Bernard Naylor (November 22, 1907 – May 19, 1986) was an English and Canadian composer, conductor and organist.

Early life

Bernard James Naylor was born in Cambridge, England, on November 22, 1907. His father, Edward Naylor, was an English composer. ^[1]

Music career

In 1930, he received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oxford. In the 1920s, ^[1] he visited Canada ^[2] and met and studied with the now famous composers Gustav Holst, John Ireland and Vaughan Williams in The Royal Conservatory of Music. ^[3] He became an organ scholar at Exeter College during the late 1920s and early 1930s. In the 1930s, ^[1] he moved to Winnipeg ^[2] and became a conductor of a few choirs and orchestras in Winnipeg, as well as being the organist-choirmaster at Holy Trinity Anglican Church. During the late 1930s, he traveled back to England as an organist and musical director at Queens' College, but returned to Canada shortly after in 1940, ^[1] where he married Dorothy Crerar. ^[4] There in Canada, he founded Little Symphony of Montreal in 1942 and composed there for five years. ^[1] In the 1950s, he also returned to England once more where he was gradually becoming more involved with the arts community. ^[2] After being part of the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, He taught in both Oxford University and University of Reading. In 1959, he stayed the rest of his life with his wife in Canada and continued to compose, first in Winnipeg and Victoria in 1968, ^{[1] [2]} despite retiring on 1964. ^[2] In 1980, he received honorary Doctorate of laws from both the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. He, along with his wife, donated art to the Winnipeg Art Gallery. ^[1]

Death

On May 19, 1986, Naylor died in his sleep in Bassenthwaite, Cumbria, England while visiting friends. ^{[2] [1]}

His documents were later retrieved by the University of Victoria. His status as an associate composer is maintained by the Canadian Music Centre. ^[1]

References