Don Kay (composer)

Don Kay (composer)
Donald Henry Kay AM (born 25 January 1933) is an Australian classical composer.
Kay was born on 25 January 1933 in Smithton, Tasmania. He attained a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Melbourne after which he taught music at Colac High School, Victoria, 1957–59. He then went on to teach music at Peckham Manor Comprehensive School for Boys, London, UK 1959-64 and was Director of Music there 1962–64. He studied composition privately at this time with Malcolm Williamson. His first publication was in 1964–65 with Songs of Come and Gone for choir, flute, piano and string orchestra.
Kay returned to Tasmania in 1965 with a young family of two daughters as lecturer of music, Hobart Teachers College; in 1967 he was appointed Lecturer of Composition and Music Education, Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music. He received his first commission in 1966, Organ Sonata, broadcast on ABC national radio by John Nicholls, the Hobart City Organist, in 1967. Active as a music tutor from the late 1960s to the middle 1970s with the Tasmanian Youth Theatre, Secheron House, Battery Point, Kay also composed a number of scores for production by the Tasmanian Puppet Theatre as well as Theatre Royal professional productions e.g. Richard II (Shakespeare), The Imaginary Invalid (Molière), the Wakefield Miracle Plays (Tasmania Festival, 1970) at that time. In 1984 Kay wrote an opera The Golden Crane with a libretto from Gwen Harwood.
During these years Kay was also contributing to Creative Music and Arts workshops at National and International conferences for Music and Arts Education. He was appointed Senior Lecturer at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in 1976; elected Dean of Music, University of Tasmania, 1989; and elected Head of the Conservatorium of Music, University of Tasmania, 1990.
Kay has had over 50 compositions broadcast on ABC national radio and over 60 works publicly performed in Australia, UK, US, Switzerland and Italy from a symphony, to operas, orchestral and choral works to chamber and solo works.
In 1989 Tasmania Symphony - The Legend of Moinee for cello and orchestra was awarded the best composition by a composer resident in Tasmania in the Sounds Australian awards.
In 1990 Dance Concertante for String Orchestra was given a similar award.
Kay's music in recent years has been largely the result of a variety of responses to Tasmanian ecology and history.
In June 1991 Don Kay was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts and particularly to music composition. In 2001 he was awarded a Centenary Medal for an outstanding contribution to music, music education and composing in Tasmania.
He retired from the staff of the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in 1998, having served as head of department from 1990 to 1993 and has since been appointed adjunct professor in composition. He now composes full-time.
Works
Chamber
Sextet, flute, violin, trumpet, viola, tenor trombone, xylophone 1962
Trio, flute, oboe, harpsichord 1962
Aubade, viola d'amore, piano 1964
Three Bagatelles, violin, viola, cello 1964
Six Miniatures for Piano Trio, violin, cello, piano 1967
Elegy, violin, viola, cello 1970
String Quartet 1 - 'The Quest 1971
Quintet for Flute and Strings 1974
Three Canzonas, flute, viola 1974
Proclamation Music, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon 1975
String Quartet 2 1975
String Quartet 3 1978
Scherzando for Two Pianos 1979
Five Piano Duets for young players 1979
Rapunzel – Paraphrase, violin, piano, narrator 1982
Two ensemble pieces for keyboard players 1982
The Waking of the World (String Quartet 4), string quartet, narrator 1984
