John Beckwith

Education

In 1945, after several years of studying piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Beckwith received a Conservatory scholarship that allowed him to study piano with Alberto Guerrero at the University of Toronto where he obtained his Mus.B. His other teachers included Leo Smith and John Weinzweig. In 1950 he was awarded a second scholarship, this time from the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. The scholarship allowed him to travel to Paris, where he studied composition under Nadia Boulanger. Under Weinzweig's supervision, Beckwith earned his Mus.M. from the University of Toronto in 1961.

Career

After studying in Paris, Beckwith returned to Toronto to pursue further studies and became active as a performing musician, actor, critic, radio commentator, writer, lecturer and broadcaster. In 1952, he returned to the University of Toronto, but this time as a part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Music. He was appointed full-time lecturer in 1955. He remained in this position for several years, and eventually became dean of the faculty from 1970 to 1977. Beckwith was the first Jean A. Chalmers Professor of Canadian Music and the first director of the Institute for Canadian Music at the University of Toronto. He retired in 1990 to devote more time to composing. Among his notable pupils were Brian Cherney, Gustav Ciamaga, Omar Daniel, John Fodi, Clifford Ford, Ben McPeek, James Rolfe, Clark Ross, Matthew Davidson, and Timothy Sullivan.

While teaching, Beckwith remained active in several areas of the musical community. A co-founder of the Canadian Music Centre in 1959, he wrote for the Toronto Star from 1959 to 1965 as an arts critic and columnist, and was a writer and associate producer of documentaries and music series for CBC Radio. Beginning in 1981, he worked as a director for the Canadian Musical Heritage Society, which he had co-founded that same year. He prepared two of the society's 25-volume series of pre-1950 Canadian-composed music. In 1986, a five-record set of his music was included in the Anthology of Canadian Music series. The Beckwith portrait in the Canadian Composers Portraits series was released in 2003.

A collection of 25 of his music articles and talks was published by Golden Dog Press in 1997 under the title Music Papers. In 2006, his biography In Search of Alberto Guerrero was published by Wilfrid Laurier Press (issued in Spanish translation in 2021). With Brian Cherney, he edited Weinzweig: Essays on His Life and Music in 2011 and, with Robin Elliott, he edited Mapping Canada's Music: Selected Writings of Helmut Kallmann in 2013.

Beckwith's autobiography, Unheard Of: Memoirs of a Canadian Composer, was published by Wilfrid Laurier Press in 2012.

He was the recipient of many honours including from the Canadian Music Council in 1972 and 1984, Toronto Arts award in 1995, Diplôme d'honneur from the Canadian Conference of the Arts in 1996, honorary membership in the Canadian University Music Society in 1999, and honorary doctorates from McGill, Mount Allison, Queen's, Victoria, and Guelph universities. Taking a Stand: Essays in Honour of John Beckwith, a festschrift on the occasion of his retirement, was published in 1995.

Compositional style

Beckwith composed over 160 large works. While the majority of his works are settings of Canadian texts for voice, he also wrote for orchestral and chamber groups as well as solo instrumental pieces and choral music.

Beckwith was a modernist whose eclectic compositional vocabulary was sustained "by a broad palette of idioms, colours, and by the availability of a rich variety of forming procedures." Most of his compositions have themes that connect to historical or regional Canada. Beckwith was deeply interested in Canadian folk song and set around 200 of these songs, including Four Love Songs (1969) and Five Songs (1969–70). Most of the arrangements were written in 1981-91 during his involvement with Music at Sharon, a summer concert series. He often collaborated with Canadian writers when setting text for voice including James Reaney, Jay Macpherson, Margaret Atwood, bpNichol, Georges Sioui, and Dennis Lee; his most extensive collaboration was with Reaney, with whom he wrote a number of works for the stage. Beckwith also set texts of e.e. cummings, John Millington Synge, Samuel Beckett, and poems of the Tang dynasty translated by Witter Bynner.

List of works

Based on the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada (2nd edition, 1992) and the John Beckwith website, University of Toronto. Unpublished works are at the Canadian Music Centre and the Beckwith fonds, University of Toronto.

Stage

Night Blooming Cereus (Reaney). 1953-58 (1959 Toronto). 8 singers, 14 instruments. Ms

The Killdeer, incidental music (Reaney). 1960, rescored 1961. Prepared piano (5 instruments). Ms

The Hector, documentary cantata (various). 1990 (1990 Toronto). Soprano, early-instrument ensemble. Ms

The Shivaree (Reaney). 1964-65, 1977-78. Revisions with prologue added, 1982. (1982 Toronto; 1982 Banff (revised version with prologue)). 12 singers, 20 instr. Ms

Crazy to Kill (Reaney, after Ann Caldwell). 1987-88 ( 1989 Guelph). 3 singers, 2 speakers, 2 instruments, tape. Ms

Lucas et Cécile. 1808-09 (1990 Sharon). Concert arrangement of a comic opera by Joseph Quesnel with orchestration by Beckwith. Soli, orchestra. Ms

Taptoo! (Reaney). 1993-95 (Montreal, 1999). 18 singers, 18 instruments. Ms

Orchestra and band

Music for Dancing (orchestra from piano, 4 hands). 1948 (piano), orch 1959 (1959 Ottawa). BMI Canada 1961.

