Patric Standford (5 February 1939 – 23 April 2014) was an English composer, supporter of composers' rights, educationalist and author.

Early life and education

Patric John Standford (real name John Gledhill) was born in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

, moved to the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, and had a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

education at

Ackworth School Ackworth School is a private day and boarding school located in the village of High Ackworth, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The school (or more accurately its Head) is a member of t ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. He began his working life as a legal accountant and served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

617 Squadron Number 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron commonly known as The Dambusters for its actions during Operation Chastise against German dams during the World War II, Second World War, originally based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

before arranging his own admission to the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

in London in 1961, where he studied composition with

Edmund Rubbra Edmund Rubbra (; 23 May 190114 February 1986) was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was greatly esteemed by fellow musicians and was at the peak o ...

and Raymond Jones. While a student, he was awarded both the Carl Meyer Prize and the Royal Philharmonic Society Prize for composition.Lewis Foreman. Obituary, ''The Independent'', 4 May, 2014
/ref>

Career

In 1964, Standford was awarded the Mendelssohn Scholarship, enabling him to travel to Venice and study with

Gian Francesco Malipiero Gian Francesco Malipiero (; 18 March 1882 – 1 August 1973) was an Italian composer, musicologist, music teacher and editor. Life Early years Born in Venice into an aristocratic family, the grandson of the opera composer Francesco Malipiero, Gi ...

, and later to Warsaw where he studied with

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szymanow ...

. In 1967 he joined the professorial staff of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and from then divided his working life between composing, conducting, teaching and musical journalism. When Edmund Rubbra retired, Standford was appointed the School's principal composition professor and was awarded a Fellowship of the Guildhall School of Music (FGSM) in 1972. In 1978, he gained a master's degree in composition at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. Standford became chairman (1977–1980) of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain (since amalgamated into the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly known as British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy works to protect and support and also campaigns the int ...

(BASCA)) and chairman (1980–1992) of the British Music Information Centre (since amalgamated into

Sound and Music Sound and Music is the UK's national charitable agency for new music, established on 1 October 2008 from the merger of four existing bodies working in the contemporary music field: the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM), the British Mu ...

). In those capacities, he organised British music representation at various international events, including the Nordic Music Committee (NOMUS) in Helsinki and the Latin-American Festival in Venezuela in collaboration with the BBC. Standford held the post of Head of Music at the

Leeds University The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed ...

College Bretton Hall from 1980 to 1993, while continuing to compose, write and appear as a regular jury member for competitive choral festivals in Hungary, France and Estonia. He married his wife Sarah Blyth Hilton in 1967 and they lived in London. She died in 2011 after 44 years of marriage, and he moved to Occold, a village near Eye in Suffolk, where he continued to work, composing, writing and teaching until his death of a heart attack in April 2014, aged 75.

Composer

Standford's music covers many genres, predominantly the orchestra. His first symphony ''The Seasons'', written in 1972, gained the Premio Città di Trieste award. His Symphony No. 2 was awarded the Óscar Esplá prize for composition in Spain. In 1983, Standford was awarded the

Ernest Ansermet Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor. Biography Anserme ...

Prize of the City of Geneva for his Symphony No 3, a choral symphony subtitled ''Toward Paradise'' and setting

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

's journey from Purgatory to Heaven. The 5th Symphony was commissioned by the

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

in 1984. Orchestral concertos include the Cello Concerto (1974), Violin Concerto (1975), Piano Concerto (1979) and the Concertino for Harpsichord and Small Orchestra (1999). He wrote his Easter oratorio ''Christus Requiem'' for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama's principal Allen Percival and the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

in 1973. ''Christus Requiem'' brought together the full orchestral, choral and dramatic forces of the Guildhall School for its first performance in

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, in the Spring of that year. This oratorio received the Yugoslavian Government award in 1974. Other choral works include ''The Prayer of Saint Francis'', the ''Mass for Hildegard of Bingen,'' recorded by the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...

in 2013, and smaller scale pieces such as the carol ''This Day'' and the ''Stabat mater''. Chamber music includes the early String Quartet (winner of the Clements Memorial Prize in 1975), the ''Five French Folksongs'' written for and performed by the

Nash Ensemble The Nash Ensemble of London is an English chamber ensemble. It was founded by Artistic Director Amelia Freedman and Rodney Slatford in 1964, while they were students at the Royal Academy of Music, and was named after the Nash Terraces around t ...

of London, and the Symphony No 4, ''Taikayoku'', a chamber work for piano and six percussionists, including parts written for elementary players. The string trio ''Holiday Memories'' is also written for amateur players. Standford was commissioned to write a number of pieces for the Guildhall graded examinations (now

Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...

