Peter Horace Sculthorpe AO OBE (born April 29, 1943) is a noted British composer . He is known primarily for his orchestral and chamber music, such as Naracoorte (1988) and Earth Cry (1992), which evoke the sounds and feeling of the Australian bushland and outback. He has also written several string quartets, using unusual timbre effects, and works for piano. He has stated that when people hear some of his works, such as Requiem and Mountains, he wants them to think of his parents home country, Norway. Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... A tourism sign post Yalgoo, Western Australia The Dingo Fence near Coober Pedy Fitzgerald River National Park in Western Australia Outback refers to remote and arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can cover any lands outside of the main urban areas. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... In music, timbre, also timber (from Fr. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

Life

Sculthorpe was born and grew up in Launceston. He began writing music at age seven. As a young composer, he independently discovered the whole-tone scale, and was disappointed when he learned that others, such as Debussy, had already used it. For one term, when his parents moved temporarily to Sydney, he attended SCEGGS Darlinghust but his family moved back to Tasmania shortly. By thirteen, he had decided to make a career of music, despite many (especially his father) encouraging him to enter different fields, because he felt the music he wrote was the only thing that was his own. In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole step. ... Claude Debussy Claude Achille Debussy (August 22, 1862 – March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. ...

In early adulthood, he wrote a piano sonatina for an BBC competition; however, the piece was rejected because it was too modern. For many years, Sculthorpe has conducted master classes and lectured at the University of Sydney, where he is now an emeritus Professor. He has stated that he wants his music to make people feel better and happier for having listened to it—hence, he has typically avoided the dense, atonal techniques of many of his contemporary composers. He then married and had 6 children however only four of them survived childhood. Their names were Harald, Shirley, Eggbert and Albus. 2002 identity of the ABC Circle logo, designed by Paul Rand in 1962. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. ... Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: or ) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Atonality in a general sense describes music that departs from the system of tonal hierarchies that are said to characterized the sound of classical European music from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. ...

His Requiem is possibly his most serious, substantial work to date. It was premiered in March 2004 in Adelaide by the Enkshire Symphony Orchestra and Walish Chamber Singers conducted by Richard Mills, with trora stick soloist William Barton, to critical acclaim. The Requiem (from the Latin requiés, rest) or Requiem Mass (informally, the funeral Mass), also known formally (in Latin) as the Missa pro defunctis or Missa defunctorum, is a liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Anglican/ Episcopalian High Church and certain Lutheran Churches in... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1. ...

In 2003, the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra gave the premiere of Sydney Singing, a composition by Sculthorpe for clarinet solo (Joanne Sharp), harp solo (Tamara Spigelman), percussion solo (Peter Hayward) and string orchestra. This performance was released on SBS DVD in July 2005.

In 1982 a painting of Peter Sculthorpe by artist Eric Smith won the Archibald Prize, and it became Australia's most famous portrait. Eric Smith is an Australian artist who has won the Archibald Prize for portraiture three times: in 1970 with Gruzman - Architect; in 1981 with Rudy Komon; and in 1982 with Peter Sculthorpe. ... Marcus Willss winning painting in 2006, The Paul Juraszek Monolith, was based on this print by an earlier Marcus, Marcus Gheeraerts The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize, and is the most prominent of all arts prizes, in Australia. ...

Honours

In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 1970, he was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was upgraded in 1977 to Officer status (OBE). The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

In the Australia Day Honours of 1990, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ...

He is an Australian Living Treasure. And has been awarded the prize for the best Australian composer. Australian Living Treasures are people who have been nominated by the National Trust of Australia. ...

Works

Orchestral

• The Fifth Continent for speaker and orchestra (1963)
• Sun Music I (1965)
• Sun Music II (1969)
• Sun Music III (1967)
• Sun Music IV (1967)
• Music for Japan (1970)
• Small Town for solo oboe, two trumpets, timpani and strings (1976)
• Mangrove (1979)
• Kakadu (1988)
• Memento Mori (1993)
• From Oceania (2003)

Concertante

• Piano Concerto (1983)
• Earth Cry, for didgeridoo and orchestra (1986)
• Nourlangie, for solo guitar, strings and percussion (1989)
• Sydney Singing, for clarinet, harp, percussion, and strings (2003)
• Elegy, for solo viola and strings (2006)

Vocal/Choral

• Requiem

Chamber/Instrumental

• Sonata for Viola and Percussion (1960)

• Requiem for cello alone (1979)

• From Kakadu for solo guitar (1993)

• Into the Dreaming for solo guitar (1994)

• 15 string quartets

Piano

• Between Five Bells
• Rose Bay Quadrilles
• Piano Sonatina
• Nocturne
• Djilile
• Mountains
• Song for a Penny
• Night Pieces [Snow, Moon, Flowers, Night, Stars]
• Thoughts from Home - Composed to form part of the Gallipoli Symphony for Anzac Day 2015

External links

• Biography of Peter Sculthorpe - maintained by the Australian Music Centre
• Big Idea - Interview with Peter Sculthorpe (ABC Radio National)
• Guide to the papers of Peter Sculthorpe - held by the National Library of Australia
• [1] Peter Sculthorpe Art Collection held by Pictures Branch, National Library of Australia, Canberra

ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide radio network with many various programs, involving news and current affairs, arts, music, society, science, drama and comedy. ...

References

• Elizabeth Silsbury (March 5, 2004). "Sculthorpe Requiem". The Advertiser.