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Sir John Tavener (born 28 January 1944) is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The whale", and "Ikos". He began as prodigy;[1] he was described by the Guardian as "the musical discovery of the year", while the Times said he was "among the very best creative talents of his generation." Tavener was knighted in 2000 for his services to music. He has won an Ivor Novello Award.[2]
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Tavener was born on 28 January 1944 in Wembley, London, England, and claims to be a direct descendant of the 16th century composer John Taverner.[3] He was educated at Highgate School (where a fellow pupil was John Rutter) and at the Royal Academy of Music, where his tutors included Sir Lennox Berkeley. He first came to prominence in 1968 with his dramatic cantata The Whale, based on the Old Testament story of Jonah. It was premièred at the London Sinfonietta's début concert and later recorded by Apple Records. The following year he began teaching at Trinity College of Music, London. Other works released by Apple included his Celtic Requiem. In 1977, he joined the Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodox theology and Orthodox liturgical traditions became a major influence on his work. He was particularly drawn to its mysticism, studying and setting to music the writings of Church Fathers such as St John Chrysostom.
One of Tavener's most popular and frequently performed works is his short unaccompanied four-part choral setting of William Blake's The Lamb, written for his nephew, Simon, on his third birthday one afternoon in 1982. This simple, homophonic piece is usually performed as a Christmas carol. More important, however, were his explorations of Russian and Greek culture, as shown in "Akhmatova Requiem" and "Sixteen Haiku of Seferis". Later prominent works include The Akathist of Thanksgiving (1987, written in celebration of the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church); The Protecting Veil (first performed by cellist Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra at the 1989 Proms); and Song for Athene (1993, performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997). Following Diana's death he also composed and dedicated to her memory the piece Eternity's Sunrise, based on poetry by William Blake.
It has been reported, particularly in the British press, that Tavener left Orthodox Christianity to explore a number of other different religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam, and became a follower of the mystic philosopher Frithjof Schuon.[4][5] While he has in recent years incorporated elements of non-Western music into his compositions, Tavener remains an Orthodox Christian, although his brother, Roger, tended towards Sufi.[6] In 2003 he composed the exceptionally large work The Veil of the Temple (which was premiered at the Temple Church, Fleet Street, London), based on texts from a number of religions. It is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours. The 2004 premiere of his piece Prayer of the Heart written for and performed by Björk, was featured on CD and incorporated as the soundtrack to Jake Lever's powerful installation Centre + Circumference (2008, Wallspace, All Hallows on the Wall, City of London).
While Tavener's early music was influenced by Igor Stravinsky, often invoking the sound world of the Requiem Canticles and A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer, his recent music is more sparse, uses wide registral space and is usually diatonically tonal. Some commentators see a similarity with the works of Arvo Pärt, from their common religious tradition to the technical details of phrase lengths, diatonicism and colouristic percussion effects, though the similarities between their outputs are quite superficial. Olivier Messiaen has also been suggested as a strong influence on his earlier work.
Tavener has suffered from considerable problems with his health. He had a stroke in his thirties, heart surgery and a tumor removed in his forties,[7] and suffered two successive heart attacks which have left him very frail and unable to work since December 2007.[8] He has Marfan syndrome.[9][10] His wife, Maryanna, broadcast a charity appeal on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008 on behalf of the Marfan Trust.[11]
| Year | Song title | Work | Instrumentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968: | "Section A" Listen (help·info) |
In Alium | Soprano, Strings, Tape |
| 1985: | "The Lamb" Listen (help·info) |
The Lamb | Chorus |
| 1993: | "Song for Athene" Listen (help·info) |
Song for Athene | Chorus |
| 1996: | "Innocence" Listen (help·info) |
Innocence | Chorus, bell |
Sir John Tavener (born 28 January 1944, in London) is an English composer. He is one of the most important composers of today. Most of his music is inspired by religion in some way.
John Tavener went to Highgate School in North London. Another pupil there at the time was John Rutter. At school he studied piano, organ and composition and wrote music for the school orchestra. He also wrote music for the Presbyterian church where his family went and where his father was organist. In 1962 he went to the Royal College of Music where he studied the piano at first but then changed to composition. One of his early successes was a cantata called Cain and Abel which was performed by the London Bach Society. It was the performance of The Whale by the London Sinfonietta in 1968 that made him really famous. This work used collage, pre-recorded tape, amplified percussion and a chorus who used loudhailers. This kind of thing was very fashionable in the 1960s.
Another work written in 1968 was In Alium. It was performed at the Proms. It was an unusual concert: three works by living composers were played in the first half. The audience were asked to vote for which one they wanted to hear again after the interval. They chose In Alium.
The Beatles became interested in Tavener’s music. John Lennon heard The Whale and he decided to issue Tavener’s music on the newly formed Apple label.
Tavener became professor of composition at Trinity College. He continued to compose, although he often had difficulty finishing pieces. He was often worried that he might not be able to think of any new music. In 1977 he became a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. This changed his life. His music was very religious. He married his second wife and had two children. He was also very ill with heart trouble and even died on the operating table in hospital, but he brought back to life by the doctors.
He made a very important friend, Mother Thekla. She was an 80 year-old nun in the Orthodox Church, and she gave John a lot of advice and encouragement in his life.
A short piece for choir, The Lamb was written as a birthday present for his 3 year old nephew. It is very often sung by choirs at Christmas as a carol.
In 1989 his work The Protecting Veil was performed at the Proms. It was a work for cello and orchestra. The cellist was Steven Isserlis. This piece is one of the best known modern works for cello. He continued to write a lot of music. His Song for Athene was performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1998. It was heard on television all over the world.
Tavener was knighted in [[2000].
   | Classical Net profile - Classical Net - Composers - tavener |
| | An interview with Sir John Tavener - Sir John Tavener interviewed by Michael J Stewart |
| | ''The Protecting Veil'' - London Symphony Orchestra, Steven Isserlis, cello, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky |
| | ''The Veil of the Temple'' - The Veil of the Temple, Temple Church Choir, Patricia Rozario (soprano), Simon Wall, Nathan Vale (tenors), Adrian Peacock, Jeremy Birchall (basses), Stephen Layton |
| | ''Schuon Lieder'' - Schuon Lieder, Schubert Ensemble, Patricia Rozario |
| | Sell Cleverness, Buy Wonder : The Music of Sir John Tavener : Composer Tavener, a Devout Orthodox Christian, Believes that Neither Music nor Religion can be Exclusive - Sell Cleverness, Buy Wonder: The Music of Sir John Tavener - Beliefnet.com |
| | The Beautiful Names : John Tavener - BBC - Symphony Orchestra - Performances - Tavener - Biography |
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