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Phyllis Tate
Phyllis Tate (6 April 1911 – 29 May 1987) was an English composer known for forming unusual instrumental combinations in her output. She is mainly remembered for her works for solo and chamber ensembles, rather than larger scale forms.
Phyllis Margaret Duncan Tate was born at Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, the daughter of an architect, Duncan Tate. She was excluded from primary school by her headmistress at the age of 10 for singing a lewd song her father taught her at the end of the year. According to Tate, her parents believed that the primary role of a woman was to become a mother and raise children, so further education was unnecessary.
Tate's mother possessed some measure of musical skill, and often accompanied her own contralto voice on the piano. Again according to Tate, her mother wished nothing more than that the young Phyllis (or "Phyl" as she called by her friends) become a "musical genius". To her mother's dismay, Phyllis bought herself a ukulele for ten shillings and taught herself to play. Tate began touring with a musical group she called a "concert party," performing in hospitals, senior care facilities, and at charity events. During this time, she already was writing her own music, consisting of mostly foxtrots and blues songs.
In 1928, Tate was discovered by Harry Farjeon during a concert at the Conservatory of Music in Blackheath. Farjean prompted her to receive formal music training, which she took up at the Royal Academy of Music for the next four years. While at the academy, she studied composition, timpani, and conducting.
Tate married a music editor, Alan Clifford Frank, in 1935. They reportedly initially bonded over a mutual dislike of Ludwig van Beethoven's music. The couple had two children: a son Colin, born in 1940 and a daughter Celia, in 1952. Frank worked for Oxford University Press, the company that began to publish Tate's compositions in 1935.
Although committees were not her forte, Tate was involved in several organizations, usually joining their boards. She participated in the Hampstead Music Club, the Barnet and District Choral Society (she was president and wrote Saint Martha and the Dragon for it), the Performing Rights Society's Member Fund (she was the first woman appointed to be on their management committee), and the Composers’ Guild (where she served on the executive committee).
Tate's compositions have been described as "elegant" and "expressive," as well as "clear and accessible". However, she was very self-critical, and destroyed all of her compositions from before the mid-1940s. Tate believed that “music should entertain and give pleasure.” In 1979, she wrote, “I must admit to having a sneaking hope that some of my creations may prove to be better than they appear. One can only surmise and it’s not for the composer to judge. All I can vouch is this: writing music can be hell; torture in the extreme; but there’s one thing worse; and that is not writing it.” After hearing her play at a lunch one day, Dame Ethel Smyth said “At last I have heard a real woman composer!” However, since, at that point, Smyth's hearing was deteriorating, Tate did not put much stock in this.
Tate composed a number of pieces including an operetta entitled The Policeman’s Serenade, which she composed while still a student at the Royal Academy. During her school years, she also composed a symphony and several smaller pieces, although none from this era survive.
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Phyllis Tate
Phyllis Tate (6 April 1911 – 29 May 1987) was an English composer known for forming unusual instrumental combinations in her output. She is mainly remembered for her works for solo and chamber ensembles, rather than larger scale forms.
Phyllis Margaret Duncan Tate was born at Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, the daughter of an architect, Duncan Tate. She was excluded from primary school by her headmistress at the age of 10 for singing a lewd song her father taught her at the end of the year. According to Tate, her parents believed that the primary role of a woman was to become a mother and raise children, so further education was unnecessary.
Tate's mother possessed some measure of musical skill, and often accompanied her own contralto voice on the piano. Again according to Tate, her mother wished nothing more than that the young Phyllis (or "Phyl" as she called by her friends) become a "musical genius". To her mother's dismay, Phyllis bought herself a ukulele for ten shillings and taught herself to play. Tate began touring with a musical group she called a "concert party," performing in hospitals, senior care facilities, and at charity events. During this time, she already was writing her own music, consisting of mostly foxtrots and blues songs.
In 1928, Tate was discovered by Harry Farjeon during a concert at the Conservatory of Music in Blackheath. Farjean prompted her to receive formal music training, which she took up at the Royal Academy of Music for the next four years. While at the academy, she studied composition, timpani, and conducting.
Tate married a music editor, Alan Clifford Frank, in 1935. They reportedly initially bonded over a mutual dislike of Ludwig van Beethoven's music. The couple had two children: a son Colin, born in 1940 and a daughter Celia, in 1952. Frank worked for Oxford University Press, the company that began to publish Tate's compositions in 1935.
Although committees were not her forte, Tate was involved in several organizations, usually joining their boards. She participated in the Hampstead Music Club, the Barnet and District Choral Society (she was president and wrote Saint Martha and the Dragon for it), the Performing Rights Society's Member Fund (she was the first woman appointed to be on their management committee), and the Composers’ Guild (where she served on the executive committee).
Tate's compositions have been described as "elegant" and "expressive," as well as "clear and accessible". However, she was very self-critical, and destroyed all of her compositions from before the mid-1940s. Tate believed that “music should entertain and give pleasure.” In 1979, she wrote, “I must admit to having a sneaking hope that some of my creations may prove to be better than they appear. One can only surmise and it’s not for the composer to judge. All I can vouch is this: writing music can be hell; torture in the extreme; but there’s one thing worse; and that is not writing it.” After hearing her play at a lunch one day, Dame Ethel Smyth said “At last I have heard a real woman composer!” However, since, at that point, Smyth's hearing was deteriorating, Tate did not put much stock in this.
Tate composed a number of pieces including an operetta entitled The Policeman’s Serenade, which she composed while still a student at the Royal Academy. During her school years, she also composed a symphony and several smaller pieces, although none from this era survive.