This is the composer’s own authorised worklist, in a new edition first published on this website in 2009.
It is compiled from several previous lists: in the first instance those of his publisher Faber Music (ongoing), and that made in 1993 by the composer and his bio-bibliographer Deborah Hayes (see W1-W224 below).
More recent additions made by the composer himself (W225-currenltly W368), and corrections throughout are first published here. They have been made in consultation with the composer by his biographer Graeme Skinner, and now bring the numbering of the Hayes worklist into stricter chronological order

In its current form, this worklist is very much “IN PROGRESS”, with new works, as well as further information about existing works, being added and corrected constantly! So, please bear with us while we create this important resource. In due course, it is hoped to add further details to each work listing, including a full discography and bibliography (with a wider selection of quotes) and a selection of program notes, both by the composer himself and by other writers. 
For practical purposes, and for up-to-date sales information about any of the works, this list should be used in close reference with these  Faber Music downloadable resources:
FABER MUSIC SCULTHORPE BROCHURE (PDF):
http://www.fabermusic.co.uk/resources/pdfs/19-brochure.pdf

FABER MUSIC SCULTHORPE WORKLIST (by instrumentation/genre) (PDF):
http://www.fabermusic.co.uk/resources/pdfs/19-worklist.pdf

1941-1944

JUVENILIA (St Leonards/Launceston, AUSTRALIA)

The works of Sculthorpe’s teenage years, JUVENILIA, have not previously been listed in a published catalogue.

They are here given “J” numbers (adapted from an unpublished chronology originally compiled by Graeme Skinner c.1998) and include all compositions that survive in manuscript from c.1941 to c.1944 (Australia: Canberra, National Library of Australia [NLA], Sculthorpe Papers, MS 9676, Series 9)

Note that all the manuscripts, musical and otherwise, in the NLA’s Sculthorpe collection are on open access to all accredited readers.

Of special note, three small 6-stave manuscript books include works labelled Opuses 1, 2 and 4 respectively.
Another book which originally contained the Opus 3 works has not survived.

J1

Adagio in Major Keys (Op. 1 Nos 3 & 4) for piano;
Autograph MS reproduced in Graeme Skinner, Peter Sculthorpe: The Making of an Australian Composer (Sydney: UNSW Press, 2007), 65

J2

Air and Variations (Op. 1 No 6) for piano

J3

Au jardin de l’église (Op. 1 No 7) for piano

J4

Appassionato cantabile (Op. 1 No. 8) for organ

J5

Trio (Op. 1 No 9) for violin, cello and piano

J6

Andante (Op. 1 Nos 10 & 11) for piano

J7

Fuga (Op. 1, No 12) for piano

J8

Minuet (Op. 1 No 13) for piano

J9

Air with Variation (Op. 1 No 14) for piano

J10

Valse des jeunes (“Dedicated to the Grounds’ Party”) (Op. 1 No 15) for piano

J11

Trusting (Op. 1 No 16) for grand organ and 2 voices
Words: Peter Sculthorpe, reproduced in Skinner, 63

J12

Prelude No 1 in E flat (Op. 2 No 1) for piano

MS (autograph) (J1-J12), Canberra, National Library of Australia [NLA], MS 9676/9, “Gordon Manuscript Music Book” [No 1], c.1941-42; [Op. 1 Nos 1 & 2 missing at beginning; Op. 1 No 5 ? missing]; unpublished; Bibliography: Skinner, 63-67.

J13

Mariana, A Cavata (c.1941-42) for voice and piano “by P. J. Sculthorpe” [Words: PS; from “Gipsy Opera”]

MS (NLA) separate Sheet, c. 1941-42; unpublished; Bibl.: Skinner, 72

J14

Thema (Op. 1 No 12) for piano [revised version of J7]

J15

Minuet (Op. 1 No 13) for piano [revised version of J8]

J16

Au Printemps, Chanson (Op. 2 No 3) for voice and piano [Words: PS; see J025 below]

J17

Marche (Op. 2 No 4) for piano

J18

Valse (Op. 1 No 15) for piano [revised version of J10]

J19

Prelude in E flat (No. 1) (Op. 2 No 1) for piano [revised version of J12]; 

J20

Drinking Song (Op. 2 No 5) for voice and piano [Words: PS; from “Chinese opera”, The Golden Fisherman; see Skinner, 72]

J21

Ballet petite (Op. 2 No 6) for piano

J22

Prelude No 2 in E (Op. 2 No 7) for piano

J23

Allegro in F, A Duet (Op. 2 No 9) for piano duet

J24

Prelude No 3 in D flat (Op. 2 No 10) for piano

MS (autograph) (J14-J24), NLA, “Gordon Manuscript Music Book” [No 2], c. 1942 (“Compositions Book II”); unpublished; Bibl: Skinner, 66-67

J25

Fleur de Valle (c.1942-43): a musical play

MS (autograph), NLA; libretto only, no music survives, except J16 was to be included in the work; c.1942-43 unpublished; Bibl: Skinner, 72-73, 79

J26

It’s Blossom Time (Op. 4 No 3) for voice and piano

“Words and music by P. J. Sculthorpe”;
MS (autograph), NLA, separate sheet, c.1943; unpublished; Bibl: Skinner, 76

J27

[Sketches], possibly for some theatre music

MS (autograph), NLA, separate sheet, c.1943

J28

All Mine, Is Yours (Op. 4 No 1) for voice and piano [“words & music by P. J. Sculthorpe”]

J29

Sonatina (Op. 4 No. 2) for piano

J30

Romance in E for piano [revised version of J22]

J31

Nocturne, “à Daniel” for piano
for Daniel Thomas; see Skinner, 74]

J32

Fantasie for piano

J33

[Untitled]: sketch for opening of piano concerto; see Skinner, 71, 76, 127, 146.

MS (autograph) (J28-J33): NLA, “Gordon Manuscript Music Book” [No 3], c.1943-44; unpublished; Bibliography: Skinner, 76

J34

[Untitled]: further sketches for piano concerto 

MS (autograph), NLA, separate sheets, c. 1944

J35

[Untitled] (1944-45) for flute, harp and strings

Composed: Devonport, Tasmania, 1944-45; MS (autograph), NLA (“Oric” MS book); Bibl: Skinner, 82

1945

St Leonards/Launceston

The list of works from 1942 to 1992 was originally compiled in close consultation with the composer by Deborah Hayes, in Peter Sculthorpe: a bio-bibliography (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1993). Hayes presented the works in basically chronological order, and alloted each a “W” (work) number (W1 through W224), largely retained here though with some corrections (as indicated), authorised by the composer, and made by Graeme Skinner, first published here (1 January 2009).

