Sir Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006)

Is there another contemporary composer whose music is as accessible as it is rewarding, as entertaining as it is thought-provoking? Of course, he has his detractors because his writing is resolutely tonal and actually contains tunes - not fashionable at all. And, dash it, the fellow writes film music – so he can’t possibly be taken altogether seriously.

Born Northampton, October 21, 1921; died September 23, 2006

Malcolm Arnold was born into a musical family but it was Louis Armstrong who inspired him to take up the trumpet at the age of twelve. By 21 he was principal trumpet of the London Philharmonic, a post he led on and off between 1942 and 1948. He then abandoned life in an orchestra to devote himself to writing for one. His versatility has led him to write for almost every medium, most notably for the cinema where his scores include Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Sound Barrier, Whistle Down the Wind, The Angry Silence, Tunes of Glory, The Heroes of Telemark and, most memorably, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The latter, which won him an Academy Award, revitalised Kenneth Alford’s 1914 march Colonel Bogey.

Arnold had his personal problems – his unashamedly autobiographical Eighth Symphony depicts a suicide attempt – but the range of his work, its superb craftsmanship (he studied with Gordon Jacob and is one of the most skilful of living orchestrators), coupled with his gift for melody and pungent rhythms, will ensure that more of his work survives than that of many of his contemporaries.

Arnold studied with Jacob at the Royal College of Music, London, and in 1941 joined the LPO as a trumpeter, leaving in 1948 to devote himself to composition. His most important works are orchestral (nine symphonies, 1951-82; numerous light and serious pieces). His language is diatonic, owing something to Walton and Sibelius, and the scoring is dramatically brilliant, Berlioz being his acknowledged model. A fluent, versatile composer, he wrote scores for nearly 100 films. Perhaps because of his long involvement in films, Arnold never wrote a full-length opera. He claimed never to have found the ideal subject or librettist. By all accounts, though, despite his lack of formal education, he was exceptionally well-read, and it is possible that far from being insensitive to words he was if anything over-responsive.

Key works

Concerto for Piano Duet and Strings, Op 32a. Concerto for Two Pianos, Three Hands, and Orchestra, Op 104a. Beckus the Dandipratt, Op 5. Fantasy on a Theme of John Field, Op 116 Philip Dyson; Kevin Sargent Naxos 8 570531

Overtures – Anniversary Overture. Beckus the Dandipratt. The Fair Field. A Flourish for Orchestra. A Grand, Grand Festival Overture. Peterloo. Robert Kett. The Smoke. A Sussex Overture. Tam O’Shanter BBC Philharmonic / Rumon Gamba Chandos CHAN10293

Homage to the Queen, Op 42a – Ballet Suite Rinaldo and Armida, Op 49. Little Suite No 2, Op 78. Organ Concerto, Op 47 Royal Aarhus Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra / Douglas Bostock Classico CLASSCD424

Symphonies – No 1, Op 22; No 2, Op 40 LSO / Richard Hickox Chandos CHAN9335

Symphonies – No 7, Op 113; No 8, Op 124; No 9, Op 128. Oboe Concerto, Op 39 LSO / Richard Hickox Chandos CHAN9385

String Quartets – No 1, Op 23; No 2, Op 118. Phantasy for String Quartet, ‘Vita abundans’ Maggini Quartet Naxos 8 557762

Arnold Two Piano Pieces – Prelude; Romance. Piano Sonata. Variations on a Ukrainian Folksong Lambert Elegiac Blues. Elegy. Piano Sonata. Suite in Three Movements Mark Bebbington Somm New Horizons SOMMCD062

Arnold in the Archive

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