Peter Andrew Tranchell (14 July 1922 – 14 September 1993) was a British

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 ...

Life and career

Tranchell was born at

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, on 14 July 1922, and educated at the Dragon School, Oxford,

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served, like his father, Col. H G Tranchell, in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

, after which he resumed his Cambridge studies, changing from exhibitioner in Classics to Music.
The Peter Tranchell Centenary Musical Soirée and Reception
', programme, 26 November 1922 He was Lecturer in Music at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

from 1950 to 1989, and Fellow and Director of Studies in music at Gonville and Caius College from 1960 to 1989. As Praecentor of the college (following the retirement of

Patrick Hadley Patrick Arthur Sheldon Hadley (5 March 1899 – 17 December 1973) was a British composer. Biography Patrick Sheldon Hadley was born on 5 March 1899 in Cambridge. His father, William Sheldon Hadley, was at that time a fellow of Pembroke Coll ...

) he directed the chapel choir. He died on 14 September 1993 near his home in Curdridge near Botley in Hampshire. His compositions included the opera ''The Mayor of Casterbridge'' (1951), church music and instrumental works such as the Organ Sonata. He was also a composer of light music, including vocal "entertainments", dramatic cantatas such as ''The Mating Season'' (based on

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

), and musical comedies such as '' Zuleika'' (after

Max Beerbohm Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the theatre crit ...

), produced in Cambridge in 1954 and revived in 1957. His archive is kept at

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...

.'A celebration of Peter Tranchell'
University of Cambridge

Titus Oates Society

Amongst other activities at Caius, Tranchell became the patron, at the request of, predominantly, members of the college choir, of a dining society at Caius named the Titus Oates Society as a sort of antidote to other college clubs. He was asked by those wishing to form another dining club for a suitable name and suggested, with his frequent cheekiness, that of the most reprehensible member of Caius thitherto: Titus Oates. The dinners – dinners on the last day of Full Term in the first two academic terms and a picnic, normally watching the Bumps on the Saturday after the last – known as "Exceedings", were marked by exemplary food and drink from the college's kitchen staff (whom he held in the highest regard) and cellars and ran to some nine or so courses. In 1983, the cost was £17. This was a deliberate policy of Tranchell's to ensure that the cost would not bar anyone. This accords with Tranchell's sense of egalitarianism recorded in his descriptions of his time in the Indian Army. The dinners included various toasts: to Titus Oates, to a saint of the day – preceded by an entertaining biography of each – and to The Queen. The Titus Oates Society ran from the early 1970s until around the early 1990s, the patronage having been passed to other Fellows of the college on Tranchell's retirement in 1989.

Selected works

Ballets

* ''Falstaff'' (1950) * ''Fate's Revenge'' (1951), performed by

Ballet Rambert 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 ...

at the Lyric, Hammersmith * ''Spring Legend'' (1957), commissioned by Cambridge Ballet Workshop * ''Images of Love'', (1964) produced at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

with choreography by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

Operas and musicals

* ''The Mayor of Casterbridge'' (1951) * ''Zuleika'' (1954) * ''Murder in the Towers'', "detective cantata" (1955, revised 1986) * ''The Mating Season'' (1962) * ''Thackeray Ditties'' (1962) * ''His First Mayweek'' (1963) * ''The Robot Emperor'' (1965)

Incidental music

* ''Johnson over Jordan'' ( J. B. Priestley; 1947) * ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

; 1949) * ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' (Shakespeare; 1950)

Concert works

* ''Nativitates'' for organ (1943) * Variations for String Quartet (1949) *''Organ Sonata'' (1950) * Sonatina for Flute and Piano (1966) *''Festive Overture'' (1966) * ''Movements'', chamber ensemble (1987)

Choral works

* ''Oh That Our Faith'', anthem (1971) * ''Te Deum in E'' (1974) * ''This Sorry Scheme of Things'' (1953) * ''The Joyous Year'' (1961) * ''If ye would hear the angels sing'' (1965) * ''St Michael's Mass'' (1965, revised version 1988)

Hymn tunes

* ''Morestead''. Text "The Fullness of the Earth is God's Alone" (Kaan) * ''Swanmore''. Text "The Earth The Sky The Oceans" (Kaan) * ''Droxford''. Text "God gave to Man to have and hold" (Kaan) * ''Durley''. Text: "Thank you O Lord" (Kaan) (These were published in Pilgrim Praise Music Edition, 1972 by Fred Kaan, published by

Stainer & Bell Stainer & Bell Limited is a British music publisher, specialized in classical sheet music. History Stainer & Bell was founded in 1907. In 1917, Stainer & Bell was appointed publisher of the Carnegie Edition. Stainer & Bell acquired Augener ...

) * ''Wish Road''. Text "Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing" (written for Eastbourne College)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tranchell, Peter 1922 births 1993 deaths 20th-century British classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century English male musicians Alumni of King's College, Cambridge British people in colonial India English classical composers English light music composers English male classical composers English male opera composers English opera composers Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Indian military personnel of World War II Musicians from Cambridge People educated at Clifton College People educated at The Dragon School People from Cuddalore district