Elizabeth Maconchy (1907–1994)
Elizabeth
Maconchy was a composer of great versatility and unfailing integrity,
amply deserving of a British critic’s description of her as "one of the
most substantial composers these islands have yet produced". Born to
Irish parents in Hertfordshire, she grew up in rural Ireland, playing
the piano and writing music from the age of six. She studied at the
Royal College of Music with Vaughan Williams, who remained a lifelong
friend; but she was attracted less by English pastoralism than by the
central European modernism of Bartók and Janáček, and she completed her
studies with K.B. Jirák in Prague. After her return to England, her
career was launched by the successful premiere of her suite The Land
under Sir Henry Wood in the 1930 Proms season; this was followed by
performances of her music at the pioneering Macnaghten-Lemare Concerts
and in several European cities. In the post-war era, Maconchy was
greatly in demand as a composer amongst the leading professional
ensembles, orchestras and soloists of the day, whilst also writing for
amateurs and students, and was recognised as a leader of her
profession. While Maconchy’s musical language evolved over the
years, her works always enshrined her conception of music as "an
intellectual art, a balanced and reasoned statement of ideas, an
impassioned argument, an intense but disciplined expression of
emotion". She used these words in explaining her attachment to the
medium of the string quartet, which resulted in an outstanding sequence
of thirteen quartets, spanning more than fifty years. They dominate her
catalogue of chamber music, though complemented by many other
beautifully fashioned chamber and instrumental works, large and small.
Similarly, works for strings are prominent in the list of her
orchestral works; but there are also pieces for full orchestra,
including a couple written for young performers without any
watering-down of their language, and a number of concertante works, all
perfectly suited to their solo instrument or instruments. Maconchy’s
dramatic instincts found expression in a sharply contrasting triptych
of modestly scaled one-act operas, and equally in the ambitious cantata
Héloďse and Abelard for soloists, chorus and orchestra. Choral music on
a smaller scale includes several imaginatively conceived works for
mixed chorus with chamber ensemble. And the lyrical side of her musical
personality comes to the fore in her writing for solo voice, with
piano, chamber orchestra and, in the ravishing late cycle My Dark
Heart, ensemble. All in all, then, there are few areas of the
repertoire which have not been enriched by Elizabeth Maconchy’s music,
and there is much in her output which urgently awaits rediscovery by a
new generation of performers and listeners.- Anthony Burton/Chester Novello
COMPOSITIONS Maconchy Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Maconchy on Maconchy
Suite, E minor, string orchestra (1924)
There is a lady sweet and kind, voice and piano (1924-25)
Fantasy, flute, harp and string orchestra (1926, lost)
Elegy, flute, horn and string orchestra (1926, lost)
My sweet sweeting, voice and piano (1926)
The Call, voice and piano (1926)
Ophelia's Song, voice and piano (1926)
Martin said to this man, voice and piano (c. 1926)
O mistress mine, voice and piano (c. 1926)
There were three ravens, voice and piano (c. 1926)
Andante and Allegro, flute and string orchestra (1926-27)
Violin Sonata, violin and piano (1927)
All the Flowers, voice and piano (1927)
Harp Song of the Dane Women, voice and harp (1927)
Fantasy for Children, small orchestra (1927-28)
Theme and Variations, orchestra (1928)
