Richard Emsley
Encyclopedia
Richard Emsley is a British
composer, sometimes associated with the New Complexity
school.
Emsley initially studied with Arnold Whittall
at University College, Cardiff
, after which he moved to London
, where he still lives. He attended Peter Maxwell Davies
' composition classes at the Dartington Summer School of Music, and co-founded the Cardiff Composers' Ensemble while a student there. In the 1970s he co-founded, with James Clarke
, the ensemble Suoraan, which specialised in performances of music by contemporary composers, including Iannis Xenakis
, Michael Finnissy
and James Dillon
.
In 2002, Métier released a CD of Emsley's music, entitled Flowforms.
In addition to composing, Emsley works as a music engraver, and was the first ever user of the notation software Sibelius
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer, sometimes associated with the New Complexity
New Complexity
In music, the New Complexity is a term dating from the 1980s, principally applied to composers seeking a "complex, multi-layered interplay of evolutionary processes occurring simultaneously within every dimension of the musical material" ....
school.
Emsley initially studied with Arnold Whittall
Arnold Whittall
Arnold Whittall is a British musicologist and writer. He is Professor Emeritus at King's College London. Between 1975 and 1996 he was Professor at King's...
at University College, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, after which 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 still lives. He attended Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
' composition classes at the Dartington Summer School of Music, and co-founded the Cardiff Composers' Ensemble while a student there. In the 1970s he co-founded, with James Clarke
James Clarke (composer)
James Clarke is an English composer sometimes associated with the New Complexity school.-Education:According to fellow English composer and music scholar Christopher Fox, in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "After studying at Southampton University and City University, London,...
, the ensemble Suoraan, which specialised in performances of music by contemporary composers, including Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis
Iannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
, Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
and James Dillon
James Dillon (composer)
James Dillon, born October 29, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a Scottish composer often regarded as belonging to the New Complexity school. Dillon studied art and design, linguistics, piano, acoustics, Indian rhythm, mathematics and computer music, but is self-taught in composition.Honors include...
.
In 2002, Métier released a CD of Emsley's music, entitled Flowforms.
In addition to composing, Emsley works as a music engraver, and was the first ever user of the notation software Sibelius
Sibelius notation program
Sibelius is a scorewriter program, created by Sibelius Software for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and RISC OS. It is used by composers, arrangers, performers, music publishers, teachers and students, particularly for writing classical, jazz, band, vocal, film and television music...
.
List of works
- The lunar silences, the silent tide lapping... (1973) for flute, clarinet, percussion (4 players), piano and violin
- Hologenesis (1978) for solo clarinet
- At Once (1979) for flute (doubling alto flute), oboe (doubling oboe d'amore & cor anglais), vibraphone and piano
- Snatches (1979) for flute (doubling piccolo & alto flute), oboe (doubling cor anglais), vibraphone, and piano
- Skhistos (1980) for flute, oboe, vibraphone and piano
- The Juniper Tree (1981) for shadow puppet theatre (or animated film) and ensemble
- Helter-Skelter (1981) for flute, vibraphone and piano
- Cut/Dissolve (1984) for solo percussion
- ...from swerve of shore to bend of bay... (1984-85) for alto flute (doubling piccolo), bass clarinet (doubling e-flat clarinet), percussion, piano, viola and cello
- Flow Form (1986-87) for solo piano
- Tidal Volume I (1989) for solo harpsichord
- finnissys fifty (1996) for solo piano
- Little Sunderings (1996) for solo piano
- for piano 1 (1997) for solo piano
- for piano 2 (1997) for solo piano
- for piano 3 (1997) for solo piano
- for piano 4 (1997) for solo piano
- for piano 5 (1998) for solo piano
- for guitar 1 (1998) for solo guitar
- for piano 6 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 7 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 8 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 9 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 10 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 11 (1999) for solo piano
- for piano 12 (1999) for solo piano
- invention 1 on the name james dillon (2001) for two vibraphones
- invention 2 on the name james dillon (2001) for solo vibraphone
- Still/s 1 (2002) for solo cello
- Still/s 22 (2002) for clarinet and piano
- Still/s 14 (2003) for solo violin
- for piano 13 (2000-03) for solo piano
- Still/s 2 (2004) for clarinet and cello
- for piano 14 (2004) for solo piano
- Still/s 10 (2004) for flute and piano
- Still/s 3 (2004) for violin and cello
- Piano with violin (2005) for violin and piano
- for piano 15 (2005) for solo piano