John Nicholas Maw (5 November 1935 – 19 May 2009) was a British

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

. Among his works are the operas '' The Rising of the Moon'' (1970) and '' Sophie's Choice'' (2002).

Biography

Born in

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, Maw was the son of Clarence Frederick Maw and Hilda Ellen Chambers. He attended the

Wennington School __NOTOC__ Wennington School, founded by the Quaker educationalist Kenneth C. Barnes, was a co-educational and ultimately progressive boarding school. It was founded in 1940 in Lonsdale, Lancashire, England. Early governors included Alfred Sc ...

, a boarding school, in

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrog ...

in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

. His mother died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

when he was 14. He attended the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

Marylebone Road Marylebone Road ( ) is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east–west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 Westway at Paddington. The road which runs in three lanes in both directio ...

in London where his teachers were Paul Steinitz and

Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley (12 May 190326 December 1989) was an English composer. Biography Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Oxford, England, the younger child and only son of Aline Carla (1863–1935), daughter of Sir James Cha ...

. He then studied in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

and

Max Deutsch Max Deutsch (17 November 1892 – 22 November 1982) was an Austrian-French composer, conductor, and academic teacher. He studied with Arnold Schönberg and was his assistant. Teaching at the Sorbonne and the École Normale de Musique de Paris, he ...

. From 1998 until 2008, Maw served on the faculty of the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, where he taught music composition. He had previously served on the faculties of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

, the Royal Academy of Music,

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and

Exeter University , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public ...

Personal life

In 1960, Maw married Karen Graham, and they had a son and a daughter. Their marriage was dissolved in 1976. He took up residence in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

in 1984, living there with his companion Maija Hay, a ceramic artist, until his death. He died at home on 19 May 2009, at age 73, as a result of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

with complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. On Sunday 6 November 2011,

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The sta ...

broadcast a 2-hour tribute called, "Nicholas Maw: A Celebration". The program featured performances of Maw's Violin Concerto, an orchestral suite drawn from his opera, '' Sophie's Choice'', and two choral works (''One foot in Eden still, I stand'' and ''Hymnus'').

Compositions

Maw is best known for ''Scenes and Arias'' (1962) for three female voices and orchestra, the orchestral pieces ''Odyssey'' (1987) and ''The World in the Evening'' (1988), the guitar work ''Music of Memory'' (1989) and a violin concerto (1993) written for

Joshua Bell Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He plays the Gibson Stradivarius. Early life and education Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, to Shirley Bell, a therapist, and Alan P. Bell, a psychologi ...

. His music has been described as neo-romantic but also as

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

and non-tonal (for instance ''Personæ'', his cycle of piano pieces). In 2002, the opera ''Sophie's Choice'' (based on

William Styron William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work. Styron was best known for his novels, including: * '' Lie Down in Darkness'' (1951), his acclaimed f ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

) was commissioned by

and the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. It was premièred at the Royal Opera House under the direction of Sir

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principa ...

, and afterwards received a new production by stage director Markus Bothe at the

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the D ...

and the Volksoper Wien, which had its

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n premiere by the

Washington National Opera The Washington National Opera (WNO) is an American opera company in Washington, D.C. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Perform ...

in October 2006. Mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager, who sang Sophie in London, reprised the role at the National Opera, joined by American baritone

Rod Gilfry Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performan ...

as Nathan Landau, the schizophrenic man who initially rescues Sophie and then persuades her to join him in a

suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...

. Maw also prepared a concert suite for orchestra based on the music. ''Odyssey'' was performed in BBC's

Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1 ...

on 9 December 2005, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 two days later. Rattle has also conducted a recording of the work with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Chronological list of compositions

* Eight Chinese Lyrics (1956) for mezzo-soprano * Requiem (1956–57) for voices & orchestra * Flute Sonatina (1957) * Nocturne (1957) for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra * Six Chinese Songs (1959) for contralto & piano * ''Five Epigrams'' (1960) for chorus * ''Our Lady's song'' (1961), carol for chorus * ''Chamber Music'' (1962) for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon & piano * ''Scenes and Arias'' (1962, rev. 1966) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto and orchestra * ''Round'' (1963) for children's voices, SATB chorus and piano * ''The Angel Gabriel'' (1963), choral arrangement of Basque melody * ''Bulalow'' (1964), carol for chorus * ''One Man Show'' (1964, rev. 1966 & 1970), opera * Arrangement of ''Corpus Christi Carol'' (1964) for sopranos and piano * String Quartet No. 1 (1965) * Severn Bridge Variation (1966) for a composite work with Malcolm Arnold,