). He also composed commercial and light music and arranged for films, television and theatre - including assignments for

Pathé News Pathé News was a producer of newsreels and documentaries from 1910 to 1970 in the United Kingdom. Its founder, Charles Pathé, was a pioneer of moving pictures in the silent era. The Pathé News archive is known today as "British Pathé". I ...

, the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

and

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

. In 1971 he composed a 26 minute piece, ''Autumn Grass'', for the classically-influenced progressive rock group Continuum, and ghost wrote and directed classical style pieces for

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen ( ; ; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and composer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide ...

. Standford continued to compose up until his death. Late works include the Recorder Quintet, commissioned by

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposit ...

, recorded and premiered at the Rawsthorne Festival in 2014, and ''Anthem'' commissioned by Elis Pehkonen, premiered at the William Alwyn Festival 2014. He also revised ''Christus Requiem'', with plans for performances at Norwich or Chichester Cathedrals. Among his pupils were

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London, England) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of or ...

, Jerry Lanning, Lionel Sainsbury, :de:Malcolm Dedman and Gary Higginson.

Writer

Standford contributed articles and reviews to ''Choir and Organ''. From 1980 to 2008, he was music critic for the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'', writing features and revues. He also wrote a series of lively articles entitled ''Provocative Thoughts'' for ''Music & Vision Magazine'' and a monthly blog for the

Open College of the Arts The Open College of the Arts (OCA) is an open learning arts college, with a Head Office in Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1987 by Michael Young, it is a registered charity and part of The Open University. As of the 2023/24 a ...

. In 1992, Standford published ''Projects: A Course in Musical Composition'', and in 2008 he devised and wrote the composition study course for the Open College of the Arts.

Awards

* 1972 Premio Cittá di Trieste for Symphony No 1 * 1974 Oscar Espla Prize for Symphony No 2 * 1976 Yugoslavian Solidarity Award, Skopje for ''Christus Requiem'' * 1982 Evelyn Glennie Percussion Award for ''Taikyoku: Symphony No. 4'' * 1985 City of Geneva 'Ernest Ansermet Prize' for ''Toward Paradise'' * 1997 Budapest International Composers' Award for ''The Prayer of St Francis'' * 1999 International ClarinetFest Prize for ''Fantasy Quintet''

Key works

:''

Gitanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' () is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, '' Song Offerings'', making him the first non-European and the fi ...

: four Tagore Songs'' (1966) :String Quartet No 1: ''The Unrelenting Spring'' (1970) :Ballet: ''Celestial Fire'' (1971, orchestra) :''Symphony No 1: The seasons'' (1972, orchestra) :''Christus Requiem'' (1973), soli, chorus, orchestra) :String Quartet No 2 (1973) :Cello Concerto (1974) :Symphony No 2 (1974, orchestra) :Violin Concerto :Symphony No 3: ''Toward Paradise'' (1975–82, chorus, orchestra) :''Taikyoku: Symphony No 4'' (1976, 2 pianos and percussion) :''A Christmas Carol Symphony'' (1978, orchestra) :''Ancient Verses'' (1978, chorus and percussion) :Piano Concerto :''Prelude to a Fantasy - The Naiades'' (1980) :''Folksongs'', Set 1 for string orchestra (1983) :Symphony No 5 (1984, BBC commission, orchestra, solo soprano) :Divertimento for violin and piano (1986) :''Mass for Hildegard of Bingen'' (1988, SATB) :Six Piano Pieces: ''Faeries'' (1992) :''The Prayer of Saint Francis: A Masque for chorus and orchestra'' (1996) :Concertino for harpsichord and small orchestra (1999) :''The Emperor's Orchestra: a story for children'' (2001, narrator, orchestra) :''Five French Folksongs for wind quintet'' (2004) :''Six Preludes for guitar'' (2008) :''Responses for Tenebrae: 18 motets for a cappella choir'' (2010)

Recordings

:Symphony No 1; Cello Concerto; ''Prelude to a Fantasy'' �
Naxos 8.571356
:''A Christmas Carol Symphony'' �
Naxos 8.557099
:Recorder Quintet – The Recorder Collection, Vol. 2 The Proud Recorder,

/The Manchester Chamber Ensemble �
Prima Facie PFCD038
:''The Prayer of Saint Francis'' �

Hungaroton CDBR 0156 (DDD) :Ballet Suite: ''Celestial Fire'
Best of British Light Music Resonance: CDRSB502
an
Light Music Discoveries 3 CDWHL2128
:Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5, ''Ancient Verses'', ''Folksongs'' Set 1, ''A Christmas Carol Symphony''

References

External links

*
Patric Standford at Edition Peters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Standford, Patric 1939 births 2014 deaths English classical composers British music educators Musicians from Barnsley Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Academics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Academics of the University of Leeds People educated at Ackworth School 20th-century British classical composers 20th-century English composers 21st-century British classical composers 21st-century English composers 21st-century English male composers English male classical composers 20th-century British male musicians