W1

Nocturne (1944/1945) for piano

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; MS (autograph): NLA, 4 pages, a probably somewhat later copy (c. late 1940s) that adds to the title “No 1” (see also “No 5”, = W41); unpublished; earliest documented performance/broadcast (Australia-wide): 31 August 1945, ABC Radio 7NT, Launceston, Peter Sculthorpe (piano); Bibl: Hayes, 35; Skinner, 77, 90

W2

It’s dark down the street (1945) for “Sprechtstimme” and piano [words: PS]

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; MS (autograph), NLA; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 35; Skinner, 88

W3

Falling Leaves (1945) for piano

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; MS (autograph), NLA [“Op. 5, no. 1”], 3 pages; performance/broadcast (Tasmania only), 11 September 1945, ABC Radio 7NT, Launceston, Peter Sculthorpe (piano); unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 35; Skinner, 84, 89, 90

W4

Short Piece for Pianoforte No 1 (1945)

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; MS (autograph): NLA, 3 pages [undated]; performance/broadcast (Australia-wide): 31 August 1945, ABC Radio 7NT, Launceston, Peter Sculthorpe [PS], piano; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 89,m 90.

W5

Short Piece for Pianoforte No 2 (1945)

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; MS (autograph): NLA, 3 pages [undated]; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36

W6

Slow Movement from Sonata No 1 (1945) for piano

Composed: St Leonards/Launceston; “2nd movement”; the rest of the Sonata, if it was ever composed, has not survived; MS (autograph): NLA, 4 pages; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 89, 90           

W6a

Prelude to a Puppet Show (1945) for piano

Revision of the above; MS (autograph): NLA, 4 pages; performance/broadcast (Australia-wide): 31 August 1945, ABC Radio 7NT, Launceston, Peter Sculthorpe (piano); unplublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 89

W6b

Winter Woodland (1945) for piano

Revision of the above;  title after woodcut by artist Paul Nash; MS (autograph): NLA, 4 pages; performance/broadcast (Tasmania only), 11 September 1945, ABC Radio 7NT, Launceston, Peter Sculthorpe (piano); unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 89-90         

W7

Short Piece for Piano (1945) for piano

Revision of W005; composed St Leonards/Launceston;          MS (autograph): NLA (“To W[ilfred] T[eniswood]”, “Sept. 1945”), 3 pages; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 91

1946

Melbourne – St Leonards/Launceston

W8

For Hayes’s W8, Aboriginal Legend (1946), more probably recte 1947, see W31a

W9

Evocation (1946) for piano

Composed: Brunswick, Melbourne; MS (autograph): NLA, “March 1946”; Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 96

W10

Chamber Suite (1946) for voice, bassoon and piano [LOST]

Sculthorpe recalled that the text was by Paul Verlaine, in his own (PS’s) English translation; composed for fellow students Frances Cowper (soprano), George Dreyfus (bassoon); Bibl: Hayes, 36; Skinner, 104

“I was struck by the promise and unusual talent exhibited by the work of Peter Sculthorpe, entitled Chamber Suite, and have pleasure in selecting the work as the winning composition.” - Professor Bernard Heinze (judging the 1946 J.A. Steele Composition Prize, University of Melbourne Conservatorium), quoted in Skinner, 104

W11

Sonatina No 1 (1946) for piano [LOST]

MS (autograph): NLA, some sketches for first movement only; Sculthorpe recalled that the work was in 2 movements; Bibl: Hayes 36; Skinner, 99

W12

New Hampshire (1946) for unaccompanied chorus and solo soprano

Text: T. S. Eliot; MS (autograph): NLA, “August 1946”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes 36; Skinner, 103

W13

Epigram (1946) for piano

MS (autograph): NLA, “August 1946”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes 37; Skinner, 99

W14

Gardener Janus Catches a Naiad (1946) for voice and piano

Text: Edith Sitwell; MS (autograph): NLA, “Sept. 1946”, 3 pages; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes 37; Skinner, 103

W15

Siesta (1946) for piano

MS: NLA; “Sept. 1946”, 3 pages; see also W19; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes 37; Skinner, 99

W16

Come Sleep (1946) for mixed chorus unaccompanied

Text: John Fletcher; MS: NLA, “Part-song”, undated ; unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 37; Skinner, 111

W17

The Olive (1946) for voice and piano

Text: A. E. Housman; MS (autograph), NLA, “October 1946”, 3 pages; unpublished; Hayes, 37; 103

W18

Elegy for a Clown (1946) for voice and piano

Text: Peter Sculthorpe; MS (autograph): NLA, “November 1946”, 2 pages; edition of complete song in Michael Hannan, Peter Sculthorpe: His Music and Ideas (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1982), 7-8; Bibl.: Hayes, 37; 102-103; Skinner, 87, 103-04

W19

Piece (1946) for bassoon and piano

MS (autograph): NLA, “To my friend G[eorge] D[reyfus]”, a rough though complete sketch, the title ”Piece” added later; reuses some material from Siesta (1946) for pian, but mostly newly composed; unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 37 lists the piece as Siesta, arr. for bassoon and piano; but see Skinner, 102

W19a

Sonatina for Piano and Bassoon (1946)

MS (autograph): NLA, bassoon part only, “To George” (NLA file also contains PS’s 2001 reconstruction of the complete work as W306); the bassoon part was found by James Murdoch among his papers (Murdoch was probably given the original by Deryfus in the late 1960s), who returned it to PS in 1997; unpublished; Bibl.: Not in Hayes; Skinner, 102

See also revised published version as W306: Sonatina (1946/2001) for bassoon and piano

W20

Monsieur Miroir (1946) for voice and piano

Text (in French): Philippe Soupalt; MS (autograph): NLA [undated]; 2 pages; unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 37; Skinner, 102

W20a

My heart is like a singing bird (c.1946-47) for voice and piano [LOST]

Text: Christina Rossetti; Bibl.: not listed in Hayes; Skinner, 103

1947

Melbourne – St Leonards/Launceston

W21

In the Morning (1947) for voice and piano               

Text: A. E. Housman; MS: NLA, “Feb. 1947”; unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 37; Skinner, 104-05

W22

When Two That Have Loved are Parting (1947) for voice and piano          

Text: Heinrich Heine [“Wenn zwei voneinander scheinden”]; English translation: Robert Garran; MS: NLA, “Feb. 1947”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 37; Skinner, 105

W23

To Meadows (1947) for 3 female voices unaccompanied      

Text: Robert Herrick; MS: NLA, “April 1947”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 111, 113

W24

Take, O Take Those Lips Away (1947) for voice and piano

Text: William Shakespeare (from Measure for Measure); MS (autograph): NLA, “May 1947”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 111, 113; see also W83

W25

Hughley Steeple (1947) for voice and piano

Text: A. E. Housman (from A Shropshire Lad); MS (autograph): NLA, undated; unpublished; Bibl: hayes, 38; Skinner, 111

W26

Aspatia’s Song (1947) for voice and piano

Text: Beaumont and Fletcher; MS (autograph): NLA, “May 1947”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 110

W27

Jack and Joan (1947) for voice and piano

Text: Thomas Campion;

W28

To Meadows (1947) for soprano and string orchestra

Text: Robert Herrick; composer’s arrangement of W23, probably for Henri Touzeau and the Melbourne Conservatorium String Orchestra (in which PS played double bass); unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 111

W29

Elegy (1947) for string orchestra

Composed for Henri Touzeau and the Melbourne Conservatorium String Orchestra (in which PS played double bass), though there is no evidence that it was ever performed; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 108-09

W30

Jack and Joan (1947) for soprano and strings

Text: Thomas Campion; arrangement of W27 probably made for Henri Touzeau and the Melbourne Conservatorium String Orchestra (in which PS played double bass); unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38; Skinner, 111

W31

Two Reveries (1947) for voice and piano
1. A dryad murmurs in trembling tones; 2. O who is she who kiised thy brow

Text: Peter Sculthorpe; unlublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 38 

W31a

Aboriginal Legend (1947) for piano [LOST]

MS (autograph), NLA (untitled sketches only); first documented performance: 6 October 1947, Melbourne Univefrsity Conservatorium, PS (piano); Bibl: Hayes, 36 [=W8]; Skinner, 113, 115, 116

W31b

String Quartet No 1 (? 1944-48) [LOST]

There is no independent documentary record from these years of the existence or performance of a First Quartet; Hayes does not list the work, though Sculthorpe has referred to it; in 1996, he recalled that its movements were arrangements for strings of recent song settings, its contents varying from performance to performance; possibly included an arrangement of W26 Aspatia’s Song; Bibl.: Skinner, 116; see also 1996 arrangement as W271 Little Song (1944/1996) for string quartet (“from String Quartet No 1”)

1948

W32

Trio (1948) for oboe, viola and cello

Bibl: Hayes, 32; Skinner, 122

W33

A Glimpse of Seventeenth Century England (1948) for voice and piano
Included: How should I your true love know?;
possibly also W24, Take, O take those lips away

Texts: Shakespeare; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 38-39; Skinner, 117

W34

Aubade (1948) for string orchestra

Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 122

W35

O cool is the valley now (1948) for voice and piano

Text: James Joyce; MS (autograph), NLA; “Reverie”, “1948”, For Mrs [Gwynneth] Dixon”; unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 116

W36

String Quartet No 2 (1948) [LOST]

In one movement; FP: 3 August 1948, Lehmann Quartet; Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 121-22

W37

[Untitled] (? 1948) for piano

MS (autograph): NLA, undated, “in a nauseating lavender-and-lace-manner”; unpublished; Bibl: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 123

W38

Nocturne (? 1948) for piano

MS (autograph), NLA, undated; also performed as Sea Scape; unpublished; Bibl:. Hayes, 39

W39

Three Songs (1948) for piano [LOST]
1. Mushrooms; 2. Sleep; 3. The Children’s Minuet

Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 122

W40

Prelude to Suite for String Orchestra (1948)

MS (autograph), NLA, undated, 2 pages; includes reworking of W34; Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 122

1949

Melbourne – St Leonards/Launceston

W41

Nocturne (1949) for piano

MS (autograph): NLA, undated, 2 pages, “For Hetty” [Harriet Nemenoff]; other copy possibly “To Rex” [Hobcroft]; unpublished;? FP: 22 June 1949, Assembly Hall, Melbourne, Nemenoff (piano); Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 125-126

W42

Nocturne (1949) for violin and piano

MS (autiograph): NLA, undated, 3 pages; arrangement by PS of W41, for Wilfred Lehmann (violin); unpublished; Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 126

W43

Two Aboriginal Songs (1949) for voice (or unison voices) and orchestra
1. Maranoa Lullaby; 2. Warrego Lament

Based closely on popular Allan & Co. edition of Aboriginal text and melody as “collected by H. O. Lethbridge, with accompaniments by Arthur S. Loam”; done as an Orchestration exercise for assessment; Bibl.: Hayes, 39; Skinner, 123-24; for Sculthorpe’s later settings see W268 Maranoa Lullaby (1996) for mezzo soprano and string quartet; W361 Maranoa Lullaby (2007) for solo cello; and in W334 Requiem (2004)

W44

String Quartet No 3 (1949) [LOST]
1. Pastorale; 2: Interlude; 3: Fantasy

? FP: 26 October 1949; Bibl.: Skinner, 133; in 1996 Sculthorpe recalled that it may have included an arragement of W28 To Meadows and that the Pastorale may have been the same as the Pastorale in W47 String Quartet No 4; see Sculthorpe’s 1996 arrangements W271a To Meadows (1947/1949/1996) from String Quartet No 3; and W271b Pastorale (1949/1950/1996) from String Quartets Nos 3 and 4

W45

Overture (1949) for theatre orchestra

MS (full score), NLA, undated, 27 pages; (piano score), 5 pages; Bibl.: Hayes, 40; Skinner, 129-30

1950

Melbourne – St Leonards/Launceston

W46

Country Dance (1950) for piano

W47

String Quartet No 4 (1950)
“Recollections of holidays spent in a country village in Tasmania”
1. Prelude; 2. Pastorale, 3. Country Dance

FP: 14 June 1950, British Music Society Rooms, Melbourne; Wilfred Lehmann Quartet; see 1996 arrangement as W271b Pastorale (1949/1950/1996) from String Quartets Nos 3 and 4

W48

Elegy (1950) for string orchestra

W49

Suite (1950) for piano
“From the background music to an experimental documentary film on Tasmanian life”
1. Introduction; 2. Aubade; 3. Interlude; 4. Eclogue; 5. Finale

