Phyllis Tate

Phyllis Tate (6 April 1911 – 29 May 1987) was an English composer known for forming unusual instrumental combinations in her output. She is mainly remembered for her works for solo and chamber ensembles, rather than larger scale forms. Biography Early life and education Phyllis Margaret Duncan Tate was born at Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, the daughter of an architect, Duncan Tate. She was excluded from primary school by her headmistress at the age of 10 for singing a lewd song her father taught her at the end of the year. While at the academy, she studied composition, timpani, and conducting. Tate married a music editor, Alan Clifford Frank, in 1935. They reportedly initially bonded over a mutual dislike of Ludwig van Beethoven’s music. During her school years, she also composed a symphony and several smaller pieces, although none from this era survive. * A Secular Requiem: The Phoenix and the Turtle (1970) for mixed voices, organ, and orchestra, setting Shakespeare’s poem as the text for a funeral. * All The World’s A Stage (1977) for chorus and orchestra. * Saint Martha and the Dragon (1978), for narrator, solo soprano, solo tenor, choir, chamber orchestra & tape. A setting