Marc Wilkinson (27 July 1929 – 8 January 2022) was an Australian-British composer and conductor best known for his film scores, including ''

The Blood on Satan's Claw ''The Blood on Satan's Claw'' is a 1971 British supernatural horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews. Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village wh ...

'', and

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead ...

for the theatre, most notably for

Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (; 15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He wrote numerous award-winning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Early life Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in L ...

's ''

The Royal Hunt of the Sun ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that dramatizes the relation of two worlds entering in a conflict by portraying two characters: Atahuallpa Inca and Francisco Pizarro. Performance history Premiere ''The Royal Hunt ...

''. His compositional approach has combined traditional techniques with elements of the avant-garde. After residing for most of his life in the United Kingdom, he retired from composition and lived in France.

Life and career

Born in Paris,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, Wilkinson studied composition at Columbia and Princeton Universities; he also took some private lessons with Varèse in New York. He published a number of analytical articles on works by Varèse and

Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mon ...

. In England, he became one of the first independent composers to make use of the

BBC Radiophonic Workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electron ...

after it opened in 1958. For a time Wilkinson was resident composer and musical director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, then musical director of the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

(1963–74). One of the first scores he composed in that post was for Peter Shaffer's ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' (1964); the result deeply impressed the playwright, who has described Wilkinson's work as "perhaps the best score for a play to be written since Grieg embellished ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-act (drama), act play (theatre), play in verse (poetry), verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian language, Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian pla ...

''". Wilkinson subsequently wrote the incidental music to Shaffer's play '' Equus'' (1973). Other National Theatre productions for which Wilkinson wrote incidental music included

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's plays ''

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's ''Haml ...

'' (1967) and '' Jumpers'' (its premiere production, 1972). He also taught at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

studio, under the directorship of

Keith Johnstone Keith Johnstone (born February 21, 1933) is a British and Canadian pioneer of improvisational theatre, best known for inventing the ''Impro System'', part of which are the Theatresports. He is also an educator, playwright, actor and theatre direc ...

, from the autumn of 1964. Through his work at the National Theatre Wilkinson met

Piers Haggard Piers Inigo Haggard, OBE (born 18 March 1939), is a British theatre, film and television director, although he has worked mostly in the latter. Haggard was born in London but grew up on a small farm in Clackmannanshire. He is the great-great-n ...

, who was working as an assistant director: the two worked together on the National Theatre production ''The Dutch Courtesan'' (1964). Having directed several TV dramas, Haggard was about to direct his first feature film and invited Wilkinson to score it. The result is one of Wilkinson's most celebrated film scores, ''Blood on Satan's Claw'' (1971), acclaimed by

Jonathan Rigby Jonathan Rigby is an English actor and film historian who has written several books. ''Video Watchdog'' magazine described him as occupying "a proud place in the advance guard of film researchers, writers and critics," and in 2020 he was inducted ...

in ''English Gothic'' as "easily among the best ever composed for a British horror film". Wilkinson subsequently gave crucial advice to

Paul Giovanni Paul Giovanni (June 2, 1933 – June 17, 1990) was an American playwright, actor, director, singer and musician. Giovanni is best known for writing the music for the 1973 British horror film '' The Wicker Man''. Early years Giovanni was born in ...

who had been commissioned to score the film ''

The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, and Christopher Lee. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, inspired by David Pinner's 1967 no ...

''. Wilkinson and Haggard subsequently worked together on further TV and film productions, including ''

Quatermass Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC One, BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading ...

'' and ''

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' is a 1980 comedy film. It was the final film featuring star Peter Sellers and David Tomlinson. Based on characters created by Sax Rohmer, the film stars Sellers in the dual role of Fu Manchu, a megalomani ...

''. He died on 8 January 2022, at the age of 92.

Selective list of works

Incidental music for theatre

* ''Richard III'' (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1961) * ''Cymbeline'' (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1962) * ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' (1964) * ''The Storm'' (1966) * ''Macbeth'' (1966) * ''

'' (1967) * ''As You Like It'' (1967) * ''Three Sisters'' (1967) * ''Love’s Labour’s Lost'' (1968) * ''National Health'' (1969) * ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1970) * ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (1971) * '' Jumpers'' (1972) * ''Equus'' (1973)

Film scores

* '' If....'' (1968) * ''

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1970) * ''

Family Life Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'' (1971) * ''

Eagle in a Cage ''Eagle in a Cage'' is an Anglo-American historical drama film, produced in 1972. Plot summary After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and surrender to the British Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte is delivered into exile and imprisonment on St. Hele ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Darwin Adventure ''The Darwin Adventure'' is a 1972 British drama film directed by Jack Couffer and written by William Fairchild. The film stars Nicholas Clay, Susan Macready, Ian Richardson, Christopher Martin, Robert Flemyng and Philip Brack. The film was ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Triple Echo ''The Triple Echo'' (also known as ''Soldier in Skirts'' in its U.S. release) is a 1972 British drama film directed by Michael Apted starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed, and based on the 1970 novella by H.E. Bates. It was sh ...

