Wilfrid Howard Mellers (26 April 1914 – 17 May 2008) was an English music critic, musicologist and composer.

Early life

Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, Mellers was educated at the local Leamington College and later won a scholarship to Downing College, Cambridge, where he read English under F. R. Leavis. He later lodged with the Leavises for three years while pursuing a Music degree. Mellers also took private composition lessons in Oxford from Egon Wellesz and Edmund Rubbra. From 1938 he taught at Dartington Hall, and in September 1940 he married Vera Muriel Hobbs. He spent the Second World War working on the land as a conscientious objector.

Career

After writing many articles for Leavis's journal Scrutiny since the September 1936 issue, he appeared on the editorial board of the January 1942 issue, and continued in that position until the December 1948 issue. Mellers also wrote regularly as a critic and reviewer for New Statesman, The Listener, The New Republic, The Times Literary Supplement and The Musical Times. From 1960 for two years he lived and worked in America as Andrew Mellon visiting professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh. His later books Bach and the Dance of God (1981), Beethoven and the Voice of God and Vaughan Williams and the Voice of Albion (1989) proceeded from visionary social and philosophical bases, "spiritual if not specifically religious", commented The Times. Between Old Worlds and New (1997) collects his occasional writings and includes a list of compositions. His final book, Celestial Music (2002) was a study of religious masterpieces. combines a jazz trio with scat singer, chorus, coloratura soprano, orchestra and electronic devices. Shaman Songs (1980) is scored for flutes doubling saxophones, keyboards, electric bass and percussion and was written for Barbara Thompson and her Jazz Paraphernalia.

The virtuosic and extensive Natalis Invicti Solis (1969) for solo piano uses corn dances of the Tewa Indians of New Mexico for some of its material. Opus Alchymicum (1969) for organ, his second large-scale keyboard work, uses the principles of alchemical studies interpreted by Jung as a starting point for musical processes. It has been recorded by Kevin Bowyer. Another notable large scale piece is Sun-flower: The Divine Tetrad of William Blake (1972–3) for solo voices and orchestra, described by Roger Carpenter as his magnum opus. The 1949 Sonata for viola and piano has been recorded by Sarah-Jane Bradley and

John Lenehan.

Bibliography

  • Music and Society: England and the European Tradition (1946)
  • Studies in Contemporary Music (1947)
  • François Couperin & the French Classical Tradition (1950)
  • Music in the Making (1951)
  • Romanticism and the 20th Century, from 1800 (1957)
  • The Sonata Principle, from c. 1750 (1957)
  • Man and His Music (1962; Vols. 3 & 4 by Mellers)
  • Music in a New Found Land: Themes and Developments in the History of American Music (1964)
  • Harmonious Meeting: A Study of the Relationship Between English Music, Poetry and Theatre, c.1600 (1965)
  • Caliban Reborn: Renewal in Twentieth-Century Music (1968)
  • Twilight of the Gods: The Beatles in Retrospect (1973)
  • Bach and the Dance of God (1980)
  • Beethoven and the Voice of God (1983)
  • A Darker Shade of Pale: A Backdrop to Bob Dylan (1984)
  • Angels of the Night: Popular Female Singers of Our Time (1986)
  • Le jardin retrouvé : The Music of Frederic Mompou, 1893-1987 (1987)
  • The Masks of Orpheus: Seven Stages in the Story of European Music (1987)
  • Vaughan Williams and the Vision of Albion (1989)
  • Percy Grainger (1992)
  • Francis Poulenc (1993)
  • Between Old Worlds and New (1997)
  • Singing in the Wilderness: Music and Ecology in the Twentieth Century (2001)
  • Celestial Music?: Some Masterpieces of European Religious Music (2002)

Selected works

  • Four Short Shakespeare Songs, for women's voices (1944)
  • Two Motets for mixed voices and brass (1945)
  • The Forgotten Garden, cantata for tenor and string quartet, text Henry Vaughan (1945)
  • Trio for violin, viola and cello (1945)
  • The Song of Ruth, cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1948)
  • Viola Sonata (1949)
  • The Tragicall History of Christopher Marlowe, opera (1950–52)
  • Yggdrasil, cantata for soloists, chorus and chamber orchestra, text Christopher Hassall (1951)
  • The Shepherd’s Daughter, chamber opera (1954)
  • The Borderline, opera, text David Holbrook (1958)
  • The Hedge of Flowers, masque for girls voices, text David Holbrook (1960)
  • Spells, song cycle for soprano and chamber ensemble, text Kathleen Raine (1960)
  • Journey to Love, song cycle for soprano and piano, text William Carlos Williams (1960)
  • Missa Brevis for mixed chorus and chamber organ (1961)
  • Chants and Litanies of Carl Sandberg for male chorus, piano and percussion (1961)
  • A Ballad of Anyone for soprano, chorus and piano, text e.e.cummings (1961)
  • Rose of May: A Threnody for Ophelia, scored for speaker, soprano, flute, clarinet and string quartet (1964)
  • Canticum Resurrectionis, song cycle for chorus, text Gerard Manley Hopkins (1968)
  • Cloud Canticle for double chorus, text Ronald Johnson (1969)
  • Life Cycle (1970) cantata for orchestra and youth choir, texts from 'Primitive Song', tr. Maurice Bowra (1969)
  • Natalis Invicti Solis for piano (1969)
  • Opus Alchymicum for organ (1969)
  • Yeibichai for jazz trio, scat singer, chorus, coloratura soprano, orchestra and electronics, text Gary Snyder (1969)
  • The Word Unborn for double chorus and ensemble, text Ronald Duncan (1970)
  • Sun-flower: The Divine Tetrad of William Blake for solo voices and orchestra (1972–3)
  • A Blue Epiphany for J.B. Smith for guitar (1973)
  • The Echoing Green, song cycle, text William Blake (1974, revised 1996)
  • Threnody for 11 strings, in memory of Egon Wellesz (1975)
  • White Bird Blues for miming, dancing soprano and free bass accordion (1975)
  • A Fount of Fair Dances for recorder and string orchestra (1976)
  • Shaman Songs for jazz ensemble (1980)
  • An Aubade for Indra, clarinet and string quartet (1981)
  • Glorificamus, for double brass choir (1981)
  • The Wellspring of Loves, concerto for violin, strings and percussion (1981)

References

  • Jenny Gilbert. 80th birthday tribute, The Independent, 2 May, 1994
  • Grains of Sand. Music by and for Wilfrid Mellers - Campion Records
  • Wilfrid Mellers: scores held at The British Music Collection
  • Wilfrid Mellers: The Collection. University of York