Pamela Harrison (composer)

Pamela Harrison (28 November 1915 28 August 1990) was an English pianist, music teacher and composer.

Biography

Pamela Harrison was born in Orpington, England, and studied with Gordon Jacob and Arthur Benjamin at the Royal College of Music in London. During World War II, she worked as a school teacher.[1]

Harrison's work was influenced by composers including E.J. Moeran, Arnold Bax and John Ireland, and French music. She made her debut as a composer with String Quartet in 1944 at the National Gallery concerts. She went on to produce a variety of music, including chamber, orchestral and vocal music, with settings including Baudelaire, Herrick, Dowson and Edward Thomas. Her work for small orchestra, A Suite for Timothy, was composed for the first birthday of her son.[2]

In 1990 Harrison died in a car accident in Firle, East Sussex.

Selected works

Orchestral
Concertante
Chamber music
  1. White May Morning
  2. A Marsh Song
Organ
Piano
  1. Romney Marsh Goblin
  2. A Canterbury Tale
  3. Hoppers' Dance
  4. Childdingstone Cherry Pickers
  5. Ebb tide at Sandgate
  6. Faversham Fair
Vocal
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away
I'm happiest now when most away
The night is darknening round me
The battle has passed from the height
The starry night shall tidings bring
'Tis moonlight, summer moonlight
  1. Blindman's In
  2. A Goldfinch
  3. White
  4. Dreamland
  5. Where
  6. Why?
  7. The Horseman
  8. Nicoletta
Beata solitudo
Non suma qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae
Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam
Villanelle of Marguerite's
Soli cantare periti Arcades
Choral

Recordings

Selected recordings include:

Sources

References

  1. Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove dictionary of women composers (Digitized online by GoogleBooks). p. 210. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  2. "Pamela Harrison". Naxos. Retrieved 11 January 2013.

Personal Website: http://www.pamelaharrisoncomposer.co.uk