Derek David Bourgeois (16 October 1941 – 6 September 2017) was an English composer.

Career

Derek Bourgeois was born in

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...

in 1941. After receiving his university education at

Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mar ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

(honours degree and doctorate), Bourgeois spent two years at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...

, studying composition with Herbert Howells and conducting with Sir

Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was an English conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in Londo ...

. From 1971 to 1984, Bourgeois was a lecturer in music at

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, and director of the

National Youth Orchestra A youth orchestra is an orchestra made of young musicians, typically ranging from pre-teens or teenagers to those of conservatory age. Depending on the age range and selectiveness, they may serve different purposes. Orchestras for young stud ...

from 1984 to 1993. In 1980 he began conducting the Sun Life Band (now the Stanshawe Band of Bristol), which was his introduction to brass bands. In 1994 Bourgeois was appointed director of music at St Paul's Girls School, London, a position previously held by a number of noted composers, including

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

and Herbert Howells. After retiring from this post in 2002 he and his wife settled in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

. Following her death in 2006, he remarried in 2008 and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, but returned to the United Kingdom in 2009. He also conducted for various orchestras. His symphonies included ''Jabberwocky-Extravaganza'' (1963) and the symphonic fantasy ''The Astronauts'' (1969). For his ''Symphony of Winds'', the First International Conference for Conductors, Publishers and Composers awarded him with their main commission in 1981. He also chaired Composer's Guild of Great Britain and served as the artistic director of Bristol Philharmonic Orchestra. He founded the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain in 1988. He was also a member of the Music Advisory Panel of the Arts Council. Bourgeois was a prolific composer for

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

and

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

s. His works in that area included two concerti for brass band, the concerto grosso, ''Blitz'', ''Diversions'', ''Serenade'', ''The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea'', and ''Apocalypse''. Reviewing Bourgeois's ''Sonata for Trombone'', David Vinning of trombone.org wrote: "Bourgeois is a skilled composer who knows how to write for the trombone and this piece is a major new work sure to become popular." Bourgeois's first band work was a

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

, adapted from a flute concerto. He has also played the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

. Bourgeois's first symphony, which he composed at the age of 18, was positively reviewed in the ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

'' by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was pub ...

, the future editor of '' Grove's Dictionary''. By 2009, Bourgeois had written 44 symphonies, well beyond the number composed by Havergal Brian, and a larger number than were produced by most 19th and 20th century composers. In an interview with

Alan Rusbridger Alan Charles Rusbridger (born 29 December 1953) is a British journalist, who was formerly editor-in-chief of ''The Guardian'' and then principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Rusbridger became editor-in-chief of ''The Guardian'' in 1995, havi ...

of the ''Guardian'', he said that the symphonies came "tumbling out." By the time of his death in 2017, he had 116 symphonies to his name. Bourgeois also composed music for the television movie ''The Crucible'' (1981), the short documentaries '' Thirty Million Letters'' (1963) and ''The Driving Force'' (1966), the TV series '' The Barchester Chronicles'' (1982), '' Mansfield Park'' (1983), and the "Buddyboy" episode of the TV series '' Beasts'' (1976).

Personal life

His first wife, the violinist Jean Bourgeois, died of

motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

on 27 November 2006. She had played in the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

and was also a piano teacher. After returning to the UK from the USA in 2009, Bourgeois lived in Wool, Dorset, with his second wife, Norma Bourgeois. He died on 6 September 2017 in Poole, Dorset, and is survived by his wife Norma.