Conceno (Concertino), piano and chamber orchestra (1928; rev. 1929-30)
A Meditation for his Mistress, voice and piano (1928)
The Land, suite after V. Sackville-West poem, orchestra (1929)
String Quintet, 2 violins, 2 violas and cello (1929)
Have you seen but a bright lily grow?, voice and piano (1929)
In Fountain Court, voice and piano (c. 1929)
Symphony, orchestra (1929-30, withdrawn)
Suite, chamber orchestra (1930, withdrawn)
The Woodspurge, voice and piano (1930)
The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, chorus and orchestra (1930-31, withdrawn)
The Willow Plate, dramatic work in 3 parts (1931, incomplete)
Two Motets (A Hymn to Christ; A Hymn to God the Father, double chorus (1931)
Deborah, 2 solo voices, double chorus and orchestra (1930s)
Six Short Pieces, violin and piano (1930s)
Oboe Quintet, ob, 2 violins, viola and cello (1932)
Comedy Overture, orchestra (1932-33)
Great Agrippa, ballet (1933)
String Quartet No. 1 (1933)
Prelude, Interlude and Fugue, 2 violins (1934)
The Thrush, voice and piano (1934)
Little Red Shoes, ballet (1935, withdrawn)
Divertissement, 12 instruments (1935)
Toccata, piano (1935)
The Arab, voice and piano (1935)
String Quartet No. 2 (1936)
Viola Concerto (1937, withdrawn)
Five Pieces, viola (1937, lost)
How Samson bore away the gates of Gaza, voice and piano (1937)
Sleep brings no joy to me, voice and piano (1937)
I made another song, voice and piano (c. 1937)
Viola Sonata, viola and piano (1937-38, withdrawn)
The Mothers, female chorus (1938)
String Quartet No. 3 (1938)
Impromptu: Fantasia for One Note, piano (1938)
How Samson bore away the gates of Gaza, soprano/tenor and orchestra (1938) [rev. of song, 1937]
The Garland: Variations on a Theme (4 songs) voice and piano (1938) [text: from the Anacreontica; trans. by William LeFanu]
The People Advance, baritone and chorus (1939) [episode 9 of "Music and the People", collab. w/11 other composers]
The Ribbon in Her Hair, chorus and piano (1939)
A Country Town, suite, piano (1939) [arr. A County Town: 8 Short Pieces, string quartet, 1950]
Puck Fair, ballet, 2 pianos (1939-40; orchd Boyle, c. 1948; composer's revision of orchd version, c. 1953)
- Suite (from Puck Fair, ballet), orchestra (1943)
- Two Dances from Puck Fair (ballet), orchestra (1950)
The Winkle Woman, mezzo-soprano and piano (1940) [text: Eamonn Clifford]
Dialogue, piano and orchestra (1940-41)
Dies irae, countertenor, chorus and orchestra (1940-41, withdrawn)
Contrapuntal Pieces, piano (c. 1941)
The Disillusion, voice and piano (1941)
Sailor's Song of the Two Balconies, voice and piano (1941)
String Quartet No. 4 (1939-42)
Variations on a Well-Known Theme, orchestra (1942)
The Shark and the Whale (topical song for children), unison voices and piano (1942)
Divertimento, cello and piano (1941-43)
Theme and Variations, string orchestra (1942-43)
Howe ye, chorus and orchestra (1943)
By the Waters of Babylon, chorus and orchestra (1943?)
The Voice of the City, women's chorus and piano (1943)
Violin Sonata, violin and piano (1943)
A Song of Freedom, male chorus (1944)
Pioneers of Rochdale, unison/mixed voices and piano (1944)
Concertino, clarinet and string orchestra (1945)
Sonnet Sequence, soprano and 9 instruments (1946-47) [text: Kenneth Gee]
Symphony, orchestra (1945-48; withdrawn)
String Quartet No. 5 (1948)
Concertino, piano and string orchestra (1949)
A Winter's Tale, soprano and string quartet (1949) [text: Kenneth Gee]
String Quartet No. 6 (1950)
Nocturne, after Coleridge: The Ancient Mariner, orchestra (1950-51)
Six Settings of Poems by W.B. Yeats, soprano, female chorus, clarinet and harp w/opt. 2 horns (1951)
