Arthur Bliss

Sir Arthur Bliss studied music at Cambridge under Charles Wood and at the Royal College of Music in the company of other brilliant students including Herbert Howells, Ivor Gurney, and Eugene Goosens. His musical studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in which he gave distinguished service. After the war Bliss established himself as a composer on the London scene before moving to the USA in the early 1920s. He returned to London in 1925. In 1941 he became director of...See more

Sir Arthur Bliss studied music at Cambridge under Charles Wood and at the Royal College of Music in the company of other brilliant students including Herbert Howells, Ivor Gurney, and Eugene Goosens. His musical studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in which he gave distinguished service. After the war Bliss established himself as a composer on the London scene before moving to the USA in the early 1920s. He returned to London in 1925. In 1941 he became director of music at the BBC, where he established programmes such as 'This Week's Composer, still enjoyed today in a similar form. Following his knighthood in 1950 he was appointed Master of the Queen's Musick. In this capacity he composed numerous works and fanfares for royal occasions including the Investiture of the Prince of Wales (1969). He continued composing up until his death at the age of 83. See less