'' (1972) * ''

The Hireling ''The Hireling'' is a 1973 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges, based on a 1957 novel of the same title by L. P. Hartley, which starred Robert Shaw and Sarah Miles. It tells the story of a chauffeur who falls in love with an aristoc ...

'' (1973) * ''

The Mango Tree ''The Mango Tree'' is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Ronald McKie. Synopsis The story follows the childhood of a young man, named Jamie, growing up in a country town in Australia during the early 20th century. Cri ...

'' (1977) * '' The Quatermass Conclusion'' (1979: edited down from TV series) * ''

Eagle's Wing ''Eagle's Wing'' is a Euro-Western Eastmancolor film made in 1979. It stars Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston and Harvey Keitel. It was directed by Anthony Harvey, with a story by Michael Syson and a screenplay by John Briley. It won the British ...

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1980) * ''

Looks and Smiles ''Looks and Smiles'' is a 1981 British drama film directed by Ken Loach. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Barry Hines. The film was entered into the 1981 Cannes Film Festival The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from ...

'' (1981) * ''

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family ...

'' (1982) * ''

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' is an absurdist, existential tragicomedy by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1966. The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's '' H ...

'' (1990)

Television scores

* ''

Twelfth Night (1970 film) "Twelfth Night" is a 1970 British TV adaptation of the play ''Twelfth Night'' by William Shakespeare. It was directed by John Sichel and broadcast as the 44th episode of second season of '' ITV Sunday Night Theatre''. The score was composed by Ma ...

'' (TV adaptation) (1970) * ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stag ...

'' (TV series) (1970–79) ** "The Lie" (1970) ** "Blue Remembered Hills" (1979) * ''The Return'' (Short) (1973) * ''

Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...

'' (TV drama mini-series) (1975) ** "1916: Joining Up" (1975) ** "1921" (1975) ** "1924" (1975) ** "1926: General Strike" (1975) * '' The Leopard that Changed Its Spots'' (nature documentary, Anglia TV 1978) * ''Quatermass'' (TV series) (1979) ** "Ringstone Round" (1979) ** "Lovely Lightning" (1979) ** "What Lies Beneath" (1979) ** "An Endangered Species" (1979) * ''

Hammer House of Horror ''Hammer House of Horror'' is a British television series made in 1980. An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of 13 hour-long episodes, originally broadcas ...

'' (TV series) (1980) ** "Visitor from the Grave" (1980) * ''

Very Like a Whale Very may refer to: * English's prevailing intensifier Businesses * The Very Group, a British retail/consumer finance corporation ** Very (online retailer), their main e-commerce brand * VERY TV, a Thai television channel Places * Véry, a c ...

'' (TV movie) (1981) * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (TV series) (1981–88) ** "The Way to Do It" (1981) ** "The Skeleton Key" (1982) ** "The Absence of Emily" (1982) ** "A Harmless Vanity" (1982) ** "A Time to Die" (1988) * '' The Bell'' (TV series: four episodes) (1982) * '' All for Love'' (TV series) (1982–83) ** "A Dedicated Man" (1982) ** "Mrs Silly" (1983) * '' The Case of the Frightened Lady'' (TV movie) (1983) * ''

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

'' (TV movie) (1984) * ''

A Voyage Round My Father ''A Voyage Round My Father'' is an autobiographical play by John Mortimer, later adapted for television. The first version of the play appeared as a series of three half-hour sketches for BBC radio in 1963. It then became a television play with ...

'' (TV movie) (1984) * '' Coming Through'' (TV movie) (1985) * ''

Ruth Rendell Mysteries ''The Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' is a British television crime drama series, produced by TVS and later by its successor Meridian Broadcasting, in association with Blue Heaven Productions, for broadcast on the ITV network. Twelve series were broad ...

'' (TV series) (1987) ** "Wolf to the Slaughter: Part One" (1987)

References

External links

* *
Review of Wilkinson's soundtrack for 'Blood on Satan's Claw'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Marc 1929 births 2022 deaths Australian composers Australian male composers Australian film score composers Male film score composers Male conductors (music)