Robert Simpson: composer

Viac o knihe

Robert Simpson (1921-1997) was a composer known for his uncompromising beliefs in a continuous musical tradition, even as avant-garde forms gained prominence. His significant contributions to symphonies and string quartets in the latter half of the 20th century provide rich opportunities for musicians, audiences, and scholars to discover lesser-known works. This book features contributions from notable scholars, including Ed Green, Hans Keller, Malcolm MacDonald, John McCabe, Simon Phillippo, John Pickard, Lionel Pike, Martin Ratcliffe, Jürgen Schaarwächter, and Harold Truscott. Their diverse approaches explore various aspects of Simpson's compositional output, particularly focusing on his symphonies and string quartets. Jürgen Schaarwächter, who earned his doctorate from the University of Köln in 1995 with a thesis on British symphonies from 1914 to 1945, has held various academic positions, including Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. His research has delved into British symphonism's early history and he has been a research fellow at the Max Reger Institute since 1999. Schaarwächter has published extensively on Reger and British music, serving as European Contact for the Havergal Brian Society since 1999, German representative of the British Music Society since 2001, and Chairman of the Robert Simpson Society since 2007.