Cedric Thorpe Davie OBE

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRAM

RSA RSA may refer to: Organizations Academia and education * Rabbinical Seminary of America, a yeshiva in New York City *Regional Science Association International (formerly the Regional Science Association), a US-based learned society *Renaissance S ...

LLD (30 May 1913 – 18 January 1983) was a musician and composer, specialising in film scores, most notably '' The Green Man'' in 1956. A high proportion of his film and documentary work and compositional work has a Scottish theme.

Life

He was born in Lewisham in south London, the son of Thorpe Davie, a music teacher and choir master. The family moved to Glasgow early in his life and he attended the High School of Glasgow. He studied at the

Scottish National Academy of Music The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

in Glasgow and 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 of ...

in London. In London he was instructed in piano by Egon Petri and Harold Craxton, and horn by Aubrey Brain. He was instructed in composition by

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

and Dr R. O. Morris. In 1935 he travelled to both Helsinki and Budapest, for further training under Yrjo Kilpinen and Zoltán Kodály. He returned to Glasgow in 1936 and began lecturing in music. Early works included creation of operas such as ''Gammer Gurton's Needle''. In the Second World War he served in the National Fire Service covering the Glasgow docklands (an area of intense bombing). After the war he 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 Edinburgh Festival 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 ''Sunset Song'' is a 1932 novel by Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon. It is considered one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century. It is the first part of the trilogy ''A Scots Quair''. There have been several adaptations, ...

'', ''

Cloud Howe ''A Scots Quair'' is a trilogy by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, describing the life of Chris Guthrie, a woman from the north-east of Scotland during the early 20th century. It consists of three novels: ''Sunset Song'' (1932), ''Cloud ...

'', ''

The Beggar's Benison The Beggar's Benison was a Scottish gentlemen's club devoted to "the convivial celebration of male sexuality". It was founded in 1732 in the town of Anstruther on the Firth of ForthJonathan Margolis, ''O: The Intimate History of the Orgasm'', 2 ...

'', '' A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle'', and Ramsay's '' The Gentle Shepherd''. 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE). In 1978, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir Thomas Malcolm Knox,

J. Steven Watson John Steven Watson FRSE (20 March 1916 – 12 June 1986) was an English historian who served as Principal of the University of St Andrews from 1966–86. Life He was born on 20 March 1916 the son of George Watson and his wife, Elizabeth Layborn ...

, Sir Norman Graham, Norman Gash, GWS Barrow and

Anthony Elliot Ritchie Anthony Elliot Ritchie FRSE FRCPE LLD (30 March 1915–14 September 1997) was a 20th-century Scottish physiologist and educator. Life Ritchie was born at 20 Upper Gray Street, Edinburgh on 30 March 1915, the only son of Jessie Jane Elliot and ...

. He lived in St John's Town of Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire and died there on 18 January 1983. A substantial collection of his manuscripts and scores is held by the University of St Andrews.

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) * Stephen William Thorpe Davie (born 8 April 1945)

Recognition

In 2013, St Andrews University held a special event to mark the centenary of Davie's birth.

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) *'' Disneyland'' (1963)

Publications

* ''Music Structure and Design'' (1966) * ''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 British 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 People from Lewisham Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at the High School of Glasgow British male pianists British male film score composers 20th-century British male musicians