George Lloyd

When I first met the lively, engaging, 80-years-young composer in 1993 it was hard to believe he had survived long years of anguish in a musical wilderness during his middle life.  His infectious humour and joy of life was testament to his vibrant personality that permeates his works.

George Lloyd was born at St. Ives in Cornwall and, but for a cruel blow of fate during WW2, which interrupted an already shining start to his musical career, would have gained recognition many years ago as one of the most outstanding English composers of the 20th century.
He began composing when he was 10 years old but, because of ill health as a result of rheumatic fever as a young child, he was unable to receive a formal education until he was 12.  After two years at school he left to follow a full time music education, including violin study with the great Albert Sammons and composition with Harry Farjeon.

He wrote his first symphony at 19 and before he was 25 three symphonies had been premiered and two operas, Iernin and The Serf produced, the latter to great acclaim at Covent Garden.  By this time, the cognoscenti of the music world were already taking notice of the brilliant up-and-coming young composer whose work was halted when he served as a Royal Marine, doubling as a gunner and bandsman on HMS Trinidad. 

It was during an Arctic convoy in 1942 that the ship was blown up.  Lloyd was incapacitated by such severe shell shock that he was unable to return to full time composing for the next 30 years.  His devoted wife, Nancy, was a tremendous support and encouragement to him and he gradually began composing again, completing his Fourth and Fifth Symphonies between 1945-48, albeit very slowly and laboriously, achieving no more than 20 bars a day.  He regained his health partially and received a commission to write his third opera, John Socman, for the 1951 Festival of Britain.  However, the strain proved too much and with Nancy he set up as a market gardener producing mushrooms and carnations in Dorset.  But with typical tenacity he persevered with composing for a few hours each day. 

It was not until 1973 that he returned to full time composing, although in the previous 20 years had managed to write six more symphonies and several concertos. During this time there were several who recognised his work’s importance and continued to champion him, notably Sir Edward Downes, Charles Groves and the pianist John Ogden, for whom Lloyd wrote the first of four piano concertos in 1963. Gavin Henderson, chief executive of the Philharmonia Orchestra also promoted him and, by the end of his life, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra had performed and recorded several of Lloyd's symphonies as well as commissioning the Brass Symphony and taking the 6th Symphony to the Proms and the 9th on tour to Italy. They also recorded his opera, John Socman.

From then on George Lloyd’s prominence as major composer was assured although, ironically, much more quickly in the US than in his own country!  He continued producing important works until the very end of his life.  The Symphonic Mass was premiered at the Brighton Festival in 1993 and he completed a Requiem only three weeks before he died.  Lloyd’s music is overtly romantic but with subtle depth and very much of today.  Never trite, and combined with exciting innovations, it makes for thrilling listening.
Thelma Shaw