Weir, Judith (
b Aberdeen, 1954). Scottish composer. Played in Nat. Youth Orch. of Great Britain. Worked on computer mus., Mass. Inst. of Technology 1973. On staff of Glasgow Univ. 1979–82. Creative arts fellowship, Trinity Coll., Cambridge, 1983–5. Comp.-in-residence RSAMD 1988–91. CBE 1995. Works incl.:OPERAS:
The Black Spider (1984);
A Night at the Chinese Opera (1986–7);
The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990);
Blond Eckbert (1993–4).ORCH.:
Wunderhorn (1978);
Isti Mirant Stella (1981);
Ballad, with bar. solo (1981);
The Ride Over Lake Constance (1983–4);
Variations on ‘Sumer is icumen in’ (1987);
Sederunt principes (1987);
Music Untangled (1991–2);
Heroische Bogenstriche (
Heroic Strokes of the Bow) (1992).CHORAL:
Ascending into Heaven, ch., org. (1983);
Illuminare,
Jerusalem, ch., org. (1985);
Lovers,
Learners and Libations, early mus. consort (1987);
Missa del Cid, ch., spkr. (1988);
Heaven Ablaze in His Breast, ch., 2 pf., 8 dancers (1989);
Our Revels now are Ended, ch., wind (1995).ENS. (also with VOICE(S)):
25 Variations, sop., 6 players (1976);
Black Birdsong, bar., fl., ob., vn., vc. (1977);
Between Ourselves, 7 players (1978);
Hans the Hedgehog, spkr., 2 ob., bn., hpd. (1978);
King Harald's Saga, sop. (1979);
King Harald sails to Byzantium, 6 players (1979);
Thread!, narr., 8 players (1981);
The Consolations of Scholarship, sop., 9 players (1985);
Airs from Another Planet, fl., ob., cl., bn., hn., pf. (1986);
The Romance of Count Arnaldos, sop., 2 cl., va., vc., db. (1989);
Ox Mountain Was Covered by Trees, sop, counterten., bar., orch. (1990);
Scipio's Dream (re-composition of Mozart's
Il sogno di Scipione), sop., mez., ten. or high bar., bass, opt. ch., ens. (1991);
The Alps, sop., cl., va. (1992);
Broken Branches, sop., pf., db. (1992);
Combattimento II (re-composition of Monteverdi's
Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda), 12 singers, 2 vn., va., vc., db. (1992);
Musicians Wrestle Everywhere, chamber ens. (1994).VOICE & SOLO INSTR.:
Scotch Minstrels, ten. (or sop.), pf. (1982);
Songs from the Exotic, low v., pf. (1987);
A Spanish Liederbooklet, sop., pf. (1988);
Don't Let That Horse, sop., hn. (1990);
On Buying a Horse, medium v., pf. (1991).CHAMBER MUSIC:
Out of the Air, wind quintet (1975);
Harmony and Invention, hp. (1978, rev. 1980);
Pas de Deux, vn., ob. (1980);
Several Concertos, fl., vc., pf. (1980); vc. sonata (1980);
Music for 247 Strings, vn., pf. (1981);
Pleasant Dreams, db., tape (1983);
A Serbian Cabaret, pf. qt. (1983–4);
Sketches from a Bagpiper's Album, cl., pf. (1984);
The Bagpiper's String Trio, vn., va., vc. (1985);
Gentle Violence, picc., gui. (1987);
Mountain Airs, fl., ob., cl. (1988);
Distance and Enchantment, pf. qt. (1989); str. qt. (1990);
I broke off a golden branch, vn., va., vc., db., pf. (1991);
El Rey de Francia, vn., va., vc., pf. (1993).KEYBOARD:
An mein Klavier, pf. (1980);
Wild Mossy Mountains, org. (1982);
The Art of Touching the Keyboard, pf. (1983);
Ettrick Banks, org. (1983);
Michael's Strathspey, pf. (or org.) (1985);
Ardnamurchan Point, 2 pf. (1990);
Roll off the Ragged Rocks of Sin, pf. (1992).
