Death of a British iconoclast, 87
RIPThe composer John White died last Thursday, leaving a legacy of 180 piano sonatas, and much else.
His official biography makes fascinating reading:
John White was born in Berlin in 1936 to an English father and German mother; he arrived in London in 1939. He took piano and theory lessons from the age of 4 with Hélène Gipps, a second-generation pupil of Brahms. He took a lively interest from early teenage in the musical exception rather than the rule and his interests at that time included Satie, Milhaud and Hindemith, later, early Schönberg, Berg, Webern, Skalkottas and Stockhausen.
Then, at age 19, a step backwards to the enlightened tonality of Messiaen. He began composing at this time, while still a student at the Royal College of Music, under composition professor Bernard Stevens, and he discovered yet more traditionally tonal music with a difference: Medtner and Szymanowski. He was the first student at the Royal College of Music to play Satie, Schöenberg and Messiaen at a chamber concert. He encountered John Tilbury and Cornelius Cardew and spent the 60s deeply involved in “performance art” of the time, but broke away from Cardew and the Scratch Orchestra because of political differences. He has written many single movement piano sonatas (180 to date) under the tonal influences of Satie, Medtner and Szymanowski.
Ilan Volkov plucked his Chord-Breaking Machine from obswcurity, performing it with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the 2013 Proms in one of the most ear-opening concerts that series has ever known.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L4nwVK979I
Quite odd stylistic experimentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l7tPNJR_58&list=RDEMeUPHPYskrwkR6J0zWfvMuA&start_radio=1
Quite different experimentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ8VkDkbXuc
Quite strange piano pieces, between serious and pertinently non-serious.
A composer curious for the territories ‘outside’ anything and still (mostly) with entirely traditional material, with klischees. Also that can be quite instructive.
The best of his piano sonatas are absolutely delightful. Although the presentation is a bit clumsy, I’m glad Tim Parkinson had the presence of mind to interview John White as he abounds in fascinating anecdotes and has a nice way of speaking. :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsiqKpQMeJw&t=439s
Yes, sad news. Charming man who, like his music, could turn on a sixpence in mid-sentence in conversation with him. You could never predict where he was going with anything.
Dive in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L4nwVK979I
Can you imagine that 2013 ‘ear-opening’ concert happening at the Proms now? I’ll leave that hovering . . .
2013 were the last Proms. There has been nothing like them ever since.
Strange. I did not know this composer but stumbled upon one of his piano sonatas yesterday by chance. An extraordinary ear, and obviously a composer who can hear what he writes and who has real craft — both of which can no longer be said of most composers nowadays. This piece reminds one of Poulenc, Milhaud (Scaramouche), Satie, Prokofiev, with a very subtle hint of Liszt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L4nwVK979I
Also a touch of Percy Grainger as it flows along.
John was also the long-serving music director at maverick drama school the Drama Centre London. He inspired a generation of actors and introduced them to a range of musical tastes. I worked with him there 1989-1994. He will be much missed.
Very sorry to hear this – he was quite a frequent visitor to the Royal Holloway music department in the mid ’70s (if I remember rightly he played duets with Christopher Hobbs on occasion).
Such a nice man. As a former tuba player, his brass writing was imaginative and exciting too. Always fun to play and he was great to work with. He even accepted an almost insultingngly small amount of money to compose a tuba and tape piece for me.
Sad to read of his death but he lived to a good age. And had a long creative life. John White was a charming man and he composed music for our dance company Dancework. As did Gavin Bryars. John and Gavin both worked as lecturers at Leicester Polytechnic (that became De Montfort University). That’s almost certainly how I and Tony Thatcher dancer/ teacher/ choreographers first met John and Gavin. They generously created some fabulous music for our dances. John composed “Pythagoras’ Trousers” and “Glove” for Tony Thatcher’s pieces. With modest commission fees from the Arts Council of Great Britain. This would have been around 1979 to 1981. They introduced us to the music of Percy Grainger, and also to Grainger biographer John Bird. I remember listening to some of John Bird’s amazing collection of vinyl Grainer records. We performed my work “Grainger Suite” along with “Glove” at the London Dance Umbrella ICA. John was always a positive supporter of our work (as was Gavin Bryars). We were privileged to have met and worked with such wonderful musician composers. John also generously composed a piece for my piece “Scherzi Spagnoli” I think it was called – performed by a dance group in Catania. I loved his music for dance.
Ilan Volkov plucked his Chord-Breaking Machine from WHAT?
If he was an iconoclast, must have been a good bloke. Far better than being ‘iconic’!