Malcolm Williamson

Short bio Malcolm Williamson

Birthday: 1931 in Sydney, Australia

Died: 2003

Active: 1950s - 1990s

Genre: Classical,Pop/Rock

Period: 20th Century, Contemporary

Full biography Malcolm Williamson

Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson was an Australian composer and pianist who was born on November 21 , 1931, and died on March 2, 2003. Williamson was appointed the Master of the Queen's Music in 1975, making him the first non-British person to hold the post. The position involved writing music for state occasions and fanfares for the reigning monarch.

Williamson's music has been described as eclectic, with influences ranging from the English choral tradition to Australian folk music. He had a prodigious output, composing music for a variety of instruments and genres, including opera, ballet, and film scores. Of note is his opera "Our Man in Havana," which premiered at the Royal Opera House in 1963.

While Williamson was highly respected among his contemporaries, his music is not as widely known or performed today. However, there has been a renewed interest in his work in recent years, with musicians and music scholars exploring his extensive catalog and reviving some of his lesser-known works.

In conclusion, Malcolm Williamson was a prolific and influential composer and pianist whose music is characterized by its eclecticism and originality. As the Master of the Queen's Music, he made significant contributions to British music, and his legacy continues to inspire and intrigue musicians and music enthusiasts alike.

Compositions featuring Malcolm Williamson

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	Piano Concerto No. 4 in D major	14:51 min	Concerto	1993
2	Requiem for a Tribe Brother, for chorus	29:14 min	Choral	1992
3	Lento, for Strings	3:14 min	Chamber Music	1985
4	The Masks of Death, television film score		Film Score	1984
5	Symphony No. 7 for strings	21:52 min	Symphony	1984
6	Mass of the People of God		Keyboard	1980
7	Symphony No. 5 'Aquerò'	24:25 min	Symphony	1979
8	The Lion of Suffolk, for organ	6:22 min	Keyboard	1977
9	Watership Down: Prologue & Main Theme, film score	5:43 min	Film Score	1977
10	Fantasy on "O Paradise," for organ	4:11 min	Keyboard	1976
11	Fantasy on "This is my Father's World", for organ	4:50 min	Keyboard	1975
12	Concerto for 2 pianos & strings in A minor	20:01 min	Concerto	1973
13	Mass of a Medieval Saint, for organ	14:08 min	Keyboard	1973
14	Love, the Sentinel, for chorus	8:30 min	Choral	1972
15	Little Carols of the Saints, for organ	18:19 min	Keyboard	1971
16	The Horror Of Frankenstein, film score		Film Score	1970
17	Peace Pieces, for organ	45:52 min	Keyboard	1970
18	Crescendo, film score		Film Score	1970
19	Sonata for 2 pianos	7:36 min	Keyboard	1967
20	Pas de Deux	2:28 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	1967
21	Epitaphs for Edith Sitwell for organ	6:34 min	Keyboard	1965
22	Sinfonietta, for orchestra	18:34 min	Orchestral	1965
23	Concerto grosso for orchestra	10:52 min	Concerto	1965
24	English Eccentrics Choral Suite, for chorus	15:15 min	Choral	1964
25	Elegy - JFK, for organ	5:23 min	Keyboard	1964
26	Our Man in Havana, suite for orchestra	20:05 min	Orchestral	1963
27	Piano Concerto No. 3 in E flat major	31:31 min	Concerto	1962
28	Vision of Christ-Phoenix for organ	8:58 min	Keyboard	1962
29	Travel Diaries Set 3 - Naples, for piano & piano, 4 hands		Keyboard	1962
30	Travel Diaries - Paris, for piano		Keyboard	1961
31	Organ Concerto	27:02 min	Concerto	1961
32	Travel Diaries - Sydney, for piano		Keyboard	1961
33	Piano Concerto No. 2 in F sharp minor	16:10 min	Concerto	1960
34	The Brides of Dracula, film score		Film Score	1960
35	Symphony for Voices, for chorus	16:33 min	Choral	1960
36	Symphony for organ	38:11 min	Keyboard	1960
37	Résurgence du Feu (Pâques 1959), for organ	5:38 min	Keyboard	1959
38	Sinfonia Concertante, for 3 trumpets, piano & strings in F sharp major	18:43 min	Concerto	1958
39	Piano Sonata No. 2	17:28 min	Keyboard	1957
40	Piano Concerto No. 1 in A major	18:07 min	Concerto	1957
41	Santiago de Espada, overture for orchestra	6:11 min	Orchestral	1956
42	Symphony No. 1 ("Elevamini")	30:38 min	Symphony	1956
43	Fons Amoris, for organ	12:11 min	Keyboard	1955
44	Piano Sonata No. 1	9:45 min	Keyboard	1955
45	This Christmas Night, for chorus & piano	2:47 min	Choral	-
46	Violin Concerto	25:22 min	Concerto	-
47	The Violins of Saint-Jacques		Vocal Music	-
48	The Musicians of Bremen, for vocal ensemble	10:14 min	Vocal Music	-
49	Wrestling Jacob, for chorus	4:44 min	Choral	-
50	A Christmas Carol, for low voice & piano	2:54 min	Vocal Music	-
51	The Lamplighter, for voice & piano	1:30 min	Vocal Music	-
52	The King of Love, for chorus	3:38 min	Choral	-
53	The Display, ballet		Ballet	-
54	Sweet and Low, for voice & piano	2:29 min	Vocal Music	-
55	Peace in America, for organ	9:16 min	Keyboard	-
56	Ochre, for orchestra	5:40 min	Orchestral	-
57	My Bed Is a Boat, song	2:48 min	Vocal Music	-
58	Ding Dong! Merrily on High	1:53 min	Choral	-
59	Dignus est Agnus, for soprano, chorus & organ	2:15 min	Choral	-
60	Dawn Carol, for chorus	3:48 min	Choral	-
61	Azure, for orchestra	4:33 min	Orchestral	-

