Archive 2008
Music and Film - Michael Nyman
Photo © Sheila Rock
When Michael Nyman published his study "Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond" (1974), he could hardly have foreseen his own contribution to that beyond. Disaffected with the then current orthodoxies of international modernism, Nyman abandoned composition in 1964 temporarily, preferring to work as a musicologist. Works for the Michael Nyman Band have dominated his output, but the composer has written for a wide variety of ensembles, including symphony orchestra, a cappella chorus and string quartet.
He has written several stage works, notably. "The Man who mistook his wife for a hat" (1986). His music has reached its largest audience by way of his film scores, most famously for Peter Greenaway, with whom he collaborated on five feature films. He has provided music for a computer game and silent films. Michael Nyman was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2008.