harmonica for Larry Adler, and one – enthusiastically welcomed at its premiere during the 1969 Proms – for three hands on two pianos for the husband-and-wife team of Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick. His sets of dances, which consist of two sets of English Dances (Opp. 27 and 33[1]), and one set each of Scottish Dances (Op. 59), Cornish Dances (Op. 91), Irish Dances (Op. 126), and Welsh Dances (Op. 138), are in a lighter vein and also popular. One of the English Dances is used as the theme music for the British television programme What the Papers Say. Another popular short work is his Divertimento for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet (Op. 37). Arnold is also known for his relatively large number of compositions and arrangements of his own compositions for brass band.

Film

Arnold also wrote many film scores, winning an Academy Award for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and also providing music for The Belles of St Trinian's (1954), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961). He conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the recording of Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra, and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the Gemini Suite composed by the group's organist, Jon Lord.

Later years and death

His private life saw a decline in both health and finances. In 1978 he was treated as an in-patient for several months in the psychiatric ward at the Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London, and in 1979 he entered St Andrew's Hospital in his home town of Northampton to be treated for depression and alcoholism.

He did overcome both, despite being given a year to live in the early 1980s. He in fact lived for more than 20 years, completing his Ninth and final symphony in 1986, just as his work was beginning to enjoy a renewal of interest. He also made one final, triumphant return to the Proms podium (although not as conductor) in 1991.

Arnold died at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich on 23 September 2006, after suffering from a chest infection. His last work, The Three Musketeers, was premiered at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford on the same day in a Northern Ballet production. The score included no new music by Arnold, but excerpts from various of his compositions were arranged by John Longstaff. The original score was compiled by Anthony Meredith.

Popularity and legacy

His works are particularly popular with youth and amateur orchestras, partly because of their playability, and also because of the accessibility of his unique style, which combines the musical elements of classical, jazz, popular and folk. He was for many years a favourite at Proms concerts and Hoffnung festivals. He was also the patron of the Rochdale Youth Orchestra until his death in September 2006.

The Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra made the first commercial recording of Arnold's Divertimento for the Pye label in July 1967 and regularly performed many of his works in the UK and abroad. Arnold also conducted the orchestra in a 1963 De Montfort Hall concert that included his own English Dances and Tam O'Shanter.

Malcolm Arnold wrote the Trevelyan Suite to mark the opening of Trevelyan College, University of Durham. His daughter was among the first intake of students.

Since the 1980s there have been frequent concerts and festivals dedicated to his music. In October of each year there is an annual Malcolm Arnold Festival in his birthplace Northampton.

Honours and awards

Works

See also: Category:Compositions by Malcolm Arnold

Ballets

Orchestral

  • Overtures
    • Comedy Overture: Beckus the Dandipratt, Op. 5 (1943)
    • The Smoke (Overture), Op. 21 (1948)
    • A Sussex Overture, Op. 31 (1951)
    • Tam o' Shanter Overture (1955)
    • A Grand, Grand Overture, Op. 57 (1956)
    • Commonwealth Christmas Overture, Op. 64 (1957)
    • Sunshine Overture, Op. 83 (1964)
    • Peterloo Overture, Op. 97 (1968)
    • Anniversary Overture, Op. 99 (1968)
    • The Fairfield Overture, Op. 110 (1972)
    • Robert Kett Overture, Op. 141 (1988)
  • Sinfoniettas
    • Sinfonietta No. 1, Op. 48 (1954)
    • Sinfonietta No. 2, Op. 65 (1958)
    • Sinfonietta No. 3, Op. 81 (1964)
  • Divertimentos
    • Divertimento No. 1, Op. 1 (1945)
    • Divertimento No. 2, Op. 24 (1950), revised as Op. 75 (1961)
  • Little Suites
    • Little Suite No. 1, Op. 53 (1955)
    • Little Suite No. 2, Op. 78 (1961)
    • Little Suite No. 3, Op. 142 (1990)
    • Little Suite No. 4, Op. 80a (1963)
    • Little Suite No. 5, Op. 93a (1957)
  • Miscellaneous
    • Larch Trees, Op. 3 (1943)
    • Symphonic Suite, Op. 12
    • Symphony for Strings (Op. 13, 1946)
    • Serenade for Small Orchestra, Op. 26 (1950)
    • Symphonic Study Machines Op. 30 (1951)
    • Sarabande and Polka from Ballet 'Solitaire' (1956)
    • Toy Symphony, Op. 62 (1957)
    • Sweeney Todd Concert Suite, Op. 68a (1959)
    • The Song of Simeon, Op. 69 (1959)
    • Grand Concerto Gastronomique, Op. 76
    • Water Music, Op. 82 (1964)
    • Severn Bridge Variations (1966, part of a composite work composed by Arnold, Alun Hoddinott, Nicholas Maw, Daniel Jones, Grace Williams and Michael Tippett)
    • Salute to Thomas Merritt, Op. 98 (1987)
    • Concerto for 28 players (Op. 105, 1970)
    • A Flourish For Orchestra, Op. 112 (1973)
    • Philharmonic Concerto, Op. 120 (1976)
    • Variations for Orchestra, Op. 122 (1977)