Albums featuring Malcolm Williamson

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Malcolm Williamson - Tom Winpenny – Organ Music(2×CD, Album)	2016	Naxos
2	Malcolm Williamson - Tom Winpenny – Organ Music(CD, Album)	2014	Toccata Classics
3	Malcolm Williamson - Piers Lane, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra / Howard Shelley – The Complete Piano Concertos(2×CD, )	2014	Hyperion
4	Malcolm Williamson, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba – Orchestral Works, Volume 2(CD, Album)	2007	Chandos
5	Malcolm Williamson, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba – Orchestral Works, Volume 1(CD, )	2006	Chandos
6	Malcolm Williamson - The Joyful Company Of Singers, Peter Broadbent – Choral Music(CD, Album)	2006	Naxos
7	Antony Gray, Malcolm Williamson – Malcolm Williamson: Complete Works for Piano(3×CD, )	2003	ABC Classics
8	Love's Redeeming Work(CD, Album)	1998	ASM (6)
9	Peter Maxwell Davies, Jonathan Harvey, Malcolm Williamson, Kevin Bowyer – Works for Organ(CD, Album)	1997	Nimbus Records
10	Berkeley, Williamson, Panufnik, Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Adrian Boult – Violin Concertos(CD, Compilation, Stereo)	1996	EMI Classics
11	Górecki, Hindemith, Williamson, Shostakovich, Julian Galant, Oxford Orchestra Da Camera, Stefan Asbury, Tim Hawes – Piano Concertos Of Our Time(CD, )	1994	Medici Quartet, Whitehall Associates Plc
12	Peter Sculthorpe / Ross Edwards / Malcolm Williamson -- Dennis Hennig, Anthony Fogg, Malcolm Williamson, Simon Campion, Barry Tuckwell, Myer Fredman – Australian Piano Concertos	1990	ABC Classics
13	The Desert Chorale, Britten, Bernstein, Williamson, Fine, Vaughan Williams – Sounds From Santa Fe(Cassette, )	1989	Musical Heritage Society
14	Malcolm Williamson, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – The Valley And The Hill(LP)	1983	Sutton Sound
15	Worcester Cathedral Choir, Worcester Festival Choral Society, Donald Hunt / Malcolm Williamson – Procession Of Palms And Other Choral Works(LP)	1979	Abbey
16	Malcolm Williamson, Allan Wicks – Symphony For Organ / Vision Of Christ-Phoenix	1978	Chalfont
17	Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Willem Van Otterloo, Yuval Zaliouk, Malcolm Williamson, Robert Hughes (7) – Malcolm Williamson - Sinfonietta For Orchestra / Robert Hughes - Synthesis And The Forbidden Rite(LP, Album)	1978	RCA
18	Elgar, Bliss, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Malcolm Williamson – The Great First Organ Sonata	1978	World Record Club
19	Elevamini / Sinfonia Concertante / Violin Concerto / The Display(LP, Compilation, Quadraphonic, LP)	1978	His Master's Voice
20	Anthony Hopkins, Malcolm Williamson, Ursula Vaughan Williams – The Brilliant And The Dark And Riding To Canonbie(2×LP)	1977	Reader's Digest
21	Malcolm Williamson, Gwenneth Pryor, Strings Of The English Chamber Orchestra, Yuval Zaliouk – Concerto For Piano And Strings / Concerto For Two Pianos And Strings(LP, Album)	1975	EMI
22	Malcolm Williamson – London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult, Leonard Dommett – Organ Concerto – Third Piano Concerto	1975	Lyrita Recorded Edition
23	Malcolm Williamson / Don Banks – The Display (Ballet Suite) / Violin Concerto	1973	World Record Club
24	Malcolm Williamson, Lennox Berkeley, Yehudi Menuhin, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Menuhin Festival Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult – Violin Concertos	1972	His Master's Voice
25	Quintet For Piano And Strings / Five Preludes For Piano / From A Child's Garden / Pas De Quatre(LP, Stereo)	1972	Argo (2)
26	Williamson / Meale / Ahern – Violin Concerto / Very High Kings / After Mallarme(LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo)	1971	World Record Club
27	Julius Caesar Jones	1967	Argo (2)
28	The Happy Prince. Children’s Opera	1966	Argo (2)
29	Peter Maxwell Davies, Alexander Goehr, Richard Rodney Bennett, Malcolm Williamson – Four British Composers	1965	His Master's Voice
30	Procession Of Psalms(7", 45 RPM)	1962	Tower (3)
31	Malcolm Williamson – London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult, Leonard Dommett – Concerto For Organ And Orchestra • Piano Concerto No. 3 In E-flat(LP, Album)	-	Musical Heritage Society