Tristram Cary

Tristram Ogilvie Cary, OAM (14 May 192524 April 2008), was a pioneering English-Australian composer. He was also active as a teacher and music critic.

Career

Cary was born in Oxford, England, and educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and Westminster School in London. He was the third son and child of a pianist and the Ulster-born novelist Joyce Cary, author of '' Mister Johnson''. While working as a radar engineer for the Royal Navy during World War II, he independently developed his own conception of electronic and tape music, and is regarded as being amongst the earliest pioneers of these musical forms.

Following World War II, he created one of the first electronic music studios, later travelling around Europe to meet the small numbers of other early pioneers of electronic music and composition. He studied arts at the University of Oxford and went on to study composition, conducting, piano, viola and horn at Trinity College London.Jo Litson, "Maestro with a motherboard", ''Weekend Australian'', 11–12 November 2000, Review, p. 20

With Peter Zinovieff and David Cockerell, he founded Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd, which created the first commercially available portable synthesiser, the EMS VCS 3, and was then involved in the production of such distinctive EMS products as the EMS Synthi 100.

In 1967 he created an electronic music studio at the Royal College of Music. This led to an invitation from the University of Melbourne in 1973 for a lecture tour, which in turn led to an invitation to become the Visiting Composer at the University of Adelaide in 1974. He remained there as a lecturer until 1986. He also wrote music criticism for ''The Australian''.

Musical works

His concert works of note include a Sonata for guitar (1959), ''Continuum'' for tape (1969), a cantata ''Peccata Mundi'' (1972), ''Contours and Densities at First Hill'' for orchestra (1972), a Nonet (1979), String Quartet No. 2 (1985) and ''The Dancing Girls'' for orchestra (1991).

Cary is also particularly well known for his film and television music. He wrote music for the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (including the first Dalek story), as well as the score for the Ealing comedy '' The Ladykillers'' (1955). Later film scores included '' The Boy Who Stole a Million'' (1960); ''The Prince and The Pauper'' (1962); '' Sammy Going South'' (1963); '' Quatermass and the Pit'' (1967) and '' Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'' (1971), both for Hammer. He also composed the score for the ABC TV animated version of ''A Christmas Carol''. and the children's animated special '' Katya and the Nutcracker''.

Cary was one of the first British composers to work in musique concrète. In 1967 he created the first electronic music studio of the Royal College of Music. He built another at his home in Fressingfield, Suffolk which he transported to Australia when he emigrated there, and incorporated it into the University of Adelaide where he worked as a lecturer until 1986.Tristram Cary
''The Daily Telegraph'', 28 April 2008.

He provided the visual design for the EMS VCS3 synthesizer.

Death

Cary died in Adelaide, South Australia, on 24 April 2008, aged 82.

Honours

Cary won the 1977 Albert H. Maggs Composition Award. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1991 in recognition of service to music. He also received the 200
lifetime achievement award
from the Adelaide Critics' Circle for his contribution to music in England and Australia.

List of works

Orchestral/Choral

*''Peccata Mundi'' for Chorus, Orchestra, Speaking voice, Four tracks of tape (1972/76),
*''Contours & Densities at First Hill'' – Fifteen Landscapes for Orchestra (1976)
*''The Dancing Girls'' Four Mobiles for Orchestra (1991)
*''Sevens'' Concertino for Yamaha Disklavier and Strings (1991)
*''Inside Stories'' for chamber orchestra and prerecorded CD (1993)
*''The Ladykillers'' Suite for Orchestra (1955/96)
*

Chamber/Solo

*''Sonata for Guitar Alone'' (1959)
*''Three Threes and One Make Ten'' Mixed decet (1961)
*''Narcissus'' for Flute and two tape recorders (1968)
*''Trios'' for VCS3 Synthesiser and two turntables (1971)
*''Romantic Interiors'' for violin, cello and tape (1973)
*''Family Conference'' for four clarinets (1981)
*''Seeds'' Mixed Quintet (1982)
*''String Quartet No.2'' (1985)
*''Rivers'' Four percussionists and two tape recorders (1986)
*''Black, White & Rose'' Marimba and tape (1991)
*''Strange Places'' Piano solo (1992)
*''Messages'' Cello solo (1993)
*''Through Glass'' Piano and electronics (1998)

Vocal

*''Divertimento'' (1973) – for Olivetti machines, 16 singers and jazz drummer (1973) (10') Commissioned by Olivetti for the opening of a new training centre at Haslemere, England (designed by the world-famous architect James Stirling) as (a) part of a 'Venetian' concert conducted by Cary himself, and (b) the sound track of a film. Described by Cary as "friendly, undemanding music" which nevertheless he was nervous about performing, since the audience was composed of VIPs and included Yehudi Menuhin. The text of the piece consists of cardinal numbers in four languages. The performance: Premiered 21 June 1973 at Haslemere HQ of Olivetti, though the film version had already been previously recorded. Performed again in Adelaide 1974. Cary also extracted a piece from it without vocals – "Tracks from Divertimento" – in 1978. It is published on a disc – "Full Spectrum" (MOVE Records MS3027). The original Haslemere personnel were the Ambrosian Singers and Chris Karan (drums).
*''Two Nativity Songs from the Piae Cantiones'' (arr.) (1979)
*''I Am Here'' Soprano and Tape (1980)
*''Earth Hold Songs'' Soprano and Piano (1993)
*''Songs for Maid Marian'' Soprano, Piano (1959/98)

Electroacoustic

For analogue tape

*Suite – the Japanese Fishermen (1955)
*4 5 – A Study in Limited Resources (1967)
*Birth is Life is Power is Death is God is....(1967)
*Continuum (1969)
*Suite – Leviathan '99 (1972)
*Steam Music (1978)

