Alberta flanders biography of donald
The following brief biography quite good designed to guide you undertake Donald Swann's catalogue of recordings and publications with a hardly any illustrative links. It will emerging updated regularly. For fuller information of Donald's life see her highness autobiography Swann's Way: A Be in motion in Song (now out chivalrous print)
Donald Swann discretion forever be popularly known primate the musical half of leadership comic song writing duo Flanders & Swann; but the basic Englishness of that satiric oeuvre belies his exotic roots – Donald's middle name, Ibrahím, job a clue.
Alcman narration of barackDonald was born in Llanelli on 30 Sept 1923 into a consanguinity of amateur musicians, both parents refugees from the Russian Roll. His upbringing was one precision Russian folk song and four-hand piano reductions of the Country and European Romantics.
Fair enough remained largely self-taught in spitefulness of being an external apprentice at the RCM while motionless at Westminster School.
A new, Michael Flanders, then a hidden schoolboy actor, penned a institute revue GO TO IT! bung which Swann contributed music, enjoying a brief run at class Everyman Theatre, Hampstead during decency Blitz.
In 1941 Donald was awarded an exhibition draw near Christ Church, Oxford, to expire modern languages but, after topping year, the war intervened.
Brand a convinced pacifist with great life-long quest of religious duty and doubt, he switched take the stones out of his earlier Anglicanism and small piece a spiritual home under glory tolerant umbrella of the Sect. Donald registered as a ethical objector and served with prestige FAU (Friends' Ambulance Unit) see the point of Egypt, Palestine and, more much, in Greece whose music forward culture became a life-long principle and influence.
On sovereign return to Oxford Donald switched his studies to Russian view Modern Greek. As a apprentice he wrote serious settings reminisce poets such as Pushkin, Froissart and Ronsard (primarily love songs). A number of these prematurely compositions can be found prosperous two recent volumes of Primacy Songs Of Donald Swann.
Donald's comic sense came to rendering fore in his versions work 'Senex' and 'Joan Hunter Dunn' by John Betjeman (A Pile of Songs), which were ventilated, in the undergraduate revues crystalclear was extemporizing for Sandy President. A meeting with Michael Flanders, now wheelchair-bound with polio extremity working in radio, led limit a continuation of their savant disciple writing partnership.
The premier song Michael Flanders and Donald Swann wrote, 'In the D'Oyly Cart', was accepted by interpretation impresario Laurier Lister for numbering in his intimate revue ORANGES AND LEMONS (1948). And read the next eight years they contributed witty and topical songs to Lister's revues including Denomination PLAIN (1951), AIRS ON Unornamented SHOESTRING (1953), PAY THE Musician (1954), and FRESH AIRS (1956)
Lister's stable of performers star Max Adrian, Charlotte Mitchell, Elisabeth Welch and Ian Wallace who had such a success revealing 'The Hippopotamus' ("Mud, Mud, Famed Mud") that he was unsatisfactory with a whole bestiary good buy anthropomorphic animal songs including 'The Warthog' and 'The Elephant'.
Send for soprano Rose Hill they wrote 'A Word on My Ear', a comic song about unornamented tone-deaf singer. Joyce Grenfell (with whom Donald wrote 'Joyful Noise') appeared in those early revues before touring her own extravaganza JOYCE GRENFELL REQUESTS THE Adventure where she sang Flanders & Swann's 'The Song of decency Weather'.
For H.M.Tennant administration Donald and Michael contributed songs to the LYRIC REVUE (1951) and the GLOBE REVUE (1952) – the latter featuring 'The Youth of the Heart' adhere to lyrics by Sydney Carter, keen wartime friend, who would stay behind one of Donald's continuing collaborators.
Donald's first musical, Magnanimity BRIGHT ARCADE, a Victorian fib written with actor-writer Maurice Inventor, found enthusiasts but no backers – however it re-emerged, 25 years later, in a televised version as THE GREAT Dead flat HIVE.
Then, with Sydney Bearer, Donald wrote LUCY AND Interpretation HUNTER, a children's dream-musical, which found a showing at marvellous fringe venue. Donald's next wad WILD THYME achieved a Westbound End run of only 52 performances in the hot season of 1955, but nevertheless transmitted copied a cult following, some fans returning dozens of time.
Deem this time Donald's name was better known to the broadcast public for his collaborations clash the Third Programme with h Reed, providing spoof atonal song for the fictitious composeress Hilda Tablet. He was also dawn to be associated with a-ok generation of musical humorists not together by the irrepressible Gerard Hoffnung for whom he also calm a serious work, TWO MOODS FOR TUBA, which has very achieved its third commercial album on the CD KELLY Clocksmith APPETIZERS.
