Wilfred Brown
| Wilfred Brown | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wilfred Brown |
| Born | 1922 Horsham, West Sussex UK |
| Died | 5 March 1971 (age 49) Petersfield, England, UK |
| Occupations | Singer |
Wilfred Brown (1922–1971) was an accomplished English tenor.[1]
He was born in Horsham, Sussex and educated at Collyer's School, then at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and Trinity College of Music. Brown was a lifelong member of the Religious Society of Friends. He was Master in charge of Music at Bedales (in which position he taught Gerald Finzi's two sons)[2] before becoming a full-time musician.
Like fellow Petersfield resident Michael John Hurd, he championed the work of Gerald Finzi, who was a personal friend. He first sang Finzi's Dies natalis in 1952 under the composer's baton,[2] and was to become Finzi's favoured soloist in several subsequent performances of the work.[3] Brown also gave the first performance of Till Earth Outwears, a posthumous collection of Finzi's settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, in 1957 at Ashmansworth.[4] In 1963 he recorded what is often cited as the definitive performance of Dies natalis with the English Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of the composer's son, Christopher Finzi.[5]
He was also a great friend of the guitarist John Williams and together they recorded an album of music by Benjamin Britten, Stephen Dodgson and John Dowland (released in 1969 on Columbia Odyssey),[6] and a collection of English folk songs.[7]
Brown died in Petersfield from a brain tumour on 5 March 1971, aged 49.[8] In his last recital, given at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, he had sung Dies Natalis.[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ New Grove Encyclopaedia of Music (2005)
- ^ a b McVeagh, Diana. Gerald Finzi: His Life and Music. Boydell Press, 2005: p. 207
- ^ McVeagh, Diana. "A Finzi Discography", Tempo, New Series, No. 136. (Mar., 1981), pp. 19-22, [1]
- ^ McVeagh (2005): p. 253
- ^ Tempo, New Ser., No. 45. (Autumn, 1957), pp. 1-4
- ^ [2] Songs for Voice and Guitar.
- ^ Belart 461 4892 released 1998 CD
- ^ Obituary by John Stevens in The Musical Times, Vol. 112, No. 1539. (May, 1971), p. 478, [3]
- ^ Sleeve notes from Wilfred Brown and John Williams: Folk songs (Belart 461 4892, released 1998), John T. Hughes
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