180:. In my case it was, of course, because I was serving in the R.A.F. around the World and could only conceive music in the scrappiest manner on odd pieces of paper in the most unsympathetic ambiances. Demobilisation, therefore, came as a blessed chance to write at length, which is what I did during the bitter Winter of 1946–7 on those evenings when I did not have to be in attendance at the
165:, a theme I conceived for a set of variations and, in the case of the main theme of the finale, a transformation of the opening of the finale. of my first string quartet which had in fact gained two or three performances in Paris and England by the Blech Quartet in 1939 but with which I was deeply unsatisfied and which I eventually withdrew.
201:. According to Gardner this work is "unperformable", which fact was quickly grasped by Barbirolli; however, when Barbirolli asked to see other works, Gardner showed him the Symphony. The first movement needed some re-working because Barbirolli was not convinced it made sense in its original form. The work was scheduled for the 1951
271:. These teaching posts led to the composition of some of his most enduring works, and together with the many holiday courses he worked on as a conductor (Canford, Dartington, ESSYM, Bernard Robinson's Music Camp, etc.) ensured that he was able to bring practical experience and knowledge to bear on his compositions.
372:
Gardner's music, apart from "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day", has been largely unrepresented on commercial records, but in recent years a number of new recordings have been issued, including the 3rd
Symphony, Oboe Concerto, Flute Concerto, Petite Suite for Recorder and Strings, and Seven Songs. In
151:
My first symphony assembled itself in my mind in stages during the last year or two of the War. The opening even goes back further to a short piano piece I wrote in 1939 or 1940. At that time I'd no idea that it could be the beginning of a symphony, though I was aware that it hardly constituted a
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Gardner regarded the end of the War as a new start, set aside his juvenile works (of which nearly 100 have survived in manuscript) and began again from Opus 1. He took a job as a repetiteur at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
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Many major commissions followed and
Gardner was suddenly able to call himself "a composer". He resigned the job at the Opera House and there followed a remarkable period of creativity.
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Gardner, Emily (2017), 'John
Gardner - a portrait of a composer as a young man', British Music, 39(1), pp.24-33 Volume 39-1, 2017 ISBN 978 1 870536 39 4; available here as a pdf
274:
Gardner composed prolifically throughout his life, and his works are listed on his website (see link below). Among the major works are two more symphonies, two more operas –
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294:, Op. 213 (1993), as well as much choral, chamber, organ, brass and orchestral music. He is particularly noted for his works for choirs, which have drawn many plaudits.
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348:(Secretary General of the Arts Council 1963–1968) and the soprano Elisabeth Abercrombie, in 1955. They had three children. After the War he lived in South London – in
188:, where I earned my living as a repetiteur. In June 1947 I reached the end of the fair full score, put it aside and began to write an opera that never got performed.()
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and composer. His mother, Emily Muriel
Pullein-Thompson, was the sister of Captain Harold J "Cappy" Pullein-Thompson, who was the father of Josephine, Diana and
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I do not believe it is exceptional for a big work to derive from several sources – there are many examples of such a process in the origin of many of
316:, which was premiered at the Budleigh Salterton Festival in July 2007, by Graham Salvage with the Festival Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Marshall.
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255:, where he would teach for the best part of thirty years. A few years later he took a part-time job as Director of Music at
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His final work was a
Bassoon Concerto, Op. 249, written in 2004 for Graham Salvage, the principal bassoonist of the
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53:, North Devon. His father Alfred Linton Gardner (born 1882, Ilfracombe died 10 April 1918, France) was a local
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244:, Op. 36 in Birmingham, a work which Gardner wrote as "light relief" while working on the other major works.
236:, which they had commissioned, and two other major works were premiered that year, the Piano Concerto No. 1 (
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conducted the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra with Peter Donohoe as the solo pianist. Toccata issued
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discovered the First
Symphony (Op. 2) when Gardner was given the opportunity of playing through his
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with whom he played piano duets. An article about
Gardner's time at Oxford is published in the
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282:(1976), concertos for Trumpet, Flute, Oboe and Recorder and Bassoon, many cantatas, including
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and amateur composer who was killed in action in the First World War. His grandfather was
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220:, Op. 14, were all written in 1951 and 1952 and first performed during 1952. He re-wrote
88:, where he was the Hubert Parry organ scholar. An important figure in his early life was
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Other elements in the score started variously as a mid-war setting of passages from
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in
February 1936. The String Quartet No. 1 (1938) was broadcast from Paris by the
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Jones, R. (1994). The eclectic style of John
Gardner. Choral Journal, 34(10), 19.
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September 2007, Naxos issued his Symphony No. 1, Piano Concerto and the overture
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https://johnlintongardner.co.uk/wp-content/jlg-british-music-journal-article.pdf
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After leaving Oxford in 1939, Gardner completed two terms as music master at
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147:. It was during the War that ideas for the Symphony No.1 began to form.
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172:' best known pieces : the first piano concerto, for example, the
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470:(2020 recording, EM Records), reviewed at Musicweb International
33:(2 March 1917 – 12 December 2011) was an English composer of
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240:and Barbirolli at the Cheltenham Festival) and the
108:(1935). This work had its first performance at the
735:Honorary members of the Royal Philharmonic Society
454:"Biography | John Gardner - British Composer"
344:Gardner married Jane Abercrombie, the daughter of
297:Gardner's best known work is the Christmas carol
700:People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire
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695:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
336:in 1997, the year of his eightieth birthday.
332:(CBE) in 1976; and an Honorary Member of the
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324:Gardner was made an Honorary Member of the
139:, where one of his pupils was the composer
100:in 1936 and introduced him to the composer
267:, and was for a time Director of Music at
710:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
19:For other people with the same name, see
720:Academics of the Royal Academy of Music
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385:in 2017, and the first of a two volume
328:(Hon. RAM) in 1959; a Commander of the
417:, January 2012, accessed 20 April 2012
725:People educated at Eagle House School
389:(performed by Tom Winpenny) in 2024.
214:Variations on a Waltz of Carl Nielsen
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106:Rhapsody for Oboe and String Quartet
750:20th-century English male musicians
428:"Past Organists and Organ Scholars"
205:where it caused a minor sensation.
665:Military personnel from Manchester
533:"Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day"
409:(London: A. & C. Black, 2012)
69:and their brother, the playwright
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715:Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
675:20th-century classical composers
300:Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
104:, to whom Gardner dedicated his
745:20th-century English composers
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755:Military personnel from Devon
640:John Gardner official website
494:"John Gardner's Choral Music"
468:The Ballad of the White Horse
415:Oxford University Press (OUP)
284:The Ballad of the White Horse
126:British Music Society journal
118:The Holy Son of God most High
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680:English classical composers
405:'GARDNER, John Linton', in
330:Order of the British Empire
288:Five Hymns in Popular Style
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636:at Oxford University Press
334:Royal Philharmonic Society
247:In 1956 he was invited by
67:Christine Pullein-Thompson
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705:Musicians from Manchester
670:Royal Air Force personnel
562:Brunelle, Philip (2018).
531:Brunelle, Philip (2007).
383:Music for Brass and Organ
251:to join the staff of the
49:, England and grew up in
45:John Gardner was born in
564:"John Gardner Centenary"
413:(subscription site), by
216:, Op. 13 and the ballet
116:in 1939, and the anthem
76:Gardner was educated at
685:English opera composers
257:St Paul's Girls' School
94:Oxford University Press
730:People from Ilfracombe
492:Halsey, Louis (1967).
326:Royal Academy of Music
253:Royal Academy of Music
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152:complete piano piece.
86:Exeter College, Oxford
306:The Holly and the Ivy
234:The Moon and Sixpence
228:in 1954. In May 1957
740:Musicians from Devon
387:Complete Organ Music
98:Intermezzo for Organ
96:, who published the
63:general practitioner
59:John Twiname Gardner
203:Cheltenham Festival
27:John Linton Gardner
600:. 23 December 2011
568:The Choral Journal
537:The Choral Journal
456:. 19 January 2021.
226:Promenade Concerts
82:Wellington College
78:Eagle House School
498:The Musical Times
379:David Lloyd-Jones
346:Nigel Abercrombie
290:, Op. 54 (1962),
286:, Op. 40 (1959),
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182:Royal Opera House
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21:John Gardner
660:2011 deaths
655:1917 births
604:18 December
543:(3): 8–16.
364:, England.
362:Liss Forest
278:(1972) and
242:Seven Songs
649:Categories
393:References
368:Recordings
354:New Malden
218:Reflection
212:, Op. 11,
141:John Veale
51:Ilfracombe
47:Manchester
41:Early life
280:Tobermory
61:, also a
55:physician
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350:Morden
170:Brahms
131:Career
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514:JSTOR
358:Ewell
157:Blake
606:2017
356:and
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