Alun Hoddinott was born in Glamorganshire in 1929. His compositional talents developed early, and he won a university scholarship at the age of sixteen. In 1951 he was appointed Lecturer in Music at the Welsh College of Music and Drama; he later became lecturer at University College, Cardiff and was made Professor and Head of Department there in 1967. Hoddinott achieved a mastery of composition which embraced almost every musical medium. His strong creative urge,
stimulated by a tremendous variety of eminent performers, is reflected in a substantial body of works. Essentially chromatic, his music often shows a dark Celtic intensity, manifested in his nocturnal slow movements. As former Professor of Music at University College, Cardiff, and Artistic Director of
the Cardiff Festival, he had considerable influence in awakening interest in contemporary music in South Wales. Alun Hoddinott died in Wales in March 2008 at the age of 78.