Montage. 1953, rescored 1955 (1953 Toronto). Orchestra. Ms

Fall Scene and Fair Dance. 1956 (1956 Toronto). Violin, clarinet, strings. BMI Canada 1957. 1977. Lethbridge Symphony Assn

Concerto Fantasy. 1959 (1962 Montreal). Piano, orchestra. Berandol

Flower Variations and Wheels. 1962 (1963 Victoria). Rev. 1979. Orchestra. Berandol

Concertino. 1963 (1964 Toronto). Horn, orchestra. Berandol

Jonah, cantata (various). 1963 (1963 Toronto). BMI Canada 1969

Place of Meeting (Dennis Lee). 1967 (1967 Toronto ). Speaker, tenor, blues singer, SATB, orchestra. Ms

Elastic Band Studies. 1969, rev. 1975 (1976 Toronto). Concert band. Ms

Beckwith, John; Reaney, James (1973). All the Bees and All the Keys. Press Porcépic. (1973 Toronto). Narrator, orchestra. Orchestra Berandol, piano arrangement.

A Concert of Myths. 1983 (1984 Calgary). Flute, orchestra. Ms

Peregrine. 1989 (1990 Toronto). Viola, percussion, small orchestra. Ms

Round and Round. 1991-92 (1992 Winnipeg). Orchestra. Ms

Fifteen Figural Chorales from J.S. Bach's Das Orgelbüchlein (transcription), 1991 (1993 Halifax). Orchestra. Ms

Chamber

The Great Lakes Suite (Reaney). 1949 (1950 Toronto). Soprano, baritone, clarinet, cello, piano.

Five Pieces for Flute Duet. 1951 (1951 Paris). BMI Canada 1962

Four Pieces for Bassoon Duet. 1951. Ms

Quartet for Woodwind Instruments. 1951 ( 1953 Toronto). Ms

Three Studies for String Trio. 1956 (1957 Toronto). Ms

Circle, with Tangents. 1967 (1967 Vancouver). Harpsichord, 13 solo strings. BMI Canada 1968

Taking a Stand. 1972 (1972 Stratford). 5 players, 8 brass instruments, 14 music stands. Berandol 1975

Musical Chairs. 1973 (1974 Toronto). String quintet, contrabassoon. Berandol 1980

Quartet. 1977 (1978 Montreal). String quartet. Ms.

Case Study: a multi-purpose quintet. 1980 (1980 Toronto). Any 5 instruments. Ms

Eight Miniatures: arranged from the Alan Ash manuscript. 1981. Violin, piano. Ms

Sonatina in Two Movements. 1981 (1982 Toronto). Trumpet, piano. Ms

Tunes of the Sharon Band (arrangement). 1982 (1982 Sharon). Brass quintet. Sonante 1984

Arctic Dances. 1984 (1984 Kingston). Oboe, piano. Ms.

For Starters G.E.C. [George Edward Connell].1984 (Toronto 1984). 11 brass instr. Ms

Keyboard(s)

Four Conceits. 1945, rev. 1948. Piano. Ms.

Music for Dancing. 1948 (1948 Toronto). Piano, 4 hands. Ms.

The Music Room. 1951. Piano. Frederick Harris 1955.

Novelette. 1951 (1951 Paris). Piano. BMI Canada 1954.

Six Mobiles. 1959. Piano. BMI Canada 1960.

Interval Studies. 1962. Piano. BMI Canada 1962

Suite on Old Tunes (arrangement). 1967. Piano. BMI Canada 1967.

Variation piquant sur la `Toronto Opera House Waltz.' 1967. 2 piano. Ms

New Mobiles. 1971. Piano. Waterloo 1972

Upper Canadian Hymn Preludes. 1976-77 (1977 Ottawa). Organ, prepared tape. Ms.

Keyboard Practice. 1979 (1979 Toronto). 4 players, 10 keyboard. (1986).

Etudes. 1983 (1984 Vancouver). Piano. Ms. Counterpoint.

On the Other Hand. 1997 (1997 Toronto). Harpsichord. Ms

March, March! 2001 (2001 Montreal). Piano. Ms

The Cheese Stands Still. 2004. Piano. Ms

Light Work. 2007 (2009 Montreal). 16th-tone piano, 4 hands. Ms

Yesteryear. 2010 (2013 St John's). Piano, 4 hands. Ms

Choir

The Trumpets of Summer (Atwood). 1964. Soloists, SATB, narrator, chamber ensemble Berandol.

Sharon Fragments (Willson). 1966. SATB. Waterloo 1966.

The Sun Dance (various). 1968. SATB, speaker, organ, percussion. Independently published. 1968

Three Blessings (Fisher, Burns, Wesley). 1968. SATB, instruments (optional in No. 2).