Includes material derived from W23, W27 and W45

W50

The White Bird (1950) for voice and piano

Text: Peter Sculthorpe; MS (autograph): NLA, “Devonport [Tasmania] Dec. 1950. For Gwen [Gwynneth Dixon]”

1951

Launceston

W51

“Music I-VII” (1951-54) for various ensembles [LOST]

Bibl.: Roger Covell, Australia’s music: Themes of a new society (Sydney, 1967); 203; Hayes, 40; Skinner, 154-55

W52

Much Ado About Nothing (1951) incidental music for voice and small ensemble
Includes: Overture; Song (Sigh no more ladies); Slow Dance

Text: Shakespeare; composed for Launceston Players; song setting for Rex Gofton; FP: 22 August 1951, Launceston

1952

Launceston

W53

Strings in the Earth and Air (1952) for voice and piano

Text: James Joyce; MS (autograph), NLA, “Jan. 25, 1952”; composed: Pateena, near Longford, Tasmania; for Rex Gofton (tenor)

W54

The Miser (1952) incidental music for Molière’s play [LOST]

For the Launceston Players; FP: 7 October 1952, Launceston

1953

Launceston

W55

Ballet (1953) for piano

MS (autograph), University of Melbourne Library, “May 1953”, 20 pages 

W56

Overture (1953) for orchestra [LOST]

W57

The Girl Who Couldn’t Quite (1953) incidental music for play by Leo Marks for solo piano [LOST]

1954

Launceston

W58

Life With Father (1954) incidental music for the Lindsay and Grouse play for solo piano [LOST]

For Launceston Players; FP: 31 March 1954, National Theatre, Launceston, PS (piano)

W59

Sonatina for Piano (1954) (“For the journey of Yonecara to the land of his forefathers”)
In three movements

Based on an Australian Aboriginal legend; FP: 19 June 1955, ISCM Festival, Baden-Baden [DE], Maria Bergmann (piano); printed edition: University of Sydney Music Publications/Leeds Music (1964)

W60

The Loneliness of Bunjil (1954) for violin, viola and cello

Based on an Australian Aboriginal legend; FP: 30 November 1960, Royal Festival Hall, London [UK], Haydn Trio; the published score is as revised by PS c.1960-64

W60a

Variations (1954) for solo violin

FP: Late 1954, Melbourne, Wilfred Lehmann (violin); later second movement of W61b

1955

Launceston

W61

Sonata for Violin Alone (1955)
1. Prelude; 2. Five Aspects of a Slow Theme; 3. Postlude

MS, NLA, Movt. 1 “Feb.-March 1955”; Movt. 2 [=W60a Variations]; Movt. 3 “PS Feb. 1955”;
FP: 28 March 1955, Assembly Hall, Melbourne [AU], Wilfred Lehmann (violin)

W62

Irkanda I (1955) for solo violin

MS, NLA, a probably somewhat later revised score (c. late 1950s or early 1960s), inscribed “To Wilfred Lehmann ... Canberra 1955”; published score (Faber Music) (1977); FP: 30 June 1955, British Music Society Rooms, Melbourne [AU]: Wilfred Lehmann (violin)
“To hear a work for the first time and to be immediately convinced of its outstanding qualities is an astonishing sensation. There was initially the revelation of simplicity combined with powerful atmosphere; Irkanda I is a completely Australian work; the undisturbed, primeval land is like a silent presence summoned by the music, which is free of all sophisticated influences. The composer has shut himself off from tonality and there is a wordless searching as if language had not yet been invented; the music portrait of a non-human environment.” – Romola Costantino, The Sydney Morning Herald (19 November 1965)

1956

Launceston – Canberra

W63

Junius on Horseback (1956) incidental music for play by Walter Sutherland for piano [LOST]

For Launceston Players; FP: 17 March 1956, Playhouse, Hobart TAS [AU], PS (piano)

W64

Twelfth Night (1956) incidental music for Shakespeare’s play
Including songs: O mistress mine; Come away, Death; I am gone, Sir; When that I was a little tiny boy

For Canberra Repertory Society; FP: 29 June 1956, Canberra, Edwin Ride (voice); see also W83 

W65

Ulterior Motifs (1956) a musical farce in three acts for two pianos, soloists and chorus

Dialogue by Ric Throssell, lyrics by AnneGodfrey-Smith; for Canberra Repertory Society; FP: 9 November 1956, Canberra

1957

Launceston – Sydney

W66

Sons of the Morning (1957) taped incidental music for radio play by Catherine Duncan

Recorded: PS; Broadcast: ABC Radio, Sydney [AU]

W67

Don’t Listen Ladies (1957) taped incidental music for radio play by Catherine Duncan

Recorded: PS; Broadcast: 19 June 1957

W67a

Sometimes When I’m Dreaming (1957) for voice and piano

Lyrics: Catherine Duncan; original MS, lost; but see later piano solo version W311 (2002)

W68

Cross Section (1957) six revue songs to lyrics by John McKellar
1. Truth in Advertising; 2. Manic Espresso; 3. Redleaf Revelations; 4. Shooting a Lion; 5. I Knew a Fella; 6. Something You Can’t Pin Down

FP: 12 September 1957, Phillip Street Theatre, Sydney; Phillip Street Theatre Company (William Orr, producer; Dot Mendoza, music director) 

1958

Launceston – Birmingham [UK]

W69

Movements from Cross Section (1958) for jazz band [LOST]

Arranged probably by Ray Cook or Eric Razdell at the request of Louis Armstrong for his band’s August 1958 Sydney concerts; Sculthorpe had no hand in either the selection or arrangement

W70

Waltz (1957/1958) for piano

Original MS lost, but work variously dated by Sculthorpe to 1957 and 1958; earliest surviving copy is as Theme in W81 They Found a Cave (1961); arranged in 1970 as W117a, under the title Left Bank Waltz for piano, named after Sculthorpe’s first fleeting pass through Paris by train (5-6 September 1958); Bibl.: Hayes, 44; Skinner, 204, 205

W71

Man from Outer Space (1958) taped music for an animated film by Charles Wolnizer [LOST]

Bibl.: Hayes, 44; Skinner, 195

W72

Some New Moon (1958) incidental music for a play by Catherine Duncan
Includes solo piano music [LOST] and Moon after Midnight for voice and piano

FP: 28 July 1958, Hobart; song published with play-script; Bibl.: Hayes, 44; Skinner, 198

