Nigel Henry Cockburn Butterley (13 May 1935 – 19 February 2022) was an Australian composer and pianist.

Life and career

Butterley was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and learned to play the piano at the age of five. He attended

Sydney Grammar School Sydney Grammar School (SGS, colloquially known as Grammar) is an independent, non-denominational day school for boys, located in Sydney, Australia. Incorporated in 1854 by an Act of Parliament and opened in 1857, the school claims to offer "c ...

, but music was not taught at the school at that time, so he sought training from the

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

. He then travelled abroad and spent a year in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, where he studied with Priaulx Rainier in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. After returning to Australia, Butterley composed his work ''Laudes'' in 1963. He won the ''

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

'' award for his work ''In the Head the Fire'' in 1966. In 1967 he was the inaugural winner of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award. He continued to compose throughout the following decades, composing works for the Sydney Proms concerts such as ''Interaction for Artist and Orchestra'', music performed while artist John Peart painted and ''First Day Covers'', a collaboration with

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He appeare ...

' character

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and portrayed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, ...

. Butterley went on to win the Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize in 2001. Butterley lectured at the

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

Conservatorium from 1973 to 1991, and later at the Sydney Conservatorium. He also broadcast programs on ABC Classic FM. On 10 June 1991, Butterley was appointed a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AM) "in recognition of services to music". Butterley died at a nursing home on 19 February 2022, aged 86.

Compositions

Butterley's compositions were strongly influenced by poetry and are sometimes accompanied by recitation when performed. He composed a series of pieces inspired by the poetry of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

, and in later life was inspired by the work of Kathleen Raine. His other compositions included ''There Came a Wind Like a Bugle'', ''The White-throated Warbler'' (written for Carl Dolmetsch in 1966), ''Child in Nature'', ''The Wind Stirs Gently'', ''Frogs'' and ''Uttering Joyous Leaves''. In 2007 the Sydney Chamber Choir commissioned a new work, ''Beni Avshalom'', which was completed almost 50 years after Butterley's frequently performed landmark choral work ''The True Samaritan''.

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, ''John Cage'' , Best Classical Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

Don Banks Music Award

The Don Banks Music Award was established in 1984 to publicly honour a senior artist of high distinction who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia. It was founded by the

Australia Council Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announ ...

in honour of Don Banks, Australian composer, performer and the first chair of its music board. , - , 1985 , Nigel Butterley , Don Banks Music Award , , -

References

External links

* Listen to excerpts o
'In the Head the Fire'
o
australianscreen online
* 'In the Head the Fire' was added to the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

Sounds of Australia The Sounds of Australia, formerly the National Registry of Recorded Sound, is the National Film & Sound Archive's selection of sound recordings deemed culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant and relevant for Australia. It was fo ...

registry in 2009 * http://www.nigelbutterley.info/ * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butterley, Nigel 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Australian male musicians 20th-century Australian classical composers 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian classical composers APRA Award winners Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Australian classical pianists Australian male classical pianists People educated at Sydney Grammar School Australian male classical composers Prix Italia winners Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award Members of the Order of Australia