Walter Beckett (composer) facts for kids
Walter Keohler Beckett (born July 27, 1914 – died April 3, 1996) was an Irish composer, teacher, and music critic. He was a cousin of the famous writer Samuel Beckett.
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Walter Beckett's Early Life and Studies
Walter Beckett was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father, James Beckett, was a politician and also worked as a builder. His mother was Elizabeth Ethel Beckett.
Walter loved music from a young age. He studied the organ with George Hewson and learned about harmony with John F. Larchet at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM). He also studied music at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a special degree called a Doctor of Music (Mus.D.) in 1942.
Time Abroad and Return to Ireland
From 1946 to 1963, Walter lived in Venice, Italy. There, he taught English and piano. He also wrote music reviews for the Irish Times newspaper from abroad. He created many orchestral arrangements of Irish traditional music for Radio Éireann, which is Ireland's national broadcaster.
In 1963, he moved to England and taught music at different schools. In 1970, he returned to Ireland. He took over from A.J. Potter at the RIAM, becoming a professor of harmony and counterpoint. This meant he taught students how to put musical notes together in a pleasing way.
Sadly, in 1985, he had a stroke, which is a serious medical event. Because of this, he had to retire from teaching. In 1986, he was chosen to be a member of Aosdána, a special group that honors Irish artists. In 1990, he became an Honorary Fellow of the RIAM. Walter Beckett passed away in Dublin in 1996.
Walter Beckett's Music
Walter Beckett wrote many different types of music. His bigger pieces from the 1940s and 1950s include a Suite for Orchestra (1945), which is a collection of musical pieces for a large group of instruments. He also wrote Four Higgins Songs (1946) and The Falaingin Dances (1958). Another important work was a Suite of Planxties (1960) for harp and orchestra.
In the 1980s, he created more notable works. These included the Quartet for Strings (1980), which is a piece for four string instruments like violins and cellos. He also composed a Dublin Symphony (1989). This symphony was unique because it featured a narrator, a choir, and a large orchestra. While Beckett's music was not considered very modern, his later works did use some interesting and advanced musical ideas, especially in his string quartet.
Walter Beckett's Writings on Music
Besides writing his own music, Walter Beckett was also a music critic for the Irish Times. This meant he wrote reviews and opinions about other people's music. He also wrote articles about the lives of musicians for important music dictionaries, like the first edition of Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.
He also wrote books about music, including studies on famous composer Franz Liszt and ballet music:
- Liszt (part of "The Master Musicians" series) (London, 1956; updated in 1963)
- First Harmony Course (Dublin, 1976)
- He helped write Ballet Music: An Introduction by Humphrey Searle (London, 1958; updated in 1973)
Compositions by Walter Beckett
Music for Orchestra
- Suite for Orchestra (1945)
- Irish Suite (1952)
- The Enchanted Valley (1956)
- Irish Rhapsody (1957)
- The Falaingin Dances (1958)
- Suite of Planxties (1960) for harp and orchestra
Other Instrumental Music
- Preludes (1942; revised in 1980) for piano
- Prelude (1960) for piano
- Quartet for Strings (1980)
- Occasional Voluntary (1985) for organ
Vocal and Choral Music
- Four Higgins Songs (Frederick Robert Higgins) (1946), for a tenor singer and a small orchestra
- Ancient Irish Lullaby (Suantraí) (traditional words, English translations by Gerald Griffin) (London, 1954), for female voices and piano
- An teicheadh go hÉigipt (anonymous) (1974), for a soprano singer, mixed choir, and orchestra
- A dhroimín donn dílis (anonymous) (1974), for a baritone singer and orchestra
- Goldenhair (James Joyce) (1980), a group of songs for a low voice and piano
- Dublin Symphony (Rhoda Coghill, James Joyce) (1989), for a narrator, mixed choir, and orchestra