W73

Prophecy (1958) for unison voices and piano
1. The Laying Waste; 2. The Blossoming

Text: Isaiah 34; completed: 23 November 1958, Birmingham [UK]; completed for Oxford composition tutorial with Edmund Rubbra; Bibl.: Hayes, 44; Skinner, 215

1959

Birmingham –Thame – Oxford [UK]

W74

L’Avare (1959) taped incidental music for Moliere’s play [LOST]        

Composed (on tape): Thame/Oxford, January-February 1959; FP: 9 February 1959, Oxford Cercle Française; not in Hayes; for Hayes’s W74 see W76a Sun below

W75

Irkanda II (1959) for string quartet
= String Quartet No 5 (1959)
In a single movement

Completed: Thame [UK], 2 April 1959; FP: 29 February 1960, Lincoln College, Oxford [UK], City of Birmingham SO String Quartet (Wilfred Lehmann, leader); MS, NLA, “Feb/Mar 1959”; a related but later work is W271c Prologue (1996) for string quartet, which Sculthorpe composed in 1996 using materials from W76b Sun, and which he described as “from String Quartet No 5”; however, it was never part of the original work

W76

Sonata for Cello Alone (1959)
In a single movement

Completed: 29 April 1959, Thame [UK]; for Eldon Fox (cello), but never performed by him; FP: 12 October 1980, Cell Block Theatre, Darlinghurst, Sydney [AU], Megan Garner (cello)

1960

Oxford [UK]

W76a

Sun (1960) for voice and piano
1. Sun in Me; 2. Tropic; 3. Desire Goes Down into the Sea                 

Texts: D. H. Lawrence; completed: 3 June 1960, Oxford [UK];            MS 9autograph) NLA, “for Wilfrid and Peggy Mellers” (copy used by Mellers in FP); FP: 13 August 1960, Attingham Hall, Shropshire [UK], Pauline Lewis [Peggy Mellers] (mezzo-soprano), Wilfrid Mellers (piano); Bibl.: Hayes, 44 (but note that date 1958 is incorrect); Skinner, 240-42
Sculthorpe prepared a revised version of this work, Sun in Me (2009) [W369], for performance at the Canberra International Festival of Music in May 2009

W77

Sonata for Viola and Percussion (1960)
In a single movement

Completed: 14 July 1960, Oxford; MS: NLA, “Oxford July 1960”; FP: 13 August 1960, Attingham Park Summer School, Shropshire [UK]: Rosemary Green (viola), Peter Sculthorpe (percussion); printed edition (Faber 1979) dedicated “to [the late] Peter Komlos”
“A rigorously static work. The sonata, the dry gongs and desert glare of its percussion encircling the lonely human agony of the viola, exists in a climate in which emotion is all the fiercer for being half-stifled and haltingly articulate.” – Roger Covell, The Sydney Morning Herald (15 August 1964)

W78

King Lear (1960) taped incidental music for Shakespeare’s play

Composed (on tape), October 1960, Oxford; FP: 24 October 1960, Playhouse, Oxford; Lincoln College Players (Peter Hughes, producer)

1961

Launceston [AU]

W79

Irkanda III (1961) for piano trio
In a single movement

Begun: October 1960, Oxford [UK]; completed: January 1961, Launceston [AU]; commissioned by Birmingham Chamber Music Society; FP: 18 Febuary 1961, Birmingham Art Gallery, Birmingham [UK], London Czech Trio; original version unpublished; for revised partial published version, see W283 From Irkanda III (1961/1999) for piano, violin and cello

W80

Irkanda IV (1961) for solo violin, strings and percussion
In a single movement            

Composed: June 1961, Launceston; FP: 5 August 1961, Nicholas Hall, Melbourne [AU]: Wilfred Lehmann (violin); Astra String Orchestra; George Logie-Smith (conductor); reworks material from W75 Irkanada II, W76a Sun (song 1), and W77 Sonata for Viola and Percussion; Bibl.: Hayes, 46; Skinner, 254-60
“[...] a work of passionate certainty of expression. Its throbbing emotionalism speaks directly and immediately to any listener.” – Roger Covell, The Sydney Morning Herald (31 July 1963)

W80a

Irkanda IV (1961) arr. for flute, viola, cello and percussion

Arrangement of W80 made for Hobart ABC TV Spectrum program; FP: 12 October 1961; Bibl.: Skinner, 261

W81

They Found a Cave (1961) music for feature film for solo harmonica and chamber ensemble

[NB = Hayes’s W82]; composed October-November 1961; recorded: November 1961, Sydney [AU]; Larry Adler (harmonica); first release of the Columbia/Visatone/Island Film, 20 December 1962, Hobart TAS [AU]; Charles Wolnizer (producer); Andrew Steane (director); “Theme” and “Journey’s End” issued on 7 inch EP; the Theme is an arr. of a waltz composed earlier (1957/58) as W70, and later arr. as W117b Left Bank Waltz (1970) for piano solo [NB = Hayes W104]; Bibl.: Hayes, 46; Skinner, 260-61, 262

1962

Launceston [AU]

W82

Three Edna Sculthorpe Songs (1962) for voice and piano
1. Fallen for you; 2. Why don’t you make your mind up; 3. Tell me you love me

[NB = Hayes’s W81]; text: Edna Sculthorpe (PS); Bibl: Hayes, 46, Skinner, 274

W83

Two Shakespeare Songs (1962) for voice and piano
1. Take, O take those lips away (arr. from W24). 2. O mistress mine (arr. from W64 Twelfth Night)

Texts: William Shakespeare; MS (autograph), NLA, “To Max [Oldaker]” [for his 55th birthday, 17 December 1962]; Bibl.: Hayes, 47; Skinner, 266

1963

Launceston [AU]

W84

The Splendour and the Peaks (1963) music for documentary film for clarinet, horn, cello, guitar and percussion

Commissioned by the Commonwealth Film Unit, Sydney; recorded: 26 March 1963, Sydney NSW [AU], ensemble directed by George English; theme (originally for solo guitar) later arranged in W92, and as Sea Chant; Bibl: Hayes, 47; Skinner, 274-76

W85

The Fifth Continent (1963) radiophonic work for speaker, orchestra and recorded sound (didjeridu and wind)
1. Prologue; 2. Outback [ = arr. of W80]; 3. Small Town; 4: Pacific; 5. Epilogue

