Healey, Derek
Healey, Derek
Healey, Derek, English composer and pedagogue; b. Wargrave, May 2, 1936. He was a student of Darke (organ) and Howells (composition) at the Univ. of Durham (B.Mus., 1961), and received training in piano, organ, and flute at the Royal Coll. of Music in London; he then continued his composition studies with Petrassi and Berio in Italy, principally with Porena in Rome (1962–66). He also studied conducting with Celibidache at the Accademia Musical Chigiana in Siena (summers, 1961-63 and 1966). He taught at the Univ. of Victoria, British Columbia (1969–71) and at the Univ. of Toronto (1971–72); he concurrently taught at the Univ. of Waterloo. After teaching at the Univ. of Guelph (1972–78), he was prof, of theory and composition at the Univ. of Ore. in Eugene from 1979 to 1988. In 1980 he was awarded the International Composition Prize of the Univ. of Louisville.
Works
dramatic:II Carcerato, ballet (1965); The 3 Thieves, ballet (1967); Mr. Punch, children’s opera (1969); Seabird Island, opera (Guelph, May 7, 1977). ORCH.: The Willow Pattern Plate (1957); Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani (1960); Ruba’i (1968); Arctic Images (1971); Noh, triple concerto for Flute, Piano, Synthesizer, and Orch. (1974); Primrose in Paradise for Chamber Orch. (1975); Tribulation (1977); Sym. No. 3, Music for a Small Planet (1984); Sym. No. 1, Mountain Music, for Large Wind Ensemble and Percussion (1985). CHAMBER: String Quartet (1961); Cello Sonata (1961); Partita bizzara for Oboe and Piano (1962); Divisions for Brass Quintet (1963); Mobile for Flute, Vibraphone, Celesta, Harp, 2 Percussionists, and Cello (1963); Movement for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and String Trio (1965); Laudes for Flute, Horn, Percussion, Harp, 2 Violins, and Cello (1966); Stinging for Alto Recorder, Cello, Harpsichord, and Tape (1971); Solana Grove for Wind Quintet (1982); piano pieces; organ music. VOCAL: Butterflies for Mezzo-soprano and Small Orch. (1970); Wood II for Soprano and String Quartet (1978; rev. 1981); songs.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire