Harrison Birtwistle, a pioneer of daringly creative modern music and one of Britain’s best living composers, died at the age of 87.
Boosey & Hawkes, Birtwistle’s publisher, confirmed his death on Monday at his home in Mere, southwest England. There was no mention of a cause of death.
Harrison Birtwistle stroke: How did Harrison Birtwistle die?
He died of natural circumstances and not any health conditions.
The Royal Opera House, the English National Opera, the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, the BBC Proms in London, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra all gave major performances of Birtwistle’s compositions, which varied from chamber pieces to large-scale opera.
His shamelessly tough music tested listeners’ patience at times, but the composer remained unfazed.
Birtwistle was born on July 15, 1934, in Accrington, Lancashire, England, and studied clarinet and composition at the Royal Manchester College of Music, where he studied alongside composer Peter Maxwell Davies and pianist John Ogdon.
Birtwistle sold his clarinets in 1965 and focused solely on composition.
