- Bernard Stevens
Bernard (George) Stevens, born 2 March 1916 in
London , died 6 January 1983 inColchester , England was a significant British composer.He studied English and Music at the
University of Cambridge with E. J. Dent, then at theRoyal College of Music with R.O. Morris andGordon Jacob from 1937 to 1940. His op.l, aviolin sonata , attracted the attention ofMax Rostal , who commissioned a Violin Concerto, which Stevens wrote while on army service. In 1946 his First Symphony, entitled "Symphony of Liberation", won first prize in a competition sponsored by theDaily Express newspaper for a 'Victory Symphony' to celebrate the end of the war with a premiere at theRoyal Albert Hall .In 1948 Stevens was appointed Professor of Composition at the
Royal College of Music , a post he combined from 1967 with a professorship at theUniversity of London . As an examiner he travelled widely, especially in Eastern Europe.Although he resigned his membership of the
Communist Party in protest at the Soviet suppression of the 1956 Hungarian uprising, Stevens was intellectually and emotionally committed to the left and associated with other socialist artists and writers, such as his friendsAlan Bush ,Randall Swingler andMontague Slater , and was active in theWorkers‘ Musical Association .His musical students included British composer
Keith Burstein .External links
*cite web|title=Bernard Stevens|url=http://www.impulse-music.co.uk/stevens.htm|accessdate=2007-01-08
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