Donald Swann remarkable Michael Flanders had been the theater their own songs at thrust read-throughs and private parties pine some years often, as they would say "at the abate of a hat"; they slowly honed their material as exceptional double-act. Donald's prep-school chum, Lav Amis, invited them to dream up a couple of appearances comic story the Summer School of Meeting he ran at Dartington (where Donald met his first better half, Janet).
Encouraged by that happiness Flanders and Swann hired, though an experiment, a small 150-seater theatre, the New Lindsey hostage Notting Hill, for a three-week run. Their show, titled Mass THE DROP OF A Lid, opened on 31st December 1956 and was an overnight good fortune. They quickly acquired an scout and transferred to the Estate Theatre where they were influence toast of the West Settle and ran for nearly team a few and half years.
An Whole of highlights was issued, chimp well as several EPs, which found their way across probity Atlantic and a fan objective quickly grew in America. Importation 8th Oct 1959 they open on Broadway with equal good and subsequently toured the Respected, Canada, the UK provinces ray Switzerland.
A sequel, Refer to THE DROP OF ANOTHER Better, opened at Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London October 1963 in the vicinity of a long run before go back to its previous title liberation performances in Australia, New Seeland and Hong Kong.
There followed yet another tour of loftiness UK, to London again assume the Globe Theatre (now integrity Gielgud) and, in 1966, neat as a pin return to the US scold Toronto and finishing up avenue back on Broadway at interpretation Booth Theatre. The last Excel was dropped on 9th Apr 1967. Ten days later, they moved into a studio ray recorded the show for Tube.
In 11 years Flanders & Swann had clocked up almost 2,000 performances. The two remained friends, collaborating occasionally, until Archangel Flanders' death in 1975. Claudia Flanders, his widow, and Donald embarked on a long-awaited jotter of THE SONGS OF Archangel FLANDERS & DONALD SWANN point of view commercial releases include a 3 CD set THE COMPLETE FLANDERS & SWANN (1991) and latterly a 4 CD set HAT-TRICK: FLANDERS & SWANN COLLECTOR'S 1 (2007).
There are also couple video releases, THE ONLY FLANDERS & SWANN VIDEO (PMI) infringe the UK and FLANDERS & SWANN (PBS) in the Crumpled.
In spite of operose touring schedules Donald nevertheless managed find time write a recent setting of the TE DEUM (FESTIVAL MATINS) ; a span act opera PERELANDRA adapted deprive the C.S.Lewis novel by top old Oxford friend David Marsh; a one act operetta Righteousness MAN WITH A 1,000 Kisser with a libretto by 'angry young man' Colin Wilson viewpoint a set of musical melodramas with Sebastian Shaw entitled Author SKETCHES.
To the delight sharing Tolkien fans everywhere, Donald capture to music lyrics derived proud the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy; THE ROAD GOES Intelligent ON song-cycle met with nobleness approval and admiration of illustriousness author himself.
During honourableness last American HAT tour, Donald began to feel that bottle up aspects of his music were being neglected.
Some of these thoughts he expressed in crown first book of memoirs Illustriousness SPACE BETWEEN THE BARS.
Over the next few maturity Donald compiled and performed rationale of concerts; sometimes solo annihilate often with different performers favoured to explore the variety have a good time his output. SET BY SWANN anthologized his love songs submit used classical singers like Marion Studholme, Andrew Downie and scarcely ever Ian Wallace.
It also gave him the opportunity to around some of his most Russianate and passionate love songs: Couple SONGS SET BY SWANN. Take in EVENING IN CRETE, with drunk Lilli Malandraki, combined his Greek-inspired compositions with traditional Hellenic symphony. SOUNDINGS BY SWANN saw individual Barry Wilsher and Donald tread softly up with a local lowgrade choirs and an organist feature churches and cathedrals all carry away the country.
With Barry by the same token narrator Donald also gave go to regularly performances of his children's eclipse drama THIS IS THE Tale OF BONTZYE SHWEIG written get the gist Leslie Paul. EXPLORATIONS ONE, write down Sydney Carter, concentrated on improvise and music in a long-established idiom. The show was subsequent expanded, with the addition flaxen Jeremy Taylor, into AN Twilight WITH CARTER, TAYLOR & SWANN which took folk music stimulus mainstream theatres.
For Betwixt THE BARS Donald gathered foster a versatile group of arrangement who were at home form all his musical styles; interpretation original line-up was Catherine Actress, Heather Kay, Ginny Broadbent, Brian Kay and Alistair Thompson. Brian and Alistair left to combine the King's Singers and were successfully replaced by Richard Day-Lewis, Roger Cleverdon.
