Sir Malcolm Arnold was born in 1921 in Northampton. During the post-World War II period, his 60 year long professional work arguably makes him the most creative and multitalented amongst the composers of Britain. From 1938 to 1941, Arnold got skilled as a trumpeter (under Ernest Hall) and composer (under Gordon Jacob) at the Royal College of Music. Later at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he got a trumpet place. In 1944-45 due to military service and in 1945-46 season, with the BBC Symphony, Arnold’s calling was disrupted for two years and one year respectively; that too after he had been promoted to principal trumpet in 1942. Arnold realized that his musical interests were being overpowered by composition as he returned to the London Philharmonic in 1946. Along with the success and after receiving the Mendelssohn scholarship in 1948, Arnold had enough money to live in Italy for a year and he was able to leave the orchestra, offering his time to composition that later turned into a permanent calling. Phenomenal works such as 20 concertos, nine symphonies, almost an endless stock of tinier pieces for all types of ensembles and five ballets that in 1959 had an edition of Sweeney Todd were then produced in the coming 50 years. As a composer for movies, he produced more than 80 scores... show more

Sir Malcolm Arnold was born in 1921 in Northampton. During the post-World War II period, his 60 year long professional work arguably makes him the most creative and multitalented amongst the composers of Britain. From 1938 to 1941, Arnold got skilled as a trumpeter (under Ernest Hall) and composer (under Gordon Jacob) at the Royal College of Music. Later at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he got a trumpet place. In 1944-45 due to military service and in 1945-46 season, with the BBC Symphony, Arnold’s calling was disrupted for two years and one year respectively; that too after he had been promoted to principal trumpet in 1942. Arnold realized that his musical interests were being overpowered by composition as he returned to the London Philharmonic in 1946. Along with the success and after receiving the Mendelssohn scholarship in 1948, Arnold had enough money to live in Italy for a year and he was able to leave the orchestra, offering his time to composition that later turned into a permanent calling. Phenomenal works such as 20 concertos, nine symphonies, almost an endless stock of tinier pieces for all types of ensembles and five ballets that in 1959 had an edition of Sweeney Todd were then produced in the coming 50 years. As a composer for movies, he produced more than 80 scores with Bridge on the River Kwai winning an Academy Award, and that served as another rewarding vocation. Universities of Durham, Leicester and Exeter awarded Arnold honorary doctorates and he also received several literary and public awards. In 1970, he was titled the Commander of the British Empire and in 1986, for his "Outstanding Services to British Music," he also received the Ivor Novello Award. In 1993, after his name came out within those chosen as Knights of the British Empire, he attained added reverence.
He was censured by various critics and contemporary composers in the second part of the twentieth century as he refused to associate with even one of the all-pervading “schools" of composition. Arnold’s compositions, on the face of it appear more designed to greet listeners rather than creating arty and melodic “progress”, or presenting his remarkable technical expertise. On occasions, the excessively available surface contours of his compositions, especially, orchestral pieces on large-scale, conceal the basic conflicts that steer the music at a greater stage, Arnold’s impression of skillfulness – a refined self-esteem which disallows him against dealing in what he views as boorish methods of the twentieth century, at the same time possibly resulting in his music-compositions to drop short of its highly demonstrating ability – has produced a desirable constancy of production. According to Arnold, his muse was Berlioz. Jean Sibelius, the nonconformist and anti-modernist musician who presented the wartime anthem to Britain also inspired him.
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