Nyman Michael, *23 March 1944 London, English composer. In 1961–64, he studied composition under A. Bush at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and from 1964 to 1967, musicology under Th. Dart at the King’s College in London. Until the second half of the 1970s he hardly composed, occupying himself with music criticism (e.g. for “The Spectator,” “Studio International,” “The Listener”), editing, performing, and lecturing in London schools. In 1964, he travelled to Romania, researching folk songs.
In 1974, he published the book Experimental Music. Cage and Beyond, examining the influence of the American composer on music in the years 1950–70. Nyman is credited with using the term “minimalism” borrowed from visual art for the first time in reference to music (“The Spectator,” 11 October 1968). In 1976, for the production of C. Goldoni’s play Il campiello at the National Theatre, the composer organized Il Campiello Band, renamed in 1977 the Michael Nyman Band; since then, he has been active as the band’s leader and pianist, creating largely for its use, and touring extensively. In 2018, the Michael Nyman Band performed on tour to celebrate its 40th anniversary. In 2002–05, Nyman was composer-in-residence at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlruhe. In 2005, he founded his own record label, MN Records. In 2008, he was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Nyman’s oeuvre includes orchestral pieces (in 2012, he decided to write 19 symphonies), chamber pieces, solo pieces, operas, song cycles (to the words of Shakespeare, Neruda, Octavio Paz, Paul Celan, Milton, Juana Inés de la Cruz, folk texts and others), audiovisual installations, music for documentaries, exhibitions, fashion shows, computer games, but he is best known for creating music for around 80 films, mainly directed by Peter Greenaway and The Piano by Jane Campion. He received three Golden Globe nominations: for The Piano, Gattaca and The End of the Affair. In later years, he began composing music for silent films, including Man with a Movie Camera, The Eleventh Year and A Sixth Part of the World by Dz. Vertov, Battleship Potemkin by S. Eisenstein. Together with Max Pugh, they created a number of artistic films, documentaries, and audio-video installations.
Nyman has collaborated with musicians representing non-European musical traditions (Orquesta Andalusi de Tetuán, Rajan and Sajan Misra, Uppalapu Shrinivas, Estrella Morente, Seijin Noborakawa), representatives of the jazz, rock, popular and alternative scenes (Evan Parker, Peter Brötzmann, Paolo Fresu, Mike Giles, the Flying Lizards, Dagmar Krause, Sting, Damon Albarn, David McAlmont, Alva Noto), and in the field of dance theatre with outstanding choreographers, including Siobhan Davies, Ashley Page and Shobana Jeyasingh.
Nyman’s work stems from Cage’s aesthetics, experimental music, and is largely minimalist, and is characterised by intertextuality. Nyman draws with pleasure from early music, mainly baroque and classical, treats it as material, quotes, arranges, and transforms it. The composer attaches particular importance to the music of W.A. Mozart as pre-compositional material, and has also used, among others, works by H. Purcell, F. Schubert, R. Schumann, F. Chopin (Milton Songs), J. Dowland, and 16th– and 17th-century English canons and rondos. He often draws on his own work, e.g. he used material from the String Quartet No. 3 in Carrington, and from The Convertibility of Lute Strings in the harpsichord concerto. He has developed numerous fragments from film music, especially Greenaway and The Piano, as independent pieces.
The stylistic idiom of Nyman’s music is clearly perceptible, it often gives the impression of an intellectual game created with detachment, sometimes irony. It is characterised by a transparent construction, arranging ostinato structures, planes with pulsating, motor rhythms and expressive melodic figures. Nyman’s pieces are distinguished by interesting instrumentation (saxophones, wind instruments, electric bass guitars, sometimes old and other instruments), textural and expressive diversity. The composer’s original sound imagination came to the fore particularly clearly in the music for Greenaway’s films. In the 90s, Nyman’s style began to evolve towards greater lyricism, moodiness, the pieces were dominated by string sounds and broadly outlined melodic lines, as well as the influence of folklore (Romanian music in the String Quartet No. 3), pop and rock music. The composer’s desire to blur the boundaries between classical, film, folk and pop music, to create a fusion of different styles, trends and traditions, as well as numerous references, abundant use of historical repertoire, quotes and self-quotations often result in criticism.
Literature: G. Heldt “…Breaking the Sequence Down Beat by Beat”. Michael Nyman’s Music for the Films of Peter Greenaway, in: Film und Fernsehwissenschaftliches Kolloquium: Berlin 1989, Monastyr 1990; R. Schwarz Minimalists, London 1996; C. Cenciarelli The Case against Nyman Revisited. “Affirmative” and “critical” evidence in Michael Nyman’s Appropriation of Mozart, “Radical Musicology” 1, 2006; M. Beirens Quotation as a Structural Element in Music by Michael Nyman, “Tempo” 2007 no. 61; P. ap Siôn The Music of Michael Nyman. Texts, contexts, and intertexts, Farnham 2007.
Compositions
Instrumental:
for orchestra:
Symphony No. 2 2013
Symphony No. 5 2013
Symphony No. 6 2013
Symphony No. 8 Water Dances 2013
Symphony No. 3 of Sexual Songs 2014
Symphony No. 11 Hillsborough Memorial for soprano, female choir, children’s choir and orchestra, 2014
Symphony No. 12 Habla de la ciudad 2014
Symphony No. 4 Faena 2015
Symphony No. 7 Connected with Energy 2019
A Handsome, Smooth, Sweet, Smart, Clear Stroke 1983
A Broken Set of Rules 1984
The Upside-Down Violin, for Michael Nyman Band and Orquesta Andaluzi de Tetuoan, 1992
MGV(Musique à grande vitesse), for Michael Nyman Band and orchestra, 1993
Strong on Oaks, Strong on the Causes of Oaks 1997
a dance he little thinks of 2001
Melody Waves for Chinese orchestra, 2005
I was a Total Virgin for chamber orchestra, 2006
Devoción 2012
As You Watch The Athletes Score for chamber orchestra, 2016
for instrument solo and orchestra:
Where the Bee Dances for saxophone and orchestra, 1991
Piano Concerto, 1993 (concert version of music from the film The Piano)
Violin Concerto 2003, revised in 2014
Piano Concerto No. 2 2007
Violin Concerto No. 2 2007
Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra, 1995
Trombone Concerto, 1995
Double Concerto for saxophone, cello and orchestra, 1997
Concerto for saxophone quartet and orchestra, 2001
gdm for marimba and orchestra, 2006
A New Pavan For These Sad, Distracted Times (cello concerto) 2007
Concerto for flute and string orchestra, 2010
Concerto No. 2 for flute and string orchestra, 2019
for Michael Nyman Band:
In Re Don Giovanni 1977, version for string quartet, 1991, version for string quintet, 2004
Bird Work 1984
AET (After Extra Time) 1996
De Granada a la luna 1998
The Commissar Vanishes 1999
Orfeu 1998
Zeit und Ziel 1814–2002 2002
Sangsam: The Meeting Point for mandolin and the band, with U. Shrivinas (mandolin), Rajan and Sajan Misra (singing), 2002
Compiling the Colours (Samhitha) for mandolin and the band (for U. Shrivinas and Michael Nyman Band), 2003
50,000 pairs of feet can’t be wrong 2007
The Musicologist Score 2009
Kino for 3 accordions and the band, 2009
chamber:
Bell Set No. 1 for percussion instruments, 1974
1–100 for 4–6 pianos, 1976
2 Violins for 2 violins, 1981
4 Saxes (Real Slow Drag) for 4 saxophones, 1982
Time’s Up for gamelan, 1983
String Quartet No. 1 1985
String Quartet No. 2 1988, version for saxophone quartet 2008
String Quartet No. 3 1990, version for saxophone quartet 2008
Shaping the Curve for saxophone and piano, 1990, arrangement for saxophone and string quartet 1991
Masque Arias for brass quintet, 1991
Flugelhorn and Piano 1991
For John Cage for brass instruments, 1992
Goodbye Frankie, Goodbye Benny for piano trio 1992
Time Will Pronounce for piano trio 1992
On the Fiddle for violin or cello and piano, 1993, arrangement for violin or cello and strings, 1993
Songs for Tony for a quartet of saxophones, 1993
Three Quartets (saxophone, for brass instruments, for strings) 1994
String Quartet No. 4 1995
The Photography of Chance for piano trio, 2004
Revisiting the Don for Chinese flute and the band, 2005, also version for string quintet
In C Interlude for 5 instruments, 2005
Taking it as Read for violin and piano, 2007
Viola and Piano 2009
String Quartet No. 5 “Let’s not make a song and dance out of it” 2011, revised 2012
Through the Only Window for piano quintet, 2012
Trumpet & String Quartet 2013
Chromattic for saxophone, accordion, marimba and double bass, 2015
When Ingrid Met Capa for string quartet, 2019
for instrument solo:
The Convertibility of Lute Strings for harpsichord 1992
Tango for Tim for harpsichord 1994
Yamamoto Perpetuo for violin, 1993
Solo Viola 1995
Elisabeth Gets Her Way for harpsichord, 1996
Fourths, Mostly for organ, 2001
Goldberg Shuffle for piano, 2013
Neat Slice of Tango for piano, 2019
Vocal and vocal-instrumental:
Out of the Ruins for choir, 1989
Balancing the Book for choir, 1999
accompanied by Michael Nyman Band:
Bird List Song for soprano, 1979, revised 1985
Bird Anthem for 4 voices, 1981
L’orgie parisienne for voice, words by A. Rimbaud, 1989
Cycle of Disquietude for soprano and contralto, words by K. Power, F. Pessoa, 1998
Ariel Songs for soprano, from music to film Prospero’s Books, 1990–91
Three Ways of Describing Ring (Sawan; Rang; Dhyan) for Rajan’s voice and Sajan Mishra, 2003
Milton Songs for voice, 2010
War Works: 8 Songs with Film, cycle of songs for contralto, to words of poets fighting at World War I, to archive video recordings of war, 2014
for voice and instrument/instruments:
Six Celan Songs for voice and piano 1990, also arrangement for voice and instrumental ensemble, 1992
Anne de Lucy Songs for voice and piano 1992
Mozart on Mortality for soprano and 6 instruments, 1992
Self-Laudatory Hymn of Innana and Her Omnipotence for countertenor and viola, 1992, arrangement for contralto and string orchestra, 1995, also for alto and strings and for countertenor and an ensemble of woodwind instruments
The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi for soprano and string quartet, 2001
Acts of Beauty, cycle of songs for soprano and instrumental ensemble, 2004
I Sonetti Lussuriosi for soprano and orchestra, words by P. Aretino, 2007, also version with piano quintet and Michael Nyman Band
Ombra mai fu for countertenor and orchestra, 2009
Body Parts Songs, cycle of songs for soprano/tenor and piano or soprano and instrumental ensemble, 2010
No Time In Eternity for countertenor and a group of violas, 2016
***
A Neat Slice of Time for choir and amplified piano, 1980
Mosè for choir and string quartet, 2001
A Child’s View of Colour for children’s voices and string quintet, 2003
A Handshake in the Dark for choir and orchestra, words by J. Jumá, 2007
Doing the Rounds for choir and orchestra, 2011
Two Sonnets for Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz for choir and piano, 2014, also for voice and piano
Scenic:
Il campiello, music for the C. Goldoni’s play, staged in London 1976
operas:
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, chamber opera, libretto by Ch. Rawlence after O. Sacks, staged in Londyn 1986
La Princesse de Milan, ballet opera, libretto by K. Saport after W. Shakespeare, staged in Avignon 1991
Letters, Riddles and Writs, TV opera, libretto by J. Newson after L. and W.A. Mozart, BBC 1991, staged in Londyn 1992
Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs, libretto after W. Shakespeare, staged in Tokio 1994
Facing Goya, libretto by V. Hardie, staged in Santiago de Compostela 2000, revised version staged in Karlsruhe 2002
Man and Boy: Dada, chamber opera, libretto by M. Hastings, 2003, staged in Karlsruhe 2004
Love Counts, chamber opera, libretto by M. Hastings, 2005, staged in Karlsruhe 2005
Prologue to Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, libretto by V. Pavlov, 2011
ballets, music for dance theatre, including:
And Do They Do, staged in London 1986
The Fall of Icarus, staged in Brussels 1989
Strange Attractors for piano and string quartet, 1999, staged in San Francisco 1999
Flicker for guitar and electronics, 2004, staged in Manchester 2005
Film music:
for over a dozen films directed P. Greenaway, including:
The Draughstman’s Contract 1982
A Zed and Two Noughts 1985
Drowning by Numbers 1988
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover 1989
Prospero’s Books 1991
directed by P. Leconte:
Monsieur Hire 1989
Le mari de la coiffeuse 1990
Maigret et la Jeune Morte 2020
directed by M. Winterbottom:
Wonderland, directed by M. Winterbottom, 1999
The Claim, directed by M. Winterbottom, 2000
***
Frozen Music, directed by M. Eaton, 1983
Les enfants volants, directed by G. Nicloux, 1991
The Piano, directed by J. Campion, 1993
A la Folie (Six Days, Six Nights), directed by D. Kurys, 1994
Carrington, directed by Ch. Hampton, 1994
The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by S. Araki, 1995
Gattaca, directed by A. Niccol, 1997
The End of the Affair, directed by N. Jordan, 1999
Act Without Words, directed by K. Reisz, 2000
24 heures de la vie d’une femme, directed by L. Bouhnik, 2002
The Libertine, directed by L. Dunmore, 2004
Jestem, directed by D. Kędzierzawska, 2005
On Languard Point, directed by R. Pacitti, 2011
Music for silent films:
Man with a Movie Camera from 1929, directed by Dz. Vertov, 2001, orchestra version 2007
The Eleventh Year from 1928, directed by Dz. Vertov, 2009
A Sixth Part of the World from 1926, directed by Dz. Vertov, 2009
Manhattan from 1921, directed by Ch. Sheeler and P. Strand, 2003, also versions for orchestra, for bass clarinet, for soprano and bass clarinet
Pancernik Potionkin from 1925, directed by S. Einstein, 2011
***
TV music
music for a computer game Enemy Zero 1996
With electronics:
Dance of the Engines for orchestra and tape, 2002
Beckham Crosses, Nyman Scores for string quartet and tape, 2002
Works:
Experimental Music. Cage and Beyond, Londin 1974, 2nd ed. 1999 (introduction by B. Eno), Polish ed. Muzyka ksperymentalna. Cage i po Cage’u, transl. M. Mendyk, Gdańsk 2011
Michael Nyman. Collected Writings, ed. P. ap Siôn, Farnham 2013 (articles, interviews and reviews)
