The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Bliss, Sir Arthur
1891–1975, English composer. Bliss’s teachers included Charles Stanford, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Gustav Holst. He was made Master of the Queen’s Musick in 1953. His early works, including pieces for wordless voices, were considered avant-garde. Bliss’s works include ballets, cantatas, operas such as The Olympians (1949) and Tobias and the Angel (1958), the Colour Symphony (1932), a piano concerto (1938), quintets for oboe (1927) and clarinet (1931) with strings, and a concertina for cello and orchestra (1969). His autobiography was published in 1970.