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

Alun Hoddinott Alun Hoddinott CBE (11 August 1929 – 11 March 2008) was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition. Life and works Hoddinott was born in Bargoed, Glamorganshire, Wales. He was educated at Gowe ...

, Grace Williams and Daniel Jones * Sinfonia (1966) for chamber orchestra * ''Six Interiors'' (1966) for tenor and guitar * Sonata (1966) for strings and two horns * ''The Voice of Love'', Eight Peter Porter songs (1966) for mezzo-soprano & piano * Double Canon for

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

on his 85th Birthday (1967) * '' The Rising of the Moon'' (1967–70), three-act opera ** Concert Music from ''The Rising of the Moon'' (arr. 1972) for orchestra * Epitaph-Canon in Memory of Igor Stravinsky (1971) for flute, clarinet & harp * Five Irish Songs (1972) for chorus * ''Personae'' I, II & III (1973) for piano * Serenade for orchestra (1973, rev. 1977) * ''Life Studies'' (1973–76) for fifteen strings * Te Deum (1975) for treble or soprano, tenor, SATB chorus, congregation and organ * ''Reverdie'' (1975), five songs for male voices * ''Annes!'' (1976) for unaccompanied SATB chorus * ''Nonsense Rhymes for Children'' (1976), 20 songs with piano accompaniment * ''La Vita Nuova'' (1979), five songs for soprano and chamber ensemble *'' The Ruin'' (1980) for SSAATTBB chorus and solo horn * Flute Quartet (1981) * ''Summer Dances'' (1981) for orchestra * ''Night Thoughts'' (1982) for solo flute * String Quartet No. 2 (1982) * ''The Old King's Lament'' (1982) for solo double-bass * ''Spring Music'' (1982–83) for orchestra * Little Suite (1984) for solo guitar * ''Sonata Notturna'' (1985) for cello & strings * ''Personae'' IV, V & VI (1985–86) for piano * Little Concert (1987) for oboe, two horns & strings * ''Odyssey'' (1972-5, 1979, 1985-7) for orchestra * ''Ghost Dances'' (1988), imaginary ballet for five players * ''The World in the Evening'' (1988) for orchestra * Five American Folksongs (1989) for voice & piano * ''Music of Memory'' (1989, rev. 1991) for solo guitar * Three Hymns (1989), for SATB chorus and organ * ''Roman Canticle'' (1989, rev. 1991) for baritone, flute, viola & harp * ''One Foot in Eden Still, I Stand'' (1990) for mixed chorus and optional organ * Piano Trio (1990-1) * ''American Games'' (1991) for wind orchestra * ''Shahnama'' (1992) for chamber orchestra * ''The Head of Orpheus'' (1992) for soprano & two clarinets * ''Swetė Jesu'' (1992) for chorus * Violin Concerto (1993) * String Quartet No. 3 (1994) * ''Dance Scenes'' (1994–95) for orchestra * ''Voices of Memory'' (1995) for orchestra * ''Hymnus'' (1995–96) for SATB chorus and orchestra * Solo Violin Sonata (1996–97) * ''Stanza'' (1997) for solo violin * ''Narration'' (2001) for solo cello * ''Intrada'' (2001) for string quartet * '' Sophie's Choice'' (1999-2002), four-act opera based on the William Styron novel ** Concert Suite from ''Sophie's Choice'' (2003) for orchestra with optional mezzo-soprano ** Tango from ''Sophie's Choice'' (2004) for solo guitar * Fanfare (2004) for brass ensemble * Concerto for Cor Anglais and Orchestra (2004) * String Quartet No. 4 (2005) * String Sextet (2007) Works lists may be found online.

References

External links

Extended biography

- Daily Telegraph obituary

''

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