Evocations, clarinet, violin, piano 1985
Rhapsody, violin, piano 1986
Dance Cameos, mandolin, wind quintet 1986
Hastings Triptych, flute, piano 1986
Seasons, voice, violin, piano 1989
Night Spaces, flute, violin, viola, cello, piano 1989
Birthday Flourish, string quartet 1990
Dance, violin, piano 1992
Duo Pastorales, violin, clarinet 1993
Love Voice of Moinee, cello, piano 1993
Coolness, clarinet, voice, piano 1994
Aestivernal, mandolin, wind quintet 1994
Epitaph for Alfred, violin, piano 1994
Concert Music for Viola and String Orchestra, rehearsal score (piano) 1994
All through the night, violin, piano 1996
Serenade, violin, cello, piano 1996
Prelude, violin, piano 1996
Victory Tango, clarinet, piano 1996
Piano Trio - The Edge of Remoteness, violin, cello, piano 1996
Saxophone Dances, saxophone quartet 1997
Wild Call, oboe, clarinet, string trio 1998
Scherzando, 2 pianos 1998
Sonata for Cello and Piano, cello, piano 1999
Blue Sky through Still Trees, flute, piano 1999
Little Domestic Suite, oboe, clarinet, string trio 1999
Memento Mori, string quartet 2000
Meditation on Prelude IX, 48 Preludes & Fugues (Bk.1) by J.S.Bach, 2 pianos, vibraphone 2000
Borders Within, violin, cello, percussion 2000
String Quartet 5 - 'A Tragic Life, 2 violins, viola, cello 2001
Two Southern Pieces, flute, piano 2001
Memento Mori, violin, cello, piano 2001
String Quartet 6 - 'On Truganini Track, 2 violins, viola, cello 2003
Piano Trio - 'The Span of Time, violin, cello, piano 2004
Cape Bernier, violin, cello, piano 2006
Five Short Pieces, violin, piano 2006
Summer Music, 2 recorders, baroque oboe, harpsichord 2007
Wild Song, violin, piano 2008
Dance Prelude, piccolo, piano 2008
Sleeping Water, alto saxophone, piano 2009
Sonata for Violin and Piano 2009
Epitomes, clarinet, piano 2009
Romance, viola, double bass 2009
Mathinna's Lullaby, oboe, piano 2009
Lamentation, brass quintet 2010
...the soft dying day, cello, piano 2010
Triptych, alto saxophone, piano 2014
Milestone Tribute, alto saxophone, piano 2018
Update hybrid, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano 2019
Allegory, cello, piano 2020
Large Ensemble
Variations, string orchestra 1963
Practice Piece No.1, winds and strings 1968
Three Pieces for String Orchestra 1969
Practice Piece No.2, treble instruments/voices/tuned and non-tuned percussion, keyboard, bass instruments 1970
Fanfare, double brass choir 1976
Three ensemble pieces for young string players, string ensemble 1981
Spiritual, 8 trombones 1994
Rondino, string ensemble 1997
Mathinna in the Red Dress, string orchestra 2007
Spiritual, 10 saxophones 2010
Concertante
Dance Movement, orchestra 1968
Dance Episodes, orchestra 1973
Concert Music, viola, orchestra 1973
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra 1982
Overture - The Inward Light, concert band 1986
Dance Concertante, string orchestra 1989
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra 1992
River Views, trombone, string orchestra 1995
Two Views from Hastings: Moonlight Ridge/Bush Tapestry, string quintet/orchestra 1994–97
Rondino, string ensemble 1997
Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra 2001
Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra 2009
...in Brief, concert band 2013
Dansatelle, piano and string orchestra 2017
Piano Concerto 2, piano, small orchestra 2017
Concerto for Trumpet, Winds and Percussion, trumpet, wind orchestra 2018
Orchestra
Auspice Deo 1962
Diversion for Orchestra 1970
Land of Moinee 1983
Tasmania Symphony - The Legend of Moinee 1988
Infant Holy 1992
Aestivernal 1996
Symphony No.2 - 'The South Land 1996
March for the Republic 2001
Variations on the Drover's Song 2003
