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

Phyllis Tate - Phyllis

Phyllis Tate - Phyllis Tate - 1911 - 1987 Phyllis Tate was one of the most prominent and highly respected British composers of the second half of the twentieth century. Her music was widely performed during her lifetime and received great critical acclaim. Preferring the more intimate musical forms and combinations to larger orchestral media, many of her most distinguished contributions to modern English music were for chamber ensemble or for solo voice or voices with small groups of instruments. Tate’s interest in musical textures led to the use of unusual instrumental combinations using instruments such as the celeste, the harmonica, the lute, the bass clarinet, the accordion, and the saxophone. These instruments were often used alongside the human voice. Tate’s musical output was extensive and varied, ranging from concertos to music for schools and from duets to operas. She also collaborated with several outstanding artists of the time such as Charles Causley, author Michael Morpurgo, performers Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, cellist William Pleeth, and saxophonist John Harle. 94

Duos, Trios, and Ensemble Air and Variations Violin, Clarinet in A and Piano Socre and parts* 9780193590014 In this six-movement piece, the Air is followed by five variations: 1. ‘Aubade’ (a morning song), 2. ‘Tempo di Valse’ (a waltz, clarinet and piano), 3. ‘Serenade’ (violin and piano), 4.’Tarantella’ (an Italian folk dance, violin and clarinet) and 5. ‘Fugal March’ (finale). The composition explores combinations of sound and texture - in fact three of the variations omit one instrument to fully exploit possibilities inherent in a particular pairing. *Available from archive 14 minutes Apparitions Tenor, harmonica, string quartet, and piano Hire score and parts 9780193458239 Vocal score* 9780193458222 Apparitions is a ghostly ballad sequence of four traditional songs, ‘The Wife of Usher’s Well’, ‘The Suffolk Miracle’, ‘The Unquiet Grave’, ‘Unfortunate Miss Bailey’, book-ended by the instrumental ‘Evocation’ and ‘Envoi’. Tate uses the unusual combination of instruments to great effect, especially in the sparsely scored second movement where the tune passes between the tenor and harmonica. *Vocal score available to purchase from Banks Music Publications 20 minutes The Lady of Shalott Tenor, viola, percussion (2 or 3 players), 2 pianos, and celesta Hire score and parts 9780193458185 Written to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the BBC’s Third Programme, this four-movement cantata is based on Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem of the same name. 25 minutes Nocturne Soprano, tenor, baritone, and bass soloists, string quartet, double bass, bass clarinet, and celesta Hire scores and parts 9780193383753 In Nocturne (1946), Tate imaginatively sets a poem by Sidney Keyes (1922-43) which he wrote when he was just 17, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. 25 minutes The Rainbow and the Cuckoo Oboe, violin, viola, and cello Hire score and parts 9780193590250 The Rainbow and the Cuckoo takes its title from a line in a poem by the Welsh poet W.H. Davies. The oboe is placed on an equal footing with the string trio, and the structure is of one continuous movement. The piece’s prominent feature is the repetition of the cuckoo’s call (a minor third) throughout the piece. Tate elongates these two notes into a 12-note motif played on all instruments, inverted, and reversed, making a complex, characterful piece. 18 minutes Sonata for Clarinet and Cello Clarinet and cello Cello part 9780193590076 Clarinet in A part 9780193590069 Score* 9780193590052 The first movement is fairly slow and mostly cantabile. A feature is the persistent interruption of the flow by a curious sotto voce semitonal passage between the two instruments, played as if in brackets. The second and third movements are fairly straightforward, at least from the audience’s point of view. The fourth movement is the most elaborate and takes the form of free variations on thematic material heard in the first movement, but now much transformed. *Available from archive 20 minutes String Quartet in F String quartet Hire parts 9780193590090 The first movement displays a contrast between the ‘vigoroso’ opening phrase and a second ‘grazioso’ phrase. The second, entitled Cantilena, starts with an almost‐Alberti bass on the cello, over which the viola sings a long melodic phrase which is developed by the other instruments. In the third movement, a graceful waltz-like theme alternates with more strongly rhythmic passages. 25 minutes Phyllis Tate 95