OUP Women Composers Orchestral, Opera, Chamber, Instrumental and Choral Catalogue

Hilary Tann - Hilary

Hilary Tann - Hilary Tann - 1947 - 2023 After growing up in the coal-mining valleys of South Wales, Hilary Tann (1947-2023) spent much of her career in the United States, living in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York where she chaired the Music Department and was the John Howard Payne Professor at Union College, Schenectady. She held many significant composer residencies throughout her career, including those at the 2011 Eastman School of Music Women in Music Festival, 2013 Women Composers Festival of Hartford, and 2015 Welsh Music Centre (Tŷ Cerdd). Numerous organizations have supported her work, including the Arts Council of Wales, New York State Council on the Arts, Howard Hanson Institute for American Music, Vaughan Williams Trust, Holst Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Meet the Composer / Arts Endowment Commissioning Music USA. Praised for its lyricism (‘beautiful, lyrical work’ – Classical Music Web) and formal balance (‘In the formal balance of this music, there is great beauty …’ – Welsh Music), her compositional style was influenced by a strong identification with the natural world. These two interests combined in her enjoyment of haiku (as a published haiku poet) and in text selections from Welsh poets. A deep interest in the traditional music of Japan led her to private study of the shakuhachi and guest visits to Japan, Korea, and China. Her music has been widely performed and recorded by ensembles such as the European Women’s Orchestra, Tenebrae, Lontano, Marsyas Trio, Thai Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and KBS Philharmonic in Seoul, South Korea. 86

Solo Instrumental The Cresset Stone Violin or viola Solo viola 9780193863545 Solo violin 9780193859548 The work is in one movement and is inspired by the interplay of stone and light in the ancient cathedral of Brecon, Wales and begins and ends in stillness. The inner sections contain references to the final Kyrie of an 11thcentury Gregorian chant. 9 minutes Doppelgänger Piano Score 9780193858473 During the piece a formal, bravura character gradually dissolves into its more lyrical counterpart. A recording can by pianist Pola Baytelman can by found on Capstone Records (CPS 8606 CD). 5.5 minutes Embertides Organ Score 9780193399013 This four-movement suite for organ is based on the divisions of the church year, and references plainsong and other hymns relevant to the seasons. Drawing on a wide range of colours and textures, the composer creates an evocative and varied suite of pieces, perfectly suited for both recital and church performance. 15 minutes First Watch Carillon Score 9780193866379 First Watch was composed for a four-octave concert carillon which consists of forty-nine bells. It takes as its inspiration the bell tower of the Albany City Hall carillon which overlooks the Hudson River in New York. It is the overwhelming sense of Albany as a canal-, river-, and sea port which inspired the composition. 7 minutes Like lightnings Oboe Score 9780193868526 The title is taken from the poem ‘Spring’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Subtitled ‘Pastoral’, the piece moves from birdsong, to song, and back to birdsong. 6 minutes Hilary Tann 87