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Christopher Bowers-Broadbent (born 13 January 1945) is an English organist and composer.
Biography
Christopher Bowers-Broadbent was born on 13 January 1945.
He was a chorister in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge under Boris Order, and went on to study organ and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was taught by Arnold Richardson and Richard Rodney Bennett. His made his debut at the Camden Festival in 1966; his first major recitals were at the St Albans International Organ Festival in 1969 and the Royal Festival Hall in 1971. His first appearance as a soloist was at the Proms in 1972. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) and was Professor of Organ there from 1973 to 1992, where his students included Kevin Bowyer.
He has recorded CDs as an organist, and with the Hilliard Ensemble. He has also appeared with Paul Hillier's Theatre of Voices. Arvo Pärt's Puzzle was written for him in celebration of his birthday. He has composed a great deal of vocal music, as well as instrumental and orchestral works.
He holds the posts of organist and choirmaster of Gray's Inn, in London, one of the four Inns of Court, and was for over 50 years organist at the West London Synagogue. He was also organist and choirmaster at St Pancras New Church for many years.
Christopher Bowers-Broadbent is the father of musician Harry Broadbent.
Compositions
Choral
- 1968 Four Lovescapes, canticles (E. E. Cummings)
- 1972 Worthy is the Lamb, cantata
- 1974 The Hollow Man (T. S. Eliot)
- 1975 Rhymes without Reason, four songs (Mervyn Peake)
- 1976 The Story of Cars, a short cantata
- 1978 Deo Gratias, a motet
- 1981 The Quarry, a short cantata (W. H. Auden)
- 1989 Jubilate-Cantate
- 1999 Holy Communion service for Gray's Inn
Canticles
Evening canticles
- 1968 Festal setting
- 1968 Lenten setting
- 1976 in Two Parts
- 1988 Ex-St Pancras
Morning canticles
- 1972 Te Deum (ICET text)
- 1975 Te Deum
- 1971 Short communion service
- 1973 Communion Service (Series III text)
- 1981 A New Benedicite (Leonard Clark)
Anthems
- 1965 2 Short Motets
- 1966 Brief life
- 1968 No time ago
- 1968 Offer your very selves
- 1968 Into this world of sorrow
- 1969 Virgin Born
- 1969 Music to Hear
- 1969 Pleasure it is
- 1969 The way to Life
- 1970 Pater noster
- 1970 Except the Lord
- 1970 Let thy merciful ears
- 1971 I thank you God
- 1976 The grace of God
- 1977 There is water in the river
- 1995 Yiheyu leratson
- 1994 The Elixir
- 1994 Hail bright Cecilia
- 1996 Since I
- 1997 Hashivenu
- 1997 Office Hymns
- 1997 All praise
- 1997 Az Yashir Mosheh (Song of Moses)
Christmas music
- 1963/1970 Sleep Holy Babe
- 1965 Matin Responsory
- 1971 A spotless rose
- 1973 There is no rose
- 1977 If Christ were born in Camden (A. F. Bayly)
- 1978 If Christ were born in London
- 1984 A Christmas Litany (Fred Kaan)
- 1985 A Christmas Song (Laurence Housman)
- 1991 Angelus ad Virginem
- 1999 As with gladness
- 2002 Alleluia: A new work is come on hand
Instrumental
- 1966 Dialogue and Controversy for brass and organ
- 1967 Serenatas for oboe
- 1967 Dogmas for brass quartet and timpani
- 1968 Duo for flute and violin
- 1970 3 Duets for flute
- 1970 Fantasia for lute
- 1975 Little Concerto for oboe and string orchestra
- 1979 Piece for E-flat clarinet
- 2000 A Ship bound for Tarshish for chamber orchestra
- 2001 The Song at the Sea for organ, strings and timpani
Organ
- 1964 Variations
- 1966 Four Diversions
- 1968 Six Pieces
- 1968 Serenata
- 1994 PreluDDe
- 1996 Media vita – a sequence of short pieces
- 1996 Duets and canons – a sequence of short pieces (recorded by Kevin Bowyer)
- 1997 Ya Shema
- 2000 Organ Notebook 1
- 2002 7 Words – a piece in 7 movements
Chamber operas
- 1972 The Pied Piper (a children's opera) – libretto by Jeremy Hornsby
- 1979 The Seacock Bane (for teenagers) – libretto by Tony Vincent Isaacs
- 1982 The Last Man (a comic opera) – libretto by Tony Vincent Isaacs
Songs and incidental music
- 1969 The Becauseway a play by Wesley Burrowes
- 1971 And All The People Rejoiced a play by Wesley Burrowes
- 1982 The Three Brothers a story for shadow puppets by Jessica Souhami
References
- "Notice de personne: Bowers-Broadbent, Christopher (1945–...)". Bibliothèque nationale de France: Catalogue général. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Organist". Gray's Inn. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- 20th-century English classical composers
- 21st-century English classical composers
- Academics of the Royal Academy of Music
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music
- Composers for pipe organ
- English male opera composers
- Living people
- 1945 births
- 20th-century English male musicians
- 21st-century English male musicians
- Choristers of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge