Film Music by British Composers Quiz

Answer: Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) wrote across a wide range of genres, including nine symphonies, concertos for a variety of instruments including oboe and tuba, and much choral and vocal music. He wrote the music for several films, from the war drama "49th Parallel" (1941) to the documentary "The England of Elizabeth" (1955).

"Scott of the Antarctic" is a 1948 film starring John Mills as Robert Falcon Scott, telling the true story of his tragic expedition to reach the South Pole. Vaughan Williams re-fashioned much of the music he wrote for the film into his "Sinfonia Antartica", first performed in 1952.

Answer: Harrison Birtwistle

The Lancashire-born composer Harrison Birtwistle (1934-2022) was perhaps best known for his operas, including "Gawain" (1991) and "The Minotaur" (2008) - both written for the UK's Royal Opera - and large-scale orchestral works such as "The Triumph of Time" (1972), "Earth Dances" (1986) and "Deep Time" (2016). He was also Director of Music at the National Theatre from 1975-83.

Given his interest in opera and music for the theatre, it is perhaps surprising that he only wrote one film score, for the 1972 film "The Offence", a crime thriller directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery. His score was written in collaboration with Peter Zinovieff, who provided an electronic realisation of the music. Interestingly, Zinovieff later went on to write the libretto for Birtwistle's first large-scale opera, "The Mask of Orpheus" (1986).

Answer: William Walton

Sir William Walton was born in 1902 in Oldham, Lancashire. His first big success was the cantata "Belshazzar's Feast", first performed at the 1931 Leeds Festival, which was followed in 1935 by his First Symphony. Subsequent works, including a second symphony and concertos for viola and violin, cemented his reputation.

During the Second World War he wrote the scores for several films, including Laurence Olivier's "Henry V", which was a great patriotic success. He followed this with the scores for two more Olivier Shakespeare films, "Hamlet" (1948) and "Richard III" (1955). He also composed a complete score for the 1969 film "The Battle of Britain", although only a short sequence was actually used, with Ron Goodwin being asked to write a completely new score instead.

Answer: Arnold Bax

Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953) is best remembered now for his seven symphonies written between 1921 and 1939, and several attractive orchestral tone poems such as "The Garden of Fand" (1916), "November Woods" (1917) and "Tintagel" (1919). In 1942 he was appointed Master of the King's Music, a largely ceremonial post which is the musical equivalent of the Poet Laureate.

By the time he was commissioned to write the score for David Lean's 1948 film of "Oliver Twist" he had more or less retired from composition, and it was his only full-length film score. The film is now regarded as one of the great Dickens adaptations, and Bax's music is a worthy accompaniment to the action.

Answer: William Alwyn

William Alwyn was born in Northampton in 1905 and died in 1985 shortly before his 80th birthday. He was a prolific composer, with five symphonies, four operas and several concertos to his name. He was professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London between 1926 and 1955.

He was an impressively prolific composer of film music, scoring over 70 during the 1940s, 50s and 60s, working with many of the most successful British directors such as Ronald Neame, Anthony Asquith, David Lean, and Carol Reed. "The Fallen Idol" (1948) was one of several films directed by Reed for which Alwyn wrote the score and was based on a short story by Graham Greene.

Answer: Peter Maxwell Davies

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (1934-2016) was a prolific composer whose works included ten symphonies, a set of ten "Strathclyde Concertos" and a cycle of ten string quartets commissioned by the Naxos record company, as well as operas, ballets and works specifically for children.

In the early 1970s Maxwell Davies wrote the scores for two Ken Russell films: "The Devils" and "The Boy Friend", both released in 1971. "The Boy Friend" is a loose adaptation of Sandy Wilson's 1953 pastiche of 1920s musicals, in which Maxwell Davies has a lot of fun adapting the original score in a quirky, witty style that perfectly matches the director's vision. "The Devils" could not be more different, being a controversial film about religious fanaticism in 17th century France. Maxwell Davies's score evokes the period in a contemporary style, using techniques he had adopted in some of his other recent music such as "Eight Songs for a Mad King" (1969).

Answer: Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten (1913-76) is usually considered to be the finest British composer of his generation. His compositions include the operas "Peter Grimes" (1945) and "Billy Budd" (1951), the choral "Spring Symphony" (1949), and the "War Requiem" (1961). In 1948 he founded the Aldeburgh Festival in his home county of Suffolk, which continues as an annual music festival to this day. In 1976, shortly before his death, he was created a Life Peer as Baron Britten of Aldeburgh.

He did not write much music for film, although in 1936 as a young composer he was commissioned to write the music for a short documentary "Night Mail", about the train carrying the post overnight from London to Scotland. Britten's main contribution is the accompaniment to a poem by W. H. Auden which forms the final sequence of the film.

Answer: Malcolm Arnold

Sir Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton in 1921 and died in Norwich in 2006. He was a prolific and versatile composer in practically every classical genre, writing nine symphonies and numerous concertos for instruments including recorder, guitar and harmonica, as well as much solo and chamber music. His versatility and ability to write quickly and to order meant that he was often undervalued during his lifetime, although his music continues to be popular with orchestras and audiences.

He also wrote scores for over 60 feature films, including such British classics as "Hobson's Choice" (1954), "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (1958) and "Whistle Down the Wind" (1961). His score for David Lean's 1957 epic "The Bridge on the River Kwai" earned him an Oscar.

Answer: Richard Rodney Bennett

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) studied at London's Royal Academy of Music, where he subsequently taught between 1963 and 1965 and again from 1994 to 2000. He composed symphonies, concertos, operas and ballets, and was also well known as a composer and performer of jazz.

He wrote prolifically for television, including music for one of the first "Doctor Who" stories, "The Aztecs" (1964), and the 2000 BBC adaptation of Mervyn Peake's "Gormenghast". His film scores included "Far From the Madding Crowd" (1967), "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974) and "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994).

Answer: Arthur Bliss

Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) first came to popular notice with his 1921 orchestral work "A Colour Symphony", which remains one of his best-known pieces. He also wrote much other orchestral music, including concertos for piano, violin and cello, plus three operas and several ballet scores. He was director of music at the BBC from 1942-44 and became Master of the Queen's Music in 1953.

His first film score was for the 1936 science fiction film "Things To Come", which was written by H. G. Wells and remains one of the most notable early sci-fi films. Later film work included scores for "Christopher Columbus" (1949) and the adventure story "Seven Waves Away" (1956).