Life

James Clifford Brown, usually referred to as James Brown, was born in Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

 on 18th August 1923. He was trained in singing and organ-playing by Jonathan Job, the Ipswich Borough Organist, then himself became organist and choirmaster at All Hallows' Church.

In 1941 he won a choral studentship to St John's College, Cambridge

St John's College, Cambridge

St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....

, but his studies were interrupted by war service. He resumed study after his return in 1945, and was then appointed as organ student.

From 1948 until retirement in 1983 he was a lecturer, then senior lecturer, in the music department of the University of Leeds

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

. He was active as a composer throughout this time.
In 1951 he was asked by his friend Allan Wicks

Allan Wicks

Allan Wicks CBE was an English cathedral organist, who served in Canterbury Cathedral for nearly 30 years. He was an early champion of the music of Olivier Messiaen and Peter Maxwell Davies...

 to write the music for the first major revival of the York Mystery Plays

York Mystery Plays

The York Mystery Plays, more properly called the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of forty-eight mystery plays, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgement. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi...

, which were a triumphant success.
In 1961-1962 he took a year's leave to study with Boris Porena

Boris Porena

Boris Porena is an Italian thinker, music composer and didactical expert. He is married to Paola Bučan, a famous Croatian cellist and teacher, who is a tenured professor at the Perugia Conservatory....

 in Rome.

He made his home in Kirkstall

Kirkstall

Kirkstall is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, on the eastern side of the River Aire. To the west is Bramley, to the east is Headingley and to the north is West Park. Kirkstall is around from the city centre and is close to the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan...

 until 2003. Subsequently he moved to Bridlington

Bridlington

Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...

, where he died on 21st December 2004.

Published works in print

See

• The Lark now leaves his wat'ry Nest, for 2-part female voices and piano, 1949
• Portsmouth, solo song with piano, 1949
• A Nocturne, solo song with piano, 1950
• Andante Sospirando, organ, 1951
• Sonatina, clarinet and viola, 1952
• The Lass for a Sailor, solo song with piano, 1955
• Careless Content, solo song with piano, 1957
• A Morning Pastoral, three songs for SSA, 1965
• Promenade, piano duet, 1974
• Silent Spring, solo song with piano, 1976
• If ye turn to him, motet for unison boys' voices and organ, 1980
• Serenade, clarinet in A and piano, 1950, revised 1985
• Prelude and Postlude for Easter, organ, 1987
• The Shepherds' Nativity Hymn, for SATB choir and wind orchestra, 1991
• From East to West, for SATB choir and keyboard, 1991
• Summer Idyll, organ, 2000