William Alwyn, CBE, born William Alwyn Smith (7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985) was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher.
William Alwyn was born in Northampton where he showed an early interest in music and began to learn to play the piccolo. At age 15 he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studied flute and composition. He was a virtuoso flautist and for a time was the principal flautist of the London Symphony O...
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William Alwyn, CBE, born William Alwyn Smith (7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985) was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher.
William Alwyn was born in Northampton where he showed an early interest in music and began to learn to play the piccolo. At age 15 he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London where he studied flute and composition. He was a virtuoso flautist and for a time was the principal flautist of the London Symphony Orchestra. Alwyn served as professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1926 to 1955.
William Alwyn had a remarkable range of talents. He was a distinguished polyglot, poet, and artist, as well as musician.
His compositional output was varied and large and included five symphonies, four operas, several concertos and string quartets.
Alwyn wrote over 70 film scores from 1941 to 1962. His classic film scores included Odd Man Out, Desert Victory, Fires Were Started, The History of Mr Polly, The Fallen Idol, The Black Tent and...
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