Concerti

  • Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra (Op. 77, 1962)
  • Piano
    • Concerto for Piano Duet and Strings (Op. 32, 1951)
    • Concerto for Piano (3 Hands) and Orchestra (Op. 104, 1969)
    • Fantasy on a Theme of John Field Op 116
  • Viola Concerto (Op. 108, 1971)
  • Cello Concerto Shakespearean (Op. 136, 1988)
  • Flute
    • Flute Concerto No. 1 (Op. 45, 1954)
    • Flute Concerto No. 2 (Op. 111, 1972)
  • Oboe Concerto (Op. 39, 1952)
  • Clarinet
    • Clarinet Concerto No. 1 (Op. 20, 1948)
    • Clarinet Concerto No. 2 (Op. 115, 1974)
  • Recorder
    • Recorder Concerto (Op. 133, 1988)
    • Theme and Variations: Fantasy for Recorder and String Orchestra
  • Horn
    • Horn Concerto No. 1 (Op. 11, 1945)
    • Horn Concerto No. 2 (Op. 58, 1956)
  • Trumpet
    • Trumpet Concerto (1988) (Op. 125, 1988)
  • Guitar
    • Serenade for Guitar and Strings, Op. 50 (1955)
    • Guitar Concerto, Op. 67 (1959)
  • Organ Concerto (Op. 47, 1954)
  • Harmonica Concerto (Op. 46, 1954)

Opera

  • Henri Christophe (1949; incomplete, 25 pages in full score)
  • The Dancing Master, Op. 32 (1952; one act)
  • The Open Window, Op. 56 (1956; one act)

Vocal and choral

  • Laudate Dominum (Psalm 150) for choir and organ, Op. 25 (1950)
  • Two Ceremonial Psalms, Op. 35 (1952)
  • John Clare Cantata, Op. 52 (1955)
  • Song of Praise "John Clare", Op. 55 (1956)
  • The Song of Simeon, Op. 69 (1959)
  • Parasol (1960) - TV musical
  • Song of Freedom for choir and brass band, Op. 109 (1972)
  • The Return of Odysseus, Op. 119 (1976)

Chamber

  • Three or more players
    • Three Shanties for Woodwind Quintet, Op. 4 (1943)
    • Quintet for Flute, Violin, Viola, Horn and Bassoon, Op. 7 (1944)
    • Divertimento for Flute, Oboe and Clarinet, Op. 37 (1952)
    • Oboe Quartet, Op. 61 (1957)
    • String Quartet No. 1 (1949)
    • String Quartet No. 2 (1975)
    • Piano Trio, Op. 54 (1956)
    • Trio for Flute, Viola and Bassoon Op. 6(1942)
    • Quintet For Brass, Op. 73 (1961)
    • Brass Quintet No. 2, Op. 132
  • Two players
    • Duo for Flute and Viola, Op. 10 (1946)
    • Flute Sonata (Op. 121, 1977)
    • Clarinet Sonatina, Op. 29 (1951)
    • Flute Sonatina, Op. 19 (1948)
    • Oboe Sonatina, Op. 28 (1951)
    • Recorder Sonatina, Op. 41 (1953)
    • Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 15 (1947)
    • Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 43 (1953)
    • Viola Sonata, Op. 17 (1947)
    • Five pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 84 (1965)
    • Duo for Two Cellos, Op. 85 (1964)
    • Divertimento for Two Clarinets
    • Fantasy for Flute and Clarinet

Instrumental

  • Fantasy for Bassoon Op. 86 (1966)
  • Fantasy for Clarinet Op. 87 (1966)
  • Fantasy for Horn, Op. 88 (1966)
  • Fantasy for Flute Op. 89 (1966)
  • Fantasy for Oboe Op. 90 (1966)
  • Fantasy for Trumpet, Op. 100 (1969)
  • Fantasy for Trombone, Op. 101 (1969)
  • Fantasy for Tuba, Op. 102 (1969)
  • Fantasy for Guitar, Op. 107 (1971)
  • Fantasy for Harp, Op. 117 (1975)
  • Fantasy for Recorder, Op. 127 (1987)
  • Fantasy for Cello, Op. 130 (1987)

Piano

  • Allegro in E minor for Piano (1937)
  • Children's Suite, Op. 16 (1947)
  • Day Dreams (1938)
  • Eight Children's Piano Pieces, Op. 36 (1952)
  • Eight English Dances, Opp. 27, 33 (1950/51)
  • Hobson's Choice (1953)
  • Homage to the Queen (1953)
  • Prelude (1945)
  • Sarabande and Polka from Solitaire (1956)
  • Serenade for Piano (1937)
  • Sonata for Piano (1942)
  • The Buccaneer (1952)
  • Three Fantasies for Piano, Op. 129 (1986)
  • Three Piano Piees (1937)
  • Three Piano Pieces (1943)
  • Two Bagatelles, Op. 18 (1947)
  • Two Piano Pieces (1941)
  • Variations on a Ukrainian Folk Song, Op. 9 (1944)

Band

  • Little Suites
    • Little Suite No 1 for Brass Band, Op. 80 (1963)
    • Little Suite No 2 for Brass Band, Op. 93 (1967)
    • Little Suite No 3 for Brass Band, Op. 131
  • Fantasy for Brass Band (1974)
  • Symphony for Brass Instruments, Op. 123 (1978)
  • Fantasies
    • Fantasy for B flat trumpet, Op. 100
    • Fantasy for Horn, Op. 88
    • Fantasy for Trombone, Op. 101
    • Fantasy for Tuba, Op. 102
  • Fanfare For Louis

Film scores

Arnold composed music for 62 feature films (plus several documentaries and TV work) including:

Selected recordings

Bibliography

  • Thöne, Raphael D. (2008-08-01) (in German). Malcolm Arnold - Symphonisches Schaffen, Stil und Ästhetik. DE: Entercom Saurus. ISBN 978-3937748085. 
  • Thöne, Raphael D. (2007-08-20) (in English). Malcolm Arnold - A Composer of Real Music: Symphonic Writing, Style and Aesthetics. US/UK: Entercom Saurus. ISBN 978-3937748061. 
  • Meredith, Anthony; Paul Harris (2004-09-24). Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius. UK: Thames / Elkin. ISBN 090341354X. 
  • Jackson, Paul R. W. (2003-02-06). The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold - The Brilliant and the Dark. UK: Ashgate. ISBN 1859283810. 
  • Craggs, Steward R. (1998-09-30). Malcolm Arnold: A Bio-Bibliography. US: Greenwood. ISBN 031329254X. 
  • Burton-Page, Piers (1994-10-21). Philharmonic Concerto: The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold. UK: Methuen. ISBN 041345651X. 
  • Cole, Hugo (1989). Malcolm Arnold: An Introduction to His Music. UK: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571100716. 
  • Poulton, Alan (1986). The Music of Malcolm Arnold. UK: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571100570. 
  • Schafer, (Raymond) Murray (1963). British Composers in Interview. UK: Faber & Faber. 

TV documentaries

  • "Malcolm Arnold" by Herbert Chappell, BBC, Omnibus, 1969
  • "Sheridan Morley meets...: Malcolm Arnold" by Mike Purton, BBC, 1984
  • "An Act of Friendship" by Terry Bryan, ITV Central, 1989
  • "A Portrait of Malcolm Arnold" by Richard Fawkes, ITV Anglia TV, Notes on Norfolk, 1990
  • "Malcolm Arnold at 70" by Kriss Rusmanis, BBC, Omnibus, 1991
  • "Toward the Unknown Region: Malcolm Arnold - A Story of Survival" by Tony Palmer, ITV, The South Bank Show, 2004 (2 parter) (released on DVD)

Obituaries and tributes

External links

Interviews



This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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