| Portion of title |
Life and work of William Alwyn |
| Contents |
Early closing -- The music of Northampton -- A number of Scotsmen -- Olive -- Union and exile -- A purpose for cinema -- A war of his own -- Is your journey really necessary? -- A coming British woman composer -- Towards a festival -- Questions of inspiration -- Ariel to Miranda -- The late romantic -- E-Day -- Symphonic reflections -- Soundless music -- The other Suffolk composer -- The Blythburgh operas -- The stillness -- Living and learning -- Precious toy. |
| Abstract |
This book is the first full-scale biography of William Alwyn since his death in 1985. The author's book balances detailed analysis of Alwyn's work with a vivid account of his marriages to the musician Olive Pull and the composer Doreen Carwithen, relationships that profoundly affected the course of his career. Using a mass of hitherto unpublished material [including an unexpurgated version of his noted Ariel to Miranda and interviews with prominent figures in Alwyn's life, the volume places his achievements in the musical context of his time, along the way dealing with his relationship with Benjamin Britten, and such hitherto almost unknown works as Don Juan, The Fairy Fiddler and the radio opera Farewell, Companions. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 312-315), discography (pages 305-311) and indexes. |
| ISBN | 9781843834120 (hbk.) |
| ISBN | 184383412X (hbk.) |
