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David Bedford
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'''David Vickerman Bedford''' (born
August 4,
1937) is a
United Kingdom British composer and
musician. He has worked in
popular music as well as in the
european classical music classical world.
Bedford was born in
London. He studied
music at the
Royal Academy of Music there under
Lennox Berkeley, and later in
Venice under
Luigi Nono. In the late
1960s, he was engaged to
orchestration orchestrate Kevin Ayers' album, ''
Joy of a Toy'', on which he also played keyboards. This led to him playing keyboards with Ayers' band, The Whole World.
Through Ayers, he met
Mike Oldfield, then The Whole World's
bass guitarist. In the
1970s he conducted and orchestrated Oldfield's ''
Orchestral Tubular Bells'' album, an orchestral adaption of the record that made the
Virgin Records Virgin record label a serious player. Bedford subsequently made a number of records for Virgin, some using
orchestral forces, others featuring Bedford's keyboard playing. He later went on to work with a wide variety of musicians, including
Elvis Costello,
Lol Coxhill,
A-ha,
Frankie Goes to Hollywood,
Robert Wyatt,
Madness (band) Madness and
Billy Bragg.
All this time, Bedford was also writing avant garde classical works. One of his better known works in ''Star Clusters, Nebulae and Places in Devon'' (1971), for
Choir chorus and
brass instruments. In ''With 100 Kazoos'' (1971), an instrumental
musical ensemble ensemble is joined by the audience who are invited to play
kazoos. He has combined skilled and non-skilled musicians in other works as well, with ''Seascapes'' (1986), for instance, combining a full symphony orchestra with school children, and ''Stories From The Dreamtime'' (1991) written for 40
deaf children and orchestra.
From 1968 to 1980, Bedford taught music in a number of London
secondary schools, and he is noted for the large amount of educational music he has written for children. The
musical notation he uses is often unconventional, frequently making use of
graphic notation, thus opening his works up to be performed by children and others who cannot read conventional notation.
In general, Bedford's music has a tendency to
harmony harmonic stasis, the main interest instead being created by shifting
timbres and textures. In his music for voice, he has set many texts by the poet
Kenneth Patchen.
From 1969 to 1981, he was Composer in Residence at
Queen's College, London, and in 1996 was appointed Composer in Association with the
English Sinfonia. In 2001 he was appointed Chairman of the
Performing Right Society, having previously been Deputy-Chairman.
David Bedford is the brother of the
Conducting conductor Steuart Bedford, and the grandson of the composer, painter and author
Herbert Bedford and the composer
Liza Lehmann.
Trivia
* When ''
Song of the White Horse'' was recorded, lead
soprano Diana Coulson had to inhale
helium towards the end of the piece in order to be able to reach the highest notes.
Category:1937 births Bedford, David
Category:Living people Bedford, David
Category:20th century classical composers Bedford, David
Category:English composers Bedford, David
Category:Living classical composers Bedford, David
Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Bedford, David
da:David Bedford
ja:デビッド・ベッドフォード
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