David Beck was born in 1941 near Mansfield, but spent the greater part of his schooldays in Kent, receiving his musical education at the Kent Junior Music School on Saturday mornings. Subsequently he was a music scholar at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. (M.A., Mus B.). He received some helpful encouragement from Herbert Howells when in the N.Y.O, and won a college prize for a musical composition. For many years he was a violinist, holding positions in various professional orchestras.

 

He has written arrangements and original pieces for the Hallé Brass and Wind Quintets, the Northern Chamber Orchestra and other groups.

Since January 2002 he has written:-

 

DIVERSIONS for Recorder & Guitar (10 mins.)

. SOUND BITES for recorder and piano. (Forsyths)

HINTERLUDES for bassoon and piano. (Phylloscopus).

BRASS TACKS for brass quintet

CONCERTINO for bassoon with Strings, harp and percussion.

[Ist. movement listed for ABRSM grade 8 list B] (Phylloscopus)

THE BROWN IRWELL waltz for Fl. Clart, 2 Horns, 2 vlns. Vla and D.Bass

PITFIELD'S CHESHIRE for soprano, recorder and piano.

FLÛTE-À-BECK (Concerto for recorders, strings and harp). (Peacock Press). CD Dutton Epoch ref CDLX 7154

WIND NONET (on Polish themes). 11 mins., 1fl., 2Obs., 2 "A" Clarts., 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns.

The piece was a delight to play and conduct. As the previously taciturn and morose Principal Oboe said to me after a rehearsal - smiling for the first time - "This Beck is better than Mozart!"

(Conductor Peter Marchbank after the first performance)

 

BAGATELLES FOR STRING QUARTET (1993, rev. 2002)

RECORDER CONCERTO No. 2 (10' 30")

DUETS for Violin and Viola (14' 30")

FOUR FRAGMENTS for Piano (7' 45" approx.)

SONATA FOR SOLO TREBLE RECORDER (13 minutes) (PEACOCK PRESS)

DIVERTIMENTO for Recorder, viola and guitar (12 mins. approx.)

A DUNHAM PASTORALE for descant recorder and piano, (Peacock Press).(6' 01")

"David Beck’s A Dunham Pastorale for recorder and piano is Francophile in orientation whilst the recorder spins an aloofly beautiful line."

(Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International review of CAMPION CAMEO 2044)

 

EIGHTY BARS for viola and piano

FOR A RAG MAN’S LONG AT THE BRINY for sop. rec & piano

FAREWELL TO LOCH NESS for solo piano

STRING QUARTET N0 2 (17 mins.) (now on CD ASC CD 115)

SKELETON for Bass Recorder and Harpsichord (also in a version for Alto Flute with piano) (4 mins.)

AUBADE for organ (3' 33")

SONATINA for treble recorder and harpsichord (10 mins.)

 

FLIGHTS OF FANCY for recorder and harpsichord (8 mins)

 

Recordings of "CAROLS FOR STRINGS", "RAGTIME FOR STRINGS" and "PARTITA FOR STRINGS" are still available on Campion RRCD 1306

 

 

PETITE SUITE (recorder and string quartet) (2005)

CAROL VARIATIONS on a theme by John Turner (descant rec. & string quartet)

 

Clarinet Quartet

SALFORD KEYS for 4 clarinets (10 mins. for 1 E flat, 2 x B flat and 1 Bass)

 

 

π , an irrational number in aldehyde form for symphony orchestra, duration 4' 33"

 

VOCALISES 1 & 2 for wordless sop, vln, rec, oboe, and 'cello.

 

WOOL 'O THE WASP for  Symphony Orch. (7 mins)

 

CHIAROSCURO for String Orchestra (6' 32")

 

WIND QUINTET “Sands of Time” (8 mins)

 

In addition revised versions of some earlier pieces for Brass and Wind quintet have been put onto computer including:-

STRING QUARTET (1962, rev. 2007) Recorded on Campion CAMEO 2071.

FANFARE, FUGUE AND FOOL BRITANNIA (Brass quintet)

TURKISH RONDO, BACH PRELUDE & FUGUE IN A flat, THE ENTERTAINER. (Arrs. for wind quintet)

FOLKS GALLERY. (Wind quintet)

TOCCATA for organ (4 mins.)

AN INTERLUDE [PLOG] for String Orchestra (6' 46")

 

 

Review for the CD “A little music for a few friends” including some pieces by David Beck

 

 

Review for the CD The British Quartet featuring quartets by David Beck, Kevin Malone, Geoffrey Kimpton and Alan Bush

 

 

 

As a result of having to endure much unplayable material as a player Beck prefers not to make outrageous demands on either players or listeners.

 

David Beck has had to own up to being the composer of Diderik Böck's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" performed by Ronald Frost on the 17th. November 2007.

 

tel 0161 976 6608 [outside UK: 00 44 161 976 6608]