Background
SWANN, Donald was born on September 30, 1923 in Llanelli, Wales. Son of Herbert Swann and Naguime Piszova.
(The Space Between the Bars And These are Its Chapters 1. ...)
The Space Between the Bars And These are Its Chapters 1. Interstices 2. One World Waltz 3."How I Split My Scene, Dropped My Frock< Blew My Cool and Dound God" 4."The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended" 5.Wire to Greece 6.Muscatel 7."It's a Wise Tune That Knows Its Own Father" 8.Me No Boum-Boum Interlude 9.Christma and Festival 10.One World Tour 11.Take Nothing For Your Journey 12.The Last of the Lay Minstrel
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006BYWOI/?tag=2022091-20
SWANN, Donald was born on September 30, 1923 in Llanelli, Wales. Son of Herbert Swann and Naguime Piszova.
Student, Westminster School, Christ Church, Oxford. Degree (honorary), Westminster School.
Flanders and Swann material (EMI Encore), Tolkien Songs (Caedmon).; Sing Round the Year (carols for children) 1965, The Road Goes Ever On (with J. R. R. Tolkien), The Space between the Bars 1967, Reflections, Requiem for the Living (choral work, with C. Day Lewis) 1970, Song of Caedmon (narration with songs) 1971, The Rope of Love (more carols) 1973, Swann’s Way Out 1975, A Posthumous Adventure, The Songs of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann 1977, Singalive, Wacky and His Fuddlejig, and Baboushka (three joint works with Arthur Scholey) 1978 and 1979, The Yeast Factory (music drama, with Alec Davison) 1979, Round the Piano with Donald Swann (children’s songs) 1979, Candle Tree (opera with Arthur Scholey about St. Boniface) 1980, The Visitors (opera, with Scholey, from a Tolstoy story) 1983, Swann with Topping (Multimedia) 1983, Voyage of Brendan (with Scholey), Cantata for children and adults 1984, World Service of BBC, third series of Reflections 1984-1985, Mamahuhu (musical with Evelyn Kirkhart and Mary Morgan) 1986, South African Song Cycle (to S. African poets) 1986, Music to Richard Crane’s play Envy 1986; Alphabetaphon: Essays (with illustrations by Natasha Swann Etheridge, designed by Robert Poulter) 1987, Victorian Song Cycle, Tennyson and Christina Rossetti 1987, Soliloquy (autobiog.) 1991. Leader writer) 1953-1954. Musical play Wild Thyme 1955, Hilda Tablet Series (with Henry Reed) for BBC Radio. With Michael Flanders in two-man revues, At the Drop of a Hat, and At the Drop of Another Hat (singer and accompanist of own songs).
Toured United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, S.A., United States of America and Canada.
(Their final performance at the Fortune Theatre, London, 2...)
(The Space Between the Bars And These are Its Chapters 1. ...)
(- UNIVERSAL EDITION - 680160517435 - 1/1/2008)
Contributed music to London revues, including Airs on a Shoestring, 1953-1954, as joint leader writer with Michael Flanders. Wild Thyme, musical play with Philip Guard, 1955. In At the Drop of a Hat, 1957, appeared for first time (with Michael Flanders) as singer and accompanist of own songs (this show ran over 2 years in London, was part of Edinburgh Festival, 1959.Broadway, 1959-1960. American and Canada tour1960-1961. Tour of Great Britain and Ireland, 1962-1963).At the Drop of Another Hat (with Michael Flanders), Haymarket, 1963-1964, Globe, 1965. Australia and New Zealand tour, 1964. United States tour, 1966-1967.Arranged concerts of own settings: Set by Swann, An Evening in Crete: Soundings by Swann. Between the Bars: an autobiography in music. A Crack in Time, a concert in search of peace.Musician in Residence, Quaker Study Center, Pendle Hill, United States of America, 1983. Has worked in song-writing and performing partnerships with Jeremy Taylor, Sydney Carter, Frank Topping, John Amis. Solo entertainments in theatres and concert halls (Stand Clear for Wonders with peace exploration songs).Founded Albert House Press for special publications, 1974. Compositions and Publications include: The Man with 1000 Faces, comic opera with Colin Wilson, Lucy and the Hunter, musical play with Sydney Carter. Satirical music to Third Programme series by Henry Reed, ghosting for Hilda Tablet.London Sketches with Sebastian Shaw, 1958. Festival Matins, 1962. Perelandra, opera with David Marsh based on the novel of Commerce.S. Lewis, 1961-1962. Settings of John Betjeman Poems, 1964. Sing Round the Year (Book of New Carols for Children), 1965.The Road Goes Ever On, book of songs with J.R.R. Tolkien,,1968, review education, 1978. The Space Between the Bars: a book of reflections, 1968. Requiem for the Living, to words of Commerce.Day Lewis, 1969. The Rope of Love. Around the earth in song, 1973.Swann's Way Out: a posthumous adventure, 1974. (with Albert Friedlander) The Five Scrolls, 1975. The Songs of Michael Flanders & Donald Swann, 1977, revised, 1996.Round the Piano with Donald Swann, 1979. (with Alec Davison) The Yeast Factory, music drama, 1979. Alphabetaphon: 26 essays alphabet (illustrated by Natasha Etheridge).Songs and operas with Arthur Scholey: The Song of Caedmon, 1971. Singalive, 1978. Wacky and his Fuddlejig (children's musical play), 1978.Candle Tree, 1980. Baboushka (a Christmas cantata), 1980. The Visitors (based on Tolstoy), 1984.Brendan Ahoy! (with Evelyn Kirkhart and Mary Morgan) Mamahuhu (musical play), 1986. Envy (with Richard Crane), 1986. Latterly Art Song Settings.The Poetic Image (Victorian Song Cycle), 1991. Swann's Way (autobiography with Lyn Smith, 1991, review 1993, 97. Estate promoting stage shows: Swann Among the Sirens, 1994.Recordings: Swann in Jazz (with Digby Fairweather), 1995. The Isles of Greece, 1997. Avocation: going to the launderette.
Going to the launderette.
Married Janet Mary Oxborrow, 1955 (divorced 1983). 2 children; married Alison Smith, 1993.