Biography
Tippett’s music has only recently found widespread popularity.
This is due to a number of reasons, perhaps the first of which is that it is by its very nature not immediately accessible to the casual listener.
Tippett writes in a style all of his own, often using flourishes of notes that can sound cluttered and clumsy in the wrong hands.
When performed well, however, it can sound extremely atmospheric and inspired, having an intensity not dissimilar to the music of Benjamin Britten.
Tippett was born in London but spent much of his early years abroad, as his family lived for long periods in the south of France, in Corsica and in Florence.
He went to the Royal College of Music when he was only seventeen years old and studied composition with Charles Wood whilst having conducting lessons with two of Britain’s most distinguished maestros, Sir Adrian Boult and Sir Malcolm Sargent.
Tippett’s career didn’t really take off until he was about thirty years old.
His earlier works weren’t of much substance and the first pieces that he was satisfied with were the First String Quartet and the Sonata for Piano (1937).
The Second World War interrupted his career in more ways than one – firstly by the fact that musical life was very disturbed, as orchestras, concerts and publishing houses were all directly affected by the unsettled times, and secondly because, as a conscientious objector refusing to do any approved war work, he was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for not complying with his conditional exemption.
However, the war did prove to be a source of inspiration and he wrote an oratorio entitled A Child of our Time that was not performed until 1944.
It is a marvellous work that makes a very strong protest at the inhumane persecution that was going on during the war period.
Tippett wrote the libretto himself, having first sought the advice of T. S. Eliot, whom he had initially approached to write the text for him.
Eliot was so impressed with Tippett’s first drafts that he recommended him to continue alone, which is exactly what he did.
Following this troubled period in his life things progressed well, with an abundance of commissions and no shortage of inspiration bringing forth operas, string quartets, piano sonatas, symphonies, concertos and various other works for more esoteric combinations of instruments, often including the voice.
Sir Michael is truly one of this country’s finest composers, who has not only expressed himself in a unique way but also maintained a caring interest in all aspects of social problems throughout the world and reflected them in his writing.
Fantasia Concertante
Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli
Orchestral
Archangelo Corelli (1653–1713) was an Italian violinist who wrote chiefly for his instrument, on which he was an absolute virtuoso. He was chief musician to a Cardinal in Rome.
Tippett’s Fantasia takes one of Corelli’s themes and weaves clever variations around it, still maintaining the original Baroque feel.
A Child of our Time
1941, Choral
An oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra, this is not a biblical tale as one might traditionally expect, but rather a story from the twentieth century. It tells the tale of an act of supreme heroism against the Nazis during the Second World War and its subsequent brutal punishment. The choruses are definitely worth listening out for.
The Midsummer Marriage
1955, Choral
This opera is one of Tippett’s most ‘living’ works and is very much in the style of Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’. It is probably most notable for its ‘Ritual Dances’, with their chattering trumpets and whistling flutes, which positively fly with enthusiasm.