Duo: Theme and Variations, violin and cello (1951)
Concertina, bassoon and string orchestra (1952)
[Eight Children's Pieces], piano (1952)
Proud Thames: Coronation Overture, orchestra (1952-53)
Symphony, double string orchestra (1952-53)
Suite on Irish Airs, small orchestra (1953; arr. for full orch, 1954)
Toombeola, violin and string orchestra (1954, withdrawn)
Five Hungarian Tunes, clarinet and piano (1954) [also arr. for piano 4-hands, 1954]
Four Improvisations, double bass (1954)
Shoheen sho: Irish Lullaby, voice and piano (1954)
String Quartet No. 7 (1954-55)
Suite on Irish Airs, violin and piano (c. 1955; also arr. for flute and piano; and for orchestra]
Where's my little basket gone?, orchestra (1955) [variation no. 5; collab. w/7 other composers]
Three Pieces, 2 clarinets (1955)
Concerto for Oboe, Bassoon and String Orchestra (1955-56)
Suite, oboe and string orchestra (1955-56)
Part Songs for St. Mary's School, chorus and piano (1955-56)
A Country Town (6 short pieces), orchestra (c. 1956) [arr. of piano pieces, 1939]
String Trio, violin, viola and cello (1956, withdrawn)
The Exequy, voice and piano (1956)
Come Away, Death (1956) [in 4 Shakespeare Songs, voice and piano, 1965]
The Sofa, comic opera (1956-57; rev. 1966)
Variations on a Theme from Vaughan Williams's 'Job', cello (1957)
The Three Strangers, opera (1957-58; rev. 1967, 1969, 1977)
A Hymn to God the Father, tenor and piano (1959) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
The Departure, opera (1960-61; rev. 1977)
Christmas Morning: a Carol Cantata, soprano, treble/female voices and piano (1960-61)
Reflections, oboe, clarinet, viola and harp (1960-61)
The Yaffle, piano (1961)
Serenata concertante, violin and orchestra (1962)
Ophelia's Song, soprano, unison chorusvv, opt. descant recorder and piano (1962) [arr. of song, 1926]
The Armada, chorus and piano (1962)
Mill Race, piano (1962)
Moonlight Night, piano (1962)
Conversation, piano (c. 1962)
Sonatina, string quartet (1963)
Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet (1963)
Samson and the Gates of Gaza, chorus and orchestra (1963-64; arr. for chorus and brass band, 1973) [arr. of song, 1937]
The Starlight Night (1964) [in Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, soprano/tenor and chbr orch, 1970]
Peace (1964) [in Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, soprano/tenor and chbr orch, 1970]
Variazioni concertante, oboe, clarinet, basson, horn and string orchestra (1964-65)
Go, Penny, Go, round, 4 voices (1965)
Nocturnal, chorus (1965)
Propheta mendax, chorus (TTA/SSA) (1965)
Sonatina, harpsichord (1965)
Notebook, harpsichord (1965)
A Hymn to Christ, tenor and piano (1965) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
The Sun Rising, tenor and piano (1965) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
Four Shakespeare Songs, voice and piano (1956-65)
Music for Woodwinds and Brass (1965-66)
An Essex Overture, orchestra (1966)
Down with the Rosemary and Bays: Twelfth Night Carol, 2-part chorus (1966)
I Sing of a Maiden, carol, chorus (1966)
No well, sing we no well, carol, 3-part chorus (1966)
This Day, carol, chorus (1966)
Six Pieces, violin (1966)
Music for Witnesses, incidental music (1966)
Three Donne Songs, tenor and piano (1966) [collection of earlier songs]
String Quartet No. 8 (1966-67)
Preludio, fugato e finale, piano 4-hands (1967)
The Birds, extravaganza (1967-68)
Conversations, clarinet and viola (1967-68)
Three Cloudscapes, orchestra (1968, withdrawn)
And death shall have no dominion, chorus and brass (1968-69)
String Quartet No. 9 (1968-69)
Johnny and the Mohawks, children's opera (1969)
The Jesse Tree, masque (1969-70)
Three Preludes, violin and piano (1970)
Music for Doublebass and Piano (1970)
Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, soprano/tenor and chamber orchestra (1964-70)
Ariadne, dramatic monologue, soprano and orchestra (1970-71)
Prayer Before Birth, female chorus (1971)
Doubt that the stars are fire, round, 4 voices (1971)
Faustus, scena, tenor and piano (1971)
Suite (arr. of movts from piano sonatas by Haydn), string quartet (1971, withdrawn)
String Quartet No. 10 (1971-72)
Oboe Quartet, oboe, violin, viola and cello (1972)
Educational pieces for combinations of 2 string instruments (1972)
Three Bagatelles, oboe and harpsichord (1972)
Genesis, orchestra (1972-73, withdrawn)
The Isles of Greece, chorus and orchestra (1973)
Fly-by-Nights, women's/children's chorus and harp or piano (1973)
Three Songs, voice and harp (1973-74)
Sirens' Song, soprano and chorus (1974)
Two Epitaphs (Our life is nothing but a winter's day; As the tree falls), female chorus (1974)
Christmas Night, carol, 4 voices (1974)
Epyllion, cello and 15 strings (1973-75)
The King of the Golden River, children's opera (1975; rev. 1976)
Two Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins (Pied Beauty; Heaven-Haven), chorus and brass (1975)
Chant for Bishops Stortford Parish Church, chorus (1975)
Touchstone, oboe and chamber organ (1975)
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1976)
Harp Song of the Dane Women, unison voices and piano (c. 1976) [arr. of song, 1927]
Morning, Noon and Night, harp (1976)
String Quartet No. 11 (1976-77)
Sun, Moon and Stars, soprano and piano (1977)
Heloise and Abelard, dramatic cantata, soli, chorus and orchestra (1976-78)
Four Miniatures (Light the lamps up, lamplighter; For Snow; The night will never stay; For a Mocking Voice) chorus (1978)
The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, chorus, alto flute, viola and harp (1978)
Contemplation, cello and piano (1978)
Romanza, viola, woodwind quintet and string quintet (1979)
Creatures (The Hen and the Carp; The Snail; Rendez-vous with a Beetle; Tiger! Tiger!; Cat's Funeral; The Dove and the Wren; Cat!), chorus (1979)
String Quartet No. 12 (1979)
Colloquy, flute and piano (1979)
Trittico, 2 oboes, bassoon and harpsichord (1980)
Piccola musica, violin, viola and cello (1980)
Fantasia, clarinet and piano (1980)
Little Symphony, orchestra (1980-81)
Wind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon (1981)
My Dark Heart, soprano, fl/a fl, ob, eng hn, vln, va and vc (1981)
Music for Strings, string orchestra (1981-82)
For Bonny, Sweet Robin, 1 voice and chorus (1982)
Tribute, violin and woodwind octet (1982)
L'horloge, soprano, clarinet and piano (1982)
Three Songs, baritone and piano (1982)
Quartetto corto (Strint Quartet No. 13) (1982-83)
The Bellman, carol, chorus (1983)
There is no rose, carol, chorus (1983)
Five Sketches, viola (1983)
O time turn back, chorus, woodwind quintet and cello (1983-84)
Concertino, clarinet and small orchestra (1984)
Still Falls the Rain, double chorus (1984)
Narration, cello (1984)
Excursion, bassoon (c. 1984)
Life Story, string orchestra (1985)
Three Songs (for Tracey Chadwell), soprano and piano (1985)
Bagatelle, piano (1986)
Butterflies, voice and piano (mezzo-soprano and harp) (1986)
On St. Stephenses Day, women's chorus (1989)
WORKS BY GENRE Maconchy Links ~ ~ ~ Maconchy on Maconchy ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
The Willow Plate, dramatic work in 3 parts (1931, incomplete)
Great Agrippa, ballet (1933)
Little Red Shoes, ballet (1935, withdrawn)
Puck Fair, ballet, 2 pianos (1939-40; orchd Boyle, c. 1948; composer's revision of orchd version, c. 1953)
The Sofa, comic opera (1956-57; rev. 1966)
The Three Strangers, opera (1957-58; rev. 1967, 1969, 1977)
The Departure, opera (1960-61; rev. 1977)
The Birds, extravaganza (1967-68)
Johnny and the Mohawks, children's opera (1969)
The Jesse Tree, masque (1969-70)
The King of the Golden River, children's opera (1975; rev. 1976)
Orchestra
Suite, E minor, string orchestra (1924)
Fantasy, flute, harp and string orchestra (1926, lost)
Elegy, flute, horn and string orchestra (1926, lost)
Fantasy for Children, small orchestra (1927-28)
Theme and Variations, orchestra (1928)
The Land, suite after V. Sackville-West poem, orchestra (1929)
Symphony, orchestra (1929-30, withdrawn)
Suite, chamber orchestra (1930, withdrawn)
Comedy Overture, orchestra (1932-33)
Variations on a Well-Known Theme, orchestra (1942)
Theme and Variations, string orchestra (1942-43)
Suite (from Puck Fair, ballet), orchestra (1943)
Symphony, orchestra (1945-48; withdrawn)
Two Dances from Puck Fair (ballet), orchestra (1950)
Nocturne, after Coleridge: The Ancient Mariner, orchestra (1950-51)
Proud Thames: Coronation Overture, orchestra (1952-53)
Symphony, double string orchestra (1952-53)
Suite on Irish Airs, small orchestra (1953; arr. for full orch, 1954)
Suite on Irish Airs, orchestra (1955) [arr. from work for violin and piano, 1955]
Where's my little basket gone?, orchestra (1955) [variation no. 5; collab. w/7 other composers]
A Country Town (6 short pieces), orchestra (c. 1956) [arr. of piano pieces, 1939]
An Essex Overture, orchestra (1966)
Three Cloudscapes, orchestra (1968, withdrawn)
Genesis, orchestra (1972-73, withdrawn)
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1976)
Little Symphony, orchestra (1980-81)
Music for Strings, string orchestra (1981-82)
Life Story, string orchestra (1985)
Band
Music for Woodwinds and Brass (1965-66)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra/Ensemble
Andante and Allegro, flute and string orchestra (1926-27)
Conceno (Concertino), piano and chamber orchestra (1928; rev. 1929-30)
Viola Concerto (1937, withdrawn)
Dialogue, piano and orchestra (1940-41)
Concertino, clarinet and string orchestra (1945)
Concertino, piano and string orchestra (1949)
Concertina, bassoon and string orchestra (1952)
Toombeola, violin and string orchestra (1954, withdrawn)
Concerto for Oboe, Bassoon and String Orchestra (1955-56)
Suite, oboe and string orchestra (1955-56)
Serenata concertante, violin and orchestra (1962)
Variazioni concertante, oboe, clarinet, basson, horn and string orchestra (1964-65)
Epyllion, cello and 15 strings (1973-75)
Romanza, viola, woodwind quintet and string quintet (1979)
Tribute, violin and woodwind octet (1982)
Concertino, clarinet and small orchestra (1984)
Chorus w/Orchestra/Large Ensemble
The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, chorus and orchestra (1930-31, withdrawn)
Deborah, 2 solo voices, double chorus and orchestra (1930s)
Dies irae, countertenor, chorus and orchestra (1940-41, withdrawn)
Howe ye, chorus and orchestra (1943)
By the Waters of Babylon, chorus and orchestra (1943?)
Samson and the Gates of Gaza, chorus and orchestra (1963-64; arr. for chorus and brass band, 1973) [arr. of song, 1937]
And death shall have no dominion, chorus and brass (1968-69)
The Isles of Greece, chorus and orchestra (1973)
Two Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins (Pied Beauty; Heaven-Haven), chorus and brass (1975)
Heloise and Abelard, dramatic cantata, soli, chorus and orchestra (1976-78)
Choral
Two Motets (A Hymn to Christ; A Hymn to God the Father, double chorus (1931)
The Mothers, female chorus (1938)
The People Advance, baritone and chorus (1939) [episode 9 of "Music and the People", collab. w/11 other composers]
