Harvey, Jonathan (Dean)
Harvey, Jonathan (Dean)
Harvey, Jonathan (Dean), significant English composer; b. Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, May 3, 1939. He was a scholarship student at St. John’s Coll., Cambridge, and also received private instruction from Erwin Stein and Hans Keller; after obtaining his Ph.D. from the Univ. of Glasgow (1964), he attended the Darmstadt summer courses in new music (1966) and studied with Babbitt at Princeton Univ. He taught at the Univ. of Southampton (1964–77) and at the Univ. of Sussex (from 1977). In 1985 he received the Koussevitzky Foundation Award. He received honorary doctorates from the uni vs. of Southampton (1991) and Bristol (1994). In 1993 he received the Britten Award for composition. He was made a fellow of the Royal Coll. of Music in 1994. In his ultimate style of composition, Harvey astutely synthesized a number of quaquaversal idioms and techniques ranging from medieval modalities to ultramodern procedures, occasionally making use of electronic resources.
Works
dramatic: Opera: Passion and Resurrection, church opera (Winchester Cathedral, March 21, 1981); Inquest of Love (1991–92). ORCH.: Little Concerto for Strings (1961; rev. version, 1997; London, March 14, 1998); Sym. (1966); Chaconne on lam dulcis amaica (1967); Benedictus (1970); Persephone’s Dream (1972; London, Jan. 18, 1973); Smiling Immortal for Chamber Ensemble and Tape (London, July 11, 1977); Whom Ye Adore (Glasgow, Sept. 19, 1981); Bhakti for Chamber Orch. and Tape (Paris, Dec. 3, 1982); Easter Orisons for Chamber Orch. (1983; Newcastle upon Tyne, Jan. 15, 1984); Gong-Ring for Chamber Ensemble and Electronics (Edinburgh, Sept. 1, 1984); Madonna of Winter and Spring Orch., Synthesizers, and Electronics (London, Aug. 27, 1986); Lightness and Weight for Tuba and Orch. (Poole, Feb. 18, 1987); Timepieces (1987; Saarbrücken, Sept. 23, 1988); Cello Concerto (1990); Fanfare for Utopia for 2 Horns, Trumpet, and Strings (Bath, April 6, 1995); Percussion Concerto (London, July 26, 1997); Calling Across Time for Chamber Orch. (London, June 13, 1998); Tranquil Abiding for Small Orch. (1998; N.Y., June 10, 1999). CHAMBER: Dialogue for Cello and Piano (1965); Variations for Violin and Piano (1965); Transformation of “Love Bade Me Welcome” for Clarinet and Piano (1968); Studies for 2 Clarinets (1970); Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1971); Quantumplation for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Percussion, and Piano (1973); Inner Light I for Flute or Piccolo, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Percussion, Piano, and Tape (1973); Smiling Immortal for Chamber Group and Tape (1977); 3 string quartets: No. 1 (1977; Southampton, March 6, 1979), No. 2 (1988; Brussels, March 17, 1989), and No. 3 (1995; Birmingham, Jan. 23, 1996); Concelebration for Flute, Clarinet, Cello, Piano, and Percussion (1979; rev. 1981); Beicoming) for Clarinet and Piano (1981); Modernsky Music for 2 Oboes, Bassoon, and Harpsichord (1981); Curve with Plateaux for Cello (1982); Nataraja for Flute and Piano (1983); Flight-Elegy for Violin and Piano (1984); Ricercare una melodie for Trumpet or Flute or Oboe and Tape Delay (1985); Tendril for Chamber Group (1987); The Valley of Aosta for Chamber Group (1988); Serenade in Homage to Mozart for 10 Winds (1991); Lotuses for Flute Quartet (1992); Scena for Violin and Chamber Group (1992); Chant for Viola (1992; rev. version, Brussels, March 24, 1994); The Riot for 3 Players (1993; Bristol, March 28, 1994); Soleil Noir/Chitra for 9 Players, 1 Technician, and Live Electronics (1993-94; Brussels, March 3, 1995); Adavaya for Cello, Electronic Keyboard, and Electronics (Paris, June 27, 1994); Pastorale for Cello and Harp (1994); Hidden Voice 1 for Chamber Orch. (1995; London, Feb. 8, 1996) and 2 for Chamber Ensemble and CD (London, May 15, 1999); Still for Tuba and Electronics (1997); Sufi Dance for Guitar (Nottingham, Nov. 9, 1997); Wheel of Emptiness for Chamber Ensemble (1997; Brussels, Jan. 22, 1998); Death of Light/Light of Death for Chamber Ensemble (1997-98; Paris, April 10, 1998). keyboard: piano:Tombeau de Messiaen for Piano and DAT [Digital Audio Tapel (Cambridge, Nov. 2, 1994); ff (London, June 22, 1996); Haiku (1997). organ:Toccata for Organ and Tape (1980). VOCAL: Cantatas: I for Soprano, Baritone, Chorus, Organ, and Strings (1965), II: 3 Lovescapes for Soprano and Piano (1967), III for Soprano and 7 Instruments (1968), IV: Ludus amoris for Soprano, Tenor, Speaker, Chorus, and Orch. (1969), V: Black Sonnet for Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Baritone, Bass, and Wind Quintet (1970), VI: On Faith for Small Chorus and Small String Orch. (1970), and VII: On Vision for Soprano, Tenor, Chorus, and Chamber Group (1972); lam dulcis arnica for 2 Soprano, 2 Tenors, and 2 Basses (1967; also for Chorus); In memoriam for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Violin, and Cello (1969); Angel Eros for High Voice and String Quartet (1973); Spirit Music for Soprano, 3 Clarinets, and Piano (1975); Inner Light II for 2 Sopranos, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Chamber Group, and Tape (1977); Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for Chorus and Organ (1978); Hymn for Chorus and Orch. for the 900th anniversary of Winchester Cathedral (Winchester Cathedral, July 12, 1979); Resurrection for Double Chorus and Organ (1981); The Path of Devotion for Chorus and Small Orch. (1983); Come, Holy Ghost for Double Chorus (1984); Nachtlied for Soprano, Piano, and Tape (1984); Song Offerings for Soprano and 8 Instruments (1985); God Is Our Refuge for Chorus and Organ (1986); Lauds for Chorus and Cello (1987); From Silence for Soprano, Violin, Viola, Percussion, 3 Synthesizers, and Tape (1988); You for Soprano, Clarinet, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass (1992); One Evening…for Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Chamber Ensemble, 2 Technicians, and Electronics (1993-94; Cologne, June 14, 1994); The Angels for Chorus (Cambridge, Dec. 24, 1994); Dum transisset sabbatum for Chorus (London, July 2, 1995); Missa Brevis for Chorus (London, July 9, 1995); How could the soul not take flight for Chorus (Suva, Fiji, July 23, 1996); Ashes Dance Back for Chorus and Electronics (London, Sept. 27, 1997); Marahi for Chorus (Stuttgart, June 17, 1999). OTHER: Time-points for Tape (1970); Mortuos piango, vivos voco for Computer-manipulated Concrete Sounds on Tape (1980); Ritual Melodies for Tape (1990).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire