Geoffrey Grey is a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 classical composer.

Biography

Geoffrey Grey was born in Gipsy Hill

Gipsy Hill

Gipsy Hill is an area of South London near Upper Norwood, it is considered to be part of Crystal Palace. This area of Gipsy Hill also includes the Central Hill estate...

 and lived on the edge of Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...

 until the onset of the second world war

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when he was sent to Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 to live with his paternal grandparents.

A career as a concert violinist had been envisaged and encouraged by his parents as he had shown a precocious interest in the violin at a very early age. Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

, however, was markedly unfriendly to the English in those days, and its indigenous juvenile population openly hostile to any child with artistic pretensions.

In spite of this he eventually went to 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...

 and studied violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, composition, piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 and conducting. His composition teachers were William Alwyn

William Alwyn

William Alwyn, CBE, born William Alwyn Smith was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher.-Life and music:...

, Benjamin Frankel

Benjamin Frankel

Benjamin Frankel was a British composer. Frankel's most famous pieces include a cycle of five string quartets and eight symphonies as well as a number of concertos for violin and viola; his single best-known piece is probably the First Sonata for Solo Violin, which, like his concertos, resulted...

 and later, in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...

.

In 1959 he went to New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 where he freelanced as a violinist for a time until he was appointed Tour Musical Director of the NZ Opera Company. He had a number of early pieces broadcast by the NZBS and returned to England in 1960.

He now had a family to provide for and took the job of Director of the Suffolk Rural Music School. This only lasted for a year and then he moved to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 where he lived and freelanced as a violinist for the next forty years.

He held a number of principal positions over this period with some of the major orchestras and continued to compose for many different combinations of instruments. He was very active in London musical life and gave many recitals of contemporary music as well as his own compositions.

He played for the ballet, musicals and pop concerts and on a number of occasions toured with the Lindsay Kemp

Lindsay Kemp

Lindsay Kemp is a British dancer, actor, teacher, mime artist and choreographer.Born in South Shields on May 3, 1938, Kemp's father, a seaman, was lost at sea in 1940. According to Kemp, he danced from early childhood: "I'd dance on the kitchen table to entertain the neighbours. I mean, it was a...

 Theatre Company as violist, pianist & percussionist.

In 1992 he went to Holland, working there for a year.

In 1996 in went to live first of all in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 and then Margate

Margate

-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....

 where he concentrated almost exclusively on composing.

In March, 2003, after his friend Edwin Carr

Edwin Carr (composer)

Edwin Carr was a composer of classical music from New Zealand.-Biography:Edwin Carr was born in Auckland and was educated at Otago Boys' High School from 1940 to 1943. He studied music at Otago University from 1944-5 and Auckland University College from 1946, then left with his degree unfinished...

 died, he contacted the oboist Dominique Enon to make the piano transcription of the Oboe Concerto which the composer dedicated to this oboist before the latter's death.
This meeting turned out to be fruitful and Grey subsequently returned to France to become involved with the Radio France

Orchestre National de France

The Orchestre national de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française and Orchestre national de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...

 and in particular the conducting of Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur

Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...

. He also maintained contact with Dominique Enon for to whom he has dedicated a work for oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

 and piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.
Their meeting has also resulted in the publishing of some of his works in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 by Gilles Manchec, publishing director of Armiane in Versailles

Versailles

Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...

He now lives in Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

 and in 2007 had three new works published.

Works by date

• 1956 The Tinderbox, for Narrator, Violin & Piano

• 1958 Sonata in C (Piano)

• 1958 The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Opera for Children)

• 1959 A Christmas Cantata (Boys/Girls Voicestring Orchestra)

• 1961 Sonata No.1 for Violin & Piano

• 1962 Six Cavalier Songs (High Voice & Piano)

• 1963 Capriccio for String Orchestra

• 1964 Sarabande (Ballet for Sadlers Wells Opera Ballet)

• 1964 Patterns (Ballet for Sadlers Wsells Opera Ballet)

• 10. 1964 Cock Robin, Betty Botter, Lullaby for Voices (Children's’ pieces)

• 1967 Dance-Game (Full Orch.)

• 1967 Serenade for Double w/w quintet (for Portia Wind Ensemble)

• 1967 String Quartet No.1

• 1968 Sonata for Brass (3Tr. 3 Tbn)

• 1968 Aria for Flute (Oboe) & Piano

• 1969 Inconsequenza (for Percussion quartet) [Issued in 1969 on a vinyl LP played by the London Percussion Ensemble]

• 1969 Flowers of the Night (Violin & Piano)

• 1969 Quintet for Woodwind

• 1969 Notturno (String quartet)

• 1969 Autumn ‘69 (The Prisoner) for 4 instrumental ensembles

• 1969 John Gilpin (Solo SATB & w/w quintet)

• 1970 Divertimento Pastorale (Brass quintet)

• 1970 The Autumn People (Chamber Orchestra)

• 1970 Sarabande for Dead Lovers (Suite from the ballet “Sarabande”) (Full Orchestra)

• 1971 A Mirror for Cassandra (Piano, Vln, Oboe, Hrn, ‘Cello)

• 1971 12 Labours of Hercules (Narrators & Full Orchestra)(Comm.NCO)

• 1972 Songs for Instruments (Septet)

• 1972 Saxophone Quartet

• 1972 Concerto Grosso No.1 for String Orchestra

• 1972 Ceres (Ballet by Antony Tudor)

• 1973 Summons to an Execution , Dirge, Celia (Voice & Piano)(Voice and String Orchestra

• 1974 A Dream of Dying (Soprano & Ensemble)

• 1975 March Militaire No.1 for Brass & Percussion

• 1975 Three Pieces for Two Pianos

• 1975 Concertante for 2 Solo Violins & Chamber Orchestra

• 1975 Tryptych (Large Orchestra)

• 1976 Sonata for ‘Cello & Piano

• 1977 Dreams of a Summer Afternoon ( Violin, Horn & Piano)

• 1978 Song from “Death’s Jest Book” (Soprano & Piano)

• 1980 Variations for Orchestra

• 1981 12 Studies for Piano.(Book 1)

• 1981 Suite for Strings

• 1983 Sonata for Clarinet & Piano

• 1984 Contretemps (for w/w quartet)(comm.Nove Music)

• 1984 Three Songs for Soprano, Clarinet & Piano

• 1985 A Morning Raga (Double Bass & Piano)

• 1987 Sonata for Viola & Piano (comm. Roger Chase)

• 1988 Sonata in Four Movements (Violin & Piano)

• 1988 Partita for Trumpet & Piano,

• 1988 Concerto Grosso No2. (Solo Violin & String Orchestra)(Comm.Blackheath Strings)

• 1989 10 Easy Pieces (Piano, Vln, Hrn, Oboe)

• 1996 A Bit of Singing & Dancing (Full Orch) (Comm.Dartford S/O)

• 1996 Quintet,("The Pike"), for Pno,Vln,Vla,Vlclo,DB (Hermes Ensemble, Rosslyn Hill)

• 1997 Sherzo Strepitoso (Full Orchestra)

• 1997 4 Bagatelles for 2 Flutes

• 1998 Cantar de la Siguiriya Gitana (Tenor & Piano Trio)(Comm.Jose Guerrero)

• 1999 Flowers of the Night (Arr. For Flute & Piano)

• 1999 Preamble & 5 Variations for Bassoon & Piano(Comm.John Orford
  John Orford
  John Orford is a British classical bassoonist. He studied under Charles Cracknell and William Waterhouse at the Royal Manchester College of Music. After graduation, he became a member of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and later the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1982, he was appointed Principal Bassoon...
  
  )

• 2000 Partita for Trumpet & Pno. Arr.for Tr./Strings

• 2001 De Vinetas Flamencos (Tenor & Piano)(Comm. Jose Guerrero)

• 2002 Tango alla Sonata for Cor Anglais & Piano

• 2002 Threnody, Capriccio & Anthem (Oboe choir)

• 2003 The weather in the East (Flute, Clar, Bassoon & Piano)

• 2004 A Scene from Old Russia (Piano Trio)

• 2004 The Man in the Moon (a capella SATB)

• 2004 Shine, Candle, Shine (a capella SATB)

• 2005 The Screech-Owl (Bestiary) for piano s0olo.

• 2005 The Disaster (Theatre piece for multiple ensembles)

• 2005 Aubade for Oboe & Piano (Comm. Domimique Enon)

• 2006 Concertino de Printemps for Piano & Orchestra.

• 2007 Trio Concertante for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon(Comm. John Orford)

Arrangements by date

• The Seasons, (Tchaikovsky) for String Quartet

• Selection of works by Grieg for String Quartet

• Tartini Solo Sonatas for Violin & Harp

• Victorian Salon Pieces for Piano Trio

• Irish Suite for String Quartet

• Francesa da Rimini(Tchaikovsky)for 16-piece orchestra

• Sicilian Vespers Ballet Music(Verdi) for 16-piece orchestra

External links

• Geoffrey Grey site
• Bibliographie nationale française
• http://www.rogerchase.com