Francis John Routh (5 January 1927 – 27 November 2021) was an English composer and author.[1]
Born inKidderminster, Routh attendedMalvern College andHarrow School before serving in theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve (1945–48). He read Classics atKing's College, Cambridge (where he also learned the organ) and from 1951 studied at theRoyal Academy of Music for two years withWilliam Alwyn (for piano) and Wesley Roberts (organ). After that he took private composition lessons withMátyás Seiber.[2]
Routh first came to notice as a composer in the early 1960s with the song cyclesA Woman Young and Old (Yeats, 1962) andFour Shakespeare Songs (1963), using a chromatic, but still tonal style. Instrumental (especially organ music) and orchestral works followed, including the massiveSacred Tetralogy for organ, composed between 1959 and 1974, as well as numerous concertos, such as the Violin Concerto (1965), Double Concerto (1970) and Cello Concerto (1973).
In all there are some 85 published works spanning 60 years, including three symphonies, chamber music, large scale solo piano and organ works and several song cycles.[3] Late works includedThe Well Tempered Pianist, 24 preludes for piano (2009), performed and recorded by Charles Matthews, and the Symphony No 3 (2010–12), which incorporates and develops material from some of his previous compositions. It remains unperformed.
Routh taught music atMorley College from 1971. He was editor of the magazineComposer (1980–87). As an author he has publishedPlaying the Organ (1958),Contemporary Music: an Introduction (1968),Contemporary British Music (1945–1970) (1972),[4] andStravinsky (1975).
Routh died aged 94, on 27 November 2021.[3] A funeral service atSt Peter's Church, Hammersmith, was followed by committal at Mortlake Crematorium.[5]
With some colleagues from the Royal Academy, Routh began organising informal performances of new music during the 1950s. These took place inSt Luke’s Church, Redcliffe Square, and (between 1957 and 1961) they evolved into the Redcliffe Festival. Out of this activity came the Redcliffe Concerts of British Music series, founded in 1963, with concerts held at the Arts Council, 4 St James's Square, moving to theQueen Elizabeth Hall andPurcell Room in 1967. The series, supported by theGreater London Council, continued for 22 years until 1989. A notable example was one of the earliest concerts of electronic music by British composers to be held in Britain, featuring the music ofTristram Cary,Delia Derbyshire,George Newson,Daphne Oram andPeter Zinovieff, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 15 January 1968.
In 1989 Redcliffe Records was formed for recordings,[6] and Redcliffe Publishing for scores. Routh promoted composers such asAlan Bush,Alan Rawsthorne,Priaulx Rainier,Graham Whettam andSamuel Wesley, as well as his own music.[7] He revised and edited the works of Wesley for performance.[8]
