ALL ABOUT MALCOLM DEDMAN
Malcolm Dedman is a musician, in particular, a composer of new ‘concert’ music. Born in November 1948 in London, he came to music via piano lessons from the age of five, given by his mother. He later had formal violin and singing lessons, but it was composition, arising out of improvising at the piano, that he was most interested in pursuing.
Initially, Malcolm taught himself the art of composition, learning from playing and listening to new music. His first formal lessons in composition were with Patric Standford at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1973-74. Much later, however, he pursued a Masters Degree in Composing Concert Music at Thames Valley University (now the University of West London), qualifying with distinction in 2005.
He considers his compositional style to be an individual one, benefiting from an in-depth understanding of some major twentieth century trends, ranging from serialism to quasi-aleatoric techniques. Realising that music needs to be enjoyed and understood by his audience, he now adopts an individual ‘post-modern’ idiom, based on original modes, that is very personal in approach. Although his music owes much to the music of Olivier Messiaen and Béla Bartók, it also integrates music by some composers of the ‘post-modern’ idiom as well as music from different cultures. He believes in writing music that speaks directly to the audience, conveying a purposeful message, in a style that is appropriate to this century and without compromising musical quality.
He is now living in South Africa in a quiet rural town, where he has been since September 2007. Although semi-retired, he is still teaching music and has used the opportunity to revise old scores and write much new music, some of which have received performances in various countries, including England, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Slovakia, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and South Africa. Many of these performances have been received well by audiences and critics, including two excellent reviews by Anthony Payne given when he was living in the UK.
He has also gained several composition awards; and most of his music is self-published, along with two CDs, under the name Misty Mountain Music SA. He has signed contracts with Gusthold Music Publisher with a piece for string orchestra called Danses Concertantes and a Concerto for Piano Duet and Orchestra. A chamber orchestra piece called Comforting the Soul will be published later in 2021.
Major first performances that have been received well by both audiences and critics include: Christmas Cantata– ‘The Word was Made Flesh’ in 1975; Three Dance Episodes for oboe, guitar and piano at the Wigmore Hall in 1977; String Quartet no.1 at the Purcell Room in 1980; Piano Sonata No. 2 – ‘In Search’ at the Purcell Room in 1986, More recent first performances are listed under ‘Events’.