Gas! (Beckwith). 1969. 20 speaking voices. Berandol 1978

1838 (Lee). 1970. SATB. Novello 1970

Papineau (2 Lower Canada folk songs). 1977. 2 equal voices. Gordon V. Thompson 1978.

Three Motets on Swan's 'China' (various).'1981. SATB. Waterloo1983.

A Little Organ Concert (vocables). 1982. SATB, organ, brass quintet. Ms

A Canadian Christmas Carol (J. P. Clarke)(arrangement). 1984. SATB, harmonium (piano or organ). Gordon V. Thompson 1989.

Mating Time (bp Nichol). 1982. SATB (20 solo voices), percussion, electric keyboard. Ms

Harp of David (Book of Common Prayer). 1985. SATB. Ms.

The Banks of Newfoundland (arrangement).1985. Baritone, SATB (oboe, string quartet) Gordon V. Thompson 1987

Three Burns Songs (R. Burns) (arrangement).1986. SATB. Gordon V. Thompson 1987

Voice

Five Lyrics of the T'ang Dynasty (various). 1947 (1948 Toronto). High voice, piano.

Serenade (Thibaudeau). 1949. Med voice, piano. Ms. RCI 36 (C. Jordan)

The Formal Garden of the Heart (Thibaudeau). 1950. Med voice, piano. Ms

Four Songs to Poems by e.e. cummings. 1950 (1950 Toronto). Soprano, piano. Waterloo 1975

Four Songs from Ben Jonson's Volpone. 1961. Baritone, guitar. BMI Canada 1967

A Chaucer Suite. 1962 (1963 Montreal). Alto, tenor, baritone. Ms

Ten English Rhymes (anonymous). 1963 (1963 Montreal). Young voices, piano. BMI Canada 1964

Four Love Songs (Canadian folk songs). 1969. Baritone, piano. Berandol 1970.

Five Songs (arrangement). 1970. Alto, piano. Waterloo 1970

Six Songs to Poems by e.e. cummings. 1980–1982 (1983 Toronto). Baritone, piano. Ms

Earlier Voices (arrangement). 1984. Soprano, baritone, SATB, piano. Ms

Avowals (bpNichol). 1985 (1985 Toronto). Tenor, 1 keyboard player on piano, celesta, harpsichord. Ms

Les Premiers hivernements (S. Champlain, M. Lescarbot). 1986 (1986 Toronto). Soprano, tenor, 2 recorder, lute, viol, percussion. Ms

Synthetic Trios (vocables). 1987 (1989 Quebec City). Soprano, clarinet, piano. Ms

Collage

A Message to Winnipeg (Reaney). 1960 (1960 Toronto). 4 speakers, violin, clarinet, piano, percussion. Ms

Twelve Letters to a Small Town (Reaney). 1961 (1961 Toronto). 4 speakers, flute, oboe, guitar, piano-harmonium. Ms

Wednesday's Child (Reaney). 1962 (1962 Toronto). 3 speakers, soprano, tenor, flute, viola, piano, percussion. Ms

Canada Dash – Canada Dot (Reaney). 1965-67 (1965-67 Toronto). In 3 parts. Voices, speakers, Chamber ensemble. Ms

The Journals of Susanna Moodie, incidental (Atwood). 1972, revised 1990 (1973 Toronto). 2 keyboard players, percussion. Ms

"In the middle of ordinary noise...": An Auditory Masque (Reaney). 1992 (1992 Toronto). Speaker, 2 soli, 3 instruments, tape. Ms

Selected writings

"Composers in Toronto and Montreal". University of Toronto Quarterly. 26. October 1956.

"Music". The Culture of Contemporary Canada. Cornell University Press. 1957. pp. 143–162.

"Music". The Arts in Canada. Macmillan. 1958. pp. 44–51.

"Young Composers' Performances in Toronto". Canadian Music Journal. 2. Summer 1958.

"Jean Papineau-Couture". Canadian Music Journal. 3. Winter 1959.

"Recent Orchestral Works by Champagne, Morel and Anhalt". Canadian Music Journal. 4. Summer 1960.

The Modern Composer and His World: A Report from the International Conference of Composers. University of Toronto Press. 1961. Co-edited with Udo Kasemets

"Notes on a Recording Career (The Work of Glenn Gould)". Canadian Forum. 40. January 1961. Reprinted in: Music Papers: Articles and Talks by a Composer.

"Review of A History of Music in Canada 1534–1914 by Helmut Kallmann,". University of Toronto Quarterly. 30. July 1961.

"Schoenberg Ten Years After". Canadian Forum. 41. November 1961.

"Stravinsky Triptych". Canadian Music Journal. 6. Summer 1962.

"Music Education". Encyclopedia Canadiana. Vol. 7. Grolier. 1963. pp. 229–31.

"Musical Instruments". Encyclopedia Canadiana. Vol. 7. Grolier. 1963. pp. 213–17. Co-authored with Helmut Kallmann.