Compositeur anglais né le 4 novembre 1906 à Gomersal (Yorkshire) et mort le 13 août 2005 à Five Oak Green (Kent).
Il fait ses études à Cambridge de 1925 à 1929 avec Cyril Rootham, puis à Berlin de 1929 à 1932 avec Paul Hindemith. En 1933 il est Professeur de théorie musicale et de composition au Royal Manchester School of Music, puis au Trinity Collège of Music in London en 1947. Nommé Doctor of Music en 1948.
Ses oeuvres, d'esprit post romantique, touchent à tous les genres : 2 opéras, un ballet, 6 symphonies, concertos, musiques de chambre, piano, lieder...
Oeuvres principales :
Opera
Mary Barton, op.27 (1949–1954)
The Invisible Duke (1976)
Ballet
Jabez and the Devil, op.50 (1961)
Vocal and Choral Works
Holderneth, Cantata for mixed chorus, baritone solo and orchestra (1937)
Nocturnes, 5 Songs for soprano, horn and piano (1956)
Songs of Innocence for soprano, clarinet and piano (1957)
Ode on St Cecilia’s Day for soli, chorus and orchestra, op.57 (1967)
The Seamew for voice, flute,oboe and string quartet (1980)
O Men from the Fields for unison voices, copyright 1967, in Carols for Choirs, Oxford University Press
Five Songs of William Blake for baritone, treble recorder and piano (1987)
Orchestral Music
Concert Overture n° 1 for full orchestra (1934)
Piano Concerto, op.11 (1940)
Concert Overture n° 2 for full orchestra "Processional" (1945)
Symphony No.1 in B flat(1947)
Concerto in D major for string orchestra (1948)
Concerto for Oboe and string orchestra (1954)
Clarinet Concerto No.1 (1957)
Concerto for Treble Recorder and string orchestra (1957)
Violin Concerto (1959)
Concerto for small orchestra, op.48 (1960)
Symphony No.2 in F (1963)
Symphony No.3 in D (1967)
Variations on a Theme of Dufay (1969)
Suite for treble recorder, strings and percussions (1972)
Symphony No.4 in E flat (1974)
Cello Concerto (1975)
Symphony No.5 in G (1979)
Clarinet Concerto No.2 (1984)
Symphony No.6 in E flat (1984)
Repton Fantasia (1984)
Concerto for Orchestra (1986)
Chamber Music
Octet (Passacaille, Scherzo and Finale), op.1 (1931)
Harp Quintet, op.2 (1932)
Duo for Violin and Viola (1935)
String Quartet No.1 (1935)
Flute Quartet (1936)
Sonata for Viola and Piano (1936–1937)
Sonata n° 1 in G for violin and piano (1939)
String Quartet n° 2 (1945)
Trio in B flat for violin, viola and cello (1950)
Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano (1951)
Rondo in B flat for Horn and Piano (published 1952)
Sinfonietta for 11 Instruments, op.31 (1954)
Quartet for Oboe and Strings (1956)
Little Suite for Flute and Viola (1957)
Sonata for oboe and piano (1957)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1959)
Sonata for 3 Clarinets (1959)
Suite for Treble Recorder and Piano (1961)
Wind Quintet (1961)
Clarinet Quintet (1962)
Quartet-Sonata for Recorder, Violin, Cello and Harpsichord (1964–1965)
Theme and Variations for Solo Recorder, op.65 (1966)
String Quartet n° 3 (1967)
Sonata for solo violin (1969)
Piano Quintet (1970)
Quartet and Trio for recorders (1970)
Sonata for harmonica and piano (1970)
Septet for clarinets (1971)
String Quartet n° 4 (1976)
Quartet for clarintets (1977)
String Quartet n° 5 (1978)
Sonata No.2 for Cello and Piano (1980)
Sonata for flute and harp (1988)
Piano Music
Sonata for 2 Pianos, op.8 (1937)
Piano Sonata No.1 (1938)
Suite in C major (1943–1944, rev. 1963)
Piano Sonata No.2 (1966)
Suite n° 2 for piano (1975)
Suite n° 3 for piano (1980)
Organ Music
Prelude, Aria and Finale (1962)
Fantasia, op 60 (1964)
Toccata and Aria, op 70 (1966)
Impromptu (1966)
Fugal Adventures (1967)
Sonate n° 1 (1971)
Sonate n° 2 (1980)
Suite (1989)