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Patrick Piggott (15 June 1915 – 9 May 1990) was an English composer, pianist and musicologist.
Piggott was born in Dover. He studied with Harold Craxton (piano) and Benjamin Dale (composition) at the Royal Academy of Music, and took further study with Emile Bosquet and Julius Isserlis (piano) and with Nadia Boulanger (composition) in Paris. Exempted from National Service during World War II on medical grounds, Piggott supported his sick mother and brother by performing as a pianist and teacher. After the war he was a lecturer at Cardiff University. In the 1960s he was employed by the BBC as Head of Music for the Midland Region, while continuing to tour as a concert pianist - specialisms included the music of John Field and Rachmaninov. Piggott died in Bristol on 9 May 1990.Gerald Leach. British Composer Profiles, 3rd. ed. (2012), p. 161
As a pianist, Piggott was a frequent recitalist and broadcaster, but left no commercial recordings.Colin Scott-Sutherland. 'Piggott, Piano Music', at MusicWeb International (2005) As a composer he produced orchestral music, including the Prologue, Action and Denouement (1955), chamber music, including three string quartets (1966, 1975, 1983), and several song cycles. But he is best remembered for his virtuosic piano music, including the 24 Preludes in three sets of eight (1963, 1977, 1989).Thomas Cooper. 'Piggott, Patrick (Edward Smerdon)', in Grove Music Online (2001) In 2005 Piggott's friend Malcolm Binns recorded the two Piano Sonatas No 1 (1961, rev, 1975) and No 2 (1978) and the third set of Preludes.' Piggott Piano Works', reviewed in Gramophone, June 2005
Two of his most substantial works for large forces were completed not long before his death. The Rosanes Lieder for soprano and orchestra is a Gustav Mahler setting of poems by the Viennese poet (and friend of Sigmund Freud) Flora Rosanes.Jillian White. 'Patrick Piggott, 15 June 1915-9 May 1990' in The Musical Times, Vol. 131, No. 1772 (October 1990), pp. 542-543 It received its first performance in 1989 by Margaret Field with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.Obituary, Musical Opinion, Vol. 113, p. 59 (1990) His one movement Piano Concerto The Quest (written for Malcolm Binns) also received its first broadcast in 1989. Radio Times listing, 1 September 1989
Piggott's books include The Life & Music of John Field, 1782–1837, Creator of the Nocturne (1973), Rachmaninov Orchestral Music (BBC Music Guides, 1974), Rachmaninov (1978, Great Composers series), and The Innocent Diversion - Music in the Life and Writings of Jane Austen (1979). There is also an uncompleted biography and study of his teacher Benjamin Dale.
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