Gavin Bryars

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Richard Gavin Bryars (born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist.

He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music.

Personal life

Bryars is married to Anna Tchernakova, a Russian filmmaker, and has a stepdaughter and son. Bryars has two daughters from his first marriage.

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Early life and career

Born in Goole, Yorkshire, England, on January 16, 1943, Bryars studied philosophy at Sheffield University, but he became a jazz bassist during his three years as a philosophy scholar.

His first musical work for which he is remembered was his role as bassist in Joseph Holbrooke's trio, along guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer Tony Oxley. The trio began playing relatively traditional jazz, touring with saxophonist Lee Konitz in 1966 and then devolving into free improvisation. When a young bassist (later revealed to be Johnny Dyani) perform in a manner that seemed to be artificial, Bryars became dissatisfied with it, he stopped improvisation and instead concentrated on composition. In 1998, the trio reformed for a brief period, giving two live shows and recording recordings.

Bryars' first compositions owe a lot to the New York School of John Cage (with whom he briefly studied), Morton Feldman, Earle Brown, and minimalism. The Sinking of the Titanic (1969), one of the RMS Titanic's oldest works, is an indeterminist work that enables the performers to take a variety of sound sources and turn them into a piece of music. In 1975, Brian Eno's Obscure Records made the first recording of this piece. Raising the Titanic was remixed by Aphex Twin as Raising the Titanic (later discovered on the 26 Mixes for Cash album). Bryars produced a new extended version in 2012, featuring his four children as a low-string ensemble (viola, 2 cellos, bass), and turntablist Philip Jeck, which was later released on GB records (BCGBCD21 2013).

Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971), Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971), has a video loop of a vagrant performing a musical fragment that the old man had improvised. On top of the loop, rich harmonies performed by a live ensemble are created, always increasing in number, before the whole thing fades out. In 1993, Tom Waits joined the original recording of the vagrant in the final segment.

Bryars was a founding member of the Portsmouth Sinfonia Orchestra in May 1970, an orchestra whose membership comprised of players who "embrace the full range of musical ability" and performed well-known classical music. Brian Eno, whose Obscure Records imprint, would later publish Bryars' works. Eno's album Discreet Music, Bryars, conducted and co-arranged Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel, which is the second half of the album.

Bryars' later works included A Man in a Room, Gambling (1992), which was written on commission from Artangel. The music of Bryars is heard in the Spanish artist Juan Muz's monologues, who discusses cheating at card games. On BBC Radio 3 without any official announcements, and Bryars has stated that he wished they would appear to the listener in a similar manner to the shipping forecast, which was both mysterious and accepted without hesitation. Julian Lloyd Webber's cello concerto Farewell to Philosophy was recorded in 1996.

Bryars has written several other pieces, five operas and several instrumental pieces, among them four string quartets and many concertos. He has written several pieces for dance, including Biped (1999) for Merce Cunningham, as well as works for William Forsythe, Carolyn Carlson, Edouard Lock, and David Dawson. Bryars took part in the CIVIL wars from 1981 to 1984, Robert Wilson's huge multimedia project, as well as his first opera, Medea, was not complete. He has also produced a substantial body of vocal and choral music for groups including the Hilliard Ensemble, the Latvian Radio Choir, the Estonian National Men's Choir, Red Byrd, Trio Mediaeval, Singer Purrd, and The Crossing, whose album "The Fifth Century" received a Grammy Award in 2019. He has written a major collection of 54 "laude" based on a 12th century manuscript, six books of madrigals, several works for viol consort, and a series of 54 "laude" based on a 12th century manuscript.

When Harry Met Addie (a salute to jazz singer Adelaide Hall and saxophonist Harry Carney) was launched at the Duke Ellington Memorial Concert in London on May 1, 1999. The piece was performed by the London Sinfonietta Big Band and was commissioned by baritone saxophonist/bass clarinettist John Surman. Diego Masson conducted Cristina Zavalloni's soprano and the London Sinfonietta Big Band.

Bryars established the music department at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) and was Professor of Music for many years. He left in 1994 to concentrate on composition and results. He lives in England and spends a year on the west coast of Canada.

Since 1986, Bryars has led The Gavin Bryars Ensemble, composed mainly of low strings. In addition,, his children are now included in this series (2 cellos, piano, and double bass).

Since 1974, Bryars has been a member of the Collège de 'Pataphysique and was elected Regent in 2001. He was named Transcendent Satrap, the highest honour in the Collège in 2015, a position he shares with Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Eugène Ionesco, Umberto Eco, and others.

Bryars created Altissima Luce for the Coronavirus Fund for Freelance Musicians in 2020, a initiative to assist struggling musicians during the UK's Covid 19 lockdown. It was included on the album Reflections alongside specially written works by other composers, including Nico Muhly, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Evelyn Glenn, and Sally Beamish.

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