Gibbs: Songs

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Cat No: 8223458

Release Date: 31 March 2000

Label: Marco Polo

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 4891030234581

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: GIBBS

Description
CecilArmstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) Dr.Cecil Armstrong Gibbs was born in 1889 at Great Baddow in Essex. He was educated at Winchester College and then moved on to Trinity College, Cambridge with a HistoryExhibition. He studied music there under E.J. Dent and Charles Wood. CliveCarey, Cyril Rootham, Arthur Bliss, Steuart Wilson and W. Denis Browne wereamong his friends in the Cambridge University Musical Society. Havingturned away from the family soap business of D. & W. Gibbs and beingneither a first class organist or pianist he believed that a career in musicwas unrealistic, though composition was his first love. He therefore opted forteaching at his old preparatory school, The Wick at Brighton. There he traineda boys' choir and wrote several settings of Walter de la Mare's poems including'Five Eyes' and 'Song of Shadows'. They became life-long friends; de la Marewrote 'Crossings', a fairy play for the school to perform. Gibbs wrote theincidental music, Dent produced the play and the young Adrian Boult conducted.The play had two West End performances with the composer at the piano. Boultpersuaded Gibbs to give up teaching and to spend a year at the Royal College ofMusic, generously offering to pay the fees. Here he studied under Vaughan Williamsfor composition and Boult for conducting. Hejoined the staff of the Royal College of Music in 1921 and served there until1939 as teacher of harmony and composition. Besideswriting a large number of songs in this early period he also composed severalstring quartets and music for plays by Maeterlinck, Clifford Bax and A.P.Herbert which were staged in London theatres. In1923 he began a long career in adjudicating at competitive festivals, becomingVice-Chairman of the movement in 1937. This work was a great joy to him untilhe was forced to give it up in 1952 due to ill-health. Hemoved to Westmorland in 1939 and played a big part in keeping music alive thereduring the war. He continued to write many cantatas, choral ballads, part-songsand orchestral works including the 'Westmorland' symphony and a cantata 'Beforedaybreak', words by Gordon Bottomley. His major choral symphony 'Odysseus' hadmissed a performance at the Albert Hall with the Royal Choral Society in 1939because of the war. After the war he moved back to Essex and continued tocompose songs for choirs and soloists besides writing orchestral andinstrumental music. In1951 he was Chairman of the Selection Committee in the National Music Festivalat the Festival Hall. His song 'The Listeners' was commissioned for Male VoiceChoirs. Fromthe 1930s he had collaborated closely with the poet Mordaunt Currie who wrotethe words for 'Odysseus' and the cantata 'Deborah and Barak' besides the lyricsfor many songs. In the 1950s he worked with the writer Benedict Ellis inseveral choral works including 'Behold The Man' and 'The Turning Year'. Hedied on May 12, 1960 leaving over 100 solo songs, about 150 part-songs
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