Thanks to Malcolm Williamson, the appointment of Master of the Queen’s Music (or King’s, as the case may be) is no longer for life. Since the 17th century, musicians have held the post with the expectation of writing music for important milestones in the lives of the Royal Family and for ceremonial occasions.
When Williamson, an Australian by birth, was named the successor of Sir Arthur Bliss in 1975, there was grumbling among his colleagues. Sir William Walton attributed the choice to the need for “cementing the cracks in the Commonwealth.” He wrote to Sir Malcolm Arnold (who most certainly would have brought his own set of problems) that “they had got the wrong Malcolm.” Arnold, a sporadically brilliant composer, was also a manic depressive (and possibly bipolar) who survived alcoholism and multiple suicide attempts.
Williamson’s great sin was that he was very bad with deadlines (and for that, he certainly has my sympathy). Most particularly, he failed to complete a symphony in time for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1977. His ambitious “Mass for Christ the King,” also written for the occasion, was also delivered late. Significantly, he was the first Master of the Queen’s (or King’s) Music in over a century not to be knighted.
After the Jubilee debacle, his output slowed, though he was seldom unproductive. In all, he wrote seven symphonies, concertos for piano, violin, organ, harp and saxophone, and numerous other orchestral, choral, chamber and instrumental works. Like many of his colleagues, he also composed music for the cinema, for films of varying quality. It’s always amusing to find his name in the opening credits of Hammer productions like “The Brides of Dracula” and “The Horror of Frankenstein.”
Williamson suffered from a series of illnesses in his later years. He too turned to the bottle, and it can only be speculated if depression and the stress of trying to hold his head high as a colonial outsider at the court of England contributed to his decline.
Williamson was the first non-Briton to hold the post. Following his death in 2003, the parameters of the appointment were revised so that Master of the Queen’s Music is now a ten-year term. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies was the first Master to serve under the new guidelines. He was succeeded in 2015 by Judith Weir, the first woman to hold the post (and yes, she is still referred to as “Master”).
It seems to be the case that composers’ reputations are at their lowest in the decade or two following their deaths. In the case of Williamson, he seems to be rebounding nicely in the recording studio, though there remain gaping holes in his discography. Still, it’s possible to sample his symphonies, his concertos, his choral and instrumental works, and even his score for the Carol Reed film (starring Alec Guinness) “Our Man in Havana.”
I know there is at least one other person who visits this page that knows a good deal more about Malcolm Williamson than I, and he is invited to flesh out this account if he so chooses.
Happy birthday, Malcolm Williamson!
Malcolm Williamson in conversation with Bruce Duffie:
http://www.kcstudio.com/williamson2.html
Williamson performs his attractive Piano Concerto No. 2:
A rare recording of his Symphony No. 6:
Theme music for “The Brides of Dracula”:
