James Wilson (composer) facts for kids

James Wilson (born September 27, 1922 – died August 6, 2005) was an Irish composer. Even though he was born in England, he lived in Ireland for more than 50 years.

James Wilson's Early Life

James Wilson was born in Islington, London. His father, who was a chemist, passed away when James was only four days old. This meant his mother had to raise three sons by herself. No one in his family was a musician. His mother only had a small interest in playing the piano.

James started piano lessons in 1931 when he was nine years old. He continued these lessons until 1938. When he was a teenager, James went to many operas. This helped him become very interested in music.

After finishing school, James did not go to college. Instead, he joined the Civil Service after passing an exam. During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy from 1942 to 1946. After his military service, James began taking weekly music composition classes. He studied at the Trinity College of Music in London. Around this time, he left the Civil Service. He wanted to work full-time in music. In 1948, he moved to Ireland. He had been stationed there during the last part of his navy service.

His Musical Journey

James Wilson mostly taught himself how to compose music. He tried out many different musical styles. However, he did not stick to just one style. He was interested in some less common instruments. He wrote important pieces for the free-bass accordion, the cor anglais, and an electrically changed flute.

Wilson created a lot of music. He wrote seven operas, three symphonies, and twelve concertos. He also composed several ballets. He wrote about 200 songs. Plus, he created many other works for choirs and instruments. His music has been played and broadcast in Ireland, the UK, and Scandinavia.

Wilson was a professor of composition. He taught at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. For many years, he also directed a summer school for music composition. Wilson was a founding member of Aosdána. This is a group of people in Ireland who are very good at the arts.

In 1999, Wilson became an Irish citizen. He passed away just six years later in Dublin. He died on August 6, 2005. At the time of his death, he was working on his eighth opera.

Some of His Famous Works

Opera

• Grinning at the Devil
• Letters to Theo
• The Hunting of the Snark (a children's opera)
• Twelfth Night

Concerti

• For Sarajevo, Calico Pie (a triple concerto)
• Concerto Giocoso

Words from James Wilson

• Music is the nearest thing that we know to magic: its powers have still to be understood.
• In my own work, I seek for clarity and economy and, above all, for the quality of lyricism.