John Gardner (composer) facts for kids

John Linton Gardner (born March 2, 1917 – died December 12, 2011) was an English composer who wrote classical music. He was known for his many musical pieces, especially his Christmas carol, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day.

Early life and education

John Gardner was born in Manchester, England. He grew up in a town called Ilfracombe in North Devon. His father, Alfred Linton Gardner, was a local doctor who also composed music as a hobby. Sadly, his father passed away during the First World War when John was very young. John's grandfather, John Twiname Gardner, was also a doctor and a composer.

John went to schools like Eagle House School, Wellington College, and Exeter College, Oxford. At Oxford, he studied music and was a special scholar for the organ. Early in his life, he met important people in the music world, like Hubert J. Foss and the composer Arthur Benjamin. John even dedicated one of his early pieces, Rhapsody for Oboe and String Quartet, to Arthur Benjamin. This piece was first performed in London in 1936.

Musical career

After finishing his studies in 1939, John Gardner worked as a music teacher at Repton School. In 1940, he joined the military during World War II, working as a bandmaster and then as a navigator. It was during the war that he started to get ideas for his first big musical work, the Symphony No. 1.

After the war, John decided to focus completely on composing. He got a job at the Royal Opera House in London. A famous conductor named John Barbirolli discovered John's First Symphony (Op. 2). This symphony was performed at the Cheltenham Festival in 1951 and became quite popular.

Because of this success, John received many requests to write new music. He left his job at the Opera House and began a very creative period. He wrote many important works, including Cantiones Sacrae, a ballet called Reflection, and he even re-wrote a piece for the famous Promenade Concerts in 1954. In 1957, his opera The Moon and Sixpence was performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre.

In 1956, John Gardner started teaching at the Royal Academy of Music, where he taught for nearly 30 years. He also taught at St Paul's Girls' School and Morley College. His teaching jobs and working on holiday music courses helped him create some of his most lasting works.

John Gardner composed a huge amount of music throughout his life. He wrote two more symphonies and two more operas, The Visitors (1972) and Tobermory (1976). He also wrote concertos for different instruments like the trumpet, flute, oboe, recorder, and bassoon. He composed many cantatas (pieces for singers and instruments) and lots of music for choirs, orchestras, and other groups.

His most famous work is the Christmas carol Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day. Another popular carol he set to music is The Holly and the Ivy. Both of these were written for St Paul's Girls' School.

His very last piece was a Bassoon Concerto, which he wrote in 2004. It was first performed in 2007.

Awards and recognition

John Gardner received several important honours for his contributions to music.

• In 1959, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
• In 1976, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
• In 1997, he became an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, which was the year of his 80th birthday.

Personal life

John Gardner married Jane Abercrombie in 1955. They had three children together. After the war, he lived in different parts of South London, including Morden, New Malden, and Ewell. He passed away in Liss Forest, England.

Recordings of his music

For a long time, not much of John Gardner's music was available on commercial recordings, except for his famous carol. However, in recent years, more of his works have been recorded. These include his 3rd Symphony, Oboe Concerto, Flute Concerto, and Piano Concerto. In 2007, the Naxos record label released a recording of his Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto, and the overture Midsummer Ale.