Steve Martland (1954-2013)
Disillusioned
by many aspects of the classical music establishment, Steve Martland
has forged his own path, employing what he finds of value in the
classical tradition, but also incorporating elements of jazz, folk, and
rock into his energetic, dynamic music. He is also an active force in
the field of music instruction and has not been shy about speaking his
mind on political issues. A student at Liverpool University from 1978
to 1981, Martland was awarded a Mendelssohn scholarship in 1982 that
enabled him to attend the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, Holland.
There he worked with composer Louis Andriessen, whose music, combining
minimalism and popular music styles, became something of a model for
the young composer. In 1984, he also attended the Berkshire Music
Center as a composition fellow, studying with Gunther Schuller.
Martland graduated from the Royal Conservatory in 1985, the same year
he won a Dutch Government Composition Prize. Even in early compositions
like 1981's Remembering Lennon (based on Lennon's "Imagine"), Martland
showed his sympathy with popular music. But his first work to attract
international attention was the orchestral piece Babi Yar (1983),
jointly premiered by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and St. Louis
Symphony. Eventually, however, Martland came to reject the orchestra
for sociopolitical reasons, preferring instead to work with student
ensembles and non-classical performers like the British jazz orchestra
Loose Tubes, the Maarten Altena Octet (for which he wrote Remix in
1986), and singer Sarah Jane Morris (who premiered his set of three
songs Glad Day at the 1988 Holland Festival). Martland's political views gained him some notoriety and were incorporated into works like Albion,
aired on BBC-TV in December 1988, which combined music, texts, and film
in an attack on Margaret Thatcher's Britain and its cultural legacy.
Ecology was the subject of another multi-media piece from 1988, the
"video-theater" work Terra Firma.
In 1992, he formed the Steve Martland Band - an 11-piece,
amplified ensemble of saxophones, brass, guitars, violin, keyboards,
and percussion - to perform his music. He continued to collaborate
with performers, such as the rock group Spiritualized, for whom he
wrote Terminal (1998), and percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Some of Martland's works have also been choreographed, such as Dance Works (1993),
commissioned by the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. Martland
instituted and runs Strike Out, an annual composition course for school
children, and in 2000 - 2002, he served as artistic director of the
Society for the Promotion of New Music.COMPOSITIONS Martland Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Martland on Martland
lotta continua ...., orchestra and jazz band (1981; rev. 1984)
Remembering Lennon, 7 players (1981; rev. 1985)
Duo, trumpet and piano (1982; pub. 1986)
Kgakala, piano (1982)
Babi Yar, large orchestra in 3 groups (1983)
Orc, horn and small orchestra (1984)
American Invention, 13 players in 3 groups (1985)
Remix, jazz ensemble (1985)
Shoulder to Shoulder, 13 players (1986)
Dividing the Lines, brass band (1986)
Big Mac I, ensemble (1986)
Drill, 2 pianos (1987)
Big Mac II, 9 players (1987)
El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido!, voices and 13 players (1987)
Glad Day (3 songs), voice and 12 players (1988)
Birthday Hocket, 2 pianos (1989)
Principia, 10 players (1989)
Skywalk, chorus (1989) ["I see the horizon"]
Terra Firma, 5 voices and video (1989)
Crossing the Border, string orchestra (1990/91)
Wolf-Gang, wind octet (1991) [6 Mozart opera arias arr.by Martland]
The Perfect Act, voice and amplified ensemble (1991)
Patrol, string quartet (1992)
Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565, string quartet (J S Bach) (1992) [arr. by Martland] [2000?]
