Roger Steptoe
Encyclopedia
Roger Steptoe is an English
composer
and pianist
born in 1953.
Steptoe studied music at the University of Reading
before becoming a post-graduate student at the Royal Academy of Music
, London, from 1974 to 1977. There he studied composition with Alan Bush
and piano accompaniment with Geoffrey Pratley.
During the 1980s Roger Steptoe worked for organisations that looked after music and musicians in Great Britain. He was a committee member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians
(having also recreated the North London Centre with the late Sir Charles Groves), a Director of the Royal Philharmonic Society
(also a member of the Programme Committee), a reader for the Society for the Promotion of New Music
, an active committee member of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain, and also a member of the Music Committee for the English-Speaking Union. Roger Steptoe has been a Full Member in the Performers and Composers section of the Incorporated Society of Musicians since 1979. He retains a close association with the ISM through his election in April 2008 as an Ordinary Councillor.
Between 1987 and 1993 he was responsible for the organisation of six International Composer Festivals at the Royal Academy of Music which featured the music of Messiaen, Henze, Berio, Carter, Schurmann and sixty ex-RAM composers.
Since 1999 Steptoe has lived in Uzerche
in the French Limousin
.
Many of Steptoe's works are published by Stainer & Bell and Editions BIM.
Orchestral
Concertante
Chamber music
Piano
Vocal
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
born in 1953.
Steptoe studied music at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
before becoming a post-graduate student 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...
, London, from 1974 to 1977. There he studied composition with Alan Bush
Alan Bush
Alan Dudley Bush was a British composer and pianist. He was a committed socialist, and politics sometimes provided central themes in his music.-Personal life:...
and piano accompaniment with Geoffrey Pratley.
During the 1980s Roger Steptoe worked for organisations that looked after music and musicians in Great Britain. He was a committee member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians
Incorporated Society of Musicians
Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK's professional body for musicians. It champions the importance of music and protects the rights of those working within music through a range of services, campaigns, support and practical advice...
(having also recreated the North London Centre with the late Sir Charles Groves), a Director of the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
(also a member of the Programme Committee), a reader for the Society for the Promotion of New Music
Society for the Promotion of New Music
The Society for the Promotion of New Music was founded in London in 1943 with the intention of promoting the creation, performance and appreciation of new music...
, an active committee member of the Composers' Guild of Great Britain, and also a member of the Music Committee for the English-Speaking Union. Roger Steptoe has been a Full Member in the Performers and Composers section of the Incorporated Society of Musicians since 1979. He retains a close association with the ISM through his election in April 2008 as an Ordinary Councillor.
Between 1987 and 1993 he was responsible for the organisation of six International Composer Festivals at the Royal Academy of Music which featured the music of Messiaen, Henze, Berio, Carter, Schurmann and sixty ex-RAM composers.
Since 1999 Steptoe has lived in Uzerche
Uzerche
Uzerche is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Limousin region of central France.In 1787, the English writer Arthur Young described the city as "The Pearl of the Limousin," nicknamed because of its picturesque setting, and a name by which it is still widely known today...
in the French Limousin
Limousin (région)
Limousin is one of the 27 regions of France. It is composed of three départements: Corrèze, Creuse and the Haute-Vienne.Situated largely in the Massif Central, as of January 1st 2008, the Limousin comprised 740,743 inhabitants on nearly 17 000 km2, making it the second least populated region of...
.
Many of Steptoe's works are published by Stainer & Bell and Editions BIM.
Selected works
Opera- King of Macedon (1978–1979); 3 acts; libretto by Ursula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan Williams, née Joan Ursula Penton Lock was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.-Biography:...
Orchestral
- Cheers! (1993)
- This Side of Winter (2002)
- A Three-Tango Rhapsody (2007)
- Two Miniatures for strings (1977)
Concertante
- Concerto for cello and chamber orchestra (1991)
- Concerto for clarinet and strings (1989)
- Concerto for oboe and strings (1982)
- Concerto for tuba and strings (1983)
- Light, Sinfonietta for organ and strings (2006–2007)
Chamber music
- Clarinet Quintet (1980)
- Dance Suite for oboe, clarinet and string quartet (1984)
- Duo for oboe and harp (1991)
- Oboe Quartet (1988–1989)
- Petite Sonatine 1 for viola solo (2009); commissioned for the 2010 Lionel Tertis International Viola CompetitionLionel Tertis International Viola CompetitionThe Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition is an international music competition for viola players established in 1980 to honor the memory of the English viola virtuoso Lionel Tertis. This triennial event is held at the Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, Isle of Man...
- Petite Sonatine 2 for cello solo (2009)
- Quatre romances sans paroles for piano quartet (2001)
- Sonata No.3 for brass quintet (1982)
- Sonata for clarinet and piano (2003)
- Sonata for trumpet and organ (2008) Editions Bim
- Sonata for tuba and piano (2007)
- Sonata No.1 for violin and piano (1983)
- Sonata No.2 for violin and piano (1986)
- String Quartet No.1 (1976)
- String Quartet No.2 (1985)
- String Quartet No.3 (2002)
- String Quartet No.4 (2003)
- Study for solo violin (1978)
- Three Pieces for viola and piano (1982)
- Two Impromptus for solo clarinet (1978)
- Two Studies for bassoon and piano (1983)
Piano
- Equinox (1981)
- Piano Sonata No.1 (1979)
- Piano Sonata No.2 (1988)
- Piano Sonata No.3 (2003)
- Three Nocturnes (1991)
- Three Preludes (1976)
Vocal
- Aspects for high voice and piano (1978)
- The Bond of the Sea for bass baritone and piano (1983); text by Joseph ConradJoseph ConradJoseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
- An Elegy on the Death and Burial of Cock Robin for countertenor and 11 solo strings (1988)
- Five Songs for tenor and piano (1976); poems by Percy ShelleyPercy Bysshe ShelleyPercy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
and John KeatsJohn KeatsJohn Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not... - The Looking Glass for soprano, oboe and piano (1980); words by Ursula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan Williams, née Joan Ursula Penton Lock was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.-Biography:...
- Three Sonnets to Delia for baritone and piano (1993); poems by Samuel DanielSamuel DanielSamuel Daniel was an English poet and historian.-Early life:Daniel was born near Taunton in Somerset, the son of a music-master. He was the brother of lutenist and composer John Danyel. Their sister Rosa was Edmund Spenser's model for Rosalind in his The Shepherd's Calendar; she eventually married...