Tristram Ogilvie Cary,
OAM (14 May 1925 – 24 April 2008), was a pioneering English-Australian
composer.[1] He was also active as a teacher and music critic.[2][3]
Career
Cary was born in
Oxford, England, and educated at the
Dragon School in Oxford and
Westminster School in London. He was the third son and child of a pianist and the
Ulster-born novelist
Joyce Cary, author of Mister Johnson.[3][4] While working as a radar engineer for the
Royal Navy during World War II, he independently developed his own conception of electronic and tape music, and is regarded as being amongst the earliest pioneers of these musical forms.[2]
Following World War II, he created one of the first electronic music studios, later travelling around Europe to meet the small numbers of other early pioneers of electronic music and composition. He studied arts at the
University of Oxford and went on to study composition, conducting, piano, viola and horn at
Trinity College London.[5]
In 1967 he created an electronic music studio at the
Royal College of Music.[5] This led to an invitation from the
University of Melbourne in 1973 for a lecture tour, which in turn led to an invitation to become the Visiting Composer at the
University of Adelaide in 1974. He remained there as a lecturer until 1986. He also wrote music criticism for The Australian.[5]
Musical works
His concert works of note include a
Sonata for
guitar (1959), Continuum for
tape (1969), a
cantataPeccata Mundi (1972), Contours and Densities at First Hill for
orchestra (1972), a
Nonet (1979),
String Quartet No. 2 (1985) and The Dancing Girls for
orchestra (1991).
Cary was one of the first British composers to work in
musique concrète. In 1967 he created the first electronic music studio of the
Royal College of Music. He built another at his home in
Fressingfield, Suffolk which he transported to Australia when he emigrated there, and incorporated it into the
University of Adelaide where he worked as a lecturer until 1986.[9]
He provided the visual design for the EMS
VCS3 synthesizer.[9]
Peccata Mundi for Chorus, Orchestra, Speaking voice, Four tracks of tape (1972/76),
Contours & Densities at First Hill – Fifteen Landscapes for Orchestra (1976)
The Dancing Girls Four Mobiles for Orchestra (1991)
Sevens Concertino for Yamaha Disklavier and Strings (1991)
Inside Stories for chamber orchestra and prerecorded CD (1993)
The Ladykillers Suite for Orchestra (1955/96)
Chamber/Solo
Sonata for Guitar Alone (1959)
Three Threes and One Make Ten Mixed decet (1961)
Narcissus for Flute and two tape recorders (1968)
Trios for VCS3 Synthesiser and two turntables (1971)
Romantic Interiors for violin, cello and tape (1973)
Family Conference for four clarinets (1981)
Seeds Mixed Quintet (1982)
String Quartet No.2 (1985)
Rivers Four percussionists and two tape recorders (1986)
Black, White & Rose Marimba and tape (1991)
Strange Places Piano solo (1992)
Messages Cello solo (1993)
Through Glass Piano and electronics (1998)
Vocal
Divertimento (1973) – for Olivetti machines, 16 singers and jazz drummer (1973) (10') Commissioned by Olivetti for the opening of a new training centre at Haslemere, England (designed by the world-famous architect James Stirling) as (a) part of a 'Venetian' concert conducted by Cary himself, and (b) the sound track of a film. Described by Cary as "friendly, undemanding music" which nevertheless he was nervous about performing, since the audience was composed of VIPs and included Yehudi Menuhin. The text of the piece consists of cardinal numbers in four languages. The performance: Premiered 21 June 1973 at Haslemere HQ of Olivetti, though the film version had already been previously recorded. Performed again in Adelaide 1974. Cary also extracted a piece from it without vocals – "Tracks from Divertimento" – in 1978. It is published on a disc – "Full Spectrum" (MOVE Records MS3027). The original Haslemere personnel were the Ambrosian Singers and Chris Karan (drums).
Two Nativity Songs from the Piae Cantiones (arr.) (1979)
I Am Here Soprano and Tape (1980)
Earth Hold Songs Soprano and Piano (1993)
Songs for Maid Marian Soprano, Piano (1959/98)
Electroacoustic
For analogue tape
Suite – the Japanese Fishermen (1955)
4 5 – A Study in Limited Resources (1967)
Birth is Life is Power is Death is God is....(1967)
Katya and the Nutcracker: special arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet for a 30' children's animated film (John Cary Films / Minotaur International)
Radio
The Children of Lir (Craig) (1959)
La Machine Infernale (Cocteau) (1960)
The End of Fear (Saurat) (1960)
King Lear (Shakespeare) (1960)
The Flight of the Wild Geese (Dillon) (1961)
The Ballad of Peckham Rye (Spark) (1962) Italia Prize
Oliver, Michael. "Miscellany: Justin Connolly – Jonathan Harvey – Roger Smalley – Anthony Payne – Tristram Cary – Anthony Milner – Christopher Headington – Robin Holloway – David Ellis" in British Music Now: A Guide to the Work of Younger Composers, ed. Lewis Foreman, 1975. London: Paul Elek.
ISBN0-236-30933-1