John Gerrard Williams (10 December 1888 – 7 March 1947), most commonly known as Gerrard Williams, was an English composer and arranger.[1]
Williams was born in London - his birth name was John Gerrard Williams. He had no formal music education (other than some informal advice from Richard Henry Walthew), but learned through amateur performing in choirs and orchestras and through concert going. He trained and worked as an architect, though began composing in his spare time from around 1911.[2]
He gave up architecture after 1920, and began organising concerts of his music. These included a concert at the Pump Room in Bath on 2 February 1921. 16 of his songs were sung by the tenor Osmond Davis with the composer at the piano.[3] The tenor, Vladimir Rosing, premiered his song Idyll at Aeolian Hall in New York on 8 February 1922, The Musical Leader calling it "extraordinary."[4] A further concert of his chamber music, including the second string quartet, piano works and songs, was held at the Aeolian Hall in London on 27 March 1922.[5] In 1924 the BBC broadcast an hour long programme of his chamber music,[6] and another hour of orchestral and choral music in 1928, conducted by Stanford Robinson.[7]
His many compositions include a comic operetta for children The Story of the Willow Pattern Plate (1921), and the ballad opera Kate, The Cabin Boy, based on traditional tunes and inspired by the success of the Beggar's Opera revival in 1920.[8] It was produced by Donald Calthrop at the Kingsway Theatre in 1924.[9] There are orchestral suites, incidental music for radio, chamber music, including two string quartets, choral works, solo piano pieces and songs. Much of his music could be classified as light music miniatures, but folk music is also an important component, while the influence of Debussy and Ravel is sometimes noted in connection with the piano works and chamber music.[10]
Pot-Pourri, the orchestrated version of a piano suite with eight short movements titled after the names of flowers, was given at the Proms twice, in 1921 and 1922.[11] Williams also wrote one of the movements of Captions: Five Glimpses of an Anonymous Theme (1923), a suite with other movements by Herbert Bedford, Arthur Bliss, Eugene Goossens and Felix Harold White.[12]
He was also a prolific arranger of folk-songs and folk-dance tunes, as well as adaptions of popular classics. His arrangements for military band in the 1930s include the Eric Coates' London Suite for Chappell & Co. He also arranged the suite from the 1937 Arthur Bliss ballet Checkmate for wind orchestra.[13]
In the 1930s Williams was living at Underhill, Stafford Road in Caterham.[14] He died in Oxted, Surrey at the age of 58.
Selected worksedit
Dramatic
Charming Chloe, ballad opera
Kate, the Cabin Boy, ballad opera (1923)
The Story of the Willow Pattern Plate, comic operetta for children (1921)
Sweet Winter, for children
The Tale of the Shoe, for children
Orchestra
Cortege on a Ground Bass
Elegiac Rhapsody, in Memoriam E.B.W.
Facets: Aspects of an Original Theme
Fantasy on Kalyani (an old Indian Song), for flute, oboe, clarinet and strings
Pot-Pourri, eight fragments (originally piano)
Ring Up the Curtain: A Harlequinade (originally piano)
^Publisher's notice, in The Musical News and Herald, 13 May 1922, p. 607
^recorded by Richard Rodney Bennett on Best of British, Warner Classics Warner Classics 0289892 (2011)
External linksedit
Gerrard Williams scores at IMSLP
April 09, 2024
gerrard, williams, john, december, 1888, march, 1947, most, commonly, known, english, composer, arranger, williams, born, london, birth, name, john, formal, music, education, other, than, some, informal, advice, from, richard, henry, walthew, learned, through,. John Gerrard Williams 10 December 1888 7 March 1947 most commonly known as Gerrard Williams was an English composer and arranger 1 Williams was born in London his birth name was John Gerrard Williams He had no formal music education other than some informal advice from Richard Henry Walthew but learned through amateur performing in choirs and orchestras and through concert going He trained and worked as an architect though began composing in his spare time from around 1911 2 He gave up architecture after 1920 and began organising concerts of his music These included a concert at the Pump Room in Bath on 2 February 1921 16 of his songs were sung by the tenor Osmond Davis with the composer at the piano 3 The tenor Vladimir Rosing premiered his song Idyll at Aeolian Hall in New York on 8 February 1922 The Musical Leader calling it extraordinary 4 A further concert of his chamber music including the second string quartet piano works and songs was held at the Aeolian Hall in London on 27 March 1922 5 In 1924 the BBC broadcast an hour long programme of his chamber music 6 and another hour of orchestral and choral music in 1928 conducted by Stanford Robinson 7 His many compositions include a comic operetta for children The Story of the Willow Pattern Plate 1921 and the ballad opera Kate The Cabin Boy based on traditional tunes and inspired by the success of the Beggar s Opera revival in 1920 8 It was produced by Donald Calthrop at the Kingsway Theatre in 1924 9 There are orchestral suites incidental music for radio chamber music including two string quartets choral works solo piano pieces and songs Much of his music could be classified as light music miniatures but folk music is also an important component while the influence of Debussy and Ravel is sometimes noted in connection with the piano works and chamber music 10 Pot Pourri the orchestrated version of a piano suite with eight short movements titled after the names of flowers was given at the Proms twice in 1921 and 1922 11 Williams also wrote one of the movements of Captions Five Glimpses of an Anonymous Theme 1923 a suite with other movements by Herbert Bedford Arthur Bliss Eugene Goossens and Felix Harold White 12 He was also a prolific arranger of folk songs and folk dance tunes as well as adaptions of popular classics His arrangements for military band in the 1930s include the Eric Coates London Suite for Chappell amp Co He also arranged the suite from the 1937 Arthur Bliss ballet Checkmate for wind orchestra 13 In the 1930s Williams was living at Underhill Stafford Road in Caterham 14 He died in Oxted Surrey at the age of 58 Selected works editDramatic Charming Chloe ballad opera Kate the Cabin Boy ballad opera 1923 The Story of the Willow Pattern Plate comic operetta for children 1921 Sweet Winter for children The Tale of the Shoe for childrenOrchestra Cortege on a Ground Bass Elegiac Rhapsody in Memoriam E B W Facets Aspects of an Original Theme Fantasy on Kalyani an old Indian Song for flute oboe clarinet and strings Pot Pourri eight fragments originally piano Ring Up the Curtain A Harlequinade originally piano The Wings of Horus 1928 balletChamber String Quartet No 1 1915 String Quartet No 2 1919 published Curwen 15 Piano Dejeuner dansant 16 Four Traditional Irish Tunes Four Traditional Tunes also orchestrated Poem for piano solo Questing 1927 Prunes and Prisms Three Expressions Side shows Three Miniatures after Shelley Dawn The Isle Time Chester 1919 also orchestrated Three Preludes By Haworth Falls Solitude and Autumn Songs Aubade text Frederick Wyville Home Curwen 1921 The Crooning from Inisfail text Leigh Henry Curwen 1921 Dusk Idyll An Inconsequent Ballad In the Bower text Tennyson Love s Secret text Blake Moon Mid winter Madness Playbox song cycle for children Reflections text Leigh Henry Curwen 1921 Rondel text Swinburne Very Nearly text Queenie Scott Hopper 1932 Choral A Cycle of the Sea for eight part voices Diaphenia part song Lowland Lay part song Sweet Kate part song Three Sleeps part song Tragic Fragment for wordless women s voicesReferences edit Leach Gerald British Composer Profiles 3rd edition 2012 p 217 Arthur Eaglefield Hull A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians 1924 p 521 A Gerrard Williams Concert at Bath The Musical Times Vol 62 No 937 March 1921 p 186 Bauer Emilie Frances The Musical Leader 16 Feb 1922 p 152 This Week s Music Mr Gerrard Williams in The Sunday Times 2 April 1922 Issue 5164 p 7 Radio Times Issue 40 29th June 1924 p 8 Radio Times Issue 226 29th January 1928 p 28 Gerrard Williams s Kate in The Musical Times Vol 65 No 975 May 1924 p 453 Lucy Broadwood correspondence held at the Surrey History Centre Philip L Scowcroft British Light Music Dance Books 2013 p 167 BBC Proms performance archive Captions in The Land of Lost Content 14 March 2012 Recorded on The Best Of British Vol 2 KOCD 8012 2006 Who s Who in Music Shaw Publishing 1935 Publisher s notice in The Musical News and Herald 13 May 1922 p 607 recorded by Richard Rodney Bennett on Best of British Warner Classics Warner Classics 0289892 2011 External links editGerrard Williams scores at IMSLP Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gerrard Williams amp oldid 1212437391, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
