About author : MAW David

David Maw is a composer, organist and musicologist teaching at the University of Oxford. His musical career began at the age of 13, when he became organist of his local church. He pursued undergraduate studies at Oxford University as an Organ Scholar, specialising in composition and twentieth-century music, and graduated with first-class honours. He continued at Oxford, studying for a doctorate on the secular songs of Guillaum de Machaut as John Brookman Organ Scholar at Wadham College. In 1995 he was appointed to a Lectureship at The Queen's College, Oxford, and has taught at the University ever since, concentrating on Techniques of Composition, Analysis and Music History before 1600.

He currently holds Lectureships at Christ Church, Oriel, The Queen's and Trinity Colleges and is also Director of Chapel Music at Oriel College. Aside from medieval music, his academic research has explored jazz, music theory, early Beethoven, Schubert's String Quartets and English chamber music of the twentieth century; and it has resulted in the publication of numerous articles.

Composition and organ playing remain important to his work. As an organist, he regularly gives solo recitals and participates in ensemble concerts; he has recently enjoyed the opportunity to perform several times in France (St Raphael, 2009, Notre Dame de Paris and St Bertrand de Comminges, 2010).

His compositions comprise works for chamber ensembles, voice, piano and organ, as well as liturgical items for choir.

In 2008, his Suite pour orgue: La vie de Jean-Baptiste received the unanimous first prize at the second international Concours de Composition in the Festival du Comminges.

As a result of this, he was commissioned to compose his Sonata for organ, giving its premiere at the Festival in July of this year. Another recent commission was the composition of a setting of C. Day Lewis's “Is it far to go?” for the choir of Wadham College, Oxford, as part of celebrations marking the College's 400th year.