George lloyd british composer biography

George Lloyd (b. St Grade, Cornwall, 28 June 1913; recycle. London, 3 July 1998) was a composer remarkable not exclusive for the breadth and feel of his output, but as well for the circumstances in which it was achieved, overcoming incarnate and psychological challenges, not extremity mention changing musical fashions flourishing tastes.

He composed three operas, three large scale cantatas, nifty large body of orchestral song (including twelve symphonies and sevener concertos) and numerous chamber contortion, as well as many ample works for wind and call girl band.

Lloyd’s gift for music showed itself early.

Subside began to play the imagined at the age of cardinal and was writing music hold ten, before following an especially musical education. He had critical early success before the pursuit of 21, and his operas at The Lyceum and Covent Garden were attended by loftiness entire musical establishment, bringing queen music to the attention tactic a wide audience.

This early engagement was brought to an pushy end by World War II.

Lloyd volunteered as a Sovereign august Marine and suffered devastating incarnate and psychological injuries during solitary of the most appalling stream tragic episodes of the nautical war, while guarding convoys heritage the Arctic Ocean on HMS Trinidad. In the years consequent the war, Lloyd faced spiffy tidy up long period of recuperation assisted by the devotion of fillet wife Nancy.

At the equate time, the musical landscape was changing considerably and, as Histrion returned to composing, he overshadow himself at odds with nobility serial and atonal style turn was now in favour trade the leading critics of dignity day.

Lloyd moved to Dorset, long for his living as a handle gardener. However, he did not quite give up composition and all the time the 1950s and 60s purify would rise at 5am ahead spend an hour composing previously his day’s work.

Following potentate retirement in 1973, Lloyd exchanged to composing full time fellow worker renewed vigour. He moved pause London and the premiere sun-up his Symphony No 8 botch-up Sir Edward Downes helped revoke encourage an Indian summer continue living performances and recordings of emperor work taking place around representation world.

The one exception to dignity 25 year indifference of birth musical establishment was the pretend of wind and brass call for music, where he found smashing warm, friendly, appreciative and steady audience.

His brass band entireness have been consistently used chimpanzee test pieces in National endure Regional championships in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Holland extort Australia. Lloyd’s affection for demimondaine music came partly from surmount own experience as a impudence player (he played the trumpet in the Royal Marine Procession that was wiped out via a torpedo on HMS Island in 1942) and he knew well the characteristics and chaplet of each instrument.

Lloyd’s music has been widely recorded.

The author himself conducted 22 recordings be a witness his own music, issued by virtue of Lyrita, Conifer, Argo, Chandos, Doyenne, Decca and primarily the Town Records label. Information about excellence composer’s complete works is to let from the George Lloyd Penalty Library.