Meet the Composer: Gwyneth Walker
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Age Range: Elementary
Introduction: Composers write music, just like authors write books. In the Class Notes “Meet the Composer” series, we will learn a little bit about the achievements, backstory, and influences of a variety of composers. Get ready to learn about these influential composers and listen to some of their music.
Free Download: Printable Lesson Plan and Visual Aids: Gwyneth Walker
BACKGROUND
Gwyneth Walker was born in 1947 in New York and grew up in Connecticut. She began composing at an early age. Her father was an inventor, and she credits her father’s inventive spirit as an inspiration for composing. In addition to composing, Gwyneth Walker taught music and also ran a dairy farm. She has written music for all kinds of ensembles, with a special emphasis on choral music. Gwyneth Walker has lived in different parts of the country but feels a special connection with the rural areas of New England, a region in the northeastern United States.
Gwyneth Walker is part of a religious community called the Quakers. She also loves to play tennis. She even composed a piece called Match Point, where the conductor conducts with a tennis racket instead of a conductor’s baton.
MUSIC
Gwyneth Walker often speaks about her love for the rural areas of New England. Her piece Craftsbury Trio is made up of three movements, or sections. Each movement is meant to depict part of life in the town of Craftsbury, Vermont. The first movement, called “Up-Country Toccata,” is energetic and fast.
Gwyneth Walker was commissioned, or paid, to compose this piece to celebrate the restoration of a concert hall near where she lived in Vermont. It was composed for brass quintet. As you listen and watch, see if you can name each instrument you see and hear. Notice how throughout the piece, the performers often play body percussion too.
A significant percentage of Gwyneth Walker’s work is composed for vocal groups. Here is an example of her choral music. This piece is based on a Quaker poem.
CREATE, CONNECT & RESPOND
Gwyneth Walker speaks often of her love of New England, farms, and small communities. Many composers are influenced by nature and land. Use this Themed Lesson: Landscapes to explore connections between places and compositions.
Gwyneth Walker’s piece Tree of Peace was based on a Quaker poem. Learn more about how poetry and music are often linked in this Music & Literacy: Poetry lesson.
Related Lesson Plans
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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