[= Hayes’s W87]; spoken text: from Kangaroo by D. H. Lawrence; composed: March-June 1963, recorded: early July 1963, Frederick Parslow (speaker), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Matthews (conductor); submitted as the ABC’s entry for the 1963 Italia Prize; first public broadcast of the work: 26 january 1964, ABC radio national; Bibl.: Hayes, 47-48; Skinner, 280-83, 289-95

W86

Kings Cross Overture (1963) for orchestra [LOST]

Composed for Tasmanian [Symphony] Orchestra and Thomas Matthews (conductor), evidently completed by original deadline of September 1963, but was not performed; possibly reworking of material from W68 Cross Section [Manic Espresso] and W85 The Fifth Continent [Small Town]; Bibl.: Hayes, 47; Skinner, 281, 296, 301-02, 304

W87

Sonata for Piano (1963)
In two movements

[= Hayes’s W85]; composed by 20 October 1963; FP (movt. 1 only): 16 October 1963, ABC TV Hobart, Eileen Ralf (piano); FP (complete): 3 November 1963, ISCM Sydney branch concert, Cell Block Theatre, Darlinghurst, Sydney NSW [AU], PS (piano); later freely arranged in W89 The Troubled Mind (1964) and more closely as the first two movements of W91 String Quartet No 6 (1965); first movement later also revised as W197 Callabonna (1963/1989) for piano solo; Bibl.: 47; Skinner, 304-05; 310-11

1964

Sydney [AU]

W88

El Alamein Fountain (1964) music for documentary film

Composed: Launceston, January 1964; recorded: February 1964, Sydney; first shown: march 1964, UNESCO Music for Film seminar, Adelaide SA [AU]

W89

The Troubled Mind (1964) music for documentary film for flute, clarinet, harp, percussion, cello and double bass

Commissioned by the Commonwealth Film Unit, Sydney; recorded: 7 April 1964, Sydney, ensemble directed by Hal Evans; film finally released entitled Under Stress

W90

Irkanda IV (1961/1964) arranged for strings and percussion           

The original solo part of W80 is written into the first violin part; like the original it is scored for a single percussion player (whereas the arrangement, likewise without soloist, as second movement of W85 is scored for 2 percussion players); published by the Australian Music Fund/Allan and Co., Melbourne, 1964 

1965

Sydney [AU]

W91

String Quartet No 6 (1965)
1. Lento molto; 2. Con moto – Lento – Con moto; 3. Lento – Con moto - Lento

Commissioned under the terms of the First Alfred Hill Memorial Award, administered by Musica  Viva Society of Australia; FP: 1 April 1965, Town Hall, Sydney NSW [AU], Austral String Quartet; movements 1 and 2 based closely on movements 1 and 2 of W87 Sonata for Piano; movement 3 includes material from W76a Sun (song 3)
 “It is an exceptionally impressive work, possibly a great or near-great one.” – Donald Mintz, The Musical Quarterly [US] (1967)
“[...] the most evocative and moving piece of chamber music composed by an Australian. It is tragic and deeply felt, terse, shattering in its impact. - Kenneth Robins, The Bulletin [AU] (27 September 1969)

W92

South by Five (1965) for treble voices and instruments (Text: Roger Covell)

W93

Haiku (1964/65) for piano

Reworked for orchestra as part of W94 Sun Music I

W93a

Three Haiku (1964/65) for piano [LOST]

Possibly included W93 above; Bibl.: Not in Hayes; but see Skinner, 350

W94

Sun Music I (1965) for orchestra [10:00]

Originally Sun Music (unnumbered); written upon the invitation of Bernard Heinze for performance at the 1965 Commonwealth Arts Festival; FP: 30 Septyember 1965, Royal Festival Hall, London, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)
“[...] a powerfully evocative piece for orchestra of strings, brass and percussion, which translates into a variety of extraordinary orchestral timbres and motifs, the feeling of the sun as a vast, glaring impersonal force in a country dominated by it.” – David Cairns, The Financial Times [UK] (September 1965)
“[...] a strikingly imaginative aural achievement.” - The Times [UK] (September 1965)

1966

New Haven – New York – Saratoga Springs [US]

W95

Night Piece (1966) for SATB chorus and prepared piano (Text: Chris Wallace-Crabbe) [2:30]           

W96

Sun Music for Voices and Percussion (1966) for SATB chorus, piano, percussion [9:00]

Originally Sun Music II (1966) for voices and percussion; later also renamed Canto 1520 (after the year that Moctezuma was killed); FP: 13 March 1966 Adelaide Festival, Elder Hall, Adelaide SA [AU], Pro Musica Choir, Donald Peart (conductor)
“[...] made instant communication with its scalpprickling excitement. There was an absolute rightness about every sound which marks Peter Sculthorpe as a major composer. - Frank Harris, The Mirror (Sydney [AU]) (11 May 1966)

W97

ABC News Theme (1966) for piccolo, percussion and strings [0:20]

W98

Morning Song for the Christ Child (1966) for unaccompanied SATB chorus (Text: Roger Covell) [3:00]

Christmas Carol, commissioned by Faber Music; arrangemed from W92 South by Five

W99

String Quartet No 7 (1966) [7:00]
In a single movement

Originally entitled: Teotihuacan (1966) for string quartet; later also entitled Red Landscape (1966) for string quartet (after a paintiny by Russell Drysdale); commissioned by the Yale Summer School of Music; FP: 29 Julu 1966, Music Shed, Norfolk [US], Yale String Quartet

W99a

Sun Music III (1966) for string orchestra

Arrangement of W99 String Quartet No 7; commissioned by the Astra Chamber Music Society; FP: 18 November 1966, Melbourne, Astra String Orchestra, George Logie-Smith (conductor) 

1967

Sydney [AU]

W100

Sun Music III (1967) for orchestra [13:00]

Originally entitled: Anniversary Music (1967) for orchestra; Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission to mark the occasion of the twentieth anniversary in 1967 of Youth Concerts in Australia; FP: 16 May 1967, Winthrop Hall, Perth WA [AU], West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Heinze (conductor)
“The program included one bona fide masterpiece ... [it] could have been written only in Australia. The sounds of the Far East, notably the Balinese gamelan, are juxtapose with wild string harmonics and incredibly subtle use of percussion, while long-breathed themes of utmost desolation place us square in the middle of the Outback.” - Bill Zakariasen, Daily News [US] (25 January 1987)

W101

Sun Music IV (1967) for orchestra [9:00]

