Sir Michael Tippett is one of the most influential 20th century composers in the UK. He
was born in London in 1905 and studied music at the Royal College of Music before
beginning his career as a composer. He was knighted in 1966.Tippett’s work
includes opera, choral, orchestral, chamber and piano music, jazz, spirituals, and
imaginative new sounds like the wind machine that ends his "Fourth Symphony".
In 1943 Tippett was imprisoned as a conscientious objector in Wormwood Scrubs in
London. While he was there he took over the prison orchestra. Tippett’s work has
always been topical and his music addresses social issues. His most famous work "A
Child of our Time" was written during the Second World War and grew out of his
outrage of the plight of Jewish refugees. Tippett composed a love scene between two men
for his third opera "The Knot Garden". His fourth opera, "The Ice
Break", featured a race riot and a psychedelic sequence. Tippett also worked to bring
music to disadvantaged and unemployed people.
In 1983 Queen Elizabeth II made Tippett a member of the Order of Merit, a very
exclusive order of 24 of the country’s most honoured citizens. He died aged 93 at his
home in London in January 1998.
