Oliver, Stephen (b Liverpool, 1950; d London, 1992). Eng. composer. Taught for 2 years at Huddersfield Sch. of Mus. Prolific composer of operas and mus. th. Perseverance calls for rock group, dance band, and skiffle group. Works incl.:THEATRICAL (incl. OPERA): Slippery Soules, Christmas drama (1969, rev. 1976, 1988); 3 Instant Operas (Paid Off, Time Flies, Old Haunts) (1973); Sufficient Beauty (1973); A Fur-Coat for Summer (1973); Perseverance (1973–4); Past Tense (1974); Cadenus Observ'd (solo bar., 1974); Tom Jones (1974–5); Bad Times (1975); The Great McPorridge Disaster (1976); The Waiter's Revenge (1976); The Garden (1977); The Girl and the Unicorn, children's opera (1978); The Duchess of Malfi (1971, rev. 1978); The Dreaming of the Bones (1979); Jacko's Play (1979); Nicholas Nickleby (1980); Euridice (1981, arr. of Peri's opera); Sasha (1982); Peter Pan (1982); Blondel (1983); Britannia Preserv'd (1984); The Ring (1984); Beauty and the Beast (1984); Mario and the Magician (1988); Timon of Athens (1990–1).ORCH.: The Boy and the Dolphin (1974); Luv (1975); sym. (1976, rev. 1983); conc., rec., str. (1988).CHAMBER & INSTR.: Music for the Wreck of the Deutschland, pf. quintet (1972); Ricercare I, cl., vn., vc., pf. (1973); Bad Times, bar., str. qt. (1975); The Elixir, bar., cl., ch. (1976); The Dong with a Luminous Nose, narr., str. (1976); gui. sonata (1978); The Key to the Zoo, spkr., 2 ob., bn., hpd. (1980); Ricercare II, 2 ob., 22 cl., 3 bn., 2 hn. (1981); Ricercare III, gui., va., vc. (1983); Ricercare V, brass quintet (1986).VOCAL: Sirens, bar., pf. (1972); Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (1976); Exchange, counterten., ten., bar., pf. (1978); The Child from the Sea, treble, ch., orch. (1980); A Man of Feeling, sop., bar., pf. (1980); A String of Beads, ch., orch. (1980); Trinity Mass, unacc. (1981); Beauty and the Beast, solo vv., orch. (1984); Seven Words, ch., str. (1985); Ricercare IV, counterten., 2 ten., bar. (1986); 2 Songs and a Scene from Cymbeline, bar., pf. (1986); Exposition of a Picture, ten., bar., str. qt. (1986).