Howard Lindsay Goodall (; born 26 May 1958) is an English
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 ...
of
musicals
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
,
choral music
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was named as a presenter and "Composer-in-Residence" with the UK radio channel Classic FM. In May 2009, he was named "Composer of the Year" at the Classic BRIT Awards.
Personal life
Born in
Bromley
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, where he gained a first-class degree.
He is married to Val Fancourt, who is a classical music agent, and they have two daughters.
Works
Popular music
In the late 1970s, Goodall was a member of the band Half Brother with his friend Jonathan Kermode. They produced an eponymous LP album, '' Half Brother'', in 1978.
Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.
He was born into a musical ...
award (1985) and TMA Award (2006) award for Best Musical. Professional revivals of ''The Hired Man'' in recent years include a UK tour by the New Perspectives Theatre Company in 2008 and a production directed by David Thacker and Elizabeth Newman at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton in June 2010.
''A Winter's Tale'' now known as ''A Summer's Tale'', commissioned for the opening of the
Sage Gateshead
The Glasshouse is an international centre for musical education and concerts on the Gateshead bank of Quayside in northern England. Opened in 2004 as Sage Gateshead and occupied by North Music Trust, the venue's original name honours a patron ...
Gurinder Chadha
Gurinder Kaur Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a Kenyan-born British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme in her work showcases the trials of Indian women residing ...
Phoenix Theatre, London
The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located in Charing Cross Road (on the corner of Flitcroft Street). The entrances are on Phoenix Street and Charing Cross Road. The Phoenix Theatre was built on the sit ...
, in May 2015.
Other musicals include ''Girlfriends'' (1986), ''Days of Hope'' (1991), ''Silas Marner'' (1993), ''The Kissing-Dance'' (1998), '' The Dreaming'' (2001) (both with Charles Hart), ''A Winter's Tale'' (2005) and '' Two Cities'' (2006).
Television
Goodall has composed the main themes and incidental music for UK comedy programmes including ''
Red Dwarf
A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...
'', ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known for romantic comedy-drama films, including ''Four Weddings and a Funeral' ...
, his collaborators on several of these projects, including his first break into TV, '' Not the Nine O'Clock News''.
Choral works
Goodall has a body of choral music to his name, including "In Memoriam
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...
" (2001), "O Lord God of Time and Eternity" (2003) and settings of Psalm 23 (used as the theme tune to ''The Vicar of Dibley'') and "Love Divine". In September 2008, his ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'' was premiered by
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...
to choreography by the company's artistic director, Mark Baldwin. The result of a commission from London Musici to celebrate its 20th anniversary, ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'' was commissioned as both a choral-orchestral-dance piece and a choral orchestral work. The London premiere took place on 11 November 2008 at Sadler's Wells with Rambert Dance Company, London Musici, The Choir of
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...
, Finchley Children's Music Group and soloists, conducted by Paul Hoskins. Also in September 2008, EMI Classics released the premiere recording of ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'', with soloists Natasha Marsh, Alfie Boe and Christopher Maltman joining London Musici, The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and conducted by Stephen Darlington. ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'' has now had over 700 live performances across the world.
In March 2009, Classic FM released ''Howard Goodall's Enchanted Voices'', a modern exploration of ancient chant, scored for upper voices, cello, organ, handbells and synthesiser. The disc marks Goodall's position as Classic FM's Composer-in-Residence for 2009. A month after its UK release, it became the best-selling specialist choral CD of 2009. It subsequently earned a nomination for Classical Brit Album of the Year. ''Howard Goodall's Enchanted Voices'' was followed by ''Howard Goodall's Enchanted Carols'' (November 2009) and ''Pelican in the Wilderness'' (March 2010).
Goodall arranged an orchestral and choir score for Psalm 122 for Tonbridge School to commemorate their chapel which burnt down in the 1980s. Goodall was also commissioned by Truro Cathedral to write a new work for all four of the Cathedral's choirs: Truro Cathedral Choir (boys and men), St Mary's Singers (mixed adults), Cornwall Youth Choir and Cornwall Junior Choir. The piece, entitled ''A New Heart, A New Spirit'', sets a text from
Wisdom
Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...
and
Ezekiel
Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him.
The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...
in four languages (English, Latin, French and Cornish).
The 45-minute oratorio, ''Every Purpose Under the Heaven (The King James Bible Oratorio)'', was premiered in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
in November 2011 (conducted by the composer). It was commissioned as a gift to the United Church Schools Trust and United Learning Trust from Sir Ewan and Lady Harper, to mark the 400th anniversary of the
King James Bible
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...
. ''Every Purpose Under the Heaven'' was recorded and released on the Decca Classics/Classics fm CD Inspired in 2012.
Goodall's commission ''Rigaudon'' was part of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Regatta and he was musically responsible for Rowan Atkinson's performance at the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
''I am Christmas Day'' premiered at Southwark Cathedral as part of the Mercy Ships Charity annual Carol Service on Wednesday 5 December 2012. Commissioned by Mercy Ships UK, the work was performed by Southwark Cathedral Girls Choir, conducted by the composer.
Goodall contributed two choral items for the August 4th commemoration of the beginning of the First World War at St Symphorien Military Cemetery near Mons, Belgium, broadcast live in BBC2. He arranged British and German soldiers' songs into a suite with band accompaniment (The Band of the Coldstream Guards) and composed an entirely new work in English and German, "Sure of the Sky, Sure of the Sun – Des Himmels sicher, der Sonne sicher", performed jointly by the London Symphony Chorus and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Choir, conducted by Simon Halsey, based on the poems "May, 1915" by Charlotte Mew (1869–1928) and "An einen vermißten Freund!" by a German soldier killed in action on the Western Front, Goldfeld (discovered by Peter Appelbaum). Present at the event, alongside members of the UK Government, were the presidents of Germany and Ireland, the King and Queen of the Belgians, and Prince William and Catherine and Prince Harry.
''Steadfast'', with music and lyrics by Goodall, was released on 14 October 2014, in aid of Global's Make Some Noise, a charity that helps disadvantaged children in the UK. ''Steadfast'' included performance contributions from
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Laura Wright, Milos, Charlie Siem, Alfie Boe,
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is an English musician, singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
and Alexander Armstrong.
''More Tomorrows'' was commissioned by Classic fm for Cancer Research UK and premiered by the
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
on 25 April 2013, conducted by the composer.
''Invictus: A Passion'', a 55-minute work for soloists, chorus and small orchestra, was commissioned by St Luke's United Methodist Church in
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, Texas, and premiered there under the composer's baton in March 2018, with the UK premiere following in May 2018, given by the Choir of
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...
and Stephen Darlington.
''Unconditional Love: A Cantata of Gratitude and Remembrance'' was commissioned by St Luke's United Methodist Church, Houston as a piece to reflect the world we were living in through the Covid-19 pandemic (premiered in Houston in 2021). St Luke's also commissioned ''Christmas Cantata'' which premiered again in Houston (Dec 2019) and both pieces are now having national premieres worldwide.
Presenting
As well as presenting the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's ''Choir of the Year'', ''Young Musician of the Year'', Goodall was Classic FM's Composer-in-Residence and host of ''Saturday Night at the Movies'' for six years. Among many programmes, he has presented six award-winning series of television programmes on musical theory and history, filmed by Tiger Aspect and broadcast on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
:
* ''Howard Goodall's Organworks'' (1996) – history of the organ
* ''Howard Goodall's Choirworks'' (1998) – history of
choral music
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
* ''Howard Goodall's Big Bangs'' (2000) – pivotal events in the history of music (also a book, published by Vintage in 2001,
* ''Howard Goodall's Great Dates'' (2002) – important dates in the history of music
* ''Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats'' (2004) – exploring the divergence between classical and popular music in the 20th century
* ''Howard Goodall's How Music Works'' (2006) – analysing the fundamental components of music itself.
* ''The Truth About Christmas Carols'' (2008) – a documentary examining the surprising, and often secret, history of the traditional Christmas carol
* ''Hallelujah! The Story of Handel's Messiah'' (2010) – celebrates Handel's "Messiah" and looks at its origins and modern arrangements
Broadcast on BBC2:
* '' Howard Goodall's The Story of Music'' (2013) – traces the story of music from the ancient world to the modern day. The book accompanying this series has been translated into many languages.
* '' Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution'' (2017) – a 50th anniversary retrospective of the album's making by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and its impact, shown on both BBC2 and PBS on 3 June 2017.
Goodall received a
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
award for ''Organworks'' and the 2000
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
Huw Wheldon
Sir Huw Pyrs Wheldon, (7 May 1916 – 14 March 1986) was a Welsh broadcaster and BBC executive.
Early life
Huw Pyrs Wheldon was born on 7 May 1916 in Prestatyn, Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, Wales. He was educated at Friars School, Ban ...
award for ''Big Bangs'', which also won several international prizes.
Goodall was musical commentator for the V&A exhibition '' David Bowie Is'' in 2013, Diaghilev and the
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...
University of Bolton
The University of Greater Manchester (legally: The University of Bolton Higher Education Corporation) is a public university in Bolton, Greater Manchester in England. The university is commonly referred to as a 'post-92' institution, which is a ...
, ''Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts with the University of East Anglia'' and Doctor of Literature (Education) from the Institute of Education, University College London. The
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
The Ivors Academy (formerly known as British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy works to protect and support and also campaigns the int ...
(BASCA) gave him its Gold Badge Award for exceptional work in support of his fellow British composers. In 2007, he received the Making Music/Sir Charles Groves Prize for Outstanding Contribution to British Music and was appointed by the UK Government as England's first ever National Ambassador for Singing, leading a 4-year programme ( Sing Up) to improve the provision of group singing for all primary-age children.
In April 2009, Goodall was nominated for The Classical BRITs "Composer of the Year" award for ''Eternal Light: A Requiem'', which he won in May 2009, and in July 2009 he was nominated for an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
biopic '' Into the Storm''; which he went on to win on 12 September at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
In 2009, Goodall received the Karl Haas Prize for Music Education, awarded by the Klassix Society–Friends of 88.7KXMS / Fine Arts Radio International of Missouri Southern State University.
Additional awards include the Naomi Sergeant Memorial Award for Outstanding contribution to British Music, the MIA/Classic fm award for Outstanding contribution to Music Education and a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for Original Dramatic Score for the score of the HBO film '' Into the Storm.''
In January 2011, Goodall was appointed
Commander 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 ...
(CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music education.
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...