RIP David Bedford

[Roslynmuse]

Very sad news.

I shall listen, in memoriam, to Music for Albion Moonlight.

[Bryn]

Sad indeed. I have fond memories of encounters with him (replete with broken leg on one occasion) during the late '60s and early '70s.

[MrGongGong]

I also have fond memories of him telling a group of students that the string arrangement he did for "Our House" by Madness was the best piece he had made as it had earned him the most money ! though I think he was pulling a leg or two ........

"Star Clusters Nebulae & Places in Devon" is another memory
as is my attempt to perform "Balloon Music" with a group of rather dysfunctional teenagers not my greatest moment

a sad day indeed

[Richard Tarleton]

Sad indeed. I have fond memories of encounters with him (replete with broken leg on one occasion) during the late '60s and early '70s.

Yes, he came onstage complete with crutches at the RFH to take the applause for the first perf. of "Star Clusters..." circa 1972.

[Mandryka]

He greatly enhanced a lot of Kevin Ayers' early work. Sad to see him go.

[Tapiola]

Bedford also made arrangements of works by Roy Harper, notably on the album "Stormcock".

I remember chatting about Ligeti over a pint with Bedford in Belfast, c. 1991.

RIP David.

[Boilk]

Bedford was one of those British composers who was pleasantly difficult to fit into any of the "isms" that pervaded 60s and 70s music, the time when he first emerged. A "jobbing" musician who worked unashamedly in both the classical and rock arenas (most famously collaborating a lot with Mike Oldfield), resulted in some pretty bold and way-out pieces (my personal favourite is the 45-minute epic Star's End for electric guitar and orchestra). On the other hand, he remained a tonalist and therefore, an essentially accessible avant gardist in the eyes (and ears) of many audiences.

The variety of his commissions led to an unusual ability to write successfully for unlikely combination of instruments - take this movement for electric guitar (Oldfield) and organ.


Have seen no obituaries yet, but this is from 18 years ago.

[Ferretfancy]

I met him briefly when working on a BBC documentary which featured him. The programme centred around rehearsals and performance of a work celebrating the mysterious Rollright Stones, an ancient structure near his home. It featured a local girl's choir who were asked to fill their lungs with helium and then produce a stratospheric rising chord !
He was a charming man, and adventurous as a composer in just the right way.

[Serial_Apologist]

Really sad he's gone, and at no great age. I'm grateful for Boilk reproducing that article, as it is so hard to know where to begin with a personal appreciation: I have so much of his stuff; how many of us still have that dandelion LP "Nurses Song with Elephants" in their remaining vinyl collection?

I always felt that David Bedford was the one composer to make something interesting out of Minimalist techniques - something he claimed to have known nothing about when he first started doing so. Back in 1987 R3 did a large and pretty much representative programme, or maybe it was 2 programmes, which I transferred from a reel-to-reel of my dad's to cassettes. The works performed were:

Into Thy Wondrous House, for choir and orchestra (1987)
Some Stars beyond Magnitude 2.9 (1971)
Pentaquin (1985)
An Island in the Moon (1985)
Stars, Clusters, Nebulae and Places in Devon (1971)
Wagner's Ring in One Minute (1987 - Bedford "singing" some of the main leitmotives in superimposition !)
Piano Sonata (1981)
Two Poems on Kenneth Patchen (1963)

It would be terrific if the Beeb were to repeat that programme, assuming they still have it in the vaults.

Bedford started out as a post-serial avant-gardist; he associated peripherally with the Cardew school before taking inspiration from Progressive Rock, one of only 2 personalities who saw the worthwile in some of it, (T Souster being the other) and imv ended up as a sort of latter-day Gustav Holst (whose approach to harmony I find frequently in his music from The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner onwards) in terms of what Holst the keen educator and love of mythology might have gone onto, had he lived to see his centenary!)

My good friend Lol Coxhill will also be sad at this news.

A to you and your music, David B.

R.I.

[jayne lee wilson]

I shall try to play "Twelve Hours of Sunset" off the NMC disc later... R.I.P.

[Norfolk Born]

I met him briefly when working on a BBC documentary which featured him. The programme centred around rehearsals and performance of a work celebrating the mysterious Rollright Stones, an ancient structure near his home. It featured a local girl's choir who were asked to fill their lungs with helium and then produce a stratospheric rising chord !
He was a charming man, and adventurous as a composer in just the right way.

I remember that programme - I think the work was 'The Song of The White Horse'.

[Ferretfancy]

Ofcachap

'The Song of the White Horse' yes, you've reminded me of the title now. It would be so nice if documentaries like that one could be shown again. Unfortunately masses of good stuff was lost because the BBC archives were thought to be too full, and 16mm films seem to be regarded nowadays as technically too poor to resurrect.

[Alison]

A spendid First Symphony must be mentioned.

How very sad. We should have heard much more of him at the proms.

[gurnemanz]

Back in the 70s there was Don Alfonso (... some call me Pedro...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPQgpWApKnA

[rauschwerk]

I met him briefly when working on a BBC documentary which featured him. The programme centred around rehearsals and performance of a work celebrating the mysterious Rollright Stones, an ancient structure near his home. It featured a local girl's choir who were asked to fill their lungs with helium and then produce a stratospheric rising chord !

I sang in the second performance of Star Clusters (Winter Proms 1973) and great fun it was too. It was commissioned by the London Philharmonic Choir, no doubt at the instigation of John Alldis (good man and a keen promoter of Bedford's work).