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{{short description|English composer and music educationalist}}
'''Geoffrey Walter Horace Winters''', (born 17 October 1928) is a British composer and music educationalist. His works span from large-scale orchestral and concertante pieces (including two symphonies and the Violin Concerto), to chamber and instrumental works and pedagogical music for children.<ref name=ent>Martin Entwistle. ''[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/feb09/Geoffrey_Winters.htm The Life and Works of Geoffrey Winters]'' (2009), published at ''MusicWeb International''</ref>
'''Geoffrey Walter Horace Winters''', (born 17 October 1928) is a British composer and music educationalist. His works span from large-scale orchestral and concertante pieces (including two symphonies and the Violin Concerto), to chamber and instrumental works and pedagogical music for children.<ref name=ent>Martin Entwistle. ''[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/feb09/Geoffrey_Winters.htm The Life and Works of Geoffrey Winters]'' (2009), published at ''MusicWeb International''</ref>


==Early life and career==
Born in [[Chingford]], Winters is the son of a monumental sculptor, and he served a brief apprenticeship with his father from the age of 17. However, as a child he showed promise as a pianist, and in 1945 he was accepted as a student at the [[Royal Academy of Music]], where his tutors were Felix Swinstead (piano) and [[Priaulx Rainier]] (composition), and later [[Alan Bush]].<ref name=mem/> A trio of early works - the Wind Quartet, Op. 1, the symphonic, three movement ''Yorkshire Suite'', Op. 2, and the Toccata for piano, Op. 3, give an indication of his future range as a composer. In 1952 Winters took up the position of music teacher at Larkswood School, Chingford. He continued teaching and lecturing (including a spell at [[Kingston University|Gipsy Hill College]]) until his retirement in the late 1970s.<ref name=ent/>
Born in [[Chingford]], Winters is the son of carver and letter designer Leo Hill Winters, and he served a brief apprenticeship with his father from the age of 17. (His brother, [[Eric Winters]], became a sculptor).<ref name=vc/> However, as a child he showed promise as a pianist, and in 1945 he was accepted as a student at the [[Royal Academy of Music]], where his tutors were [[Felix Swinstead]] (piano) and [[Priaulx Rainier]] (composition), and later [[Alan Bush]].<ref name=mem/> A trio of early works - the Wind Quartet, Op. 1, the symphonic, three movement ''Yorkshire Suite'', Op. 2, and the Toccata for piano, Op. 3, give an indication of his future range as a composer. In 1952 Winters took up the position of music teacher at Larkswood School, Chingford. He continued teaching and lecturing, including spells at [[Kingston University|Gipsy Hill College]] and Hertfordshire College of Higher Education, until his retirement in 1977.<ref name=ent/><ref name=fing/>


During the 1950s Winters became interested in 12 tone music. The Piano Sonata, Op. 12, first performed by [[Eric Parkin]] at the [[Anne Macnaghten|Macnaghten Concerts]] in 1958 - came out of this period.<ref>'[https://www.jstor.org/stable/936513 Miscellany]', in ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 99, No. 1385 (July 1958), p.391</ref> But within a few years - from the ''Variations for Two Pianos'', Op. 19 - he had returned to a more tonal, neo-classical style, with [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]] and [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] among the influences. The First Symphony, composed in 1961, was first performed by [[Owain Arwel Hughes]] with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] on 4 October 1973.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/943034 'Back Matter', ''Tempo'', No. 106, September 1973]</ref> It's a very concise work, lasting just 16 minutes. The more expansive Second Symphony was first performed by the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]] Graduate Orchestra in 1978.<ref name=mem>''[https://www.workwithdata.com/organization/geoffrey-winters A Life of Loves, Geoffrey Winters Memoirs]'', Lavenham Press 2008</ref>
During the 1950s Winters became interested in 12 tone music. The Piano Sonata, Op. 12, first performed by [[Eric Parkin]] at the [[Anne Macnaghten|Macnaghten Concerts]] in 1958 - came out of this period.<ref>'[https://www.jstor.org/stable/936513 Miscellany]', in ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 99, No. 1385 (July 1958), p.391</ref> But within a few years - from the ''Variations for Two Pianos'', Op. 19 - he had returned to a more tonal, neo-classical style, with [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]] and [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] among the influences. The First Symphony, composed in 1961, was performed by [[Owain Arwel Hughes]] with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] on 4 October 1973.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/943034 'Back Matter', ''Tempo'', No. 106, September 1973]</ref> It's a very concise work, lasting just 16 minutes. The more expansive Second Symphony was first performed by the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]] Graduate Orchestra in 1978.<ref name=mem>''A Life of Loves, Geoffrey Winters Memoirs'', [https://www.lavenhampress.com/whatwedo/private-authors/ Lavenham Press] 2008</ref>


==Freelance composer==
While in Chingford Winters lived at 4, Victoria Road.<ref name=who/> After retirement from teaching he moved to Suffolk to concentrate on freelance composition. His works from this time include the ''Studies from a Rainbow'' for piano, Op. 70, which enjoyed success in the US. Other late works include the ''Tributaries'' for solo harp, Op. 79, ''Mutations for two trumpets'' (1988) and ''Summer Songs'' for chorus, Op. 90.<ref name=ent/>
While in Chingford Winters lived at 4, Victoria Road.<ref name=who/> After retirement from teaching he moved to the village of [[Semer, Suffolk|Semer]], near [[Hadleigh, Suffolk|Hadleigh]] in Suffolk, to concentrate on freelance composition.<ref name=fing>'A Man With Music at his Fingertips', ''Suffolk and Essex Free Press'', 10 January 1980, p.20</ref> He has been a regular contributor to local and school music-making there. The Violin Concerto, composed in 1974, received its premiere a decade later in [[St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham|Lavenham Church]], on 16 September 1984, performed by Jessie Ridley with the Lavenham Sinfonia Orchestra, conducted by Frederick Marshall.<ref name=vc>'Marshall to conduct world premiere at Lavenham Church', in ''Suffolk and Essex Free Press'', 6 September, 1984</ref> Other works composed in Suffolk include the ''Studies from a Rainbow'' for piano, Op. 70, (which also enjoyed success in the US), the ''Tributaries'' for solo harp, Op. 79, ''Mutations for two trumpets'' (1988) and ''Summer Songs'' for chorus, Op. 90.<ref name=ent/>


Winters has also composed many pieces and written course work for educational use, published by [[Longman]], such as ''Sounds and Music, Books 1-3'' and (from the mid-1980s) ''Listen, Compose, Perform'', produced to support the new [[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSE]] Music examination. He is the author of ''Musical Instruments in the Classroom'' (1972). He wrote about educational music for ''Tempo'' magazine in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>For instance, 'Experimental Music in Schools', in ''Tempo'', 1970 (92), p.43-46</ref>
Winters has also composed many pieces and written course work for educational use, published by [[Longman]], such as ''Sounds and Music, Books 1-3'' and (from the mid-1980s) ''Listen, Compose, Perform'', produced to support the new [[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSE]] Music examination. He is the author of ''Musical Instruments in the Classroom'' (1972). He wrote about educational music for ''Tempo'' magazine in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>For instance, 'Experimental Music in Schools', in ''Tempo'', 1970 (92), p.43-46</ref>


Winters met his wife, the pianist Christine Ive, at the Royal Academy, and they married in 1947. There were two sons and a daughter.<ref name=who>''Who's Who in Music'', Fifth Edition, (1969), p. 344</ref> She died in 2006.<ref name=mem/> There has been some revival of interest in his music. The ''Variations for Two Pianos'' Op. 19 was given its world premiere by [[Claire and Antoinette Cann]] in Cambridge on 2 October 2008, nearly fifty years after it had been composed.<ref name=ent/>
There has been some revival of interest in his music. The ''Variations for Two Pianos'' Op. 19 was given its world premiere by [[Claire and Antoinette Cann]] in Cambridge on 2 October 2008, nearly fifty years after it had been composed.<ref name=ent/>

==Personal life==
Winters met his wife, the pianist Christine Ive, at the Royal Academy, and they married in 1947. There are two sons ([[L. Alan Winters|Alan]], an economist, and John) and a daughter Anne.<ref name=who>''Who's Who in Music'', Fifth Edition, (1969), p. 344</ref> His wife died in 2006. His memoirs were published in 2008.<ref name=mem/>


==Selected works==
==Selected works==
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* Piano Sonatina (1966)
* Piano Sonatina (1966)
* ''Thames Journey'', song cycle for junior voices and ensemble, Op. 31 (1967)
* ''Thames Journey'', song cycle for junior voices and ensemble, Op. 31 (1967)
* Violin Sonata (1967)
* Violin Concerto, Op. 51 (1974)
* Violin Concerto, Op. 51 (1974)
* ''The Mind of Man'' for chorus and orchestra, Op. 52 (1975)
* ''The Mind of Man'' for chorus and orchestra, Op. 52 (1975)
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[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century English classical composers]]
[[Category:English classical composers]]
[[Category:English classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century English composers]]
[[Category:English male classical composers]]
[[Category:English male classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male musicians]]

Latest revision as of 23:32, 9 November 2024

Geoffrey Walter Horace Winters, (born 17 October 1928) is a British composer and music educationalist. His works span from large-scale orchestral and concertante pieces (including two symphonies and the Violin Concerto), to chamber and instrumental works and pedagogical music for children.[1]

Early life and career

[edit]

Born in Chingford, Winters is the son of carver and letter designer Leo Hill Winters, and he served a brief apprenticeship with his father from the age of 17. (His brother, Eric Winters, became a sculptor).[2] However, as a child he showed promise as a pianist, and in 1945 he was accepted as a student at the Royal Academy of Music, where his tutors were Felix Swinstead (piano) and Priaulx Rainier (composition), and later Alan Bush.[3] A trio of early works - the Wind Quartet, Op. 1, the symphonic, three movement Yorkshire Suite, Op. 2, and the Toccata for piano, Op. 3, give an indication of his future range as a composer. In 1952 Winters took up the position of music teacher at Larkswood School, Chingford. He continued teaching and lecturing, including spells at Gipsy Hill College and Hertfordshire College of Higher Education, until his retirement in 1977.[1][4]

During the 1950s Winters became interested in 12 tone music. The Piano Sonata, Op. 12, first performed by Eric Parkin at the Macnaghten Concerts in 1958 - came out of this period.[5] But within a few years - from the Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 19 - he had returned to a more tonal, neo-classical style, with Prokofiev and Shostakovich among the influences. The First Symphony, composed in 1961, was performed by Owain Arwel Hughes with the New Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on 4 October 1973.[6] It's a very concise work, lasting just 16 minutes. The more expansive Second Symphony was first performed by the Guildhall School of Music Graduate Orchestra in 1978.[3]

Freelance composer

[edit]

While in Chingford Winters lived at 4, Victoria Road.[7] After retirement from teaching he moved to the village of Semer, near Hadleigh in Suffolk, to concentrate on freelance composition.[4] He has been a regular contributor to local and school music-making there. The Violin Concerto, composed in 1974, received its premiere a decade later in Lavenham Church, on 16 September 1984, performed by Jessie Ridley with the Lavenham Sinfonia Orchestra, conducted by Frederick Marshall.[2] Other works composed in Suffolk include the Studies from a Rainbow for piano, Op. 70, (which also enjoyed success in the US), the Tributaries for solo harp, Op. 79, Mutations for two trumpets (1988) and Summer Songs for chorus, Op. 90.[1]

Winters has also composed many pieces and written course work for educational use, published by Longman, such as Sounds and Music, Books 1-3 and (from the mid-1980s) Listen, Compose, Perform, produced to support the new GCSE Music examination. He is the author of Musical Instruments in the Classroom (1972). He wrote about educational music for Tempo magazine in the 1960s and 1970s.[8]

There has been some revival of interest in his music. The Variations for Two Pianos Op. 19 was given its world premiere by Claire and Antoinette Cann in Cambridge on 2 October 2008, nearly fifty years after it had been composed.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Winters met his wife, the pianist Christine Ive, at the Royal Academy, and they married in 1947. There are two sons (Alan, an economist, and John) and a daughter Anne.[7] His wife died in 2006. His memoirs were published in 2008.[3]

Selected works

[edit]
  • 24 Preludes for piano (1947)
  • Wind Quartet, Op. 1 (1949)
  • Yorkshire Suite for orchestra, Op. 2 (1949)
  • A River Pastoral for orchestra, Op. 7 (1954)
  • Viola Sonata No. 1, Op. 8 (1955)[9]
  • String Quartet No. 1, Op. 10 (1956)[10]
  • Piano Sonata, Op. 12 (1958)
  • Concertino for piano, horn and strings, Op. 18
  • Variations for two pianos, Op. 19 (1960)
  • String Quartet No. 2, Op. 21 (1960)
  • Symphony No. 1 Op. 23 (1961)
  • Aspects for flute, clarinet, horn and harp (1961)
  • Flute Sonatina (1965)
  • Piano Sonatina (1966)
  • Thames Journey, song cycle for junior voices and ensemble, Op. 31 (1967)
  • Violin Sonata (1967)
  • Violin Concerto, Op. 51 (1974)
  • The Mind of Man for chorus and orchestra, Op. 52 (1975)
  • Symphony No. 2, Op. 55 (1977)
  • Viola Sonata No. 2, Op. 57 (1978)[11]
  • Five Epigrams for string quartet, Op. 62 (1978)
  • Studies from a Rainbow for piano, Op. 71 (1981)
  • Mutations for two trumpets (1988)
  • Summer Songs for chorus and piano, Op. 90 (1990)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Martin Entwistle. The Life and Works of Geoffrey Winters (2009), published at MusicWeb International
  2. ^ a b 'Marshall to conduct world premiere at Lavenham Church', in Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 6 September, 1984
  3. ^ a b c A Life of Loves, Geoffrey Winters Memoirs, Lavenham Press 2008
  4. ^ a b 'A Man With Music at his Fingertips', Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 10 January 1980, p.20
  5. ^ 'Miscellany', in The Musical Times, Vol. 99, No. 1385 (July 1958), p.391
  6. ^ 'Back Matter', Tempo, No. 106, September 1973
  7. ^ a b Who's Who in Music, Fifth Edition, (1969), p. 344
  8. ^ For instance, 'Experimental Music in Schools', in Tempo, 1970 (92), p.43-46
  9. ^ Winner of the Harry Danks Prize
  10. ^ Winner of the Clements Prize in 1956
  11. ^ First performance at the Wigmore Hall, 15 October 1978 with John White (viola) and Michal Frayhan (piano). The Times, Issue 60426, 7 October 1978, p. 8
[edit]
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