Christopher Bowers Broadbent

Biography

He was a chorister in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, and went on to study organ and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was taught by Arnold Richardson and Richard Rodney Bennett. His made his debut at the Camden Festival in 1966; his first major recitals were at the St Albans International Organ Festival in 1969 and the Royal Festival Hall in 1971. His first appearance as a soloist was at the Proms in 1972. He was a Fellow and Professor of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music from 1973 to 1992, where his students included Kevin Bowyer.

He has recorded CDs as an organist, and with the Hilliard Ensemble. He has also appeared with Paul Hillier's Theatre of Voices. Arvo Pärt's Puzzle was written for him in celebration of his birthday. He has composed a great deal of vocal music, as well as instrumental and orchestral works.

He holds two posts in London: organist and choirmaster of Gray's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court, and organist at the West London Synagogue. This allows him the use of their Harrison & Harrison and Mander organs.

Christopher Bowers-Broadbent is the father of musician Harry Broadbent.

Choral

1968 Four Lovescapes Canticles (E.E. Cummings)

1972 Worthy is the Lamb Cantata

1974 The Hollow Man (T.S. Eliot)

1975 Rhymes without Reason four songs (Mervyn Peake)

1976 The Story of Cars a short cantata

1978 Deo Gratias a motet

1981 The Quarry a short cantata (W.H. Auden)

1989 Jubilate-Cantate

1999 Holy Communion service for Gray's Inn

Canticles

Evening Canticles

1968 Festal setting

1968 Lenten setting

1976 in Two Parts

1988 Ex-St Pancras

Morning Canticles

1972 Te Deum (ICET text)

1975 Te Deum

1971 Short communion service

1973 Communion Service (Series III text)

1981 A New Benedicite (Leonard Clark)

Anthems

1965 2 Short Motets

1966 Brief life

1968 No time ago

1968 Offer your very selves

1968 Into this world of sorrow

1969 Virgin Born

1969 Music to Hear

1969 Pleasure it is

1969 The way to Life

1970 Pater noster

1970 Except the Lord

1970 Let thy merciful ears

1971 I thank you God

1976 The grace of God

1977 There is water in the river

1995 Yiheyu leratson

1994 The Elixir

1994 Hail bright Cecilia

1996 Since I

1997 Hashivenu

1997 Office Hymns

1997 All praise

1997 Az Yashir Mosheh (The Song of Moses)

Christmas music

1963/1970 Sleep Holy Babe

1965 Matin Responsory

1971 A spotless rose

1973 There is no rose

1977 If Christ were born in Camden (A.F. Bayly)

1978 If Christ were born in London

1984 A Christmas Litany (Fred Kaan)

1985 A Christmas Song (Laurence Housman)

1991 Angelus ad Virginem

1999 As with gladness

2002 Alleluia: A new work is come on hand

Instrumental

1966 Dialogue and Controversy for brass and organ

1967 Serenatas for oboe

1967 Dogmas for brass quartet and timpani

1968 Duo for flute and violin

1970 3 Duets for flute

1970 Fantasia for lute

1975 Little Concerto for oboe and string orchestra

1979 Piece for E-flat clarinet

2000 A Ship bound for Tarshish for chamber orchestra

2001 The Song at the Sea for organ, strings and timpani

Organ

1964 Variations

1966 Four Diversions

1968 Six Pieces

1968 Serenata

1994 PreluDDe

1996 Media vita - a sequence of short pieces

1996 Duets and canons - a sequence of short pieces (recorded by Kevin Bowyer)

1997 Ya Shema

2000 Organ Notebook 1

2002 7 Words - a piece in 7 movements

Chamber operas

1972 The Pied Piper (a children's opera) - libretto by Jeremy Hornsby

1979 The Seacock Bane (for teenagers) - libretto by Tony Vincent Isaacs

1982 The Last Man (a comic opera) - libretto by Tony Vincent Isaacs

Songs and incidental music

1969 The Becauseway a play by Wesley Burrowes

1971 And All The People Rejoiced a play by Wesley Burrowes

1982 The Three Brothers a story for shadow puppets by Jessica Souhami