David Forshaw (b. 1938) studied with Alan Hoddinott at Cardiff University and recently with Richard Steinitz at Huddersfield University, obtaining respectively a BA, a B Mus (Wales) and an MA ( Huddersfield) .

 

Lancashire born and living in St Helens, he has written works for piano, 'cello, bassoon, double-bass, percussion, brass and concert bands, pieces for

eight clarinets, five double-basses, six-plus flutes, various chamber ensembles, songs, choral works (some including children's voices), four-part anthems, a work for male-voice choir and works for full and string orchestras.

 

In later years he has used his enthusiasm for astronomy as a spark for

several pieces, which include, as well as the ones listed below, 'The

Year of the Comet' for full orchestra; 'Sirius' for vibraphone and metal

percussion'(two players); 'Chiron' for string orchestra; 'Redshift' for

6+ flutes and 'Aspects of Pegasus' for wind quintet.

 

 

 

Latest performances include:-

(1) 'Albireo' for clarinet and piano (Roger Heaton & Stephen Pruslin)

(2) 'Four piano pieces after Charles Messier' (John McCabe)

Both the above are available on CD on (1) ASC CS CD2 and (2) ASC CS CD3

(3) 'From Southern Skies'  Performed by The Fell Quartet

 

 Compositions to Date           

(as at Tuesday, 04 November 2008)

 

1955  ‘Aurora’ (Piano Variations)    10 mins.

1. Four Pieces for Piano
2. The Whistler
3. Scherzo
4. Lament
5. Introduction and Rumba    15 mins.

1958 Cello Sonata No.1     13 mins. R

1959 String Quartet No.1     16 mins. R

1960 Piano Sonatina      7 mins.  Rx2

1961 Piano Concerto (pf & full orchestra)   26 mins (unperformed)

1962 ‘Come down O Love Divine’ (4 pt anthem)  6 mins.

1964 Choral Fantasia on ‘St. Francis’ (2pfs-recs SATB) 7 mins.

1. ‘Carillons’ for chorus & percussion
2. Cortege
3. Parade      12 mins. R

1966 Three Northumbrian Folk songs (pf.ch.bars.Ch choir &SATB

1. Bobby Shaftoe
2. Blow the Wind Southerly
3. Dance to your Daddy    8 mins.

1970 ‘Ad Gaudium’ for full orchestra    8 mins (unperformed)

1971 Three Bagatelles for piano    7 mins.

1974     Epiphany    SATB     2 mins.

1975  Tout en Blanc (piano)     2 mins.

1. ‘Diversions’ for ch. Ensemble (ob,2clts,hn,tpt,tbn,pf,stg 4tet)

20 mins. R

1977 Cello Sonata No.2     18 mins. (unperformed)

1978 ‘Kyrie’ for piano     14 mins. Rx2

1978 ‘Shades of Blue for brass & percussion   6 mins.

1979 ‘A Short Rhapsodic Excursion’ for Bsn & pf  5 mins R

1979 ‘Dialogue’ for bassoon & piano   8 mins. Rx3

1979 ‘Make a Joyful Noise’ (SATB 3tpts, 3 tbns, timps) 6 mins. Rx2

1. ‘Orcadian Calendars’ song cycle (sop,pf & perc.)

(poems by George Mackay Brown) (Da Capo)  

1. The Laird        R
2. A Child’s Calendar
3. The Net
4. Beachcomber
5. Sabbath      40 mins. (only ‘The Laird’ performed as yet)

1981 ‘A King in Bethlehem’ for children’s voices (SSA,SSA,S, sop solo)

       5 mins.

1981 24 Credits for Pilkington Bros. (training films)  40 mins.

1982 ‘Playtime’ for 8 clarinets  (Da Capo)   8 mins. Rx2

1982 ‘Retrospect’ for bassoon & piano   4 mins (unperformed)

1983 ‘Cat’s Meat for voice & piano    2 mins

1983 ‘Miniature Suite’ (3 pieces for guitar)   6 mins (published but unperformed)

1. ‘Contemplation’

‘Rejuvenation’ (2 pieces for flute & piano)  8 mins. (unperformed)

1983 ‘Cataclysm’ (4 pieces for brass)   10 mins

1983 ‘Declamations’ for 2 percussion   13 mins.

