Alan Rawsthorne

BRITISH COMPOSER 1905 – 1971

‘The road to music has many different paths. As far as British music is concerned, Rawsthorne stands in the direct line of Elgar, Walton, Constant Lambert and Tippett.’

– Francis Routh, Contemporary British Music

Alan Rawsthorne

Born on 2 May 1905 in Haslingden, Lancashire,

His parents tried to discourage him from music so he spent time studying to become a dentist and an architect before he committed to a career in music  in his early twenties.

 He studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music, in Poland and Berlin, before teaching at Dartington Hall from 1932 to 1934, where he wrote music for the School of Dance-Mime

Settling in London in 1935 his ‘Theme and Variations for Two Violins’ was performed at the the International Society for Contemporary Music’s London Festival in 1938. with his ‘Symphonic Studies’ being performed at the Warsaw Festival.

He served in the Army during the war after which he devoted the bulk of his time to composition producing works including two violin concertos; a Cello Concerto, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society. He also wrote music for film.

“What Rawsthorne has given to the world is among the best that his generation has produced.”

– Marius Flothuis