Scott, Francis George

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Scott, Francis George

Scott, Francis George, Scottish composer; b. Hawick, Roxburghshire, Jan. 25, 1880; d. Glasgow, Nov. 6, 1958. He studied humanities at the Univ. of Edinburgh, Moray House Coll. of Education in Edinburgh, and the Univ. of Durham (B.M., 1909); also took theory lessons with a local organist, and later pursued training with Roger-Ducasse. After a period as a school teacher, he was a lecturer in music at Jordanhill Coll. in Glasgow (1925–46). Scott was at his best as a composer of songs; publ. Scottish Lyrics for Voice and Piano (5 vols., London and Glasgow, 1922–39) and 35 Scottish Lyrics and Other Poems (Glasgow, 1949); also wrote The Ballad of Kynd Kittok for Baritone and Orch. (1934), Renaissance, overture (1937; Glasgow, Jan. 14, 1939), The Seven Deadly Sinnes, dance suite for Orch. (1941), and Lament for the Heroes for String Orch. (1941). Scott had a number of ardent admirers in England, among them the poet Hugh MacDiarmid and the composer Kaikhosru Sorabji, who in their exuberant encomiums place him in the ranks of Schubert and Schumann as a songwriter.

Bibliography

H. MacDiarmid, F.G. S.: An Essay on his 75th Birthday (Edinburgh, 1955).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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Scott, Francis George

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