Role

:

Composer Conductor

Country

:

United Kingdom

Birth

:

January 2, 1905 in England

Death

:

January 8, 1998 in England

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Choral

 

 

Opera

 

 

Orchestral

 

Michael Tippett was a British composer who was born on January 2, 1905, in London. He was the eldest of three children and grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was a singer and pianist. Tippett showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of six. He also sang in the choir at his local church and attended concerts with his mother. Tippett attended Highgate School in London, where he continued to study music. He was a talented pianist and won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in 1923. At the Royal College of Music, Tippett studied composition with Charles Wood and piano with Arthur Benjamin. He also attended lectures by Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams, who were both influential in his development as a composer. In 1926, Tippett left the Royal College of Music and began working as a music teacher. He also continued to compose and had his first major success in 1934 with his oratorio, A Child of Our Time. The piece was inspired by the events of Kristallnacht, and Tippett used spirituals and other folk music to convey the themes of oppression and liberation. During World War II, Tippett worked as a pacifist and was imprisoned for refusing to register for military service. While in prison, he continued to compose and wrote his second major work, the opera The Midsummer Marriage. The opera premiered in 1955 and was a critical success. It was followed by several other operas, including King Priam, The Knot Garden, and The Ice Break. Tippett's music was often experimental and incorporated elements of jazz, blues, and other popular music styles. He was also interested in astrology and used it as a basis for some of his compositions. His music was often complex and challenging, but it was also deeply emotional and expressive. In addition to his work as a composer, Tippett was also a writer and lecturer. He wrote several books on music, including The Composer in the Market Place and Moving into Aquarius. He also taught at the Morley College in London and was a visiting professor at several universities in the United States. Tippett received many honors and awards during his lifetime, including a knighthood in 1966 and the Order of Merit in 1983. He continued to compose until his death in 1998 at the age of 93. His final work, The Rose Lake, was completed in 1993 and premiered posthumously in 1995. Some of Tippett's most famous works include: - A Child of Our Time (1934): This oratorio is one of Tippett's most famous works. It tells the story of a young man who is arrested and killed by the Nazis and uses spirituals and other folk music to convey the themes of oppression and liberation. - The Midsummer Marriage (1955): This opera is one of Tippett's most famous works. It tells the story of a young couple who are initiated into a mystical world of love and transformation. The music is complex and challenging, but it is also deeply emotional and expressive. - King Priam (1962): This opera tells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of King Priam. The music is experimental and incorporates elements of jazz, blues, and other popular music styles. - The Knot Garden (1970): This opera tells the story of a group of people who are trapped in a garden and must confront their own desires and fears. The music is complex and challenging, but it is also deeply emotional and expressive.

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