Sir John Tavener (born 28 January 1944 in London) is an English composer. Image File history File links John_Tavener. ... Image File history File links John_Tavener. ... January 28 is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... The English are an ethnic group associated with England and the English language. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ...

Tavener attended Highgate School and later studied 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. Other works released by Apple included his Celtic Requiem. Highgate School is a famous and prestigious British public school in Highgate, North London. ... The Royal Academy of Music is a music school in London, England and one of the leading music institutions in the world. ... Sir Lennox Berkeley (May 12, 1903 - December 26, 1989) was a British composer. ... See also: 1967 in music, other events of 1968, 1969 in music, 1960s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 4 - Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding. ... The Whale is a dramatic cantata by the English composer John Tavener. ... In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Jonah is the 5th book in a series of books called the Minor Prophets (itself a subsection of the Nevi’im or Prophets). ... The London Sinfonietta is a British chamber orchestra based in London. ... Apple Records logo, featuring a Granny Smith apple. ...

In 1977 Tavener joined the Russian Orthodox Church, remaining in it for two decades. The Orthodox theology and liturgical tradition 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. The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... The Flammarion Woodcut can be taken to illustrate the Gnostics mystical search for spiritual worlds by circumventing the constraints of materialism. ... John Chrysostom (347 - 407) was a notable Christian bishop and preacher from the 4th and 5th centuries in Syria and Constantinople. ...

Later prominent works include The Akathist of Thanksgiving (1988, 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 (subsequently sung at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997). Following Diana, Princess of Wales' death he also composed and dedicated to her memory the piece Eternity's Sunrise, based on poetry by William Blake. Alternate meaning: Cello web browser A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human (Uncropped Version) The cello (also violoncello or cello) is a stringed instrument and part of the violin family. ... Steven Isserlis is one of the most prominent current British cellists. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (frequently abbreviated to LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... A Promenade concert in the Royal Albert Hall, 2004. ... The Lady Diana Frances Spencer (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) (July 1, 1961–August 31, 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. ... William Blake (1807) William Blake (November 28, 1757–August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. ...

Later Tavener left Orthodox Christianity to explore a number of other different religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam. In 2003 he composed the exceptionally large work The Veil of the Temple, based on texts from a number of religions. It is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours.

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 coloristic percussion effects. Olivier Messiaen has also been suggested as a strong influence on his earlier work. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович Страви́нский Igor Fjodorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ... In music, a register is the relative height or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments. ... In Music theory, the diatonic major scale (also known as the Guido scale), from the Greek diatonikos or to stretch out, is a fundamental building block of the European-influenced musical tradition. ... Tonality is a system of writing music according to certain hierarchical pitch relationships around a center or tonic. ... Arvo Pärt (born 11 September Estonian composer, often identified with the school of minimalism. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... Olivier Messiaen. ...

In 2000 John Tavener was knighted for his services to music. The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals personal bravery, achievement or service to the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Classical Net profile
• An interview with Sir John Tavener