Malcolm Arnold

Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold

Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England,^[1] the youngest of five children from a prosperous Northampton family of shoemakers. Although shoemakers, his family was full of musicians; both of his parents were pianists, and his aunt was a violinist. His great great grandfather was the composer William Hawes, a choirmaster at the Chapel Royal.^[3] After seeing Louis Armstrong play in Bournemouth, he took up the trumpet at the age of 12,^[1] and five years later won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music (R.C.M.).

At the RCM he studied composition with Gordon Jacob^[4] and the trumpet with Ernest Hall. In 1941, he joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra^[4] (LPO) as second trumpet and became principal trumpet in 1943.

In 1941 he registered as a conscientious objector, and was initially exempted from military service conditional upon joining the National Fire Service, but in the event he was allowed to continue in the LPO. In 1944, after his brother in the Royal Air Force had been killed, he volunteered for military service. When the army put him in a military band he shot himself in the foot to get back to civilian life; he remained in touch with the CO movement, giving a trumpet recital at the 1946 New Year party of the Central Board for Conscientious Objectors.^[5] After a season as principal trumpet with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he returned in 1946 to the London Philharmonic,^[1] where he remained until 1948, leaving to become a full-time composer.^[4]

Career

Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by the age of 30 his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain.^{[citation needed]} His natural melodic gift earned him a reputation as a composer of light music in works such as some of his concert overtures and the sets of Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish and Cornish dances.^{[citation needed]}

He was also a highly successful composer of film music, penning the scores to over a hundred features and documentaries, including titles such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, Hobson's Choice and the St Trinian's series.^[1] His nine symphonies are often deeply personal and show a more serious side to his work, which has proved more controversial. ^[why?] Arnold also wrote a variety of concertos and chamber works, as well as music for the theatre including major ballets.^[1]

Later years and death

By 1961, Arnold had a reputation for being unpleasant, frequently drunk and highly promiscuous. He divorced his first wife in that year. His second wife took out a court order after they separated. After their divorce, he made two suicide attempts.^[1]

His later years saw a decline in both his health and his finances. In 1978, he was treated as an in-patient for several months in the acute psychiatric ward at the

Between 1979 and 1986 he was formally in the care of the Court of Protection. However despite this, and being given only a year to live in the early 1980s, he recovered and lived for 22 more years, albeit with a carer, Anthony Day. In this period he completed his Ninth and final symphony in 1986.^[1]

By the time of his 70th birthday in 1991 his artistic reputation with the general public was recovering and he was even able to enjoy a triumphant appearance on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall to receive an ovation after a Proms performance of his Guitar Concerto.^[6][7]

Arnold died at the

A dispute was fought out between Day and members of Arnold's family over the royalties of Arnold's Ninth Symphony. Day was granted rights, having been left a substantial part of Arnold's estate.^[8]

Music

Arnold was a relatively conservative composer of

The following year he conducted the premiere of Lord's Gemini Suite with Deep Purple and the Light Music Society at the Royal Festival Hall and in 1971 conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the studio recording of Gemini Suite with various rock soloists.^[13]

Since the 1980s there have been frequent concerts and festivals dedicated to his music. In October of each year there is a Malcolm Arnold Festival in his birthplace Northampton, currently directed by the Chairman of the Malcolm Arnold Society - Paul Harris. On 3 September 2010 the Malcolm Arnold Academy, a secondary school in Northampton, was opened; while in September 2014 the new Malcolm Arnold Preparatory Free School was opened.^[14]

As of 2020^[update], the fate of an archive of material relating to the period between 1979 and 1986, when Arnold was in the care of the Court of Protection, is in question. Because the archive contains personal information, its current holders, the Ministry of Justice, have always refused access to it and wish to destroy it. Arnold's daughter, Katherine Arnold, and others have appealed for it to be retained and transferred to the National Archives.^[7] In a written answer to John Hayes MP on 17 November 2020, John Whittingdale, Minister of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, stated that the fate of the records was under discussion between the Ministry of Justice, the National Archives and the Court of Protection, and that they were "not at imminent risk of destruction."^[15]

Honours and awards

• 1937 – won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music
• 1941 –
  Cobbett Competition
  , 2nd prize for Vita Abundans
• 1948 – awarded scholarship by the Royal Academy of Music's Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation
• 1951 – Venice Film Festival 1st prize in the music documentary class for Science in the Orchestra
• 1958 – won
  Academy Award for the music to The Bridge on the River Kwai
• 1959 – Ivor Novello Award for the music to The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
• 1969 – Honorary Doctorate, University of Exeter
• 1969 – created a
  Gorseth Kernow, taking the Bardic name
  Trompour ('Trumpeter').
• 1970 – appointed a Commander (CBE) of the Order of the British Empire
• 1982 – Honorary Doctorate,
  University of Durham
• 1983 – Fellowship of the Royal College of Music, London
• 1984 – Honorary Doctorate, University of Leicester
• 1985 – Honorary Member, Royal Academy of Music, London
• 1986 – Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Services to British Music
• 1987 – Wavendon AllMusic Composer of the Year
• 1989 – Honorary Doctorate, Miami University of Ohio
• 1989 – Freedom of the Borough of Northampton
• 1992 – Fellowship of the
  Trinity College of Music
  , London
• 1993 – knighted for services to music
• 1994 – Honorary President,
  Victoria College of Music, London
• 1997 – Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
• 2001 – Fellowship of the
  British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
• 2003 – Honorary Doctorate, University of Winchester
• 2004 – Distinguished Musician Award,
  Incorporated Society of Musicians
• 2006 – Honorary Doctorate, University of Northampton

Bibliography

• Anthony, Meredith (2022). Malcolm Arnold: The Inside Story. London: The Book Guild Ltd.
  ISBN 978 1914471490
  .
• Burton-Page, Piers (1994). Philharmonic Concerto: The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold. London: Methuen.
  ISBN 978-0-413-45651-9
  .
• Cole, Hugo (1989). Malcolm Arnold: An Introduction to His Music. London: Faber & Faber.
  ISBN 978-0571100712
  .
• Craggs, Stewart R. (1998). Malcolm Arnold: A Bio-Bibliography. Bio Bibliographies in Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
  ISBN 978-0-313-29254-5
  .
• Jackson, Paul R. (2003). The Life and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold: The Brilliant and the Dark. UK: Ashgate.
  ISBN 978-1859283813
  .
• Meredith, Anthony; Paul Harris (24 September 2004). Malcolm Arnold: Rogue Genius. UK: Thames / Elkin.
  ISBN 978-0-903413-54-1
  .
• Poulton, Alan (1986). The Music of Malcolm Arnold: A Catalogue. UK: Thames / Elkin.
  ISBN 0571-100570
  .
• Poulton, Alan (29 January 2021). Malcolm Arnold – Catalogue of Works. UK: Malcolm Arnold Society.
  ISBN 979-8701911244
  .
• Poulton, Alan (28 April 2021). Rooted in Northampton: The Arnolds and the Haweses: Malcolm Arnold's family tree. UK: Malcolm Arnold Society.
  ISBN 979-8745128936
  .
• Schafer, (Raymond) Murray (1963). British Composers in Interview. UK: Faber & Faber.
• ISBN 978-3-937748-06-1
  .