Walton, Sir William (1902-1983), was an English composer whose works are noted for their strong sense of melody and form. Walton was a slow and deliberate composer who produced a relatively small body of works. Most of his compositions are instrumental and many follow the symphonic form.
Walton’s first major composition was Facade (1922), a chamber work set to poems by his friend Edith Sitwell. Walton’s other important works include two symphonies and concertos for viola, violin, and cello. He wrote Sinfonia Concertante (1927, revised 1943) for piano and orchestra. Among his other orchestral compositions are Troilus and Cressida (1954), Partita (1958), Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (1963), The Bear (1967), and Improvisations on an Impromptu of Benjamin Britten (1970). Walton composed marches, chamber music, and music for radio, television, and films. Belshazzar’s Feast (1931), an oratorio, is his most famous vocal composition. He also wrote two operas and the popular “Crown Imperial” (1937), a coronation march.
William Turner Walton was born on March 29, 1902, in Oldham. He received his first musical training from his father, a music teacher. Walton later studied at Oxford University. He was knighted in 1951. He died on March 8, 1983.
