Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth (b London, 1906; d London, 1983). Eng. composer. One of first Eng. composers to use 12-note system. Comp. nearly 200 scores for films and radio, also incidental mus. for plays. Helped to found Macnaghten- Lemare concerts, London, 1931, and founded Composers' Concourse 1954. Author of books (autobiography A Goldfish Bowl, 1972), and articles. CBE 1969. Prin. works:OPERAS: Infidelio (1954); The Numbered (1965–7); Isis and Osiris (1969–70); Time off? Not a Ghost of a Chance! (charade in 4 scenes with 3 interruptions) (1967–8); The Goldfish Bowl (1975); Like a Window (1976).ORCH.: 3 Pieces (1939); 5 chamber concs. (1939–46); 3 Symphonic Preludes (1942); va. conc. (1947); Quincunx (with sop. and bar.) (1959–60); Music for Orchestra I (1955), II (1962), III (1963), IV (1981); Chorale (1956); Symphonies, pf., wind, hps., perc. (1961); Music for Piano and Orchestra (1964); Novenaria (1967); The Winter of the World (1974); Eos (1975); Rondel (1976); Concert Aria, female v., orch. (1976); 6 Bagatelles (1976); Nox, pf., 2 chamber orchs. (1977); Tides (1978); Echoi, with mez. (1979); Rapprochement (1980); Six (1980); Wild Decembers (1980).VOICE(S) & INSTRS.: O Saisons, O châteaux (Rimbaud), sop., str. (1946); Nativity, sop., str. (1951); De Amore (Chaucer), sop., ten., ch., orch. (1957); Catena, sop., ten., 21 instr. (1961); The Valley of Hatsu-se, sop., fl., cl., vc., pf. (1965); Akapotik Rose, sop., ens. (1966); And Suddenly It's Evening, ten., 11 instr. (1967); Essence of Our Happinesses, ten., ch., orch. (1968); A Phoenix, sop., vn., cl., pf. (1968); Anerca, speaker, 10 guitars, perc. (1970); Vision of Youth, sop., 3 cl., pf., perc. (1970); Islands, sop., ten., speaker, ens. (1971); Requiescat (in mem. Stravinsky), sop., str. trio or mez., 2 cl., bcl. (1971); Dirge for the Proud World, sop., counterten., hpd., vc. (1971); The Tears of Night, counterten., 6 sop., 3 instr. ens. (1971); Chimes and Cantos, bar., ens. (1972); Laudi, sop., 3 cl., pf., perc. (1973); Chorale Prelude and Paraphrase, ten., str. quintet, pf., perc. (1977); Elegy of the Flowers, ten., 3 instr. groups (1978); Cantata, sop., instr. ens. (1979); Cantata (Beaudelaire), sop., cont., bar., ens. (1979); Echoes, cont., fl., cor ang., str. qt. (1979); Concert Aria (‘Dialogo’), sop., ens. (1980); Fleur du Silence, ten., ens. (1980); Mine Eyes, My Bread, My Spade, ten., str. qt. (1980).CHORAL: Encomion, brass, perc. (1963); Voice of Quiet Waters, orch. (1972); Counting Your Steps, 4 fl., 4 perc. (1972); The Roots of the World, vc. obbl. (1979).UNACC. CHORAL: Excerpta Tractata—Logico Philosophici (Wittgenstein), motet (1952); The Country of the Stars (1963); The Hymn of Man, male vv. (1965), rev. for mixed vv. (1970); Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (1965); The Tyme doth Flete (1968); Verses of Love (1970); Roads, 2 sop., counterten., ten., bar., bass (1973); Sloth—One of the Seven Deadly Sins, 2 counterten., ten., 2 bar., bass (1974); It is the Hour (1976).STRING QUARTETS: No.2 (1938), No.3 (1949), No.6 (1952), No.12 (1981); Op.139 (1979); Op.158 (1982); Plenum III (1973); Mare et Minutiae (1976); Doubles (1978); ‘Diurnal’, Op.146 (1980).CHAMBER ENS.: str. trio (1939); Concertante, fl., cl., vn., vc., pf. (1950); Nocturnes, vn., vc., gui. (1955); Capricii, 2 hp., perc. (1955); 6 Tempi, 10 instr. (1957); wind quintet (1960); str. quintet (1963); wind trio (1963); Fantasie-Trio, fl., cl., pf. (1963); str. trio (1964); Scena, vn., vc., perc. (1964); Music for Wind (1964); The Fall of the Leafe, ob., str. qt. (1966); Music for Three, fl., ob., pf. (1966); Horai, vn., hn., pf. (1968); Driving Out the Death, ob., str. trio (1971); Rape of the Moone, wind octet (1973); Plenum II, ob., 13 instr. (1973); Kareniana, va., 10 instr. (1974); Go, Said the Bird, elec. gui., str. qt. (1975); Fantasia, alto sax., 3 instr. groups (1977); O Absalom …, vn., ob., va., vc. (1977); Trio, cl., vc., pf. (1979); Branches of the Night and of the Day, hn., str. qt. (1981).CHAMBER MUSIC (1 or 2 instr., classified instrumentally): Duo No.3, vn., pf. (1957); Scroll for Li-Ho, vn., pf. (1967); Prelude, solo vn. (1979); Madrigal, ob., vn. (1977); Morning Sea, ob., pf. (1979); Déroulement, ob., gui. (1980); Sonata, solo va. (1938); Aptote, solo va. (1948); Echo of the Wind, solo va. (1981); 9 Bagatelles, vc., pf. (1942); Duo No.2, vc., pf. (1956–7); Constants, vc., pf. (1976); The Tides of Time, db., pf. (1969); Variations, fl. (1957); Footfalls, fl., pf. (1978); Presages, ob. (1963); 5 Little Pieces, cl., pf. (1945); Valediction, cl., pf. (1954); Tre, cl. (1973); Soli, cl., db. (1980); This Green Tide, basset hn., pf. (1975); Duo No.1, hn., pf. (1956–7); The Dying of the Sun, gui. (1969); Romanza, gui. (1977); The Living Night, perc. solo (1981).SONGS (with pf. unless otherwise stated): 2 Songs by W. H. Auden (1942); 9 Songs (Stevie Smith) (1948); 3 Songs ( Dylan Thomas), sop., instr. (1953); In the Temple of a Bird's Wing, bar. (1956 and 1965); The Egocentric, ten. or bar. (1968); Lament of Isis on the Death of Osiris, solo sop. (1969); The Supplicant, bass (1970); In the Direction of the Beginning, bass (1970); Oda a la Tormenta, mez. (1970); Dialogo, ten., lute (1972); 2 Songs ( D. H. Lawrence), unacc. v. (1974); The Hidden Power, 2 unacc. vv. (1974); Of the Snow, 3 unacc. vv. (1974); Nocturnes and Interludes, sop. (1976); Variations: Winter Series—Spring Sowing, sop. (1977); By All These …, sop., gui. (1977); She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep ( R. Graves), solo sop. (1979); That Sun, cont. (1979); The Singing Birds, speaker, va. (1980).PIANO: 5 Intermezzi (1941); 3 Improvisations (1948); Piano e Forte (1958); 5 Bagatelles (1962); Helix (1967); Plenum I (1972); The Ring of Bone, with opt. speaking v. or vv. (1975); 5 Impromptus (1977); 7 Preludes (1978); The Great Seas (1979); 3 Books of Bagatelles (1979); La Natura dell'Acqua (1981).HPD.: Pietà (1975).ORGAN: Sinfonia (1955); Epithalamium, with opt. sop. (1968); 3 Short Pieces (1969); Plenum IV (1974).
Also many film, radio, and theatre scores.
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth, important English composer; b. London, July 9, 1906; d. there, April 14, 1983. She was a daughter of the noted architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, and was brought up in an atmosphere of cultural enlightenment. She studied at the École Normale de Musique in Paris (1922-23) and with H. Darke at the Royal Coll. of Music in London (1926-30). In her vivid autobiography, A Goldfish Bowl (London, 1972), she recounted her search for a congenial idiom of musical expression, beginning with the erstwhile fashionable Romantic manner and progressing toward a more individual, psychologically tense writing in an atonal technique using a sui generis dodecaphonic method of composition. In 1969 she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was married to Edward Clark.
Works
dramatic: the Birthday of the Infanta, ballet (1932); The Pit, dramatic scene for Tenor, Bass, Women’s Chorus, and Orch. (Palermo, April 24, 1949); Penelope, radio opera (1950); Infidelio, chamber opera (1956; London, April 17, 1973); The Numbered, opera (1965-67); Time Off? Not a Ghost of a Chance,charade (1967-68; London, March 1, 1972); Isis and Osiris, lyric drama for 8 Voices and Chamber Orch. (1969); The Linnet from the Leaf, musical theater for 5 Singers and 2 Instrumental Groups (1972); The Waiting Game, 5 scenes for Mezzo-soprano, Baritone, and Chamber Orch. (1973); One and the Same, scena for Soprano, Speaker, and Mimes (1973); The Goldfish Bowl, ballad opera (1975); Like a Window, extracts from letters of van Gogh (1976). orch.: 3 Pieces (1939); 6 chamber concertos, some with Solo Instruments (1939–48); 3 Symphonic Preludes (1942); Viola Concerto (1947); Music I (1954), II (1962), III (1964), and IV (1981); Quincunx (1960); En voyage, symphonic suite (London, July 2, 1960); Symphonies for Piano, Wind Instruments, Harps, and Percussion (London, July 28, 1961); Music for Piano and Orch. (1964); Novenaria (1967); Plenum II for Oboe and Chamber Orch. (1973; London, June 14,1974); The Winter of the World for Cello and Chamber Ensemble (London, May 5,1974); Eos for Chamber Orch. (1975); Rondel (1976); 6 Bagatelles for Chamber Orch. (1976); Nox for Piano and 2 Chamber Orchs. (1977); Wild Decembers (1980). chamber: Sonata for Solo Viola (1938); 13 string quartets (1938-82); String Trio (1939); 9 Bagatelles for Cello and Piano (1942); Aptote for Violin (1948); Valediction for Clarinet and Piano (1954); Nocturnes for Violin, Cello, and Guitar (1956); Capricci for 2 Harps and Percussion (1956); 6 Tempi for 10 Instruments (1957); Wind Quintet (1960); String Quintet (1963); Trio for Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1963); Scena for Violin, Cello, and Percussion (1964); Music for Wind for Double Wind Quintet (1964); Music for 3 for Flute, Oboe, and Piano (1964); The Fall of the Leafe for Oboe and String Quartet (1967); Horai for Violin, Horn, and Piano (1968); The Tides of Time for Double Bass and Piano (1969); Driving Out the Death for Oboe and String Trio (1971); Rape of the Moone for Wind Octet (1973); Plenum III for String Quartet (1974); Kareniana for Viola and Instrumental Group (1974); Go, Said the Bird for Electric Guitar and String Quartet (1975); Mare et Minutiae for String Quartet (1976); Fantasia for Alto Saxophone and 3 Instrumental Groups (1977); O Absalom for Oboe and String Trio (1977); Constants for Cello and Piano (1977); Doubles for String Quartet (1978); Footfalls for Flute and Piano (1978); Prelude for Violin (1979); Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano (1979); Morning Sea for Oboe and Piano (1979); Rapprochement for Horn, Harp, Wind Quartet, String Quartet, Piano, and Percussion (1980); 6 for an ensemble of 6 Instruments and Percussion (1980); Solo for Clarinet, interchangeable with Bass Clarinet, and Double Bass (1980); Branches of the Night and of the Day for Horn and String Quartet (1981); The Living Night for Percussion (1981); Echo of the Wind for Viola (1981); Triolet I for Clarinet, Mandolin, and Cello (1982) and II for Cello, Marimba, and Harp (1982). keyboard: Piano: 5 Intermezzi (1942); Piano e Forte (1958); Plenum I (1973); The Ring of Bone (1975); 5 impromptus (1977); 3 Books of Bagatelles (1979); La natura dell’acqua (1981). organ:Sinfonia (1956); Plenum IV (1975). vocal: O Saisons, O Chateaux, cantata for Soprano, Mandolin, Guitar, Harp, and Strings (1946); Requiem for the Living for Soloists, Chorus, and Orch. (1948); Bienfaits de la lune for Soprano, Tenor, Chorus, Strings, and Percussion (1952); De Amore, cantata (1957; London, Sept. 7, 1973); Catena for Soprano, Tenor, and 21 Instruments (1961-62); Encomion for Chorus, Brass, and Percussion (1963); The Valley of Haisu-Se for Soprano and Instrumental Ensemble (1965); Akapo-tik Rose for Soprano and Instrumental Ensemble (1966); And Suddenly It’s Evening for Tenor and 11 Instruments (1967); Essence of Our Happiness, cantata (1968; London, Sept. 8, 1970); Phoenix for Soprano, Violin, Clarinet, and Piano (1968); Anerca for Women’s Speaking Chorus, 10 Guitars, and Percussion (1970); Vision of Youth for Soprano, 3 Clarinets, Piano, and Percussion (1970); Islands for Soprano, Tenor, Narrator, and Instrumental Ensemble (London, June 7, 1971); The Tears of Night for Countertenor, 6 Sopranos, and 3 Instrumental Ensembles (1971); Requiescat, in memoriam Igor Stravinsky, for Soprano and String Trio (1971); Dirge for the Proud World for Soprano, Countertenor, Harpsichord, and Cello (1971); Counting Your Steps for Chorus, 4 Flutes, and 4 Percussion Players (1972); Chimes and Cantos for Baritone and Instrumental Ensemble (1972); Voice of Quiet Waters for Chorus and Orch. (1972; Huddersfield, April 14, 1973); Laudi for Soprano, 3 Clarinets, Piano, and Percussion (1973); Chorale Prelude and Paraphrase for Tenor, String Quintet, and Percussion, after a letter of Keats (1977); Cascando for Contralto, Violin, and Strings (1977); Elegy of the Flowers for Tenor and 3 Instrumental Groups (1978); Echoi for Mezzo-soprano and Orch. (1979); Cantata for Soprano and Instruments (1979); Cantata for 3 Soloists and Instrumental Ensemble, after Baudelaire (1979); The Roots of the World for Chorus and Cello obbligato, after Yeats (1979); Echoes for Contralto, Alto Flute, English Horn, and String Quartet (1979); Mine Eyes, My Bread, My Spade for Baritone and String Quartet (1980); Fleur du silence for Tenor, Flute, Oboe, Horn, Harp, Violin, Viola, and Percussion, after Rémi de Gourmont (1980); The Singing Birds for Actress and Viola (1980).
Bibliography
M. and S. Harries, A Pilgrim Soul: The Life and Work of E.L. (London, 1989).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth
Lutyens, (Agnes) Elisabeth (1906–83) English composer, daughter of Sir Edwin Lutyens. She worked mainly within the twelve-tone music system. Her works include various symphonies as well as Quincunx for Orchestra (1959–60) and the operas The Numbered and Isis and Osiris (both 1973).