DAVID FANSHAWE (1942
- 2010)
DAVID
FANSHAWE, composer and explorer, died on 5th
July 2010, following a stroke.
He was 68.
1985
(courtesy Canberra Times)
The news has
come as a great shock to his many colleagues, friends and fans
from around the world.
David Fanshawe
will be best remembered for his legendary choral work African
Sanctus and for his great legacy to World Music The Fanshawe
Collections - a vast archive of recordings of traditional
music.
David Fanshawe’s
last completed work is Pacific Song – for chorus, flute
and percussion -inspired by the music of Tonga. It is one movement
of Pacific Odyssey, a large-scale work, which he
left unfinished.
The last performances
of African Sanctus attended by the composer took place
in June 2010; one in Bahrain, and one at St Martin-in-the-Fields
- with The London Chorus, conducted by Ronald Corp – held in aid
of the Footballs for Fun Trust.
He is survived
by his wife, Jane, and their daughter Rachel, his former wife
(Judith Croasdell), and their children Alexander and Rebecca.
There are hundreds of hours' worth of songs,
dances and rituals, an entire ethnological treasure-trove, that
David recorded painstakingly around the world belonging to tribes
and communities in developing countries whose heritage since then
- the 60s, 70s and 80 - has since disappeared. He has saved for
posterity the voices of their ancestors and the musical footprint
of their existence. David's passion for the music of other cultures
was never touristic, he had a deep respect for the people and
cultures he engaged with and believed that the recording of their
music was an act of love and admiration, which it was. As every
decade passes since he conducted his monumental task, his contribution
will seem ever greater, ever more precious, to rank alongside
that of Bartok in Hungary or Evgeniya Lineva in Russia at the
turn of the 20th century. His own composing paid tribute to his
research into other cultures but retained an authentic, heartfelt
Britishness, confirming the truth that it is only by appreciating
one's own culture that one can truly relate to those of others,
as equals. He will be sorely missed as a musician, friend, composer,
but beyond the personal, his contribution to the preservation
of now lost musical wonders of the world was a towering achievement
that can never be matched or repeated. The world of music is a
hugely poorer place without him.
Howard Goodall – composer and broadcaster
Rarely, rarely does the musical world see
a composer of such utter originality, vision, humility and ability
to assimilate diverse media and world music into his own, unmistakable
voice. As a man David was a gentle giant - as a composer his music
inspired and touched the hearts of millions around the world.
Our lives have been enriched by knowing the man, his unshakable
belief in humanity, his generosity of spirit, his beautiful music
and his vision of life as a pulsing, pounding celebration.
Richard Blackford – composer
David Fanshawe was one of the
most eccentric people I have ever met; he was also one of the
most loveable. He was truly life-affirming, full of energy, enthusiasm
and warmth radiating from him irresistibly. We first met
after I'd fallen in love with his music for the TV series Flambards,
and decided that he should write a piece for cello. The result
(eventually) was a lovely piece called The Awakening; I
performed it many times, and recorded it with David at the piano.
Even though we rarely saw each other, we had a long and
special friendship. I am so glad that his last years, in
which he was wonderfully supported by his wife Jane, were so contented;
and sad that his time was cut so short. A truly unique character
- he will be much missed by all who knew him.
Steven Isserlis
– ‘cellist
I’d never heard of David Fanshawe until Easter
1975, when I was a sixth-form student, and saw a life-changing
BBC2 documentary about African Sanctus. David came across
as a rather eccentric, white-man abroad, but he was totally enthused
by the music he was hearing and the people he was meeting. You
couldn’t help, but be swept away by his passion. The next day
I went to my local record shop and ordered the LP. African
Sanctus remains his masterpiece.
The piece is seminal on two accounts – first
for its recognition of the value of traditional African music
(at a time when many still looked down on African or traditional
culture) and for its pioneering marriage of tape and live performance.
To pick one example, Fanshawe combines the muezzin with
a choir singing the Kyrie in a way that is totally respectful
to both. One wonders if anybody would have the courage to do that
today.
Simon Broughton – editor Rough Guide to World Music
and Songlines
I have great memories of working with David
Fanshawe right from the start, conducting Dover Castle
while we were still students at the Royal College of Music, Tarka
the Otter and other scores for film and television, and African
Sanctus - the first recording and, later, performances with
the Huddersfield Choral Society. We were a good team and I am
very proud to have been part of his burgeoning career. I hope
conductors will perform his works in the future because they will
find it most rewarding and challenging.
Owain Arwel Hughes - conductor
------------------------------------------------
David Fanshawe, composer and explorer, a Churchill Fellow and the
recipient of many international awards, is an internationally distinguished
composer, ethno-musicologist, sound recordist, archivist, performer,
dynamic and entertaining lecturer, record producer, photographer
and author. He is also widely known for his lead roles in documentaries.
A television, radio and public personality extraordinaire, he is
acclaimed as one of the worlds most original composers.
David Fanshawe was born in 1942 in Devon, England and was educated
at St Georges Choir School and Stowe. In 1959 he joined the Film
Producers Guild in London gaining valuable experience as a documentary
film editor and sound recordist. In 1965, he won a Foundation Scholarship
to the Royal College of Music, studying composition with John Lambert.
He gained national recognition in 1970, as cantor soloist and composer,
at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, with Salaams, a work based on
the rhythms of the Bahrain pearl divers. His ambition to record
indigenous folk music began in the Middle East, and was intensified
on subsequent journeys through North and East Africa (1969-75) resulting
in his unique and highly original blend of Music and Travel. In
Africa he succeeded in documenting hundreds of tribes, achieving
such close rapport with local communities that they gave him special
permission to record their performances. His work has been the subject
of unique albums, concerts and award-winning tv documentaries.
Among David Fanshawes compositions is his highly acclaimed choral
and archival work African Sanctus. Composed over 30 years
ago, this celebratory and visionary work has received thousands
of performances worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to The Kennedy
Centre, Liszt Academy in Hungary to Brazil, South Africa and the
Royal Albert Hall. Other works include: Dover Castle, The
Awakening, Requiem for Aberfan, Dona Nobis Pacem:
A Hymn for World Peace, Fanfare to Planet Earth &
Millennium March, Lament of the Seas (after the Asian
Tsunami), and Pacific Song. Scores composed for over
50 Film and TV productions include BBCs When the Boat Comes In,
ITVs Flambards and Ranks Tarka the Otter. His ethnic
field recordings have featured in countless TV documentaries and
in feature films, notably Seven Years in Tibet and Gangs
of New York.
David Fanshawe is a motivational guest speaker, for which he has
received international acclaim at festivals, in educational programmes
and at corporate events. He is described as an incredible communicator
with fantastic energy with a wide repertoire of multimedia
presentations - suitable for all age groups and occasions, in todays
multi-cultural and evolving world. His work has also been the
subject of biographical television documentaries and radio programmes
broadcast around the world, including: African Sanctus (BBC
TV Omnibus, Prix Italia nomination), Arabian Fantasy (Namara/BBC),
Musical Mariner (National Geographic) and recently Tropical
Beat.
Since 1978, his ten year odyssey, recording across the Pacific Ocean
has resulted in a monumental archive, The Fanshawe Collections,
comprising thousands of hours of stereo tapes, slides and hand-written
journals, preserving for posterity the music and oral traditions
of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia and South East Asia. A number
of compilations from The Fanshawe Collections, have been
released on CD, including Music of the South Pacific, Spirit
of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, Music of the Nile, Thailand
and Laos.
David Fanshawe married Judith C. Grant in 1971, they have two children,
Alexander and Rebecca. He married his second wife Jane in 1985,
they have one daughter Rachel and live in Wiltshire, England, home
of the Fanshawe Collections.
Current projects include copying and cataloguing his Pacific Collections,
whilst composing his new major work Pacific Odyssey for a
world premiere in the Sydney Opera House. Recently, his latest completed
work Pacific Song was premiered at the American Choral Directors
National Convention by the Multicultural Honor Choir in Miami and
recorded for CD with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus.
In 2009 The University of the West of England (UWE) awarded the
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music to David Fanshawe in recognition
of his outstanding contribution to bringing music from around
the world into the lives of people who neither read nor write music
and to his pursuit of musical excellence, which is synonymous with
the aims of the Universitys Centre for Performing Arts. David
Fanshawe said, This award I proudly accept in the spirit of the
Universitys ethos: better together. In my serendipitous career,
through the adventures of Music and Travel, I have been privileged
to experience our world as a composer and musical explorer. It is
now my humble dream to go on sharing my aspirations with future
generations, through the legacy of my Sound Archives; and by fulfilling
my lifes missions, which are: to celebrate the universal language
of music; to record for posterity endangered World Music, threatened
with extinction; to seek inspiration for my own compositions - thus
uniting musical worlds apart. Thank you for this quite unexpected
honour and tribute.
--------------------------
AFRICAN SANCTUS
African Sanctus has received well over a thousand live
performances in over thirty countries.
In 1974, in his foreword to David Fanshawe's autobiographical
book African Sanctus, Sir Keith Falkner wrote
David is perhaps the most original, independent and self-reliant
young man I have known. An Eccentric; yet a good man, positive
and full of purpose. A Visionary with the character and tenacity
to convert his visions into reality.... There is no knowing what
great things this man may achieve in the next thirty years.
It is a celebratory and visionary work, expressing
unity between peoples, their faiths and, above all, their music.
African Sanctus is firmly established in the choral repertoire
and on educational syllabuses.
David Fanshawes now legendary journey up the Nile (1969-73) became
the framework of the composition, a symbolic cross-shaped pilgrimage.
Armed with one rucksack and a stereo tape recorder, he succeeded
in recording music from well over fifty tribes in Egypt, Sudan,
Uganda, and Kenya, achieving such a close rapport with many local
communities that they gave permission for their performances to
be specially recorded. Fanshawe was supported by the Ralph Vaughan
Williams Trust and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship. In 1974
BBC Televisions Omnibus made a film of African Sanctus on location
in North and East Africa, directed by Herbert Chappell. It was
nominated for the Prix Italia and the first broadcast coincided
with release on the Philips label of the premiere recording of
African Sanctus - conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes. The score was
first published in 1977, and the premiere performances took place
the following year in Toronto and at the Three Choirs Festival
(Worcester).
African Sanctus is a highly original work in which
very different cultures have been imaginatively and ingeniously
fused. The music is a fresh today as it was when first heard
Sir David Willcocks
A phenomenon amongst serious composers writing
today, his music actually fills concert halls....
The effect was spellbinding and won a standing ovation from
a capacity audience.
The Times
A work of ethnic diversity and multi-culturalism
Toronto Globe and Mail
Afro-Latin, tribal-choral masterpiece
The Observer
Mass meets Masai majestically ecofriendly
Melbourne Age
Fanshawes Sanctus, electrifying, stirring
Pretoria News
Very engrossing, musically rewarding piece
Washington Post
A work of pure vitality and excitement in which two distinct
worlds meet
The Australian
It is an uplifting piece; the humanity and reverence we share
with the Africans who Fanshawe recorded shine through. His tapes
and photos are a precious document of these vanished pieces of
culture.
Register Guard, Eugene, Oregon.
African Sanctus has in fact become an unintentional
Requiem.
Philadelphia Inquirer
African Sanctus points the way toward interfaith
understanding for the common good and that we can reflect on the
question, Who is my neighbor in the globalized reality of our
world today.
Mississipi Chorus, Jackson
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THE FANSHAWE COLLECTIONS
The cultural significance of David Fanshawes work is immense.
His recordings are considered to be of the finest professional
standard.
National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra
Fanshawe, one of the foremost ethnomusicologists in the world....has
done more for the preservation and archiving of indigenous folk
music than anyone else in the past thirty years and his devotion
to his work is astonishing.
Britannia Music
AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST & ASIA 1967-1994
A marvellous conservation of endangered folk music
This is a collection of 800 tapes, 400 hours, predominantly from
North and East Africa, recorded between 1969 and 1975 and includes
50 tribes from Kenya. Also forming part of this collection are
recordings from the Middle East made in the late 1960s and from
South East Asia in 1994. All the recordings have corresponding
colour photographs. Many types of traditional music and instruments
are captured as well as environmental sounds. Countries represented
in this collection are: from AFRICA - Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya,
Tanzania & Zanzibar, and Senegal; from the MIDDLE EAST - Iraq,
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; from SE ASIA India, Thailand,
and Laos
THE PACIFIC OCEANIA 1978-1989
A rare and unique sound picture, an unparalleled musical survey
The Fanshawe Pacific Collections are a major archive, focussing
on traditional forms of ethnic music- making throughout the Pacific
region. This massive collection spans 11 years research in Ploynesia,
Micronesia and Melanesia and includes 25 Pacific Nations. There
are over 2,000 stereo tapes and each tape is matched with colour
photographs. All the research is well documented in detailed journals.
Many types of traditional music and instruments are captured as
well as environmental sounds from this vast region.
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DAVID FANSHAWE: COMPOSER List of Works
Choral and Vocal Works
Salaams
African Sanctus - Ivor Novello Award
Dona Nobis Pacem: A Hymn for World Peace
Trafalgar
Lament of the Seas
Pacific Song
Celtic Lullaby
Bring Love to the World
Epitaphs In Memoriam
Holy Jesus
Only a Star
Sing Christians Sing!
Sing Alleluia
Two Carols
Dance Ti Thi Daddy
Ring Out the Bells
Works for Orchestra and Bands
Dover Castle: a Seascape
The Clowns Concerto
Fanfare to Planet Earth
Millennium March
Tarka the Otter
Arabian Fantasy
La Dame Etrange
Requiem for the Children of Aberfan
Chamber and instrumental works
The Pensive Clown
Serenata: Mother and Child
The Awakening
Escpades
Over 30 film and televison scores, including
When the Boat Comes In
Three Men in a Boat
Americas Sweetheart
Flambards
Tarka the Otter
The Good Companions
Musical Mariner - AFI best soundtrack award
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CONTACT
Further information for features, tv and film, international,
liaison with Fanshawe family, etc
KATHARINE COPISAROW
kathy@davidfanshawe.com
Please email; phone only if necessary or personal + 44 7909 94614
thank you, KC
12 July 2010
