21 October 1921, Northampton – 23 September 2006, Norfolk
British composer and trumpet player
Works for Brass Ensemble
- Flourish for a Birthday, Opus 44 (1953) for brass ensemble
- Fanfare for a Festival (1955) for brass ensemble
- Fanfare for a Royal Occasion (1956) for brass ensemble
- Richmond Fanfare (1957) for brass ensemble
- Kingston Fanfare (1959) for brass ensemble
- A Hoffnung Fanfare (1960) for brass ensemble
- Brass Quintet No. 1, Opus 73 (1961)
- Festival Fanfare (1969) for brass ensemble
- Railway Fanfare (1975) for brass ensemble
- Symphony for Brass, Opus 123 (1978) for brass ensemble
- Brass Quintet No. 2, Opus 132 (1987)
- The Forces Fanfare (1991) for brass ensemble
Works for Brass Band
- Hobson’s Brass (1953)
- Tam O’Shanter Overture, Op 51a (1955)
- Little Suite No 1, Op 80 (1963)
- English Dances Set 1 & II
- Four Cornish Dances, Op 91 (1966)
- Coronation March (Thomas Merritt) (1967)
- Little Suite No 2. Op 93 (1967)
- Prelude, Dance & March (1967)
- Fantasy for Brass Band, Op 114a (1973)
- Little Suite No 3, Op 131 (1987)
- March: The Padstow Lifeboat, Op 94
Biography
Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton to a family of shoemakers. As a rebellious teenager, he was attracted to the creative freedom of jazz. After seeing Louis Armstrong play in Bournemouth, he took up the trumpet at the age of 12 and 5 years later won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music (RCM). At the RCM he studied composition with Gordon Jacob and the trumpet with Ernest Hall. In 1941, he joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra as second trumpet and became principal trumpet in 1943.
In 1944, he volunteered for military service, but after he found out the army wanted to put him in a military band, he shot himself in the foot to get back to civilian life. After a season as principal trumpet with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he returned to the London Philharmonic in 1946 where he remained until 1948 to become a full-time composer.
Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Britten and Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain. His natural melodic gift earned him a reputation as a composer of light music in works such as his sets of Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish and Cornish Dances, and his scores to the St Trinian’s films and Hobson’s Choice. Arnold was a relatively conservative composer of tonal works, but a prolific and popular one. He acknowledged Hector Berlioz as an influence, and several commentators have drawn a comparison with Jean Sibelius.
He was knighted in 1993 for his service to music. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Exeter (1969), University of Durham (1982), University of Leicester (1984), Miami University of Ohio (1989), University of Winchester (1983), and the University of Northampton (2006).