Works

Orchestral and Choral Music *Symphony for Chamber Orchestra, Op. 8: 15 minutes (1960) *Symphony No. 1, Op. 10: 19 minutes (1961) *Overture “Mail Train”, Op. 16: 9 minutes (1963) *“Jabberwocky”-Extravaganza for baritone, chorus and orchestra, Op. 18: 55 minutes (1963) *Symphonic Variations, Op. 19: 24 minutes (1964) *Promenade for large or small orchestra, Op. 20: 4 minutes (1964) *Serenade for Small Orchestra, Op. 22a: 3 minutes (1965) *Variations on a Theme of Mozart for Two Double Basses and Orchestra, Op. 24: 12 minutes (1966) *Concertino for Clarinet and Strings, Op. 25: 13 minutes (1967) *Symphony No. 2, Op. 27: 36 minutes (1968) *Orchestral Fantasy “The Globe”, Op. 29: 16 minutes (1969) *Variations and Commentaries for Strings, Op. 31: 15 minutes (1969) *Overture “Green Dragon”, Op. 32: 8 minutes (1969) *Concerto for Amateur Orchestra, Op. 36: 25 minutes (1971) *Bass Tuba Concerto, Op. 38: 43 minutes (1972) *Symphonic Pageant, Op. 41:13 minutes (1973) *Fanfare for Shakespeare for orchestra, Op. 45: 2 minutes (1975) *Dance Variations for Small Orchestra, Op. 50: 18 minutes (1976) *Clarinet Concerto, Op. 51: 19 minutes (1976) *“Conflicts” for orchestra, Op. 52: 10 minutes (1976) *Concerto for Three Trombones, Strings and Percussion, Op. 56: 22 minutes (1977) *Symphony No. 3, Op. 57: 50 minutes (1977) *Symphony No. 4 “A Wine Symphony”, Op. 58: 55 minutes (1978) *“Triumphal March” for tenor, chorus and orchestra, Op. 59: 18 minutes (1978) *Double Bass Concerto, Op. 62: 26 minutes (1979) *Cantata Gastronomica for mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra, Op. 63: 35 minutes (1979) *Romance for Double Bass and Orchestra, Op. 64: 11 minutes (1979) *“Chamber of Horrors”-Four Demonic Dances for orchestra, Op. 66: 14 minutes (1980) *Symphony No. 5, Op. 68: 25 minutes (1980) *Overture “Red Dragon”, Op. 83: 8 minutes (1982) *A Gloucester Fanfare for chorus, organ, brass band and orchestra, Op. 89: 4 minutes (1983) *Fantasy for Orchestra, Op. 92: 10 minutes (1984) *Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra, Op. 93: 20 minutes (1984) *Flourish for DCPS for orchestra, Op. 94: 2 minutes (1984) *“Kubla Khan” for soprano, tenor, chorus, brass band and orchestra, Op. 95:22 minutes (1985) *Organ Concerto, Op. 101: 16 minutes (1986) *“Armada” for mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra, Op. 104: 58 minutes (1987) *Symphony No. 6 “A Cotswold Symphony”, Op. 109: 35 minutes (1988) *Trombone Concerto, Op. 114: 20 minutes + (BIS cd) (1988) *Variations “Bass is Beautiful” for orchestra, Op. 118: 8 minutes (1989) *Euphonium Concerto, Op. 120: 20 minutes (1990) *Horn Concerto, Op. 121: 20 minutes (1990) *Concert March “Happy and Glorious” for orchestra(with optional chorus), Op. 128: 7 minutes (1992) *Welsh Fanfare No. 1 for orchestra, Op. 132: 1 minute (1992) *Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, Op. 138: 29 minutes (1994) *Welsh Fanfare No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 140: 1 minute (1994) *Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, Op. 143: 20 minutes (1995) *“Song of Farewell” for orchestra, Op. 153: 10 minutes (1997) *“MM” for chorus and orchestra, Op. 157: 32 minutes (1998) *“A Dorset Celebration” for orchestra, Op. 159: 9 minutes (1998) *Symphony No. 7 “The First Two Thousand Years” for tenor, chorus and orchestra, Op. 158: 55 minutes (1999) *Romance for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 165: 10 minutes (1999) *“The Fruit of That Forbidden Tree” for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, Op. 166: 30 minutes (2000) *“Holy Ground” for choirs, four saxophones and strings, Op. 172: 10 minutes (2001) *West of England Fanfare for orchestra, Op. 177: 3 minutes (2001) *Prelude “What Ho!” for orchestra, Op. 178: 6 minutes (2002) *“Seascapes” for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, Op. 180: 15 minutes (2002) *Violin Concerto, Op. 181: 35 minutes (2002) *Symphony No. 8 “The Mountains of Mallorca”, Op. 184: 73 minutes (2002) *Symphony No. 9, Op. 185: 111 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 10, Op. 190: 40 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 11, Op. 195: 45 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 12, Op. 197: 34 minutes (2003) *Fox-Trot for orchestra, Op. 198: 10 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 13 “The Unlucky”, Op. 199: 65 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 14 in one movement, Op. 200: 20 minutes (2003) *Wedding Song for soprano, chorus and orchestra, Op. 272a: 3 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 15, Op. 201: 50 minutes (2003) *Symphony No. 16 “Songs of Mallorca” for soprano and orchestra, Op. 207: 40 minutes (2004) *Symphony No. 17, Op. 208: 65 minutes (2004) *Symphony No. 18, Op. 214: 43 minutes (2004) *Symphony No. 19, Op. 216: 34 minutes (2004) *Symphony No. 20, Op. 218: 42 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 21, Op. 219: 21 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 22, Op. 221: 50 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 23, Op. 226: 35 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 24, Op. 230: 42 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 25 in one movement, Op. 232: 28 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 26, Op. 233: 30 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 27, Op. 235: 52 minutes (2005) *Symphony No. 28, Op. 237: 34 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 29, Op. 238: 45 minutes (2006) *Concerto for Bass Trombone and Band, Op. 239: 16 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 30, Op. 241: 65 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 31, Op. 244: 21 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 32, Op. 245: 65 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 33, Op. 247: 62 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 34, Op. 249: 44 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 35, Op. 250: 50 minutes (2006) *Symphony No. 36, Op. 252: 43 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 37, Op. 254: 31 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 38, Op. 256: 48 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 39, Op. 258: 42 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 40, Op. 269: 38 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 41 “Sinfonia Andalucia”, Op. 261: 70 minutes (2007) *Symphony No. 42 “Life, the Universe and Everything” for SATB soloists, chorus and orchestra, Op. 262: 155 minutes (2008) *Symphony No. 43, Op. 270: 31 minutes (2008) *Symphony No. 44, Op. 273: 30 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 45 “What Ho! Symphony”, Op. 275: 25 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 46 “A Dorset Symphony”, Op. 276: 43 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 47 in one movement, Op. 278: 18 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 48, Op. 280: 43 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 49, Op. 281: 45 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 50, Op. 284: 37 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 51, Op. 286: 28 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 52 “The Halfway”, Op. 287: 38 minutes (2009) *Symphony No. 53 “Sinfonia Semplice”, Op. 288: 39 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 54, Op. 289: 32 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 55, Op. 290: 28 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 56, Op. 292: 28 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 57, Op. 294: 35 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 58 in one movement, Op. 296: 22 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 59 “Percussion Symphony”, Op. 298: 29 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 60, Op. 299: 41 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 61, Op. 300: 38 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 62, Op. 302: 42 minutes (2010) *Symphony No. 63, Op. 303: 38 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 64, Op. 305: 38 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 65 “Overture, Concerto and Symphony”, Op. 306: 85 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 66, Op. 311: 29 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 67 “The Tuneful”, Op. 315: 36 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 68, Op. 316: 34 minutes (2011) *Symphony No. 69, Op. 317: 40 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 70, Op. 319: 41 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 71, Op. 320: 31 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 72 “The Ghost”, Op. 322: 26 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 73, Op. 323: 37 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 74, Op. 325: 41 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 75, Op. 326: 40 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 76, Op. 334: 37 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 77, Op. 335: 32 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 78, Op. 336: 45 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 79, Op. 337: 36 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 80, Op. 338: 35 minutes (2012) *Symphony No. 81, Op. 339: 36 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 82, Op. 341: 39 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 83, Op. 343: 38 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 84, Op. 344: 36 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 85, Op. 348: 36 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 86, Op. 350: 43 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 87 “Four British Seasons” for soprano and orchestra, Op. 351: 40 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 88, Op. 353: 35 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 89, Op. 354: 30 minutes (2013) *Symphony No. 90, Op. 355: 45 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 91, Op. 356: 39 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 92, Op. 357: 40 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 93, Op. 359: 30 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 94 “The Predictable”, Op. 360: 33 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 95, Op. 361: 33 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 96, Op. 363: 31 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 97, Op. 364: 36 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 98 “Organ Symphony”, Op. 365: 37 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 99, Op. 366: 35 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 100, Op. 368: 36 minutes (2014) *Symphony No. 101 “The Sundial”, Op. 369: 37 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 102, Op. 370: 41 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 103 “The Swiss Roll”, Op. 372: 33 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 104 “The Esterhazy”, Op. 373: 33 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 105 “Symphony of Classical Forms”, Op. 374: 33 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 106, Op. 375: 35 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 107, Op. 376: 37 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 108, Op. 377: 33 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 109, Op. 378: 34 minutes (2015) *Symphony No. 110, Op. 380: 23 minutes (2016) *Symphony No. 111 “The Nelson”, Op. 382: 31 minutes (2016) *Symphony No. 112, Op. 383: 37 minutes (2016) *Symphony No. 113, Op. 385: 23 minutes (2016) *Symphony No. 114, Op. 386: 33 minutes (2017) *Symphony No. 115, Op. 389: 36 minutes (2017) *Symphony No. 116, Op. 391: 30 minutes (2017)

References

External links

*
Derek Bourgeois on Score Exchange
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourgeois, Derek 1941 births 2017 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century English composers 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians British male conductors (music) English classical composers English male classical composers English opera composers English television composers English conductors (music) Brass band composers Male opera composers Musicians from London Academics of the University of Bristol Alumni of the Royal College of Music Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge People educated at Cranleigh School People from Kingston upon Thames