The Ribbon in Her Hair, chorus and piano (1939)
The Shark and the Whale (topical song for children), unison voices and piano (1942)
The Voice of the City, women's chorus and piano (1943)
A Song of Freedom, male chorus (1944)
Pioneers of Rochdale, unison/mixed voices and piano (1944)
Six Settings of Poems by W.B. Yeats, soprano, female chorus, clarinet and harp w/opt. 2 horns (1951)
Part Songs for St. Mary's School, chorus and piano (1955-56)
Christmas Morning: a Carol Cantata, soprano, treble/female voices and piano (1960-61)
Ophelia's Song, soprano, unison chorusvv, opt. descant recorder and piano (1962) [arr. of song, 1926]
The Armada, chorus and piano (1962)
Samson and the Gates of Gaza, chorus and chamber ensemble or brass band or piano (1964)
Go, Penny, Go, round, 4 voices (1965)
Nocturnal, chorus (1965)
Propheta mendax, chorus (TTA/SSA) (1965)
Down with the Rosemary and Bays: Twelfth Night Carol, 2-part chorus (1966)
I Sing of a Maiden, carol, chorus (1966)
No well, sing we no well, carol, 3-part chorus (1966)
This Day, carol, chorus (1966)
And death shall have no dominion, chorus and brass (1968-69)
Prayer Before Birth, female chorus (1971)
Doubt that the stars are fire, round, 4 voices (1971)
Fly-by-Nights, women's/children's chorus and harp or piano (1973)
Sirens' Song, soprano and chorus (1974)
Two Epitaphs (Our life is nothing but a winter's day; As the tree falls), female chorus (1974)
Christmas Night, carol, 4 voices (1974)
Chant for Bishops Stortford Parish Church, chorus (1975)
Harp Song of the Dane Women, unison voices and piano (c. 1976) [arr. of song, 1927]
Four Miniatures (Light the lamps up, lamplighter; For Snow; The night will never stay; For a Mocking Voice) chorus (1978)
The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo, chorus, alto flute, viola and harp (1978)
Creatures (The Hen and the Carp; The Snail; Rendez-vous with a Beetle; Tiger! Tiger!; Cat's Funeral; The Dove and the Wren; Cat!), chorus (1979)
For Bonny, Sweet Robin, 1 voice and chorus (1982)
The Bellman, carol, chorus (1983)
There is no rose, carol, chorus (1983)
O time turn back, chorus, woodwind quintet and cello (1983-84)
Still Falls the Rain, double chorus (1984)
On St. Stephenses Day, women's chorus (1989)
Chamber
String Quintet, 2 violins, 2 violas and cello (1929)
Oboe Quintet, ob, 2 violins, viola and cello (1932)
String Quartet No. 1 (1933)
Prelude, Interlude and Fugue, 2 violins (1934)
Divertissement, 12 instruments (1935)
String Quartet No. 2 (1936)
String Quartet No. 3 (1938)
A County Town: 8 Short Pieces, string quartet [orig. piano pieces, 1939; arr. 1950]
String Quartet No. 4 (1939-42)
String Quartet No. 5 (1948)
String Quartet No. 6 (1950)
Duo: Theme and Variations, violin and cello (1951)
String Quartet No. 7 (1954-55)
Three Pieces, 2 clarinets (1955)
String Trio, violin, viola and cello (1956, withdrawn)
Reflections, oboe, clarinet, viola and harp (1960-61)
Sonatina, string quartet (1963)
Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet (1963)
String Quartet No. 8 (1966-67)
Conversations, clarinet and viola (1967-68)
String Quartet No. 9 (1968-69)
Suite (arr. of movts from piano sonatas by Haydn), string quartet (1971, withdrawn)
String Quartet No. 10 (1971-72)
Oboe Quartet, oboe, violin, viola and cello (1972)
Educational pieces for combinations of 2 string instruments (1972)
Epyllion, cello and 15 strings (1973-75)
String Quartet No. 11 (1976-77)
String Quartet No. 12 (1979)
Romanza, viola, woodwind quintet and string quintet (1979)
Trittico, 2 oboes, bassoon and harpsichord (1980)
Piccola musica, violin, viola and cello (1980)