Symphony No.3 - 'Affirmation 2007
Symphony No.4 - 'The river and beyond 2016
Solo Instrumental
25 Piano Pieces for young players piano 1961
Piano Sonatina 1965
Organ Sonata 1967
Coolness, oboe, 1974
For Shirley Harris, piano left hand 1981
Cloud Patterns, viola 1988
Water Pools, violin 1988
Two Nature Pieces, violin 1989
Two Nature Pieces, viola 1989
Three Miniatures, piano 1989
Wedding Day, piano 1989
Two Mirror Pieces, marimba 1990
In the Forest, piano 1991
Idyll, cello 1992
Introduction and Scherzo, piano 1993
Legend, piano 1993
More Miniatures for Piano 1993
Threes and Twos, piano 1994
Four Nature Pieces, cello 1994
Dance Rituals, piano 1997
Cradle Song for Emma, piano 1997
Dance Rondo, guitar 1997
Bird Chants, piano 1998
Sonata no.1 for piano, piano 1998
Melody, cello 1998
Looking North from Tier Hill, piano 1999
Three Lullabies, piano 1999
Blue Sky through Still Trees, piano 1999
Different Worlds, piano 1999
Bird Chants II, piano 1999
45 for Russell, piano 2001
Dance Rondo II, guitar 2001
5 - Alive! - 0, piano 2002
Birthday at Rosemour Farm, piano 2002
In Memorium - Malcolm Williamson, piano 2004
Rosemour Idyll, piano 2005
Now I'm Seven, piano 2006
Sonata no.2 for piano - 'From My Inner Nature''' 2006
Sonata no.3 for piano - 'Capsules 2007
Sonata no.4 for piano - 'End Notes 2007
Simple Gifts (3 Short Pieces), piano 2007
Sonata no.5 for piano - 'Full Circle 2008
Lazy Summer, piano 2008
Sonata no.6 for piano - 'On D, piano 2010
Sonata no.7 for piano - 'Of the Night, piano 2010
Black Mary - 'A Portrait, piano 2011
Lullaby for Alice, piano 2011
Piano Sonata 8, piano 2014
Intermezzo for Frances, piano 2015
Bird Chants III, piano 2017
Sonata no.9 for piano - 'The Call, piano 2018
Extraordinary byways, piano 2019
Sonata no.10 for piano - '- my answer to a question', piano 2019
Voice
Six out of door songs, baritone and piano 1955-57
By Wenlock Town, baritone and piano 1958
Five Songs for Bartitone and Piano, baritone and piano 1961
Four Songs from Robert Graves, high voice, piano 1964
Five Herrick Epigrams, soprano, alto, piano 1964
A 12th Night Interlude, baritone, string orchestra 1965
A Lute with three Strings, voice, flute 1966
Quiet Waters, high voice, string quartet 1980
Quiet Waters, high voice, piano (rehearsal score) 1980
Songs and interludes from 'The Golden Crane, soprano, clarinet, piano 1984
Tasmania, SSAA choir 1989
Four Miscellaneous Songs, bass baritone, piano 1991
Two Encore Songs, voice, piano 1991
Five Early Songs, voice, piano 1994
Night Images, voice, clarinet, piano 1995
Southern People and Places, voice, cello, piano 1998
The Partridge Garden, voice/flute, piano 1998
The Night Piece, voice, piano 2000
The Ballad of Van Deimen's Land, choir, windband 2004
Four Bird Songs from Shaw Neilson, baritone, piano 2005
Five Songs from Robert Graves, high voice, piano 2008
Aspects of the Vine, high voice, viola, double bass 2010
Bird Songs, high voice, string quintet/orchestra 2011
Lullaby, soprano, piano, 2012
Lost and present love, baritone, piano, 2012
Menagerie of birds, baritone, piano, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, violoncello 2012
Four Reflective Songs, baritone, piano 2014
The Earth Song (on words and melody by Bob Brown), soprano solo, SATB choir, orchestra 2014
Country, baritone, oboe, piano 2015
Three Penguin Summers, male voice, orchestra 2016
The Muse - a fairy tale, male voice, windband 2017
Envoy, voice, piano 2018
Conflagration - 'a cantata in eight episodes, for SATB soloists, chorus, two pianos and six percussionists, 2019
Choral
I sing of a Maiden, ATB choir (unaccommpanied) 1958
Three Unison Songs, mixed voices and piano 1958
Songs of Come and Gone, SSA choir, flute, piano, strings 1963
