Michael Nyman facts for kids

Nyman in 2015

Michael Laurence Nyman (born 23 March 1944) is a famous English composer, pianist, and filmmaker. He is well-known for writing music for many movies. He worked a lot with filmmaker Peter Greenaway. One of his most famous works is the music for the movie The Piano, which sold millions of copies.

Nyman has also written many operas, which are like plays set to music. Some of his operas include The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Facing Goya. He has also composed six concerti (pieces for a solo instrument and orchestra) and five string quartets (music for four string instruments). Many of his pieces are written for his own group, the Michael Nyman Band. He enjoys writing operas more than other types of music.

Early Life and Education

Michael Nyman was born in Stratford, London. His family were furriers who came from Poland.

He went to the Sir George Monoux Grammar School. From 1961 to 1967, he studied at King's College London and the Royal Academy of Music. He focused on playing the piano and learning about baroque music from the 1600s. In 1965–66, he went to Romania to study folk music.

Michael Nyman's Career

Becoming a Music Critic

Nyman once said he found his unique music style by playing a song from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. He played it like the rock and roll pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. This way of playing shaped all his future music. He later used this idea in his 1977 piece In Re Don Giovanni.

In 1969, Nyman wrote the story for an opera called Down by the Greenwood Side. He also directed a short film. Later, he became a music critic. He is known for being the first person to use the word "minimalism" to describe music. He wrote about this in a magazine in 1968. In 1974, he wrote an important book called Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond. This book explored how composer John Cage influenced classical music.

Forming His Band and Movie Music

In the 1970s, Nyman was part of a group called the Portsmouth Sinfonia. They called themselves the "World's Worst Orchestra." He played piano on their recording of "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

In 1976, he started the Campiello Band, which later became the Michael Nyman Band. At first, the band used old instruments like rebecs and shawms along with modern ones. They wanted to make a very loud sound without needing microphones. Later, the band changed to use electric instruments. It included a string quartet, three saxophones, trumpet, horn, bass trombone, bass guitar, and piano. Many of Nyman's musical pieces are written for this band.

One of his first movie scores was for the 1976 comedy Keep It Up Downstairs. After that, he wrote music for many films, especially European art films. He worked on eleven films with director Peter Greenaway. For Greenaway's movies, Nyman often used ideas from very old music. For example, he used music by Henry Purcell in The Draughtsman's Contract (1982).

In 1987, Nyman composed the opera Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs. He also wrote The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1986). This opera was based on a real story by Oliver Sacks. He also wrote five string quartets.

Success in the 1990s

In 1990, Nyman wrote Ariel Songs for a singer and his band. In 1993, he composed MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse) for band and orchestra. He also wrote concertos for saxophone, piano, violin, harpsichord, trombone, and for saxophone and cello.

In 1991, Nyman created The Michael Nyman Songbook. This collection of songs used poems by famous writers like Paul Celan and William Shakespeare.

Nyman became much more popular in 1993. He wrote the music for Jane Campion's movie The Piano. The album of the movie's music sold over three million copies. It won many awards, including an Ivor Novello Award and a Golden Globe.

He also created music for the silent film Man with a Movie Camera. This music used ideas from his score for the 1996 video game Enemy Zero.

Nyman at the 2009 Venice Film Festival

Nyman also worked on Hollywood movies. These included Gattaca (1997), Ravenous (1999), and The End of the Affair (1999). The music for Gattaca was nominated for an award.

In 1999, Nyman started a group called Foster's Social Orchestra. They played the music of Stephen Foster.

21st Century Works

In 2000, Nyman created an opera about cloning called Facing Goya. His newer operas are Man and Boy: Dada (2003) and Love Counts (2005).

From 2002 to 2005, he was a special composer at a theater in Germany. He also wrote the music for the children's TV show Titch.

In 2007, Nyman performed at the Live Earth concert in Japan. He also started working with filmmaker Max Pugh. They made many short art films and video installations. In 2008, Nyman released a special book called Sublime. It combined his music with his love for photography.

In 2009, Nyman released The Glare. This album was a collaboration with singer David McAlmont. McAlmont wrote lyrics based on news stories for Nyman's music.

In 2012, Nyman wrote music for the film Everyday. He also composed a 26-minute piano quintet (music for piano and four other instruments) called Through the Only Window. In 2013, he wrote a 32-minute symphony called Symphony No. 6 "AHAE." The London Symphony Orchestra performed both pieces in Paris. In 2015, he performed music for Man with a Movie Camera at the Potemkin Stairs. About 15,000 people watched this show.

Personal Life

Michael Nyman was married to Aet Nyman. They have two daughters, Molly and Martha. His first string quartet includes a part of the song "Unchained Melody" to honor Aet. Molly is also a composer. She has written music for several films. Martha works as a researcher for the BBC.

Nyman has supported the football team Queens Park Rangers F.C. for many years.

Awards and Honours

Nyman was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008. This is a special award from the British government.

In 2007, he received an honorary degree from the University of Warwick. The university's brass band and choir performed a special piece he composed for the ceremony.

In 2015, he won the Golden Duke award for his lifetime achievements. This was a special award from the 6th Odesa International Film Festival.

Works

Besides his music, Michael Nyman has also made over 80 films. His first film was in 1968. He has written many different types of music, including:

• Film scores like The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) and The Piano (1992).
• Operas such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1986) and Facing Goya (2000).
• Concertos for instruments like piano, violin, and saxophone.
• String quartets and other chamber music pieces.
• Works for his own Michael Nyman Band.

Collaborations

Michael Nyman travels around the world with the Michael Nyman Band. He also performs with many different musicians from various music styles. These include artists like Ute Lemper, Sting, Damon Albarn, and David McAlmont.

Select Discography

• Decay Music (1976)
• Michael Nyman (1981)
• The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)
• The Kiss and Other Movements (1985)
• A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)
• The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1987)
• Drowning by Numbers (1988)
• La Traversée de Paris (1989)
• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
• String Quartets 1–3 (1991)
• Prospero's Books (1991)
• The Michael Nyman Songbook (1992)
• Time Will Pronounce (1993)
• The Piano (1993)
• The Piano Concerto/MGV (1994)
• Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs (1995)
• After Extra Time (1996)
• Concertos (1997)
• The Suit and the Photograph (1998)
• Wonderland (1999)
• Facing Goya (2002)
• Sangam: The Meeting Point (2003)
• Man and Boy: Dada (2005)
• Acts of Beauty/Exit no Exit (2006)
• Love Counts (2007)

See also

In Spanish: Michael Nyman para niños

• List of ambient music artists