Wind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon (1981)
Tribute, violin and wind octet (1982)
Quartetto corto (Strint Quartet No. 13) (1982-83)
Solo Instrument
Violin Sonata, violin and piano (1927)
Viola Sonata, viola and piano (1937-38, withdrawn)
Six Short Pieces, violin and piano (1930s)
Five Pieces, viola (1937, lost)
Divertimento, cello and piano (1941-43)
Violin Sonata, violin and piano (1943)
Five Hungarian Tunes, clarinet and piano (1954)
Four Improvisations, double bass (1954)
Suite on Irish Airs, violin and piano (c. 1955; also arr. for flute and piano)
Variations on a Theme from Vaughan Williams's 'Job', cello (1957)
Six Pieces, violin (1966)
Three Preludes, violin and piano (1970)
Music for Doublebass and Piano (1970)
Three Bagatelles, oboe and harpsichord (1972)
Touchstone, oboe and chamber organ (1975)
Morning, Noon and Night, harp (1976)
Contemplation, cello and piano (1978)
Colloquy, flute and piano (1979)
Fantasia, clarinet and piano (1980)
Five Sketches, viola (1983)
Narration, cello (1984)
Excursion, bassoon (c. 1984)
Piano/Harpsichord
Toccata, piano (1935)
Impromptu: Fantasia for One Note, piano (1938)
A Country Town, suite, piano (1939)
Contrapuntal Pieces, piano (c. 1941)
[Eight Children's Pieces], piano (1952)
Five Hungarian Tunes, piano 4-hands (1954) [arr. of pieces for clarinet and piano, 1954]
The Yaffle, piano (1961)
Mill Race, piano (1962)
Moonlight Night, piano (1962)
Conversation, piano (c. 1962)
Sonatina, harpsichord (1965)
Notebook, harpsichord (1965)
Preludio, fugato e finale, piano 4-hands (1967)
Bagatelle, piano (1986)
Vocal
There is a lady sweet and kind, voice and piano (1924-25)
My sweet sweeting, voice and piano (1926)
The Call, voice and piano (1926)
Ophelia's Song, voice and piano (1926)
Martin said to this man, voice and piano (c. 1926)
O mistress mine, voice and piano (c. 1926)
There were three ravens, voice and piano (c. 1926)
All the Flowers, voice and piano (1927)
Harp Song of the Dane Women, voice and harp (1927)
A Meditation for his Mistress, voice and piano (1928)
Have you seen but a bright lily grow?, voice and piano (1929)
In Fountain Court, voice and piano (c. 1929)
The Woodspurge, voice and piano (1930)
The Thrush, voice and piano (1934)
The Arab, voice and piano (1935)
How Samson bore away the gates of Gaza, voice and piano (1937)
Sleep brings no joy to me, voice and piano (1937)
I made another song, voice and piano (c. 1937)
How Samson bore away the gates of Gaza, soprano/tenor and orchestra (1938) [rev. of song, 1937]
The Garland: Variations on a Theme (4 songs) voice and piano (1938) [text: from the Anacreontica; trans. by William LeFanu]
- The garland
- Old and young
- I would I were a mirror
- No end to love
The Winkle Woman, mezzo-soprano and piano (1940) [text: Eamonn Clifford]
The Disillusion, voice and piano (1941)
Sailor's Song of the Two Balconies, voice and piano (1941)
Sonnet Sequence, soprano and 9 instruments (1946-47) [text: Kenneth Gee]
A Winter's Tale, soprano and string quartet (1949) [text: Kenneth Gee]
Shoheen sho: Irish Lullaby, voice and piano (1954)
The Exequy, voice and piano (1956)
A Hymn to God the Father, tenor and piano (1959) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
A Hymn to Christ, tenor and piano (1965) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
The Sun Rising, tenor and piano (1965) [text: John Donne] [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
Four Shakespeare Songs, voice and piano (1956-65)
- Come Away, Death (1956) [from "Twelfth Night"]
- The Wind and the Rain (1965) [from "Twelfth Night"]
- Take, oh take those lips away (1965) [from "Measure for Measure"] [1956?]
