Humphrey Searle
Humphrey Searle (
August 26,
1915 -
May 12,
1982) was a
British composer.
After studying â€" somewhat hesitantly â€" with
John Ireland at the
Royal College of Music in
London, he went to
Vienna on a six-month scholarship to become a private pupil of
Anton Webern, which became decisive in his composition career.
Searle was one of the foremost pioneers of serial music in the
United Kingdom, and used his role as a producer at the
BBC to promote it. Works of note include a
Poem for 22 Strings (
1950), premiered at
Darmstadt, a
Gogol opera,
The Diary of a Madman (
1958), and five symphonies.
He is also known for developing the most authoritative catalogue of
Franz Liszt's works, and the numbering system he developed is frequently used to identify Liszt's works.
Searle also composed scores for television and film, including incidental music for a 1965
Doctor Who serial.
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Humphrey Searle: British Composer (1915 - 1982)