Commissioned by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Music Foundation for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s performances at Montreal Expo 67; FP: 29 May 1967, Town Hall, Melbourne VIC [AU]; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Willem van Otterloo (conductor)
“It grows, it blossoms, it evolves with as much variety as the images in a kaleidoscope, and like a kaleidoscope it seems to fix the listeners. attention at a central point [...] . musical ideas as fresh and as striking as those we have seen in the field of painting. We must hear more of Sculthorpe.” – Eric McLean, The Montreal Star (8 June 1967)

1968

Sydney [AU]

The Hayes work numbers for 1968 have here been substantially reallocated to return the works to chronological order (GS 2009); for Hayes’s W104 Two Easy Pieces now see 1970

W102

Autumn Song (1968) for unaccompanied SATB chorus (Text: Roger Covell) [3:00]

[= Hayes’s W105]; arrangement of movement from W92 South by Five; completed: February 1968; FP: Adelaide Festival, March 1968, Adelaide Singers, Patrick Thomas (conductor)

W103

Tabuh Tabuhan (1968) for wind quintet and percussion [24:00]

[= Hayes’s W106]; commissioned under the terms of the First John Bishop Memorial Award, funded jointly by the Adelaide Festival Trust and Advertiser Newspapers Ltd; completed February 1968; FP: 20 March 1968, Fifth Adelaide Festival of Arts, Town Hall, Adelaide SA [AU], University of Adelaide Wind Quintet et al.
“The colouring and musical turn of phrase are beautifully worked into an elaborate composition which brilliantly exploits the relevance of such techniques to modern music. A fine, atmospheric performance intensified my anxiety to hear this work again.” – Stephen Walsh, The Times [UK] (11 March 1969)

W104

Music for Mittagong or Fun Music (1968) for wind, strings and percussion and massed voices

[= Hayes’s W107]; commissioned by Musica Viva Society for the 1968 Mittagong Festival; FP: 14 April 1968, Mittagong NSW [AU], PS (conductor)

W105

From Tabuh Tabuhan (1968) for strings and percussion [4:00]

[= Hayes’s W108]; commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in honour of the 86th Birthday of Igor Stravinsky; FP (recording): 2 May 1968, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Patrick Thomas (conductor)

W106

Age of Consent (1968) music for feature film by Michael Powell for chamber ensemble

[= Hayes’s W102]; film based on Norman Lindsay’s novel of the same name; music composed: June-July 1968; film (starring Helen Mirren), premiered 27 March 1969, Brisbane

W107

Sea Chant (1968) for unison voices and piano, opt parts for high instruments and percussion (Text: Roger Covell) [2:00]

[= Hayes’s W103]; originally theme from W84 The Splendour and the Peaks; arranged from version in W92 South by Five; completed mid 1968; published in Australian Journal of Music Education (October 1968)

W108

Sun Music (1968) ballet for orchestra and voices [44:00]
1. Soil [= W94 Sun Music I]; 2. Mirage [ = W96 Sun Music (II) for voices and percussion]; 3. Growth [ = W100 Sun Music III; 4. [ = earlier version of W11o Sun Music II]; 5. Destruction [ = W101 Sun Music IV]

[= Hayes’s W109]; commissioned by the Australian Ballet, choreography by Robert Helpmann; FP: 2 August 1968, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney NSW [AU], Australian Elizabethan Trust Orchestra, Robert Rosen (conductor)

W109

Music for Vietnam (1968) for string quartet [LOST]

[not in Hayes]; FP: 7 October 1968, Arts Vietnam concert, Teachers Federation Hall, Sydney NSW [AU]

1969

Sydney [AU]

W110

Sun Music II  (1969) for orchestra [6:00]

Originally Ketjak (1969) for orchestra; based on W108/4 above; written for the 1969 Sydney ABC Promenade Concerts; FP: 22 February 1969, Town Hall, Sydney NSW [AU], Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)
“Conveyed an impression of a harsh, blistering landscape, which seemed at times on the point of eruption.” – Conrad Wilson, The Scotsman [UK] (27 August 1984)

W111

String Quartet No 8 (1969) [16:00]
1. Con dolore; Risoluto – Calmo – Risoluto; 3. Con dolore; 4. Con precisione; 5. Con dolore

Original title: String Quartet Music (1969); commissioned by the Radcliffe Award Commission 1968; FP (judging): 31 October-1 November 1969, Sussex University, Brighton [UK], Allegri String Quartet; first public performance: 15 January 1970, Wigmore Hall, London [UK], Allegri String Quartet
“[...] this snazzy piece (filled with folky references and odd percussion effects) takes the cake [...] a terrific, immediately entertaining and absorbing work.” - Heuwell Tircuit, San Francisco Chronicle [US] (8 June 1986)
“[...] one of his finest works [...] a composer thoroughly at ease with himself, working in a mode that has come to terms with his tradition and with his environment, and using it with assurance to create music of great beauty and economy . the most convincing demonstration Sculthorpe has given us of his powerful originality of mind.” – Kenneth Hince, The Australian [AU] (27 December 1971)

1970

W112

Love 200 (1970) for voice, rock band and orchestra (Text: Tony Morphett) [18:00]
1. Prelude (orchestral); 2: It’ll rise again; 3. Interlude (orchestral); 4. The Stars Turn; 5. Interlude (orchestral); 6. Love

Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission [ABC] for the 1970 Promenade Season, Sydney; FP: 14 February 1970, Town Hall, Sydney NSW [AU]: Jeannie Lewis (voice), Tully (rock band), Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)

W113

Music for Japan (1970) for orchestra [12:00]

Commissioned by the National Music Camp Association for performance at Expo 70, Osaka, Japan; FP: 25 May 1970, Town Hall, Melbourne VIC [AU], Australian Youth Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)
“Music for Japan begins with a great sobbing breath of sound, rather like the deep chesty vocalism of Japanese classical singer-actors. Slow planetary wanderings of timbre and accent give way to a middle section for amplified percussion, strongly rhythmic and excitingly developed. There is one beautiful effect (repeated) when a swirling mass of sound comes out into a cloudless major chord on E; and the final chordal structure is a marvellously exultant terracing of orchestral sound.” – Roger Covell, The Sydney Morning Herald [AU] (3 January 1971)

W114

Dream (1970) for any instruments and any performers

FP: 22 September 1970, Cell Block Theatre, Sydney NSW [AU]: Peter Richardson (flute), Jeannie Lewis (voice), Pro Musica Ensemble, PS (conductor)

