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, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, 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 Mary ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

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

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) 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 pe ...

, studying composition with Herbert Howells and conducting with Sir

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

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

Bristol University The University of Bristol is a public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which had ...

, and director of the National Youth Orchestra 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 band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...

s. 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 of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

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

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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 and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

and wind bands. 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 ...

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

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

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

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

, the future editor of '' Grove's Dictionary''. By 2009, Bourgeois had written 44 symphonies, well beyond the number composed by

Havergal Brian William Havergal Brian (29 January 187628 November 1972) was an English composer, librettist, and church organist. He is best known for having composed 32 symphonies—an unusually high number amongst his contemporaries—25 of them ...

, 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 and editor of ''Prospect (magazine), Prospect'' magazine. He was formerly editor-in-chief of ''The Guardian'' and then principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Rusbridger ...

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 ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by the English author Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton (publisher), Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray (publishing house), John Murray, st ...

'' (1983), and the "Buddyboy" episode of the TV series '' Beasts'' (1976).

Personal life

Bourgeois' first wife, the violinist Jean Bourgeois, died of

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

on 27 November 2006. She had played in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 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) *Sonata for Tenor Horn and Piano, Op. 304: (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 English classical composers 20th-century English conductors (music) 20th-century English male musicians 21st-century English classical composers 21st-century English conductors (music) 21st-century English male musicians English male conductors (music) English opera composers English television composers Brass band composers English male opera composers Composers 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