Peter Sculthorpe

Peter Sculthorpe (born April 29, 1929) is a noted Australian composer from Launceston, Tasmania. He is known primarily for his orchestral and chamber music, such as Kakadu (1988) and Earth Cry (1992), which evoke the sounds and feeling of the Australian bushland and outback. He has also written several string quartets, using unusual timbre effects, and works for piano.

Life
Sculthorpe begun writing music at an early age (at seven). As a young composer, he independently discovered the whole-tone scale, and was disappointed when he learned that Debussy had found it first. By thirteen, he had decided to make a career of music, despite many (especially his father) encouraging him to enter different fields, because he felt the music he wrote was the only thing that was his own.

In early adulthood, he wrote a piano sonatina for an ABC competition; however, the piece was rejected because it was too modern. For many years, Sculthorpe has conducted master classes and lectured at the University of Sydney, where he is now an emeritus Professor. He has stated that he wants his music to make people feel better and happier for having listened to it—hence, he has typically avoided the dense, atonal techniques of many of his contemporary composers.

His Requiem is possibly his most serious, substantial work to date. It was premiered in March 2004 in Adelaide by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Adelaide Chamber Singers conducted by Richard Mills, with didgeridoo soloist William Barton, to critical acclaim.

In 2003, the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra gave the premiere of Sydney Singing, a composition by Sculthorpe for clarinet solo (Joanne Sharp), harp solo (Tamara Spigelman), percussion solo (Peter Hayward) and string orchestra. This performance was released on SBS DVD in July 2005.

In 1982 a painting of Peter Sculthorpe by artist Eric Smith won the Archibald Prize, Australia's most famous portrait prize.

Works

Orchestral
The Fifth Continent for speaker and orchestra (1963)
Sun Music I (1965)
Sun Music II (1969)
Sun Music III (1967)
Sun Music IV (1967)
Music for Japan (1970)
Small Town for solo oboe, two trumpets, timpani and strings (1976)
Mangrove (1979)
Kakadu (1988)
Memento Mori (1993)
From Oceania (2003)

Concertante
Piano Concerto (1983)
Earth Cry, for didgeridoo and orchestra (1986)
Nourlangie, for solo guitar, strings and percussion (1989)
Sydney Singing, for clarinet, harp, percussion, and strings (2003)
Elegy, for solo viola and strings (2006)

Vocal/Choral
Requiem

Chamber/Instrumental
Sonata for Viola and Percussion (1960)
Requiem for cello alone (1979)
From Kakadu for solo guitar (1993)
Into the Dreaming for solo guitar (1994)
15 string quartets

Piano
Between Five Bells
Rose Bay Quadrilles
Piano Sonatina
Nocturne
Djilile
Mountains
Song for a Penny
Night Pieces [Snow, Moon, Flowers, Night, Stars]
Thoughts from Home - Composed to form part of the Gallipoli Symphony for Anzac Day 2015