W115

Morning Song (1970) for string quartet [3:00]

Arrangement of W98; FP: 1970, EMI recording, Sydney, Australia, Austral String Quartet

W116

Rain (1970) for orchestra

FP: 12 October 1970, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Janos Ferencsik

W117

Overture for a Happy Occasion (1970) for orchestra [4:00]

Arrangement of W112/6; FP: 16.11.70, Australia, Princess Theatre, Launceston, TAS [AU]; Australian Elizabethan Trust Sydney Orchestra, Dobbs Franks (conductor)

W117a

Two Easy Pieces (1970) for piano [4:00]
1. Sea Chant [arr. from W107]; 2. Left Bank Waltz [arr. from W70]

[ = Hayes’s W104]; these piano arrangements were prepared especially for the Australian Music Examination Board in late 1970, No 2 was issued shortly afterward in the AMEB Third Grade piano book (Allan & Co.)

1971

Sydney [AU]

W118

Night Pieces (1971) for piano [7:00]
1. Snow; 2. Moon; 3. Flowers; 4. Night (arr. of W93); 5. Stars (arr. of W121/7)

Nos 1-3 originally entitled Snow, Moon and Flowers (1971) for piano, commissioned by the Festival of Perth; FP (1-3 only): 28 February 1971, Octagon Theatre, University of Western Australia, Perth WA [AU], David Bollard (piano); first collected as a set of 5 in Faber edition, 1974/75
“Music of quality [...] delicate, harplike textures. They are evocative little sketches of a distinctly impressionistic kind.” – Frank Dawes, The Musical Times [UK] (August 1975)

W119

Landscape I (1971) for amplified piano with tape delay and pre-recorded tape loop [12:00]

Originally Landscape (unnumbered); commissioned by the Festival of Perth; FP: 28 February 1971, Octagon Theatre, University of Western Australia, Perth WA [AU], David Bollard (piano)

W120

Love 201 (1971) dance score for jazz-rock band and tape [LOST]

FP: 21 May 1971, Aquarius Festival of University Arts, Playhouse, Canberra ACT [AU], Syrius (led by Jackie Orszaczky), with The Dance Company; choreography by Keith Little, design by Tim Storrier

W121

How the Stars Were Made (1971) for percussion ensemble [10:00]
1. Prelude; 2. Sea; 3. Seashore; 4. Interlude; 5. Fire; 6. Interlude; 7. Stars

Based on an Australian Aboriginal legend; originally for percussion sextet; later published edition for percussion quartet; commissioned by Musica Viva Australia for the Canberra Spring Festival; FP: 4 October 1971, Playhouse, Canberra ACT [AU], Les Percussions de Strasbourg;

1972

Sussex [UK]

W122

The Stars Turn (1972) for high voice and piano (Text: Tony Morphett) [5:00]

Completed: Glynde, Sussex [UK], March 1972; Arrangement of W112/4; FP: 4 April 1972, Town Hall, Sydney NSW [AU], Jeannie Lewis (voice), Michael Carlos (piano)

W123

The Stars Turn (1972) for high voice, strings and percussion

W124

Ketjak (1972) for six male voices with tape delay [10:00]

Unpublished; MS (autograph), NLA

1973

Sydney [AU]

W125

Rites of Passage (1972-73), music theatre work for dancers, double SATB chorus, and orchestra [105:00]

Text: Aboriginal, from Southern Aranda Poems; Commissioned by The Australian Opera; FP: 27 September 1974, Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW [AU]: Australian Opera Chorus, Australian Dance Theatre, Jaap Flier (director), Australian Elizabethan Trust Sydney Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)
“Ritual, music, chant, dance, speech and song are all purposefully integrated into the work’s conception and structure [...] so unlike any other opera we have ever seen.” – Kevon Kemp, The National Times [AU] (October 1974)
For the first time since the 1974 premiere, the 2009 Canberra International Festival of Music will present Rites of Passage complete in a newly revised concert version

W126

Crimson Flower (1973) for gender wayang ensemble

W127

Koto Music I (1973) for amplified piano and pre-recorded tape loop [7:00]

Commissioned by the Australian Performing Right Association and Australian Broadcasting Commission; FP: 13 October 1973, Sydney Opera House, Roger Woodward (piano)

1974

W128

Essington (1974) music for feature film for amplified piano with tape delay and rhythm sticks

Script by Thomas Keneally; film score co-composed with Michael Hannan and David Matthews;  based on an adaptation of the Aboriginal melody Djilile (“Whistling-duck on a billabong”), from a recording of the melody collected in northern Australia by A. P. Elkin in the late 1950s

W129

The Song of Tailitnama (1974) for high voice,  six cellos and percussion [11:00]

Text: Aboriginal; FP: 6 may 1974, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne VIC [AU]: Halina Nieckarz (voice); Victorian College of the Arts Ensemble, John Hopkins (conductor)

W130

Alpine (1974) music for television commercial for string quartet

1975

W131

Sea Chant (1975) for unison voices and orchestra (Text: Roger Covell) [3:00]

Arrangement of W107; FP: June 1975, Town Hall, Melbourne, Massed Children’s Choir, Australian Youth Orchestra, John Hopkins (conductor)

W132

String Quartet No 9 (1975) [15:00]
In a single movement

Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia; FP: 17 October 1975, Seymour Centre, Sydney NSW [AU], Austral String Quartet

1976

W133

Koto Music II (1976) for amplified piano and pre-recorded tape loop [5:00]

W134

Sun Song (1976) for recorder quartet [3:00]

W135

Lament for Strings (1976) for string orchestra [10:00]

For the Australian Chamber Orchestra; FP: 26 May 1976, City Hall, Wollongong NSW [AU]: Australian CO
“a real highlight of the season ... miniature, economical with resources, but perfectly judged ... as contained as the emotions to which it related, not dramatic high tragedy but a sort of washed-out pain, with simple lyrical keening tones high up the solo instruments, like wires stretching towards breaking, then relaxing and fading.” - Tom Sutcliffe, The Guardian [UK] (15 August 1992)

W136

Small Town (1976) for small orchestra [6:00]

[From W85 The Fifth Continent (1963)]

W137

The Stars Turn (1976) for string orchestra [6:00]

W138

Alone (1976) for solo violin [6:00]

“ghostly, evokes an image of the outback beautifully.” – The Wire [UK] (October 1995)