Michael Blake, born on 31 October 1951, is a South African contemporary classical music composer and performer known for his contributions to experimental and indigenous music aesthetics. He studied in Johannesburg during the 1970s, where he became associated with conceptual art and the development of an indigenous experimental music style.
Early Life and Education
Blake was born in Cape Town and began piano lessons at the South African College of Music at the age of 9. He started composing soon afterward. In 1970, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he studied composition with June Schneider and Klaas van Oostveen and piano with Adolph Hallis. In 1976, Blake attended summer courses in Darmstadt and Dartington and met influential composers like Mauricio Kagel, Peter Maxwell Davies, and Stanley Glasser.
Career Beginnings and Move to London
In 1977, Blake launched a New Music concert series at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg with his ensemble Moonchild. He left South Africa later that year to avoid being drafted into the border war. He moved to London, where he studied for a Master of Music degree in music theory and analysis at Goldsmiths College, University of London. During his time there, he was a part-time lecturer and founded the Goldsmiths Contemporary Music Ensemble. From 1979 to 1986, he was the keyboard player in the electroacoustic group Metanoia, which he co-directed with Jonathan Impett.
London New Music Ensemble
In 1986, Blake founded the ensemble London New Music for the performance of experimental music. The group gave regular concerts at the South Bank, Institute for Contemporary Arts, and other venues. They also undertook British Council-sponsored tours in Europe and broadcast regularly for BBC Radio 3 and European radio stations. The ensemble premiered new works commissioned by Blake from contemporaries like Gerald Barry, Matteo Fargion, and Kevin Volans.
Return to South Africa
In 1998, Blake returned to South Africa and settled in Grahamstown, where he taught composition at Rhodes University. He established the annual contemporary music festival New Music Indaba and served as its artistic director from 2000 to 2006. In 1999, Blake successfully bid for South Africa’s re-entry into the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) and served as President of the ISCM South African Section, NewMusicSA, for six years.
Notable Projects and Contributions
From 2002 to 2009, Blake curated The Bow Project, and between 2007 and 2009, he taught composition at the University of South Africa. In 2012, he established the Sterkfontein Composers Meeting. He is also an Honorary Professor of Experimental Composition at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research, and Innovation at Stellenbosch University.
Musical Style and Influences
Blake’s early work was influenced by radical twentieth-century music, including pieces by Webern, Schoenberg, Messiaen, Stockhausen, and Cage. His compositions from this period reflect these influences, such as “A Little Fantasy” (1971) and “Five Pieces for Piccolo and Tuba” (1971). In the mid-1970s, Blake’s music began to incorporate African influences, as seen in his “African Journal” series. Over time, his work evolved to include minimalism, collage, and postcolonial themes.
Selected Works
Stage
- Searching for Salome (2004-9): Opera in 7 scenes for soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 2 countertenors, tenor, 2 baritones, bass, dancer, clarinet in Bb, bassoon, trumpet in C, tuba, percussion (1 player), pianola (disklavier ad lib), violin, viola, electronic tape, and video
Orchestra
- Kwela (1992): First version for string orchestra; Second version with elastic scoring
- Brandenburg Floor Plan (2003): For baroque orchestra
- Gautango (2007): For harp and strings
- Let the Good Times Roll! (2019): For symphonic wind ensemble
- Mémorial (2020): For large symphony orchestra
- Suite for Small Orchestra (2021)
- Symphony (2022)
Orchestra with Soloist(s)
- Out of the Darkness (1993–94): For piano and small orchestra (withdrawn)
- Concerto Grosso (1998): For two solo violins and string orchestra
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra ‘Rain Dancing’ (2007)
- Cello/Orchestra (2013): For cello and chamber orchestra
Chamber Music for 2-7 Players
- Five Pieces for Piccolo and Tuba (1971)
- song without words (1975): For cello and piano
- Hymn and Variations (1978): For string quartet
- …ode-cantata… (1980): For percussion and chamber ensemble with optional speaker
- Self Delectative Songs (1986)
- Cum martelli incrudena (1987)
- The Seasons at Home (1987–88): For guitar and chamber ensemble
- Quartet for Flute and Strings (1989; rev.1999)
- Honey Gathering Song (1989; rev. 1999): For flute and piano (or harpsichord or fortepiano), or elastic scoring
- Hindewhu (1989–90): For two classical or modern clarinets in Bb or soprano saxophones
- Quintet for Basset Clarinet and String Quartet (1990): For classical or modern instruments
- Leaf Carrying Song (1991–93): For oboe d’amore (or oboe or alto flute) and ten-string guitar, or birbyne (or oboe or flute), violin, viola, and cello, or wind instrument in C (birbyne or oboe or flute) and harpsichord, or violin and harp
- Let us run out of the rain (1986; 1991): For string quartet
- Mysteries (in memoriam J C) (1993): For four percussionists
- Let us run out of the rain (1986; 1993): For vibraphone and marimba (4 players)
- Carpet of Memory (1994/1996/1998): For voice-flute, bass viol, and harpsichord or violin, cello, and piano
- Birthday Fanfare (1998): For four tubas or tuba and tape
- Untitled (2000): For clarinet in A and piano
- KwaDtit (2000): For recorder quartet
- Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello (2000)
- String Quartet No 1 ‘in Memory of William Burton’ (2001)
- Do you prefer red or white? (2004): For violin and piano
- Quintet for Piano and Strings ‘Homage to Schumann’ (2006)
- Song of the Bullfrogs (2006): For saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) and tape
- String Quartet No 2 (2006)
- Shoowa Panel (2007): For vibraphone and marimba
- The Philosophy of Composition ‘in Memory of Don Maclennan’ (2009): For cello and piano
- String Quartet No 3 ‘Nofinishi’ (2009)
- String Quartet No 4 (2010)
- Standing Stone Circle (2013): For harp and peripatetic violinist
- String Quartet No 5 (2014)
- Souvenir de Prague (2014): For two violins, cello, and harmonium
- Alto Trombone and Vibe (2015): For alto trombone and vibraphone
- Sonata for Cello and Piano ‘Hours with the Masters’ (2016)
- The Waaihoek Tea Party (2017): For double bass and piano
- Lovedale Harmony (2018): For saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone)
Chamber Music for Large Ensemble
- Strings and Electric Guitar (2000): For seven baroque instruments and electric guitar
- Isicamngco (2001): For double saxophone quartet (2 soprano, 2 alto, 2 tenor, baritone, bass)
- Rural Arias (2007): For singing saw and 11 players
- Postcolonial Song ‘Homage to Percy Grainger (2008): For elastic scoring
- Piano Concerto No 2 ‘Boschpoort’ (2013): For piano and 7 instruments
- Fanfare for a New Institute (2018): For three instrumental groups in separate but connected spaces
Solo Instrument
- Spirit (1985): For flute solo
- Three Venda Children’s Songs (1996): For guitar
- Marimba Etudes (2009)
- Pentimenti (2012): For solo cello and imagined accompaniment
- Mister Turner His Folie (2017): For guitar
- Umngqokolo (2018): For solo alto
