Alun Hoddinott

Born in Wales in 1929, Alun Hoddinott spent much of his professional career teaching music at University College, Cardiff. In addition, he founded and directed the Cardiff Festival from 1967 onwards. He rates an unusually full, page-long article in the New Groves and the listing of his compositions takes up another page (and remember: my copy of the New Groves dates from 1980, some 40 years before the guy died!)

He was a prolific composer in his teens, though he subsequently withdrew most of those works: they nevertheless indicate an early fascination with purely instrumental music, rather than inspiration from poetic texts. His clarinet concerto was first performed in 1954 under Barbirolli and brought him significant national attention and attendant commissions. It and other works from around that time are characterised by sinuously chromatic melodies, use of arch structures and palindromes, low-pitched brooding textures which unfold chromatically ever higher.

From the 1960s, serialism began to be featured in his work, but in an idiomatic way that is usually centred upon a key note and strong tonal centre. From the 1970s onwards, he began to write opera, which is said to have lightened and broadened his musical palette.

His output is vast: his opus numbers stretch practically to the 200's. There are ten numbered symphonies; five operas; numerous concertos for various instruments including piano, organ, oboe, clarinet, harp, violin, horn, trumpet, percussion and brass band… even the euphonium; and much else besides.

He died in Swansea, aged 78.

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