James Douglas (composer) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

James Douglas is a Scottish

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...

classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

.

Douglas was born in Dumbarton. He was brought up in 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...

and moved to live in North West Scotland in 2006. Douglas has composed over 2000 works including music for a wide variety of instruments and a number of choral

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

pieces. He has been profoundly deaf

Hearing impairment

-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...

since contracting an ear infection

Otitis

Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals.It is subdivided into the following:*Otitis externa, external otitis, or "swimmer's ear" involves the outer ear and ear canal. In external otitis, the ear hurts when touched or pulled.*Otitis media...

in 1991, but has continued to compose.

Career

Deputy Organist, St. Thomas' Church, Edinburgh

Edinburgh

, 1948–50; Director of Music, Nicolson Square Church, Edinburgh, 1953–63; Mayfield Church, Edinburgh, 1963–69; Reid Memorial Church, Edinburgh, 1969–73; Music Staff, Edinburgh Academy

Edinburgh Academy

The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...

, 1967–1979; Director of Music, Christ Church, Edinburgh, 1986–91; Director of Ensemble, 'The Glorious Company', 2004-

Education

Composer James Douglas' education, includes: Edinburgh

Edinburgh

, 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...

, Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

and 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...

(LRAM and ARCM). Debut: Wienersaal (Mozarteum), Salzburg, 1951. He is especially grateful for the teaching of Professor Hermann Reutter (Munich / Salzburg) and Professor Henri Lauth (Paris).

Performances

Notable performances of the music of James Douglas have taken place all over the world, including the Usher Hall

Usher Hall

Usher Hall is a concert hall, situated on Lothian Road, in the west end of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,900 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics...

, St. Mary's Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral, or St. Mary Cathedral or Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin, or other variations on the name, may refer to:-Canada:* St. Mary's Cathedral, Calgary* St. Mary's Cathedral, Kingston* St. Mary's Cathedral, Winnipeg-Ireland:...

and St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh

Edinburgh

, all the major cathedrals in London including Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...

, Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...

, l'Eglise St. Roch, Paris, and St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Transmissions have been broadcast on national TV, BBC Radio 3, Radio 2, Radio Scotland, The Open University and on Local, National and International radio and TV stations.

Recordings

1. "Visions of Glory" (Cassette and Compact Disc

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

) by James Douglas and David Adam, 12 Prayers in the Celtic Tradition, (Cassette: Catalogue Number: ABZ 103C, CD: Catalogue Number: ABZ 121CD, Caritas Records)

2. "Cry of the Deer" (Cassette and Compact Disc), featuring meditations led by David Adam, (Cassette: Catalogue Number: CCBZ 230C, CD: Catalogue Number: CCBZ 271CD, Caritas Records)

3. "A Vision" by James Douglas (Compact Disc) (Catalogue Number: ABZ 110 CD, Caritas Records).

4. "Cloud of Unknowing" James Douglas(Compact Disc) (Catalogue Number: ABZ 130 CD, Caritas Records

5. "Caritas Live Series," No. 1-7 James Douglas(7 separate Compact Discs: 'Vigil of the Ascension,' 'Into the Taiga,' 'Compline,' 'Doors of Perception,' 'Rannoch,' 'Threnody for Lost Time' and 'The Feast of his Joy.') (Catalogue Numbers: ABZ 141CD-ABZ 147CD, Caritas Records).

6. "Summertime Song," Caritas Live No. 8 James Douglas(Compact Disc) (Catalogue Number: ABZ 148CD, Caritas Records).

7. "The City Never Sleeps," Caritas Live No. 9 James Douglas(Compact Disc)(Catalogue Number: ABZ 150CD, Caritas Records).

8. "Nocturnal," Caritas Live No. 10 James Douglas(Compact Disc), (Catalogue Number: ABZ 149CD, Caritas Records

9. “Peace of the Highlands” Caritas Live No. 11 James Douglas (Compact Disc) (Catalogue Number: ABZ151CD, Caritas Records).
A growing list of recordings in the 'Caritas' and 'Caritas Live' labels can be bought online from the Caritas Music Store, with selected clips to listen to as well as full track listings about each recording.

Current projects

Future Recording Projects include: 'Le Mystère de Nöel;' 'Exocentricity;' 'Mystère suprême;' 'A Musical Journey (a DVD with Helen Douglas);' & 'A Tide that sings' (2010-)

Publishers

Selected works

Visions of Glory (S.A.T.B.)
Ave Verum Corpus (S.A.T.B.)
The High Mountains for Organ
Threnody for Lost Time for Piano, Cello, Flute & Trumpet
Three Ikons for Piano
A Prayer of St. Francis (S.A.T.B.)
Hebridean Dream Music for Solo Flute
Symphony for Organ (Cloud of Unknowing)
Alleluia pro Nativitas for Organ
Lauda Sion for Organ
Concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

for Organ
Light of Light (S.A.T.B.)

External links

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/498628 'Tunes and Views of Glory' Press and Journal Newspaper 5 March 2008
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1093995 'Launch of New music by Composer,' Press and Journal Newspaper 25 February 2009
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/897351 'Wester Ross to host World Premiere,' Press and Journal Newspaper 21 October 2008
Composer set for home concert, Ross-shire North Star, 03 November 2007
Music inspired by the melody of the land, Inverness Courier, 26 June 2007
Ross composer to release new CD, Ross-shire Journal, 18 May 2007

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