Weir Judith, *11 May 1954 Cambridge, British composer. She took private composition lessons with J. Tavener, then studied composition with R. Holloway at King’s College, Cambridge, in 1973–76, and with G. Schuller at Tanglewood, Massachusetts, in 1975. She was the Composer-in-Residence with the Southern Arts Association in 1976–79, and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow, in 1988–91. She taught at Glasgow University in 1979–82 and was a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1983–85. In 1992, she moved to London. From 1995 to 1998, she was Composer in the Association for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, from 1995 to 2000 Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London, from 1999 a Visiting Professor at Oxford University, from 2001 at Princeton University and from 2004 at Harvard University. From 2006 to 2013, she was a Visiting Professor at the School of Music at Cardiff University. In 2014, she was appointed Master of the Queen’s Music by Queen Elizabeth II (renamed Master of the King’s Music in 2022 after the Queen’s death). From 2015 to 2019, she worked with the BBC Singers as Associate Composer. In 2023, her piece Brighter Visions Shine Afar was performed at the Coronation of King Charles III in London. She received, among others: First Prize at the Opera Screen Festival in Helsinki in 1991, the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire and an honorary doctorate from the University of Aberdeen in 1995, the Stoeger Prize awarded by Lincoln Center in 1997, the South Bank Show Music Award in 2001, the Incorporated Society of Musicians’ Distinguished Musician Award in 2010, and the Ivors Classical Music Award in 2015. She became an honorary member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2018.
In her compositional work, Weir draws inspiration from a variety of sources: ancient and contemporary literature, history (e.g. the musical reference to the history of London in Concrete), nature (What’s in the Lake?), European and non-European folklore, Taoism (Natural History, We are shadows), religious poetry (Three Chorales) and the Bible (By Wisdom). An important part of her oeuvre is stage works on a variety of topics, from Chinese dramas from the Yuan dynasty of the 13th and 14th centuries (The Consolations of Scholarship, A Night at the Chinese Opera), through medieval Scandinavian saga (King Harald’s Saga), to Scottish folk tales (The Vanishing Bridegroom). Weir’s musical style is characterised by narrative; the composer often uses the technique of heterophony and ostinato and also refers to Scottish folk music.
Literature: L. Colton The Female Exotic: Tradition, Innovation and Authenticity in the Reception of Music by Judith Weir, “Contemporary Music Review” XXIX, 2010 No. 3; K.K. Koay Judith Weir’s Instrumental Music as Description, “Per Musi” No. 33, 2016.
Instrumental:
Distance and Enchantment for violin, viola, cello and piano, 1989
String Quartet, 1990
I Broke off a Golden Branch for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano, 1991
Music, untangled for orchestra, 1992
Heroic Strokes of the Bow/Heroische Bogenstriche for orchestra, 1992
Piano Concerto,1997
Piano Trio, 1998
Unlocked for cello solo,1999
Piano Quartet, 2000
The Welcome Arrival of Rain for orchestra, 2001
Bright Cecilia: Variations on a Theme by Purcell for orchestra, 2002
Tiger under the Table for instrumental ensemble, 2002
Piano Trio Two, 2004
Winter Song for orchestra, 2006
Atantic Drift, 3 pieces for 2 violins, 2006
What’s in the Lake? for instrumental ensemble, 2012
I give you the end of a golden string for string orchestra, 2013
Blue-Green Hill for flute, clarinet, piano, violin and cello, 2013
Night for violin and cello, 2015
Three Chorales for cello and piano, 2016
Concerto for oboe and chamber orchestra, 2018; version with piano, 2018
The Prelude for flute, violin, viola and cello, 2019
New Every Morning for orchestra, 2021
Fresh Air for wind band, 2021
Begin Afresh for orchestra, 2022
Brighter Visions Shine Afar for orchestra, 2023
pieces for piano
Vocal:
Missa del Cid for reciter and choir, words from a Spanish anonymous Poem of the Cid and a Latin mass, 1988
pieces for choir a cappella, including Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, 2011
Vocal-instrumental:
Lovers, Learners and Libations for voices solo and ensemble of early instruments, 1987
Ox Mountain Was Covered by Trees for soprano, counter-tenor, baritone and chamber orchestra, words by Mencius, 1990, arrangement for soprano, counter-tenor and piano, 1997
Natural History for soprano and orchestra, words by Zhuangzi, 1998; also version for soprano and piano
We are shadows for children’s choir, mixed choir and orchestra, words by E. Dickinson, Zhuangzi and others, 1999
woman.life.song for soprano and instrumental ensemble, words by M. Angelou, T. Morrison, C. Estés, 2000
Concrete for choir and orchestra with reciter, words by J. Evelyn and others, 2007
Good Morning, Midnight for mezzo-soprano or baritone and instrumental ensemble, words by E. Dickinson, K. Jamie, Ch. Simic, G. Leopardi, 2014
Praise Him With Trumpets for 2 trumpets, mixed choir and organ, text from Psalms 146 and 150, 2015
In the Land of Uz for narrator, tenor and instrumental ensemble, words from the Book of Job, 2017
The Big Picture for choir, clarinet, percussion and keyboard, words by Henry VIII, W. Stevens, R. Frost, J.B. O’Reilly, Ch. Rossetti, 2017
blue hills beyond blue hills for choir and string quartet, words by A. Spence, 2019
O Sweet Spontaneous Earth for choir and string orchestra, words by E.E. Cummings, E. Dickinson and W.C. Williams, 2021
pieces for choir and organ, including By Wisdom, words from the Book of Proverbs, 2022
pieces for choir accompanied by another instrument (trombone, harp, marimba, piano, cello)
songs for voice and piano, including:
Songs from the Exotic for mezzo-soprano and piano, based on Serbian, Spanish and Scottish folk songs, 1987
A Spanish Liederbooklet for soprano and piano, 1988, No. 3 arranged for soprano and 5 instruments entitled The Romance of Count Arnaldos, 1989
The Voice of Desire, cycle of songs for mezzo-soprano and piano, words by R. Bridges, Th. Hardy, J. Keats and the poetry of the Yoruba people, English transl. U. Beier, 2003
Scenic (libretto by the composer):
King Harald’s Saga, opera for soprano solo, libretto after Heimskringla by S. Sturluson, 1979
The Black Spider, children’s opera, libretto after J. Gotthelf, 1984, staged in Canterbury 1985
The Consolations of Scholarship, music drama, libretto after Chi Chunhsiang and others, 1985
A Night at the Chinese Opera, opera, libretto after the drama by Chi Chunhsiang and other texts, 1987, staged in Cheltenham 1987
Heaven Ablaze in His Breast, dance opera, libretto after E.Th.A. Hoffmann, choreography by I. Spink, 1989
The Vanishing Bridegroom, opera, libretto after Popular Tales of the West Highlands by J.F. Campbell of Islay, 1990, staged in Glasgow 1990
Blond Eckbert, opera, libretto after J.L. Tieck, 1993, staged in London 1994; 2nd version as a chamber opera, 2006, staged in London 2006
Armida, TV opera, 2005, staged in the British TV 2005
Miss Fortune, opera, libretto based on the Sicilian folk story, 2011, staged in Bregenz 2011
theatre and film music