As Time Goes By (Herman Hupfeld), low wind quintet (1992) [arr. by Martland]
Full Fathom Five, brass quintet (1993)
Dance Works, 9 players (1993)
- Dance Works, 2 pianos (1993) [arr. of work for ensemble]
Mr Anderson's Pavane, 10 players (1994) [also arr. for wind octet, 1994; rev. 1999]
- Mr. Anderson's Pavane, 2 pianos (1998) [arr. of work for ensemble]
One note fantasy ... (Purcell elaborated and arranged), brass quintet (1994)
Beat the Retreat, 11 players (1995)
Horses of Instruction, 11 players (1995)
Kick, 11 players (1996)
- Kick, 6 players (1996; rev. 2005)
The Thistle of Scotland, 10 players (1996)
Eternal Delight, 11 players (1997)
Street Songs (4 pieces), 6 voices and marimba (1997; arr. for chorus and marimba, 2003)
- Poor Roger, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Oranges and Lemons, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Green Gravel, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Jenny Jones, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
Summer Rounds, chorus (1997)
Three Carols, chorus (1997)
Shepard's Song, chorus (1997)
Hard Times, soloists and string ensemble (1998)
Terminal, 5 or 6 players (1998)
Fantazia 6 (Henry Purcell), saxophone quartet (1998) [arr. by Martland]
Fantazia 7 (Henry Purcell), trombone quartet (1998) [arr. by Martland]
Step by Step, wind octet (1999) [on "The Staircase Overture" by Purcell]
Fairest Isle (Henry Purcell), counter-tenor and wind octet (1999) [arr. by Martland]
Sarabande, cello and piano (2002) [published in "Spectrum for Cello"/ABRSM]
Plaint, string orchestra (2003)
Walls Come Tumbling Down, wind band (2004)
Tiger Dancing, string orchestra (2005)
Eternity's Sunrise, string orchestra (2007)
Reveille, 7 players (2007)
Kapital, MIDI-disk (2007)
Starry Night, marimba and string quartet (2007/08)
Darwin, chorus, brass quintet and organ (2009)
Short Story, saxophone quartet (2009)
Sea Songs, chorus (2011-12)
WORKS BY GENRE Martland Links ~ ~ ~ Martland on Martland ~ top of page ~
Ballet
Borderlines, ballet (1995) [choreography: Graham Lustig; music: Steve Martland's "Crossing the Border"]
Orchestra
lotta continua ...., orchestra and jazz band (1981; rev. 1984)
Babi Yar, large orchestra in 3 groups (1983)
Crossing the Border, string orchestra (1990/91)
Plaint, string orchestra (2003)
Tiger Dancing, string orchestra (2005)
Eternity's Sunrise, string orchestra (2007)
Large Ensemble
American Invention, 13 players in 3 groups (1985)
Remix, jazz ensemble (1985)
Shoulder to Shoulder, 13 players (1986)
Dividing the Lines, brass band (1986)
Big Mac I, ensemble (1986)
Big Mac II, 9 players (1987)
Principia, 10 players (1989)
Dance Works, 9 players (1993)
Mr Anderson's Pavane, 10 players (1994) [also arr. for wind octet, 1994; rev. 1999]
Beat the Retreat, 11 players (1995)
Horses of Instruction, 11 players (1995)
Kick, 11 players (1996)
The Thistle of Scotland, 10 players (1996)
Eternal Delight, 11 players (1997)
Walls Come Tumbling Down, wind band (2004)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Orc, horn and small orchestra (1984)
Hard Times, soloists and string ensemble (1998)
Choral
El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido!, voices and 13 players (1987)
Skywalk, chorus (1989) ["I see the horizon"]
Terra Firma, 5 voices and video (1989)
Street Songs (4 pieces), 6 voices and marimba (1997; arr. for chorus and marimba, 2003)
- Poor Roger, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Oranges and Lemons, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Green Gravel, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Jenny Jones, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
Summer Rounds, chorus (1997)
Three Carols, chorus (1997)
Shepard's Song, chorus (1997)
Darwin, chorus, brass quintet and organ (2009)
Sea Songs, chorus [SSSAAATTTBBB] (2011-12)
- Dance to Your Daddy
- Fire Down Below
- The Dead Horse
- The Sea Martyrs
Chamber
Remembering Lennon, 7 players (1981; rev. 1985)
Duo, trumpet and piano (1982; pub. 1986)
Wolf-Gang, wind octet (1991) [6 Mozart opera arias arr.by Martland]
Patrol, string quartet (1992)
Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565, string quartet (J S Bach) (1992) [arr. by Martland] [2000?]
