Musician of the Month - John McCabe

John McCabe

British pianist and composer

1939-2015

John McCabe was a British pianist and composer. He began making music as a child, taking inspiration from his mother. McCabe said, "my mother was a very good amateur violinist and there were records and printed music everywhere. I thought that if all these guys - Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert - can do it, then so can I!" He went on to become a very successful composer of orchestral and piano music and a very accomplished pianist. Click on 'read more' to find out more about him and to hear some of his music.

Did you know...

• McCabe had composed 13 symphonies before he was 11 years of age!

• He has composed over 200 works in total and for many different instruments including the organ and the recorder.

• He was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services to classical music by the Queen of Great Britain.

Have a listen to the radio concert of John McCabe's 'Joybox' based on sounds he heard in an arcade in Japan. This recording was taken at the BBC Proms, an annual event held in London to highlight musical talent.

This next recording is of John's McCabe's 'Cloudcatcher Fells' and is performed by the Black Dyke Band, one of the oldest brass bands in the world. McCabe composed this piece for a Brass Band competition and it is based on the hills and mountains in the north of England in a place called the Lake District. A 'fell' is a mountain or hill. Does the music make you think of a 'fell' or something different?