Blake, David
(Leonard), English composer; b. London, Sept. 2, 1936. He
studied music at Cambridge; then went to
East Berlin, where he took lessons with Hanns Eisler. In 1964 he was
appointed lecturer in music at York Univ. His early works were in a tonal
idiom influenced by Bartok and Mahler, but later he began writing in the
12-tone system as promulgated by Schoenberg and Eisler. He then
experimented in a wide variety of styles, including oriental scales and
aleatory improvisation. While serving in the British army in the Far East,
he learned Chinese.
Works:
String Quartet No. 1(1961-62); String Quartet No. 2 (1973); It’s a
Small War, musical for schools (1962); 3 Choi-uses to poems by
Robert Frost (1964); Beata l’Alma for Soprano and Piano (1966);
Sym. for Chamber Orch. (1966); Lemma, cantata after Ezra Pound, for
Soprano, Baritone, Chorus, and Orch. (1968-69); Metamorphoses for
Orch. (1971); Scenes for Solo Cello (1972); Nonet (1971; London,
June 21, 1971); The Bones of Chuang Tzu for Baritone and Chamber
Orch. (1972; Glasgow, March 25, 1975); In Praise of Krishna for
Soprano and 9 Players (1973; Leeds, March 7,1973); Toussaint, opera
in 3 acts (1974-76; London, Sept. 28, 1977; rev. version, London, Sept. 6,
1983); Violin Concerto No. 1 (1976; London, Aug. 19, 1976); Sonata alla
Marcia for Chamber Orch. (1978; London, May 17, 1978); From the
Mattress Grave for High Voice and 11 Players (1978; Durham, Feb.
3,1979); 9 Poems of Heine for High Voice and Piano (1978); Cessation
for Wind Octet (1979; Sheffield, May 19,1979); Clarinet Quintet
(1980); Capriccio for 7 Players (1980); The Spear for Male
Speaker, Mezzo-soprano, and 4 Players (1982); Rise, Dove for
Baritone and Orch. (1982); String Quartet No. 3(1982); Violin Concerto No.
2 (1983); Scherzi ed Intermezzi (Bedford, Nov. 17, 1984);
Seasonal Variants for 7 Players (Norwich, Oct. 18, 1985); The
Plumber’s Gift, opera (London, May 25, 1989).