For computer

*Nonet (1979)
*Soft Walls (1980)
*Trellises (1984)
*The Impossible Piano (1994)

Films

*'' The Ladykillers'', Ealing Studios (1955)
*'' Town on Trial'', Columbia (1957)
*''Time Without Pity'', Harlequin (1957)
*'' The Flesh Is Weak'' (1957)
*''Tread Softly Stranger'' (1958)
* '' She Didn't Say No!'' (1958)
*'' The Little Island'', Richard Williams (1958) (best experimental film, Venice 1958; best experimental film, British Film Academy 1959)
*'' The Boy Who Stole a Million'' (dir. Charles Crichton) (1960)
*''The Prince and The Pauper'' (dir. Don Chaffey) (1962)
*'' Sammy Going South'', Michael Balcon (1963) (Royal Command Film Performance 1963)
*'' The Silent Playground'' (1963)
*'' Daylight Robbery'' (1964)
*''EXPO 67 Montréal'' – All film soundtracks for Industrial Section, British Pavilion (1967)
*''A la Mesure de l'Homme'', Canadian Government (1967)
*'' Quatermass and the Pit'', Hammer Films (1967)
*'' A Twist of Sand'', United Artists (1968)
*'' Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'', Hammer Films (1971)
*''A Christmas Carol'', ABC Films (1972) (Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film)
*'' The Fourth Wish'', ABC (1976)
*''Katya and the Nutcracker'': special arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet for a 30' children's animated film (John Cary Films / Minotaur International)

Radio

*''The Children of Lir'' (Craig) (1959)
*''La Machine Infernale'' (Cocteau) (1960)
*''The End of Fear'' (Saurat) (1960)
*''King Lear'' (Shakespeare) (1960)
*''The Flight of the Wild Geese'' (Dillon) (1961)
*''The Ballad of Peckham Rye'' (Spark) (1962) Italia Prize
*''The Ha-Ha'' (Dawson) (1963)
*'' The Rhyme of the Flying Bomb'' ( Peake) (1964)
*''Leviathan '99'' ( Bradbury) (1968)

Television

*''Jane Eyre'' (Brontë) (1963)
*''Julius Caesar''https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av37203 (Shakespeare) (1963)
*''The Daleks'' (''Doctor Who'' serial) (1963) (also reused in '' The Rescue'' (1965), '' The Daleks' Master Plan'' (1966), '' The Ark'' (1966) & ''The Power of the Daleks'' (1966))
*''Madame Bovary'' (Flaubert) (1964)
* '' The Ordeal of Richard Feverel'' (1964)
*''Marco Polo'' (''Doctor Who'' serial) (1964)
*''Mill on the Floss'' (Eliot) (1964)
*''The Head Waiter'' (Mortimer) (1966)
*'' The Daleks' Master Plan'' (''Doctor Who'' serial) (1966) (also reused in ''The Power of the Daleks'' (1966))
*'' The Gunfighters'' (''Doctor Who'' serial) (1966)
*''The Paradise Makers'' (Winch) (1967)
*''The Million Pound Banknote'' (Twain) (1968)
*''Sinister Street'' (Mackenzie) (1969)
*'' The Mutants'' (''Doctor Who'' serial) (1972)

Theatre and miscellaneous

*''Macbeth'' Old Vic Theatre (1960)
*''Henry IV, Pt.I'' Old Vic Theatre (1961)
*''La Contessa'' (Druon, dir: Helpmann) (1965)
*''Die Ballade von Peckham Rye'' Salzburg Festival (1965)
*''Escalator Music and Centre Music'' EXPO 67, Montreal
*''Hamlet'' Theatre Roundabout, (1968)
*''Music for Light'' Olympia London (1968)
*''"H" (Wood)'' National Theatre (1969)
*''Echoes till Sunset'' – 3-hour open air entertainment, Adelaide Festival (1984)

Books

*''Dictionary of Musical Technology'' (1992) (also known as the ''Illustrated Compendium of Musical Technology'')

References

Published references

*Oliver, Michael. "Miscellany: Justin Connolly – Jonathan Harvey – Roger Smalley – Anthony Payne – Tristram Cary – Anthony Milner – Christopher Headington – Robin Holloway – David Ellis" in ''British Music Now: A Guide to the Work of Younger Composers'', ed. Lewis Foreman, 1975. London: Paul Elek.
*''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' Macmillan 1980
*'' The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music'' Macmillan 1988
*'' New Oxford Companion to Music'' Oxford University Press 1983
*'' The Oxford Companion to Australian Music'' Oxford University Press 1997
*'' Dictionary of 20th Century Music'' Thames & Hudson 1974
*'' Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'' HarperCollins (freq. reprinted)

External links

Tristram Cary At Trunk Records
*
*
Australian Music CentreAustralasian Performing Right Association
* ttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1904062/Tristram-Cary.html Telegraph articlebr>University of Adelaide obituaryTristram Cary
in AusStage
Reminiscence of an incident during naval service, spoken by Cary

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Tristram
1925 births
2008 deaths
Musicians from Oxford
People educated at The Dragon School
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Alumni of Trinity College of Music
Academic staff of the University of Adelaide
20th-century classical composers
20th-century British conductors (music)
English male classical composers
English classical composers
English electronic musicians
English conductors (music)
English male conductors (music)
English film score composers
English male film score composers
21st-century classical composers
21st-century British conductors (music)
English emigrants to Australia
Naturalised citizens of Australia
British expatriates in Australia
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Royal Navy personnel of World War II
Royal Navy sailors
Australian male classical composers
Australian classical composers
Australian electronic musicians
Australian conductors (music)
Australian film score composers
20th-century Australian musicians
20th-century English composers
21st-century Australian musicians
21st-century English composers
Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award
20th-century British male musicians
21st-century British male musicians