Howard Ferguson (composer) facts for kids

Howard Ferguson (born October 21, 1908 – died October 31, 1999) was a talented composer and music expert from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He wrote many different kinds of music, including pieces for instruments, small groups of musicians, orchestras, and choirs. Even though his music isn't played everywhere today, his Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 8, and his Five Bagatelles, Op. 9, for piano are still enjoyed. His works are important examples of 20th-century music from Northern Ireland.

Howard Ferguson's Life Story

Howard Ferguson was born in Belfast. He went to Rockport School in Holywood, County Down, where his amazing musical talent was quickly noticed. He won several school prizes for music. In 1922, a famous pianist named Harold Samuel heard Howard play. Samuel encouraged Howard's parents to let him go to London to study music with him.

After more studies at Westminster School, Howard joined the Royal College of Music in 1924. There, he studied how to compose music with R. O. Morris and Ralph Vaughan Williams. He also learned how to conduct an orchestra from Malcolm Sargent. Howard became lifelong friends with another student, Gerald Finzi. They even went to a concert together to hear Richard Strauss's Alpine Symphony. Howard's early compositions, like his Octet from 1933, were very successful.

During World War II, Howard helped the pianist Myra Hess organize popular concerts at the National Gallery. These concerts helped boost people's spirits during the war. From 1948 to 1963, he taught music at the Royal Academy of Music. Some of his students included famous composers like Richard Rodney Bennett and Cornelius Cardew.

Howard's music often has a deep, thoughtful feeling, like he was asking important questions through his notes. For example, his Piano Sonata, Op. 8, is a powerful and emotional piece. He wrote it after a friend passed away. After World War II, he wrote his second violin sonata. It has a strong, energetic ending, showing a feeling of freedom. Howard also wrote shorter, intense pieces, such as the Four Short Pieces for clarinet and piano.

Howard was very critical of his own music. After writing a large choir piece called The Dream of the Rood in 1958–59, he started working on a string quartet. But he felt he was just repeating himself, so he stopped composing. He believed he had said all he wanted to say in his relatively few works.

Music Expert and Later Years

For many years after he stopped composing, Howard focused on being a music expert. He created excellent editions of old keyboard music and all of Franz Schubert's piano sonatas. He paid very close attention to every detail, making his editions highly respected. Howard also worked with his friend Gerald Finzi to choose and prepare songs by Ivor Gurney for publication after Gurney's death.

In his later years, Howard lived in a farmhouse in Cambridge. He was known for being a very welcoming host to his friends. In the 1990s, he even wrote a cookbook called Entertaining Solo. He also prepared an edition of letters between himself and Gerald Finzi. These letters are a valuable source of information about their lives and their friends. Late in his life, he rediscovered a song he wrote in 1958 and rearranged it. This song, "Love and Reason," was a beautiful final piece to his musical journey.

Howard Ferguson's Compositions

• Op. 1 Two Ballads, for baritone and orchestra (1928–32)
• Op. 2 Violin Sonata No. 1 (1931)
• Op. 3 Three Mediaeval Carols, for voice and piano (1932–33)
• Op. 4 Octet, for clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet and double-bass (1933)
• Op. 5a Partita, orchestral version (1935–36)
• Op. 5b Partita, version for two pianos or piano four hands (1935–36)
• Op. 6 Four Short Pieces, for clarinet or viola and piano (1932–36)
• Op. 7 Four Diversions on Ulster Airs, for orchestra (1939–42)
• Op. 8 Piano Sonata in F minor (1938–40)
• Op. 9 Five Bagatelles for piano (1944)
• Op. 10 Violin Sonata No. 2 (1946)
• Op. 11 Chauntecleer – ballet. (1948) Withdrawn and destroyed.
• Op. 12 Concerto for piano and strings (1950–51)
• Op. 13 Discovery, song-cycle to words by Denton Welch for voice and piano (1951)
• Op. 14 Three Sketches, for flute and piano (1932, revised 1952)
• Op. 15 Two Fanfares, for trumpets and trombones (1952)
• Op. 16 Overture for an Occasion for orchestra (1952–53)
• Op. 17 Five Irish Folksongs, for solo voice and piano (1954)
• Op. 18 Amore Langueo, for tenor, chorus and orchestra (1955–56)
• Op. 19 The Dream of the Rood, for soprano, chorus and orchestra (1958–59)
• String Quartet (c. 1959, sketches only, destroyed)
• Love and Reason for counter-tenor and piano (1958)

Other works that were destroyed include an early Short Symphony and a Mass setting.

Recordings of Howard Ferguson's Music

Many famous musicians have recorded Howard Ferguson's music. These include Myra Hess, who recorded his Piano Sonata in 1942, and Jascha Heifetz, who recorded his first violin sonata in 1966. A live recording of Discovery, performed by Kathleen Ferrier and Ernest Lush in 1953, has also been released.

More recent recordings include:

• Hyperion CDA 66130 (1984): Piano version of the Partita and the Piano Sonata, performed by Howard Shelley and Hilary MacNamara.
• EMI 0777 7 64738 2 6 (1986): Concerto for piano and strings and Amore langueo performed by Howard Shelley (piano), Martyn Hill (tenor), the London Symphony Chorus and the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by Richard Hickox.
• Chandos CHAN 9082 (1992): Contains Two Ballads, the orchestral version of the Partita and The Dream of the Rood. Performed by Anne Dawson (soprano), Brian Rayner Cook (baritone), the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Richard Hickox.
• Chandos CHAN 9316 (1995): Contains the two violin sonatas, Three Medieval Carols, Four Short Pieces, Love and Reason, Discovery, Three Sketches, and Five Irish Folksongs. Performed by Sally Burgess (mezzo-soprano), Reiner Schneider-Waterberg (countertenor), John Mark Ainsley (tenor), David Butt (flute), Janet Hilton (clarinet), Lydia Mordkovitch (violin) and Clifford Benson (piano).
• Naxos 8.557290 (2005): Concerto for piano and strings, performed by Peter Donohoe and the Northern Sinfonia.