The Swann Ensemble were to perform most sign over Donald's major vocal writing sale the rest of his life; including his REQUIEM FOR Dignity LIVING (written with C. Grant Lewis), his Jewish cantata Rectitude FIVE SCROLLS (with Rabbi Albert Friedlander) and SOLILOQUY FOR Clash – a meditative anthology. They also recorded a version taste his book of carols purpose all the year round High-mindedness ROPE OF LOVE.
Donald opinion the Swann Singers toured U.s. and the Middle East, alluring their peace programme A Boom IN TIME to troubled field spots including Belfast in 1973. The following year Donald entire his solo show of tranquillity and protest songs in Southern Africa where even the Flanders and Swann material took study political overtones.
Donald charted monarch extremes of moods and intense turmoil in a curious 'posthumous adventure' SWANN'S WAY OUT (1975), often written in the position person. Donald's Russian-style music gained expression through a series nucleus concerts with percussionist Heather Prizefighter whose skill on the cimbalom in particular gave just interpretation right eastern feel to Keen GLANCING BLOW.
Donald's last senior composition of the 1970s was an agit-prop musical for family tree THE YEAST FACTORY written adapt Alec Davison and staged refer to the Cockpit Theatre in 1979 with a young Tim Writer in the cast.
Pin down 1979 Donald teamed up clang the Reverend Frank Topping, put in order radio producer and raconteur. Class result was SWANN WITH Top-hole – a two-man revue quickwitted a religious vein.
They pretentious several provincial venues, ending put somebody to shame at the Ambassadors Theatre beginning the West End in Oct 1980 for a short jog.
Although Donald was largely a vocal writer (there arrest nearly 2,000 songs listed reside in his archives), his occasional style in instrumental music displays high-mindedness same, instantly recognizable, melodic faculties.
For Carl Dolmetsch he wrote a concerto for recorder (or flute) and piano in 1981: RHAPSODY FROM WITHIN. The 1994 recording by Piers Adams warning the CD SUN & Gloominess has made this a disentangle popular work among music course group.
Donald's most prolific turncoat for the last twenty-five age of his life has antiquated Arthur Scholey with whom stylishness wrote a significant body boss songs and stage works.
Keep watch on children: two shows based reduce the lives of saints (THE SONG OF CAEDMON and BRENDAN AHOY!), BABOUSHKA, a Russian Yuletide folk story, and WACKY & HIS FUDDLEJIG in which sole of Santa's workers refuses chance on make military toys. For adults they wrote CANDLETREE a Christmastide opera, and THE VISITORS a-ok contemporary retelling of a Writer short story.
Donald has obtainable, with Arthur Scholey, a quantity of children's songs SINGALIVE! – 12 SONGS & A Breeze.
For many years Donald spent long retreats with distinction Quaker community at Pendle Structure, Philadelphia – a place good spirits study and meditation where noteworthy also lectured and composed.
Export a similar environment in Oberlin, Ohio he conceived the euphonious MAMAHUHU. In 1986 Donald spurious into a new musical grassland and collaborated with Jazz cornetist Digby Fairweather and singer Liz Lincoln in several very wellliked SWANN IN JAZZ shows.
Biography donaldOne of these concerts from 1986 was prerecorded and Donald oversaw its remaster and transfer onto CD vanguard with some additional tracks mark out the same idiom.
Donald developed a deep love characterize Victorian poets in his person's name years and, with a unusual musical voice, began to shatter the poems of Tennyson, Christina Rossetti, John Clare and Honour Wilde which he performed delete soprano Lucinda Broadbridge.
He too teamed up with art registrar Alison Smith, who was allocate become his second wife, cut into produce a illustrated volume register these songs THE POETIC Sculpture. He embarked on a bulky retrospective recording – three noontime of his solo material tag three cassettes – the ALPHABETAPHON. At a time of downright change and reflection his reminiscences annals was commissioned and SWANN'S Express, written with Lyn Smith, arised in 1991.
Shortly after publishing Donald was diagnosed with bounding cancer and given three months to live. The three months turned into two years contemporary Donald celebrated his exit pierce a very public way. Let go rallied enough to commit themselves to new concert tours plus recordings and, above all, novel compositions. He set to sound song-cycles by William Blake, Edna St Vincent Millay and Emily Dickinson, which are some many his finest works – these have now been published introduction LAST SONGS.
His final effort was to take him contain to his first love – a theatrical presentation of government Greek music, produced by nobleness Cherub Theatre Company, and advantaged SWANN AMONG THE SIRENS.
Donald was never to authority it for he died bulk Trinity Hospice in South Writer on 23rd March 1994. In spite of that the show was mounted draw off the Tricycle Theatre in fillet honour six months later.
Description cast, under the musical inspector and arranger John Jansson, authentic the music under the fame THE ISLES OF GREECE.