Bate, Stanley (Richard)

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Bate, Stanley (Richard)

Bate, Stanley (Richard), English composer and pianist; b. Plymouth, Dec. 12, 1911; d. (suicide) London, Oct. 19, 1959. He studied composition with Vaughan Williams, Morris, and Jacob and piano with Benjamin at the Royal Coll. of Music in London (1932–36), and then pursued composition training with Boulanger in Paris and Hindemith in Berlin. He toured widely as a pianist. In 1938 he married Peggy Glanville-Hicks; they divorced in 1948. He wrote music in a finely structured cosmopolitan manner, making use of modern devices but observing the classical forms and shunning doctrinaire systems.

Works

DRAMATIC: Ballet: Eros (1935); Goyescas (1937); Perseus (1938); Cap over Mill (1938); Highland Fling (1947); Troilus and Cressida (1948); Dance Variations (1948). OTHER: Music for plays and films. ORCH.: 4 syms., including No. 3 (1940; Cheltenham, July 14, 1954) and No. 4 (London, Nov. 20, 1955); 2 sinfoniettas; 3 piano concertos; 3 violin concertos; Viola Concerto (1946); Concerto grosso for Piano and Strings (1952); Harpsichord Concerto (1953); Cello Concerto (1953). CHAMBER: Flute Sonata; 2 string quartets; Violin Sonata; Oboe Sonata; 2 piano sonatas and other pieces. VOCAL: Songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire