Howard Blake

British pianist, composer and conductor Howard Blake has divided his time between music for the screen and a contemporary classical oeuvre comprising over six hundred scores. Born in London on October 28, 1938, he learned piano and violin, then studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Harold Craxton (piano) and Howard Ferguson (composition). After becoming a session musician, he signed with EMI and recorded two albums, before assisting Laurie Johnson - on Bernard Herrmann's recommendation - with the music for The Avengers and other soundtracks. In 1977, he composed the themes for Ridley Scott's The Duellists, followed by other film scores including The Odd Job with the Monty Python troupe (1978), The Riddle of the Sands (1979), S.O.S. Titanic (1979), Flash Gordon (1980) and Amityville 3-D (1983). His composition for The Snowman (1982), including the song "Walking in the Air" in numerous versions, was nominated for an Oscar. He then worked on The Hunger (1983), before devoting more time to classical composition. His work includes orchestral, chamber and sacred vocal music. He is notably the author of a piano concerto commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1991, cantatas for the 50th anniversary of the UN in 1995 and Benedictus, a choral work premiered in 1989. Honored by the Royal Academy of Music, Howard Black was also awarded the insignia of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1994 for services to music.

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