Arthur Wills
Encyclopedia
Dr Arthur Wills OBE (born 1926) is a musician, composer, and professor. He was Director of Music at Ely Cathedral
from 1958 to 1990, and also held a Professorship at the Royal Academy of Music
in London from 1964 until 1992. He has toured extensively as a recitalist in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, and has broadcast, appeared on TV and made many recordings, both as a soloist and with the Ely Choir.
and choir. His ensemble works include a Concerto with Strings and Timpani, a Concerto for Guitar and Organ, and a Symphonic Suite: "The Fenlands" for Brass Band and Organ.
His Choral Concerto, "The Gods of Music" for Organ, Chorus and Brass with Percussion Ensemble was commissioned for the Biannual Keyboard Festival of the University of Newcastle
, NSW, Australia in 1992.
His secular music includes seven song cycle
s, and an opera
, Winston and Julia, based on the George Orwell
novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
.
His book, Organ, appeared in the Menuhin Music Guide Series in 1984, with a second edition in 1993 and a third reprint in 1997.
The Ely Choir has recorded a CD (HAVPCD 197) of his choral and organ music from 1955 to 1990 on Herald AV Publications
. In May 1999 Hyperion Records
reissued two recordings from the early 1980s on one CD (CDH55003): his Symphonic Suite: "The Fenlands" for Organ and Brass Band, including also music by Elgar
and Walton
, together with his transcription of Mussorgsky
's Pictures at an Exhibition
for solo Organ.
His recording Full Stops, was first issued in 1978. It includes his Variations on "Amazing Grace
". It was issued on CD (84305) in 1995 by Meridian.
In celebration of Wills' 75th birthday in 2001, Jeremy Filsell
recorded a CD of his organ music on the organ of Tonbridge School Chapel. Wills is the voice of the narrator in his Variations on a Theme of Henry Purcell
, "Wondrous Machine" (Guild GMCD 7225).
Novello published Will's transcription for organ of three movements from Gustav Holst
's The Planets
Suite: Mars, Venus and Jupiter. These were recordings of Joseph Nolan
at the organ of Ripon Cathedral on Herald AV Publications
(HAVPCD 274).
Robert Crowley studied with Dr. Wills at the RAM and has recorded Icons (LAMM168D), a CD of Dr. Wills' organ music on the rebuilt organ of Ely Cathedral. The CD's record label, Lammas, is headed by Lance Andrews who was a chorister at Ely Cathedral in the early 1950s when Dr. Wills was Assistant Organist.
Arthur Wills' memoirs, Full with Wills (ISBN 1905203896), were published by Pen Press in 2006.
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
from 1958 to 1990, and also held a Professorship at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London from 1964 until 1992. He has toured extensively as a recitalist in Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, and has broadcast, appeared on TV and made many recordings, both as a soloist and with the Ely Choir.
Works
He has composed prolifically for the organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and choir. His ensemble works include a Concerto with Strings and Timpani, a Concerto for Guitar and Organ, and a Symphonic Suite: "The Fenlands" for Brass Band and Organ.
His Choral Concerto, "The Gods of Music" for Organ, Chorus and Brass with Percussion Ensemble was commissioned for the Biannual Keyboard Festival of the University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle, Australia
The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
, NSW, Australia in 1992.
His secular music includes seven song cycle
Song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a single entity. As a rule, all of the songs are by the same composer and often use words from the same poet or lyricist. Unification can be achieved by a narrative or a persona common to the songs, or even, as in Schumann's...
s, and an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, Winston and Julia, based on the George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
.
His book, Organ, appeared in the Menuhin Music Guide Series in 1984, with a second edition in 1993 and a third reprint in 1997.
The Ely Choir has recorded a CD (HAVPCD 197) of his choral and organ music from 1955 to 1990 on Herald AV Publications
Herald AV Publications
Herald AV Publications is a British record label.Founded in 1984, Herald AV Publications was set up as a specialist Catholic recording company. It serves both to promote established professional artists and to provide an outlet for new artists...
. In May 1999 Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records
Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label.-History:The company was named after Hyperion, one of the Titans of Greek mythology. It was founded by George Edward Perry, widely known as "Ted", in 1980. Early LP releases included rarely recorded 20th century British music by...
reissued two recordings from the early 1980s on one CD (CDH55003): his Symphonic Suite: "The Fenlands" for Organ and Brass Band, including also music by Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
and Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
, together with his transcription of Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky can refer to:*The Mussorgsky family of Russian nobility;*Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian composer belonging to that family.*Mussorgsky , a 1950 Soviet film about the composer...
's Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
for solo Organ.
His recording Full Stops, was first issued in 1978. It includes his Variations on "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
". It was issued on CD (84305) in 1995 by Meridian.
In celebration of Wills' 75th birthday in 2001, Jeremy Filsell
Jeremy Filsell
Jeremy Filsell is an English pianist, organist, and composer.- Biography :Having played piano and organ from a young age, he was a Limpus prize winner for the FRCO examination, which he took when he was 19, and Silver Medallist of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He studied music at Oxford...
recorded a CD of his organ music on the organ of Tonbridge School Chapel. Wills is the voice of the narrator in his Variations on a Theme of Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
, "Wondrous Machine" (Guild GMCD 7225).
Novello published Will's transcription for organ of three movements from Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
Suite: Mars, Venus and Jupiter. These were recordings of Joseph Nolan
Joseph Nolan
Joseph Nolan was an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, he represented North Louth from 1885–92, and South Louth from 1900-18...
at the organ of Ripon Cathedral on Herald AV Publications
Herald AV Publications
Herald AV Publications is a British record label.Founded in 1984, Herald AV Publications was set up as a specialist Catholic recording company. It serves both to promote established professional artists and to provide an outlet for new artists...
(HAVPCD 274).
Robert Crowley studied with Dr. Wills at the RAM and has recorded Icons (LAMM168D), a CD of Dr. Wills' organ music on the rebuilt organ of Ely Cathedral. The CD's record label, Lammas, is headed by Lance Andrews who was a chorister at Ely Cathedral in the early 1950s when Dr. Wills was Assistant Organist.
Arthur Wills' memoirs, Full with Wills (ISBN 1905203896), were published by Pen Press in 2006.