The Battel (arr. Byrd), school choir and orchestra 1963
Two Monodies for Male Chorus 1963
Two Australian Choral Pieces, SATB choir 1963
The Shepherd, SSA choir 1964
De Profundis, SATB choir 1964
Three for Three, SAB choir 1965
O Waly, Waly, TTBB choir 1966
To Musick, SSA choir, cello, piano 1968
Two songs for 'The Witnesses 1970
The Wild Mountain Thyme, SSA choir, flute 1971
Four Australian Folk Songs, SSA choir 1971
Seven Songs from Shaw Neilson, SSA choir, flute, bassoon 1972
Two Australian Folk Songs, TTBB choir, piano 1974
Ladies of Brisbane, arr. TTBB choir, piano 1974
The Death of Ben Hall, arr. TTBB choir 1974
Lament of the Aboriginies, SA choir, piano 1977
There is an Island, children's choir, orchestra 1977
Before Sleep, SATB ensemble 1977
At night, SA choir, assorted instruments 1982
Northward the Strait, soprano, baritone, chorus, symphonic wind band 1987
Song of Welcome, youth choir, symphonic wind band 1990
Time Moods, a capella chamber choir 1991
Gloria, youth choir, orchestra 1992
Songs of Greeting and Farewell, youth choir 1996
Excerpts (Three Songs), SSAA choir, piano 1996
To Musick, SATB choir, cello, piano 2004
Her Passion Tells, soprano, baritone, SATB chorus, strings 2006
Northward the Strait (Extended Version), soprano, baritone, SATB chorus, orchestra 2007
Northward the Strait (Extended Version), soprano, baritone, SATB chorus, symphonic wind band 2009
Theatre
Incidental Music for 'Twelfth Night, string quartet and baritone 1960
Incidental Music and Shanties for 'Treasure Island 1962
Incidental Music for 'The Imaginary Invalid, flute, viola, cello, piano 1969
Incidental Music for 'Hansel and Gretel, flute, oboe, cello, harpsichord, percussion 1970
Incidental Music for 'The Wakefield Plays''', flute, 3 trumpets, trombone, violin, percussion, electronics, choir 1972
Incidental Music and Songs for 'The Journey, flute, oboe, trumpet, cello, harpsichord, percussion 1972
Incidental Music for 'Richard II, 2 violins, cello, 2 trumpets, timpani 1972
Incidental Music for 'Once a Jolly Swagman, flute, clarinet, cello, harpsichord, percussion, prepared tape 1973
Incidental Music for 'Click go the shears, flute, clarinet, violin, trumpet, cello, harpsichord/piano, percussion 1975
Incidental Music for 'Big Nose, cello, percussion 1976
Incidental Music for 'Rub-a-dub-dub, oboe, cello, percussion 1976
Incidental Music for 'Ice Palais 1989
Film
Upon Reflection, violin, bassoon 1971
Fountain, flute, viola, cello 1972
By hook or by crook, string quartet 1973
Walka crooked mile, string quartet 1975
Ross Bridge, clarinet, string quartet, percussion 1977
River of Lost Footsteps, flute, violin, cello, percussion 2000
Opera
Rapunzel, opera for children's theatre, soloists, chorus, ensemble 1966
The Golden Crane, vocal score 1983
The Golden Crane, solo voices, chorus, chamber orchestra 1984
The Bushranger's Lover, 5 principal solo voices, mixed chorus, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussionist, piano, strings 2012
Memento Mori, 2 principal solo voices, violin, violoncello, piano, 2018
References
External links
Australian Music Centre biography
Move Records biography
Tasmania Symphony - The Legend of Moinee score and recording excerpts at the Australian Music Centre
Don Kay channel at youtube
1933 births
People educated at Launceston Church Grammar School
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
Australian male classical composers
Living people
Members of the Order of Australia
Australian opera composers
Musicians from Hobart
20th-century Australian male musicians
20th-century Australian musicians
21st-century Australian male musicians
21st-century Australian musicians