Gavin Bryars: Making Music Other

Gavin Bryars was born in Yorkshire in 1943. His first musical reputation was as a jazz bassist working in the early sixties with improvisers Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley. He abandoned improvisation in 1966 and worked for a time in the United States with John Cage. Subsequently he collaborated closely with composers such as Cornelius Cardew and John White. From 1969 to 1978 he taught in departments of Fine Art in Portsmouth and Leicester, and during the time that he taught at Portsmouth College of Art he was instrumental in founding the legendary Portsmouth Sinfonia. He founded the music department at Leicester Polytechnic (later De Montfort University) and was professor of music there from 1986 to 1994.

Bryars’ oeuvre is prodigious and multifaceted: from full length film scores and collaborative recordings to original compositions and operatic performances, Bryars’ musical creativity stretches into multiple media and formats, some conventional and others experimental. His generic range is also formidable, spanning from improvisational jazz to choral arrangement. Likewise, he is a gifted writer.

Two of Gavin Bryars’ most enduring works come from early in his career: The Sinking of the Titanic, and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet. Both are stirring compositions with a deep cumulative power. Find out more about Gavin at gavinbryars.com.