Dave Smith (composer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dave Smith (born in Salisbury, August 19, 1949) is an English experimental composer and musical performer. He read music at Magdalene College, Cambridge. In the 1970s, Smith was a member of the Scratch Orchestra and a performer/composer in ensembles with John Lewis, Michael Parsons, Howard Skempton, John White, Gavin Bryars and Benedict Mason. In the 1980s he was a founder-member of the English Gamelan Orchestra and Liria, the first British groups to specialise in, respectively, Javanese classical and Albanian folk musics.

Up to 1977 his music was largely minimalist (process music or systems music). His style developed into a highly eclectic pool of ideas chronicled in a long series of recital-length Piano Concerts, works which encompass an entire concert with varieties of styles.

Smith has taught at Kingsway-Princeton College (1973-84) and De Montfort University (1980-97) and currently lectures in music at the University of Hertfordshire. His work with students has resulted in a large number of arrangements, in particular, for tuned percussion orchestra. He is an active member of COMA (Contemporary Music for Amateurs) for whom he has composed works for large, flexible ensembles such as "Murdoch or Fred West - which is best ? Reconsidered" (2000), and "Whiskies of Islay" (2006).

[edit] References

• David Toop. 2001. "Not Necessarily English Music". 'Leonardo Music Journal', Vol. 11, 86-87.
• S. Walker. 2001. "The New English Keyboard School: A Second "Golden Age" 'Leonardo Music Journal', Vol 11, 17-23.
• Experimental Music Catalogue