COMPOSERS

Margaret Wegener

Margaret Wegener was born on April 10^th, 1920 in Hendon, London. She was educated at St. Joseph’s Convent School, the Maria Grey College (London University) and Streatham Hill Froebel Training College. Her special subject was music. Throughout her childhood her inspiration came from her father, a talented pianist. From her mother she developed her interest in the music of the Church of England, and composed pieces for her local church choir as well as playing the organ.

In 1947 she married Hans Wegener, and they had a daughter. She has made her living as a music teacher in a number of state pri mary and secondary schools, and also several private schools including Head of Gaston School, Whitstable. She was Director of Music at Barton Court School, Canterbury, and Ellington School, Ramsgate. She retired from teaching in 1980 to devote the rest of her life to composition.

She has held various positions as organist and choir trainer, including St. John’s at West Hendon, St. Mary’s at Woodnewton in Peterborough, St. Dunstan’s at Canterbury and St. Ffraid’s, Glyn Ceiriog’s Parish Church.

She began composing at a very early age, and was initially fêted by Ralph Vaughan Williams; on his recommendation three carols were published by Oxford University Press in 1951. Her work has subsequently been praised by E. J. Moeran, Herbert Howells, and more recently Peter Aston, John Rutter and Brian Kay, amongst others. In 1989 the Royal School of Church Music published a setting of the Rite A Communion Service (St. Oswald’s Service) which was well received in the Organist’s Review. Margaret was then asked to adapt it for the Welsh service for Hugh Davies at St. Asaph’s Cathedral. Margaret’s composition technique is almost entirely self-taught, with a natural facility for writing melody.

The harmony of her music is as adventurous as the melody will allow, following Margaret’s belief that she is an unrepentant romantic! Her works include:

Piano music

Instrumental music, including a String Quartet and a Wind Quintet

Songs and other vocal music for singer and orchestra

Choral works - mostly church music

Orchestral works, including ‘Overture Renaissance’, ‘Orchestral Rhapsody’, ‘Soundscape’, and ‘The Snow Goose’.

In her later years she has concentrated on composing songs for the EPSS, winning several prizes. She has also won three first prizes at a competition for carol writing in Toronto, Canada.

The first CD to feature entirely Margaret’s work is ‘Music to my listening’, with soprano Georgina Colwell (soprano) and Stephen Varcoe (tenor) with Nigel Foster (piano). To hear a song from this CD, please go to Georgina Colwell.

Other available recordings on CD:

‘Hodie Christus Natus Est’ performed by the Malvern Girls’ College Choir

‘Introduction, Fantasia and Passacaglia’ performed by Jonathan Middleton (piano)

‘November’ song performed by Susan Yarnell with Steven Kings (piano).

Other available recordings on tape:

‘Everyone sang’ and ‘A sympathy with sounds’ for SATB performed by Cantiones

‘Ode to a nightingale’ (Keats) for soprano and string orchestra performed by Georgina Colwell and Jordans String Orchestra

‘Prayers from the ark’ performed by Carolyn Chadwick (soprano), Chris Swann (clarinet) and Chris Symons (piano)

‘Clouds’ song performed by Stephen Varcoe and Chris Symons

‘To sleep’ song performed by Paul Martyn-West (tenor) and Nigel Foster (piano)

‘The Straw’ song performed by Paul Martyn-West and Michael Dussek (piano)

‘All sounds have been as music’ song performed by Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone) and Nigel Foster

‘The prayer of St. Francis’ for chorus and orchestra performed by Whitstable Choral Society and Orchestra.

Click to hear "Hodie Christus Natus Est"

To contact Margaret, please write or email care of Musicair:

Georgina@musicair.co.uk.

Paul Pilott