Wood, Hugh (Bradshaw)

Wood, Hugh (Bradshaw), English composer and teacher; b. Parbold, Lancashire, June 27,1932. After attending the Univ. of Oxford, he studied in London with W. S. Lloyd Webber, Anthony Milner, Iain Hamilton, and Mátyás Seiber. From 1958 to 1967 he taught at Morley Coll., London. He also was a prof. of harmony at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1962 to 1965. After serving as a research fellow in composition at the Univ. of Glasgow (1966-70), he lectured on music at the univs. of Liverpool (1971-73) and Cambridge (from 1977). His output is reflective of contemporary compositional trends but not without a welcome infusion of lyricism undergirded by fine craftsmanship.

Works

orch: Cello Concerto (London, Aug. 26, 1969); Chamber Concerto (London, Nov. 27, 1971; rev. 1978); Violin Concerto (Liverpool, Sept. 19, 1972); Sym. (1979-82; London, July 23,1982); Comus Quadrilles (BBC Radio 3, London, May 3, 1988); Piano Concerto (London, Sept. 10, 1991); Variations (1997). CHAMBER: 1 unnumbered string quartet (1957; Cheltenham, July 11, 1959); 4 numbered string quartets: No. 1 (Cheltenham, July 5, 1962), No. 2 (Cardiff, Nov. 2, 1970), No. 3 (Bath, May 31, 1978), and No. 4 (1992-93; BBC, Birmingham, May 19, 1993); Variations for Viola and Piano (1958; London, July 7,1959); Trio for Flute, Viola, and Piano (1961); Quintet for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Cello, and Piano (Cheltenham, July 11, 1967); Piano Trio (Brighton, May 10,1984); Paraphrase on “Bird of Paradise” for Clarinet and Piano (London, March 4,1985); Horn Trio (1987-89; London, Nov. 27, 1989); Funeral Music for Brass Quintet (Three Choirs Festival, Aug. 24, 1992); Poem for Violin and Piano (1993; London, Jan. 10,1994); Clarinet Trio (Cheltenham, July 7, 1997). KEYBOARD: Piano: 3 Pieces (1960-63; Cheltenham, July 2, 1963); 50 Chords for David Matthews for 2 Pianos (1993). Organ: Capriccio (London, May 17, 1967). VOCAL: Laurie Lee Songs for High Voice and Piano (1959; Liverpool, May 23, 1971; also for High Voice and Orch., 1986-87); 4 Songs for Contralto, Clarinet, Violin, and Cello (London, March 7, 1961; rev. 1963); Scenes from Comus for Soprano, Tenor, and Orch., after Milton (London, Aug. 2,1965); 3 Choruses (1965-66; London, May 6, 1966); D. H. Lawrence Songs for High Voice and Piano (1966-74); Grave Songs I (1966-77; Dartington, July 30, 1977), 17 (1977-82; Canterbury, Sept. 29,1987), and III (1966-83) for High Voice and Piano; The Horses for High Voice and Piano, after Ted Hughes (London, Nov. 13, 1967; rev. 1968); The Rider Victory for High Voice and Piano, after Edwin Muir (Glasgow, Nov. 28, 1968); To a Child Dancing in the Wind for Chorus, after Yeats (1973); Song Cycle to Poems of Pablo Neruda for High Voice and Orch. (1973-74; London, Feb. 18, 1974); To a Friend Whose Work has Come to Nothing for Chorus, after Yeats (1973-89; London, Oct. 29,1989); A Christmas Poem for Chorus (1984; Cambridge, Nov. 27,1986); Lines to Mr. Hodgson for Soprano and Piano, after Byron (Cambridge, April 24,1988); Marina for High Voice, Violin, Alto Flute, Horn, Harp, and Viola, after T.S. Eliot (1988-89); Cantata for Chorus and Orch., after D.H. Lawrence (London, Sept. 4, 1989); The Kingdom of God for Chorus, after Francis Thompson (London, July 3, 1994).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire