Composer known for stark, mystical works
LONDON — British composer John Tavener, whose stark, austere, mystical choral and orchestral works reflected his religious journey from West to East, has died at the age of 69.
Tavener’s publisher, Chester Music, said he died Tuesday at his home in Child Okeford, southern England. Born and trained in London, Tavener burst onto the public scene in 1968 with the help of The Beatles: His 1966 cantata The Whale was recorded and released on the Beatles’ Apple label, which led to a friendship and association with the Fab Four. Tavener is also remembered for his ethereal Song for Athene, combining biblical and Shakespearean texts — and reworked as Songs of Angels, catching the public’s mood at the 1997 funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. His wistful, elegant setting of William Blake’s poem The Lamb (written for a nephew in 1982) became a staple of Christmas carol services. In 2004 he wrote Prayer of the Heart, written for and performed by Icelandic pop singer Björk.
Born Jan. 28, 1944 in London’s Wembley district, Tavener claimed to be directly descended from the 16th-century English composer John Taverner (ca 1490-1545).
Tavener had suffered from recurring health troubles since the 1970s, including a stroke and several heart attacks. It was in the ’70s that he became attracted to the Eastern Orthodox strand of Christianity, often incorporating its mystical texts, chants and harmonies into his works.
In a recent interview with the London Daily Telegraph, Tavener spoke of his pleasure in rediscovering the late Beethoven string quartets and other Western influences, both musical and spiritual. “I’ve got great joy from rediscovering Western music,” he told the Telegraph.
Not only was Tavener listening to Western music, the Telegraph said, he was incorporating it in his own. “A lot of my recent pieces weave in homages to other composers — Victoria, Stravinsky, Bruckner, even Stockhausen,” he said.
Tavener’s thoughts were returning home in other ways. “I’ve been thinking about the Presbyterian minister who had guided me as a youth,” he said. “I remember he was a man who struggled with doubt, and that impressed me. He used to quote an old Zen Buddhist line to me: ‘Life is a creeping tragedy. That is why you must be cheerful.’”