Cedric Thorpe Davie OBE (30 May 1913 – 18 January 1983) was a musician and composer, most notably of film scores such as '' The Green Man'' in 1956. A high proportion of his film and documentary music and his concert pieces have a Scottish theme.

Life

He was born in

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in south

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, the son of Thorpe Davie, a music teacher and choir master. The family moved to

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

early in his life and he attended the High School of Glasgow. He studied at the Scottish National Academy of Music in

and the Royal Academy of Music in

. In

he studied piano with

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and Harold Craxton, and horn by Aubrey Brain. His composition teachers were Ralph Vaughan Williams, Eric Thiman and R. O. Morris.Maurice Lindsay. 'Thorpe Davie, Cedric', in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001) In 1935 he travelled to both

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and

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for further training under Yrjo Kilpinen and

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, returning to Glasgow in 1936 where he began lecturing in music. Early works include the Piano Trio in C minor (1932), the ''Phantasie Quartet'' (1935), the one act opera ''Gammer Gurton's Needle'' (1936) and the Concerto for Piano and Strings (1944). In the

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he served in the National Fire Service covering the Glasgow docklands (an area of intense bombing). His Symphony in C major “In Honour of My Brother” was entered for the ''

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'' symphony competition of 1945, coming second to the ''Symphony of Liberation'' by Bernard Stevens. It was first performed at the

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on 7 July 1946, conducted by Constant Lambert. After the war Davie moved to St Andrews University as Master of Music, being raised to full Professor of Music in 1973. He was involved in the newly created

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in the 1950s, and oversaw production of important new Scottish musical works such as Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites. He was fond of putting Scottish literary works to music, including: '' Sunset Song'', '' Cloud Howe'', '' The Beggar's Benison'', '' A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle'', and Ramsay's '' The Gentle Shepherd''. The ''Diversions on a theme of Thomas Arne'' was played at the Last Night of the Proms in 1955. He also wrote the music for the Edinburgh Gateway Company's production of Robert Kemp's musical ''Marigold'' in 1955. In 1955 he was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE). In 1978, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir Thomas Malcolm Knox, J. Steven Watson, Sir Norman Graham, Norman Gash, GWS Barrow and Anthony Elliot Ritchie. He lived in St John's Town of Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire and died there on 18 January 1983. Davie also wrote a book on musical form: ''Musical Structure and Design'' (1953). A substantial collection of his manuscripts and scores is held by the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

. Few of his works have been recorded: an exception is the ''Royal Mile'' Coronation March of 1952.
The Land of Mountain and Flood: Scottish Orchestral Music
', ASV CD WHL2123 (2000) In 2013, St Andrews University held a special event to mark the centenary of Davie's birth.

Family

In 1937, he married Margaret Russell Brown. She died on 1 October 1974. They had two sons: Anthony John Thorpe Davie (17 November 1939 – 8 January 2003); and Stephen William Thorpe Davie (born 8 April 1945).

Film scores by Davie

*''Scotland Speaks'' (1940) documentary *''This Modern Age'' (1946) *''The Brothers'' (1947) * '' Snowbound'' (1948) *''The Future of Scotland'' (1948) documentary *'' The Bad Lord Byron'' (1949) *'' The Adventurers'' (1951) *'' You're Only Young Twice'' (1952) *''Highland Laddie'' (1952) documentary *'' Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue'' (1953) a Disney film usually now simply called ''Rob Roy'' *''The Miner's Widow'' (1954) documentary *'' The Dark Avenger'' (1955) *'' Jacqueline'' (1956) *''The Land of Robert Burns'' (1956) documentary *'' The Green Man'' (1956) *''The Kid from Canada'' (1957) *'' The Enchanted Island'' (1957) *''Wales'' (1957) documentary *''Scotland'' (1957) documentary *'' Rockets Galore!'' (1958) *'' The Bridal Path'' (1959) *'' A Terrible Beauty'' (1960) *'' Kidnapped'' (1960) *''

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'' (1963)

Concert works

* ''Elegy'' for orchestra (1932) * Piano Trio (1932) * ''Concert Overture'' (1934) * Sonatina for cello and piano (1934) * ''Dirge for Cuthullin'' for chorus and orchestra (1935) * ''Fantasy String Quartet'' (1935) *''Gammer Gurton’s Needle'', op.1, opera (1936) * ''Fantasia No.1 on Four Scottish Tunes'' for orchestra (1937) * Three Anthems, chorus and organ (1937) * Violin Sonata (1939) * Sonatina for flute and piano (1939, rev. 1980) * Concerto for piano and strings (1943) * Symphony in C (1945) * ''The Beggar’s Benison'' for orchestra (1947) * ''Six Poems by Violet Jacob'' for tenor and piano (1948) * ''Variations on a Theme of A.C. Mackenzie'' for orchestra (1949) * ''Festal Overture'' (1950) * ''Ode for St Andrew’s Night'' for tenor, chorus and orchestra (1950) * ''Royal Mile'', march (1952) * ''Diversions on a Tune by Dr Arne'' for orchestra (1953–4) * ''Directions for a Map'', cantata for soloists and string quartet (1955–6) * ''Fantasia No.2 on Four Scottish Tunes'' for orchestra (1964) * ''New Town'', suite for orchestra (1966–7)

Publications

* ''Music Structure and Design'' (1953, reprinted by Dover) * ''The Oxford Scottish Song Book'' (1969) joint editor * ''Scotland's Music'' (1980)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davie, Cedric Thorpe 1913 births 1983 deaths 20th-century classical composers English film score composers Academics of the University of St Andrews Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century English composers 20th-century classical pianists Composers for piano English classical composers English classical pianists Male classical pianists English opera composers Male opera composers English male classical composers Musicians from the London Borough of Lewisham People from Lewisham Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at the High School of Glasgow British male pianists English male film score composers 20th-century British male musicians