1984 ‘Malian’ (Variations for 2 pianos)   15 mins. R

1985 ‘Inter Nos’ for double bass and piano   5 mins. R

1986 ‘The Year of the Comet’ for full orchestra  15 mins. Rx2

1. ‘Elephants Apart…..’ for 1 + 4 double basses

1.A Flight of Hippopotamuses

2.A Wail of Whales

3.A Plinth of Penguins

4.An Academy of Ants

5.A Gigue of Giraffes     12 mins. R

1. ‘Concert Music for a Northern Town’ for Concert Band

15 mins R

1988 ‘Chiron’ – Concert Overture for Strings (Da Capo) 10 mins. R

1. ‘Sirius’ – Duo Concertante for vibraphone and metal percussion instruments

14 mins. R

1988 ‘Towards an Idyllic Summer’ for chamber orchestra (ob,hn,2 perc,vln 1&2, vcl & cb) 12 mins. R

1988 ‘Declamations’ – reworking for solo player  

1989 Festive Fanfare (2fl,2hn,2tpt,2tbn,3perc,timp)  2 mins R

1989/90 Piano Sonata      15 mins. (unperformed)

1990 ‘Four Hands for Two Hands’ (Grade4/5 piano)(Da Capo)

1. Happy Families
2. Snap
3. Patience
4. Chase the Ace     4 mins (recording possible)
5.    ‘Give to the Winds thy Fears’ SATB + k’bd(Da Capo) 4 mins.
6.    ‘Spheres of Glass’ – SATB Ch.Chorus,sop, bar,perc,vcl,clt,tpt,tbn,cb
7. mins R

1992  ‘Redshift ‘ for 6 flutes up to any greater number of players (DaCapo)

1991/2  ‘Blake’s Joy’  - A series of motets for SATB (Da Capo) (unperformed

1. ‘The Angel that Presided’ (processional)
2. ‘Eternity’
3. ‘Infant Joy’
4. ‘The Clod and the Pebble’
5. ‘O Rose, thou art sick’
6. The Angel that Presided (recessional)  c.10 mins. (Performed October 2008) R

1992 ‘Novae- (trio for flutes, clarinets and piano)   c.8 mins.(unperformed)

1992 ‘On our crucified Lord’ (4 pt. Anthem)   c.3 mins.

1993 String Quartet No.2  (Da Capo)   c. 17 mins. (unperformed)

1993 Celtic Benediction I  (SATB- a capella)   1 min.

1993 Celtic Benediction II  Voice and Guitar   1 min.

1993 Celtic Benediction III (soprano and Chamber ensemble) 9 mins. R

1994 Four Piano Pieces after Charles Messier  17 mins. R

1. ‘Late Joys’ for 5 part male voice choir to poems by Vera Chedburn (Da Capo)
2. Late Joys
3. Ce que tu es pour moi
4. When I am old     5 mins R

1995 ‘Jesus rode a Donkey’ (SATB + Kb’d)  2 mins

1996 ‘Albireo’ (clt and pf) (Da Capo)   12 mins. R

1996 ‘The Owl’ (sop & pf) poem K.Collier   2 mins

1996 ‘Horse’ (sop & pf) poem K.Collier   6 mins.

1996 ‘Aspects of Pegasus’ wind quintet (Da Capo) 8 mins. R

1996 ’13 ways of looking at a Blackbird’ (recorder & pf) (Forsyths) R

10 mins

1997 ‘Whales’ (sop& pf) poem K.Collier   3 mins.

1998 ‘Sun Dance’ –solo trumpet    5 mins R

1. ‘In 3’ for oboe, clarinet and tuba   (rehearsed but unperformed in public)
2. 3 Step
3. 3’s a Crowd
4. 3 as a Bird      8 mins
5. ‘13 ways of looking at a Blackbird’

rearranged for recorder and String Quartet (Forsyths) 10 mins. R

1999    ‘Agnus Dei’ (SATB)     2 mins.

1999  ‘Whales’ (a re-working) for mezzo-sop, viola and harp

       4 mins

1. ‘The Twelve days of Christmas’ (a new setting for SATB and Piano)

6 mins.

2000    Three Millennium Part Songs (SATB)    10 mins R

(Poems by Peter Summers)

1. Millennium Yesterday
2. Millennium Today
3. Millennium Tomorrow
4. Perspectives for Brass band
5. Perspectives I
6. Perspectives II
7. Perspectives III      16mins (computer recording - Rehearsed)

2000    Take with you now… (Communion dismissal)

(words by Peter Summers)    2 mins

1. Wedding Present for Paul & Kate (organ)  5mins

(Epithalamion)

2001 I got a Robe (Spiritual arr. for SATB + acc.)  5 mins

2001 ‘Giverny’ (sop.& pf)  (poem: K Collier)  3 mins (unperformed)

2002 ‘As the days go by’ SATB + organ   2 mins

2002    ‘Sky Baby’ SATB + K’bd (poem by Peter Summers)    5 mins

2002    ‘The Edge’  two hymn settings of poem by David Redrobe       6 mins (unperformed)

2002    ‘HBTYD’ for scratch ensemble    2 mins

2002 ‘In the Main Sequence’ (recorder and guitar)` (Peacock Press) 6 mins (performed Manchester 2007)

2003     ‘Fauna’ – a reworking of three songs for baritone and piano

1. The Owl

2. Whale Song

3. Horse      11 mins. R

2003 Piano Trio      12 mins. (unperformed)

2003   Two Czech Carols (voice and piano)   4 mins.

2004 Into the Light (Strings)     10 mins. R

2004   ‘From Southern Skies’ for tuba quartet (Tubalate)

        [also for clarinet quartet]

1. Lupus

2. Pavo

3. Musca

4. Dorado      11 minutes  

2004  ‘Star of Light’  (SATB +pf)      2 minutes

2004   ‘Now, amid the starlit night’ (SATB + pf)    2 minutes

2004  ‘Gloria’        1 minute

2005    Planet Dances (Chamber. Orch)   22 mins. ( performed May 2006)

1. Terrestrial Tango

2. Saturnine Sarabande

3. Martian Minuet

4. Jovian Jig

 

2005  ‘Still, the dark lies over Bethlehem’ SATB + organ 3 minutes (performed by Liverpool Cathedral choir Dec. 2006 – Jan. 2007) (R)

2006 Sonatina for oboe and piano    10 minutes (unperformed)

2006 Paean for Palm Sunday (SATB + organ)  1 min 10 secs. (unperformed)

2007    Dark Blue; Light Blue (wind band)   6 minutes (unperformed) commissioned by King Edward’s school

2007  ‘The Sun Beats on the Desert Air’  (SATB + pf)  2 mins.

2007  ‘He’s coming for us!  (SATB + pf)   2 mins (unperformed)

2007   ‘Praise God for Mary’s Joy’ SATB(text CV Smith)  2 ½ mins

2007  ‘The Rose’ (John Cournos) sop and recorder  6 mins (unperformed)

2007  ‘Wind and Silver’ (Amy Lowell) sop and recorder)         2+ mins.(    “    )

2008 ‘Irradiations’  (John Gould Fletcher) sop and recorder 4 mins   (    “    )

2008 ‘Still Point’(R.S.Thomas) voice and pf   2 mins  (    “    )

2008  ‘Shades of Blues’ (accordion)     

 1. Out of the Blues

2. The Blue of the Night

3. Blue Seven      11 mins (performed October 2008)

 

In preparation:-

‘In three for two’ – a short waltz for recorder and guitar

Cosmic Fragments for piano

2009 'From Southern Skies' rewritten for clarinet quartet. Performed by The Fell Quartet June 2009  (13 minutes)

 

2009 ' Shadow over Parinacota' for orchestra, Arts Council Commission. To be performed on November 28th 2009 by the St. Helens Sinfonietta  (12 minutes)

 

 

All items have received a performance unless marked otherwise.

There are several in situ recordings of the above, marked ‘R’ and commercial recordings of  ‘Albireo’ (Roger Heaton clt., Stephen Pruslin pf.); Four Piano Pieces after Charles Messier (John McCabe); ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’ (John Turner (recorder) and the Manchester Camerata); ‘The Owl, ‘Whale Song’ and ‘Horse’ (Mark Rowlinson (bar.) Peter Lawson (pf.); ‘Into the Light’ (Manchester Camerata) and ‘Still the dark lies over Bethlehem’ (Liverpool Cathedral Choir). Pieces principally for piano are marked in red.

 

      

 

 

 

tel 01744 600630 [outside UK: 00 44 1744 600630]

Skype user name: david.forshaw2