As Time Goes By (Herman Hupfeld), low wind quintet (1992) [arr. by Martland]
Full Fathom Five, brass quintet (1993)
Mr Anderson's Pavane, 10 players (1994) [also arr. for wind octet, 1994; rev. 1999]
One note fantasy ... (Purcell elaborated and arranged), brass quintet (1994)
Kick, 6 players (1996; rev. 2005) [arr. from work for ensemble]
Terminal, 5 or 6 players (1998)
Fantazia 6 (Henry Purcell), saxophone quartet (1998) [arr. by Martland]
Fantazia 7 (Henry Purcell), trombone quartet (1998) [arr. by Martland]
Step by Step, wind octet (1999) [on "The Staircase Overture" by Purcell]
Reveille, 7 players (2007)
Starry Night, marimba and string quartet (2007/08)
Short Story, saxophone quartet (2009)
Solo Instrument
Sarabande, cello and piano (2002) [published in "Spectrum for Cello"/ABRSM]
Piano
Kgakala, piano (1982)
Drill, 2 pianos (1987)
Birthday Hocket, 2 pianos (1989)
Dance Works, 2 pianos (1993) [arr. of work for ensemble]
Mr. Anderson's Pavane, 2 pianos (1998) [arr. of work for ensemble]
Vocal
El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido!, voices and 13 players (1987)
Glad Day (3 songs), voice and 12 players (1988)
Terra Firma, 5 voices and video (1989)
The Perfect Act, voice and amplified ensemble (1991)
Street Songs (4 pieces), 6 voices and marimba (1997; arr. for chorus and marimba, 2003)
- Poor Roger, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Oranges and Lemons, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Green Gravel, 6 voices and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
- Jenny Jones, 6 voices (or chorus) and marimba [from "Street Songs"]
Fairest Isle (Henry Purcell), counter-tenor and wind octet (1999) [arr. by Martland]
Electronic
Kapital, MIDI-disk (2007)
MARTLAND LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Martland on Martland ~ top of page ~
Steve Martland: "More Creativity and We Wouldn't Have Conflicts" (Christopher Wood, The Independent)
Composer's website (at Schott Music) . . . contact Steve Martland: here
Martland @ Wikipedia
Martland @ Answers.com
Martland @ Ballet Met/Columbus
Martland @ British Council/Arts
Martland @ Classical Composers Database
Martland @ The Classical Music Source
Martland @ ClassicsToday
Martland @ composition:today
Martland @ enotes.com
Martland @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Martland @ MusicWeb International
Martland @ MySpaceMusic
Martland @ The New York Times
Martland @ SoundUnwound
Publisher
Martland @ Schott Music
Streaming Audio
Martland @ last.fm
Martland @ MySpaceMusic
Martland @ Rhapsody
Martland @ Schott Music also here
Recordings
Martland @ ArkivMusic
Martland @ ClassicsOnline
Martland @ Discogs
Discography
Babi Yar/Drill (1989, Factory Classical)
Orkest de Volharding. Shoulder to Shoulder (1990, Attacca)
Glad Day [featuring Sarah Jane Morris] (1990, Factory)
Crossing the Border (1992, Factory)
Wolfgang (1992, Factory)
Patrol (1994, Catalyst)
The Factory Masters (1995, Catalyst - reissue of Babi Yar/Drill & Crossing the Border)
The King's Singers and Evelyn Glennie. The Street Songs (1998, RCA Victor Red Seal)
Horses Of Instruction (2001, Black Box)
Onyx Brass - Pavanes Fantasias Variations. Mr. Steve Martland after Mr. Henry Purcell: one note fantasy... (2002, Meridian)
Wallace Collection - Hammered Brass. Full Fathom Five (2007, Linn)
Britten Sinfonia 001 - Tiger Dancing (Songs of the Sky) (2009, Signum Classics)
Video
Martland @ YouTube
Martland @ Google Video
Martland @ Vimeo
Martland on Martland: Reification 08 (VIDEO)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
HOME ABOUT RESOURCES COMPOSERS PERFORMANCES 20/21 ENSEMBLE CONTACT US
HOME ABOUT RESOURCES COMPOSERS PERFORMANCES 20/21 ENSEMBLE CONTACT US