Patric Standford facts for kids

Standford in 2011

Patric Standford (born 5 February 1939, died 23 April 2014) was an English composer. He also supported other composers, worked as a teacher, and wrote books. He was known for his many musical pieces, especially for orchestras.

Early Life and Education

Patric John Standford was born as John Gledhill in Barnsley, England. He grew up in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He went to a Quaker school called Ackworth School.

He first worked as an accountant. Later, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) at 617 Squadron in Lincolnshire. In 1961, he decided to study music. He went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. There, he learned how to compose music from Edmund Rubbra and Raymond Jones. While he was a student, he won two important awards for his compositions: the Carl Meyer Prize and the Royal Philharmonic Society Prize.

Music Career

In 1964, Standford won the Mendelssohn Scholarship. This award allowed him to travel and study music in other countries. He went to Venice to study with Gian Francesco Malipiero. Later, he studied in Warsaw with Witold Lutosławski.

In 1967, he started teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He spent his time composing, conducting music, teaching, and writing about music. When his teacher Edmund Rubbra retired, Standford became the main composition professor at the school. In 1972, he became a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music (FGSM). He also earned a master's degree in composition from Goldsmiths College, London University, in 1978.

Standford also helped other musicians. From 1977 to 1980, he was the chairman of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain. This group helps support composers. He also led the British Music Information Centre from 1980 to 1992. In these roles, he helped show British music at events around the world. These included events in Finland and Venezuela.

From 1980 to 1993, Standford was the Head of Music at Leeds University College Bretton Hall. He kept composing and writing during this time. He also judged singing festivals in places like Hungary and France.

He married Sarah Blyth Hilton in 1967. They lived in London. Sarah passed away in 2011. After that, Patric moved to Occold in Suffolk. He continued to compose, write, and teach until he died in April 2014, at age 75.

As a Composer

Patric Standford wrote many different kinds of music. He wrote a lot for orchestras. His first symphony, called The Seasons, won an award in Italy in 1972. His Symphony No. 2 won a prize in Spain. In 1983, his Symphony No. 3, called Toward Paradise, won the Ernest Ansermet Prize. This symphony included a choir and told the story of Dante's journey to Heaven. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra asked him to write his 5th Symphony in 1984. He also wrote concertos, which are pieces for a solo instrument with an orchestra. These included concertos for cello, violin, piano, and harpsichord.

In 1973, he wrote a large piece for choir and orchestra called Christus Requiem. It was first performed in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. This work won an award from the Yugoslavian Government in 1974. Other pieces for choirs included The Prayer of Saint Francis and the Mass for Hildegard of Bingen. The BBC Singers recorded the Mass in 2013.

He also wrote chamber music, which is for smaller groups of instruments. His early String Quartet won an award in 1975. He wrote Five French Folksongs for the Nash Ensemble of London. His Symphony No. 4, Taikayoku, was a chamber piece for piano and six percussion players. Some parts were even written for beginners. He also wrote pieces for music exams, which are now part of Trinity College London.

Standford also composed music for films, television, and theatre. He worked for Pathé News, the London Palladium, and Granada Television. In 1971, he wrote a piece called Autumn Grass for a rock band.

He kept composing until he passed away. His later works included the Recorder Quintet, which was played for the first time in 2014. He also revised his Christus Requiem and hoped it would be performed again.

Some of his students who became famous musicians include Barry Guy and Lionel Sainsbury.

As a Writer

Patric Standford wrote many articles and reviews for music magazines. From 1980 to 2008, he was a music critic for the Yorkshire Post newspaper. He also wrote interesting articles called Provocative Thoughts for Music & Vision Magazine. He had a monthly blog for the Open College of the Arts.

In 1992, Standford published a book called Projects: A Course in Musical Composition. In 2008, he created a music composition course for the Open College of the Arts.

Awards

• 1972: Premio Cittá di Trieste for his Symphony No 1
• 1974: Oscar Espla Prize for his Symphony No 2
• 1976: Yugoslavian Solidarity Award for Christus Requiem
• 1982: Evelyn Glennie Percussion Award for Taikyoku: Symphony No. 4
• 1985: City of Geneva 'Ernest Ansermet Prize' for Toward Paradise
• 1997: Budapest International Composers' Award for The Prayer of St Francis
• 1999: International ClarinetFest Prize for Fantasy Quintet

Key Musical Works

• Gitanjali: four Tagore Songs (1966)
• String Quartet No 1: The Unrelenting Spring (1970)
• Ballet: Celestial Fire (1971, for orchestra)
• Symphony No 1: The Seasons (1972, for orchestra)
• Christus Requiem (1973, for solo singers, choir, and orchestra)
• String Quartet No 2 (1973)
• Cello Concerto (1974)
• Symphony No 2 (1974, for orchestra)
• Violin Concerto
• Symphony No 3: Toward Paradise (1975–82, for choir and orchestra)
• Taikyoku: Symphony No 4 (1976, for 2 pianos and percussion)
• A Christmas Carol Symphony (1978, for orchestra)
• Ancient Verses (1978, for choir and percussion)
• Piano Concerto
• Prelude to a Fantasy - The Naiades (1980)
• Folksongs, Set 1 for string orchestra (1983)
• Symphony No 5 (1984, for orchestra and solo soprano, commissioned by the BBC)
• Divertimento for violin and piano (1986)
• Mass for Hildegard of Bingen (1988, for choir)
• Six Piano Pieces: Faeries (1992)
• The Prayer of Saint Francis: A Masque for chorus and orchestra (1996)
• Concertino for harpsichord and small orchestra (1999)
• The Emperor's Orchestra: a story for children (2001, for narrator and orchestra)
• Five French Folksongs for wind quintet (2004)
• Six Preludes for guitar (2008)
• Responses for Tenebrae: 18 motets for a cappella choir (2010)

Recordings

• Symphony No 1; Cello Concerto; Prelude to a Fantasy – Naxos 8.571356
• A Christmas Carol Symphony – Naxos 8.557099
• Recorder Quintet – The Recorder Collection, Vol. 2 The Proud Recorder, John Turner/The Manchester Chamber Ensemble – Prima Facie PFCD038
• The Prayer of Saint Francis – In Memoriam Zoltán Kodály, Winners of the First International Composers' Competition, Hungaroton CDBR 0156 (DDD)
• Ballet Suite: Celestial Fire Best of British Light Music Resonance: CDRSB502 and Light Music Discoveries 3 CDWHL2128
• Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5, Ancient Verses, Folksongs Set 1, A Christmas Carol Symphony. 'Patric Stanford', RTS MUSIC 1997, promotional CD (1997)