Antony Hopkins facts for kids

Antony Hopkins CBE (born Ernest William Antony Reynolds; 21 March 1921 – 6 May 2014) was a talented composer, pianist, and conductor. He was also a writer and a radio broadcaster. Many people knew him for his books about music and for his popular radio show, Talking About Music. This show was broadcast by the BBC for almost 40 years, starting in 1954. It was first on the Third Programme, then Radio 3, and later Radio 4.

Antony Hopkins: A Musical Life

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Antony Hopkins was born in London. His birth name was Ernest William Antony Reynolds. When Antony was four years old, his father passed away. The headmaster of Berkhamsted School, Major Thomas Hopkins, and his wife kindly offered to look after Antony. Seven years later, they officially adopted him, and his last name became Hopkins.

Discovering a Passion for Music

In 1937, when he was 16, Antony went to a summer school for pianists in Austria. There, he heard a beautiful performance of Schubert's Impromptus. This music deeply inspired him and made him want to become a musician.

Studying Music and Early Career

In 1939, Hopkins started studying at the Royal College of Music (RCM). He learned about harmony with Harold Darke and composition (how to write music) with Gordon Jacob. He also studied piano with Cyril Smith and even tried the organ, though he joked he was "the world's worst organist."

He was a very good student and won several scholarships. He also won the Chappell Gold Medal for piano and the Cobbett Competition for writing chamber music. While still at the RCM, he joined the choir at Morley College. The famous composer Michael Tippett conducted this choir and also gave Hopkins informal lessons in composing.

Composing for Stage and Screen

In 1944, Michael Tippett asked Hopkins to write music for a play called Doctor Faustus. This play was performed in Liverpool and was a big success. After that, Louis MacNeice asked Hopkins to write music for a radio play. For the next 15 years, Hopkins mostly earned his living by composing music.

Hopkins wrote his first opera, Lady Rohesia, in 1947. It was performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1948. He wrote other operas too, like The Man from Tuscany and Three's Company. He also composed a ballet called Café des Sports. Antony Hopkins also wrote music for many films, including Here Come the Huggetts (1948), The Pickwick Papers (1952), and Billy Budd (1962).

Talking About Music on the Radio

In November 1953, Hopkins gave a special talk on BBC radio. He used musical examples to explain how a Bach fugue worked. A writer for The Listener magazine said Hopkins's program was "brilliant" and "amusing entertainment."

After this, a BBC producer offered Hopkins complete freedom to create any radio show he wanted. Hopkins suggested a half-hour program where he would talk about music that would be broadcast later that week. This idea became the very popular series Talking About Music. It ran from 1954 all the way until 1992! The show was so popular that it was broadcast in 44 other countries.

Other Musical Roles

In the 1970s, Antony Hopkins helped bring back an old musical work called Ruth. This piece was jokingly known as "the Worst Oratorio in the World." It was even heard again on BBC Radio 3 in 2009. From 1952, he was the Artistic Director of the Intimate Opera Company. He also served as President of the Luton Music Club from 1959 and the Radlett Music Club from 1994 until his death.

Personal Life and Legacy

Antony Hopkins was recognized for his great contributions to music. He was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1976. This is a special award given by the British monarch.

He passed away on 6 May 2014, in Ashridge, England, at the age of 93. He was married twice. His first wife, Alison Purves, passed away in 1991. He was survived by his second wife, Beatrix.

Books

• Beating Time – autobiography (1982)
• Downbeat Music Guide
• Music all Around Me
• Musicamusings
• Music Face to Face (with André Previn)
• Pathway to Music
• Sounds of the Orchestra: A Study of Orchestral Texture
• Talking About Concertos
• Talking About Sonatas
• Talking About Symphonies
• The Dent Concertgoer's Companion
• The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven
• The Seven Concertos of Beethoven
• Understanding Music
• The Concertgoer's Companion Volume 1 Bach To Haydn
• The Concertgoer's Companion Volume 2 Holst To Webern

Articles

• 'Talking About Hopkins': Antony Hopkins, CBE, in conversation with Mark Doran, Musical Opinion, March 2011, pp. 14–17.

Recordings

• Talking about Symphonies EMI 12" vinyl LP: CFP 40058
• Talking about Rachmaninoff Jupiter 7" vinyl: jep OC13
• Talking about Bach Jupiter 7" vinyl: jep OC18
• Talking about Beethoven Jupiter 7" vinyl: jep OC23