- King Stephen (1965) [from "Othello"]
Three Donne Songs, tenor and piano (1966)
- A Hymn to God the Father, tenor and piano (1959) [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
-A Hymn to Christ, tenor and piano (1965) [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
-The Sun Rising, tenor and piano (1965) [in "Three Donne Songs", 1966]
Settings of Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, soprano/tenor and chamber orchestra (1964-70)
- The Starlight Night (1964)
- Peace (1964)
- The May Magnificat (1970)
Ariadne, dramatic monologue, soprano and orchestra (1970-71)
Faustus, scena, tenor and piano (1971)
Three Songs, voice and harp (1973-74)
- A widow-bird sate mourning [text: Shelley]
- So we'll go no more a-roving [text: Byron]
- The knot there's no untying [text: Thomas Campbell]
Sun, Moon and Stars, soprano and piano (1977)
My Dark Heart, soprano, fl/a fl, ob, eng hn, vln, va and vc (1981)
Three Songs, baritone and piano (1982)
- Abelard's Lament [text: from Heloise and Abelard]
- The Hangman's Song [from "The Three Strangers", 1957-58]
- Not only I... [from "The Three Strangers", 1957-58]
L'horloge, soprano, clarinet and piano (1982)
Three Songs (for Tracey Chadwell), soprano and piano (1985)
- In Memory of WB Yeats [text: W.H. Auden]
- In Memory of WB Yeats II [text: W.H. Auden]
- It's No Go [text: MacNiece]
Butterflies, voice and piano (mezzo-soprano and harp) (1986)
Incidental/Film
Music for Witnesses, incidental music (1966)
MACONCHY LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Maconchy on Maconchy ~ top of page ~
Dame Elizabeth Maconchy The Sofa/The Departure Review (Charlotte Gardner, BBC)
Elizabeth Maconchy (Jennifer Fowler, IAWM)
Elizabeth Maconchy (Anne MacNaghten)
Elizabeth Maconchy (Rough Guides Music, books.google.com)
Elizabeth Maconchy: Intense But Disciplined (Anthony Burton, Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland)
Elizabeth Maconchy: Some biographical and musical notes by her daughter Nicola LeFanu (MusicWeb International)
Elizabeth Maconchy's The Sofa and The Departure (Geoffrey Norris, Telegraph)
How Important is a Composer's Music? (On an Overgrown Path)
Our Finest Lost Composer (Martin Anderson, Ambache)
Robert Hugill Discovers Two Operas by Elizabeth Maconchy (Music & Vision)
Composer website (at Chester Novello) . . . inquire about Elizabeth Macochy: here
Maconchy @ Wikipedia
Maconchy @ All Experts
Maconchy @ Ambache/Women of Note
Maconchy @ Answers.com
Maconchy @ Chester Novello
Maconchy @ Classical Archives
Maconchy @ Classical Composers Database
Maconchy @ Classical Net
Maconchy @ ClassicsToday
Maconchy @ complete-music.co.uk
Maconchy @ composition:today
Maconchy @ Contemporary Music Centre Ireland
Maconchy @ Crocks Newsletter
Maconchy @ The Land of Lost Content also here
Maconchy @ MJW Productions
Maconchy @ MusicWeb International
Maconchy @ Notable Biographies
Maconchy @ operone.de
Maconchy @ REC Music Foundation /The Lied and Art Song Texts Page
Maconchy @ Sound and Music/The Collection
Maconchy @ St. Hilda's College, University of Oxford also here
Maconchy @ A Traveling Days Website
Publisher
Maconchy @ Allegro Music
Maconchy @ Boosey & Hawkes
Maconchy @ British and Continental Music Agencies
Maconchy @ Central Music Library
Maconchy @ Chappell
Maconchy @ Edition Wilhelm Hansen London [now Chester Novello]
Maconchy @ Chester Novello
Maconchy @ Faber Music
Maconchy @ Hinrichsen Edition [C.F. Peters/Edition Peters]
Maconchy @ Alfred Lengnick [now Ricordi] - search "Maconchy"
Maconchy @ Oxford University Press
Maconchy @ G. Ricordi
Maconchy @ St. Hilda's College, University of Oxford also here
Maconchy @ Worker's Music Association
Maconchy @ Yorke Edition
Streaming Audio
Maconchy @ BBC Four - Interview
Recordings
Maconchy @ ArkivMusic
Maconchy @ ClassicsOnline
Video
Maconchy @ YouTube
Maconchy @ Google Video
~ top of page ~
Maconchy on Maconchy: BBC Four Interviews (streaming audio)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
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