Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Also many film, radio, and theatre scores.
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth, important English composer; b. London, July 9, 1906; d. there, April 14, 1983. She was a daughter of the noted architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, and was brought up in an atmosphere of cultural enlightenment. She studied at the École Normale de Musique in Paris (1922-23) and with H. Darke at the Royal Coll. of Music in London (1926-30). In her vivid autobiography, A Goldfish Bowl (London, 1972), she recounted her search for a congenial idiom of musical expression, beginning with the erstwhile fashionable Romantic manner and progressing toward a more individual, psychologically tense writing in an atonal technique using a sui generis dodecaphonic method of composition. In 1969 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was married to Edward Clark.
Works
dramatic: the Birthday of the Infanta, ballet (1932); The Pit, dramatic scene for Tenor, Bass, Women’s Chorus, and Orch. (Palermo, April 24, 1949); Penelope, radio opera (1950); Infidelio, chamber opera (1956; London, April 17, 1973); The Numbered, opera (1965-67); Time Off? Not a Ghost of a Chance,charade (1967-68; London, March 1, 1972); Isis and Osiris, lyric drama for 8 Voices and Chamber Orch. (1969); The Linnet from the Leaf, musical theater for 5 Singers and 2 Instrumental Groups (1972); The Waiting Game, 5 scenes for Mezzo-soprano, Baritone, and Chamber Orch. (1973); One and the Same, scena for Soprano, Speaker, and Mimes (1973); The Goldfish Bowl, ballad opera (1975); Like a Window, extracts from letters of van Gogh (1976). orch.: 3 Pieces (1939); 6 chamber concertos, some with Solo Instruments (1939–48); 3 Symphonic Preludes (1942); Viola Concerto (1947); Music I (1954), II (1962), III (1964), and IV (1981); Quincunx (1960); En voyage, symphonic suite (London, July 2, 1960); Symphonies for Piano, Wind Instruments, Harps, and Percussion (London, July 28, 1961); Music for Piano and Orch. (1964); Novenaria (1967); Plenum II for Oboe and Chamber Orch. (1973; London, June 14,1974); The Winter of the World for Cello and Chamber Ensemble (London, May 5,1974); Eos for Chamber Orch. (1975); Rondel (1976); 6 Bagatelles for Chamber Orch. (1976); Nox for Piano and 2 Chamber Orchs. (1977); Wild Decembers (1980). chamber: Sonata for Solo Viola (1938); 13 string quartets (1938-82); String Trio (1939); 9 Bagatelles for Cello and Piano (1942); Aptote for Violin (1948); Valediction for Clarinet and Piano (1954); Nocturnes for Violin, Cello, and Guitar (1956); Capricci for 2 Harps and Percussion (1956); 6 Tempi for 10 Instruments (1957); Wind Quintet (1960); String Quintet (1963); Trio for Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1963); Scena for Violin, Cello, and Percussion (1964); Music for Wind for Double Wind Quintet (1964); Music for 3 for Flute, Oboe, and Piano (1964); The Fall of the Leafe for Oboe and String Quartet (1967); Horai for Violin, Horn, and Piano (1968); The Tides of Time for Double Bass and Piano (1969); Driving Out the Death for Oboe and String Trio (1971); Rape of the Moone for Wind Octet (1973); Plenum III for String Quartet (1974); Kareniana for Viola and Instrumental Group (1974); Go, Said the Bird for Electric Guitar and String Quartet (1975); Mare et Minutiae for String Quartet (1976); Fantasia for Alto Saxophone and 3 Instrumental Groups (1977); O Absalom for Oboe and String Trio (1977); Constants for Cello and Piano (1977); Doubles for String Quartet (1978); Footfalls for Flute and Piano (1978); Prelude for Violin (1979); Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano (1979); Morning Sea for Oboe and Piano (1979); Rapprochement for Horn, Harp, Wind Quartet, String Quartet, Piano, and Percussion (1980); 6 for an ensemble of 6 Instruments and Percussion (1980); Solo for Clarinet, interchangeable with Bass Clarinet, and Double Bass (1980); Branches of the Night and of the Day for Horn and String Quartet (1981); The Living Night for Percussion (1981); Echo of the Wind for Viola (1981); Triolet I for Clarinet, Mandolin, and Cello (1982) and II for Cello, Marimba, and Harp (1982). keyboard: Piano: 5 Intermezzi (1942); Piano e Forte (1958); Plenum I (1973); The Ring of Bone (1975); 5 impromptus (1977); 3 Books of Bagatelles (1979); La natura dell’acqua (1981). organ:Sinfonia (1956); Plenum IV (1975). vocal: O Saisons, O Chateaux, cantata for Soprano, Mandolin, Guitar, Harp, and Strings (1946); Requiem for the Living for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1948); Bienfaits de la lune for Soprano, Tenor, Chorus, Strings, and Percussion (1952); De Amore, cantata (1957; London, Sept. 7, 1973); Catena for Soprano, Tenor, and 21 Instruments (1961-62); Encomion for Chorus, Brass, and Percussion (1963); The Valley of Haisu-Se for Soprano and Instrumental Ensemble (1965); Akapo-tik Rose for Soprano and Instrumental Ensemble (1966); And Suddenly It’s Evening for Tenor and 11 Instruments (1967); Essence of Our Happiness, cantata (1968; London, Sept. 8, 1970); Phoenix for Soprano, Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (1968); Anerca for Women’s Speaking Chorus, 10 Guitars, and Percussion (1970); Vision of Youth for Soprano, 3 Clarinets, Piano, and Percussion (1970); Islands for Soprano, Tenor, Narrator, and Instrumental Ensemble (London, June 7, 1971); The Tears of Night for Countertenor, 6 Sopranos, and 3 Instrumental Ensembles (1971); Requiescat, in memoriam Igor Stravinsky, for Soprano and String Trio (1971); Dirge for the Proud World for Soprano, Countertenor, Harpsichord, and Cello (1971); Counting Your Steps for Chorus, 4 Flutes, and 4 Percussion Players (1972); Chimes and Cantos for Baritone and Instrumental Ensemble (1972); Voice of Quiet Waters for Chorus and Orch. (1972; Huddersfield, April 14, 1973); Laudi for Soprano, 3 Clarinets, Piano, and Percussion (1973); Chorale Prelude and Paraphrase for Tenor, String Quintet, and Percussion, after a letter of Keats (1977); Cascando for Contralto, Violin, and Strings (1977); Elegy of the Flowers for Tenor and 3 Instrumental Groups (1978); Echoi for Mezzo-soprano and Orch. (1979); Cantata for Soprano and Instruments (1979); Cantata for 3 Soloists and Instrumental Ensemble, after Baudelaire (1979); The Roots of the World for Chorus and Cello obbligato, after Yeats (1979); Echoes for Contralto, Alto Flute, English Horn, and String Quartet (1979); Mine Eyes, My Bread, My Spade for Baritone and String Quartet (1980); Fleur du silence for Tenor, Flute, Oboe, Horn, Harp, Violin, Viola, and Percussion, after Rémi de Gourmont (1980); The Singing Birds for Actress and Viola (1980).
Bibliography
M. and S. Harries, A Pilgrim Soul: The Life and Work of E.L. (London, 1989).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire