Arthur Bliss

Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 1891 – 27 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor.

Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he quickly became known as an unconventional and modernist composer, but within the decade he began to display a more traditional and romantic side in his music. In the 1920s and 1930s he composed extensively not only for the concert hall, but also for films and ballet.

In the Second World War, Bliss returned to England from the US to work for the BBC and became its director of music. After the war he resumed his work as a composer, and was appointed Master of the Queen's Music.

In Bliss's later years, his work was respected but was thought old-fashioned, and it was eclipsed by the music of younger colleagues such as William Walton and Benjamin Britten. Since his death, his compositions have been well represented in recordings, and many of his better-known works remain in the repertoire of British orchestras.

Birth and Death Data: Born August 2, 1891 (London), Died March 28, 1975 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, conductor

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 76871 12-in. 2/9/1923 Conversations, part 1 : The committee meeting; In the wood Arthur Bliss Orchestra composer, conductor  
Columbia 76872 12-in. 2/9/1923 Conversations, part 2 : In the ballroom; Soliloquy Arthur Bliss Orchestra conductor, composer  
Columbia 76873 12-in. 2/9/1923 Conversations, part 3 : In the tube at Oxford Circus Arthur Bliss Orchestra conductor, composer  
Columbia 76874 12-in. 2/9/1923 Madam Noy Arthur Bliss ; Anne Thursfield Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra conductor, composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bliss, Arthur," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/357959.

Bliss, Arthur. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/357959.

"Bliss, Arthur." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/357959

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