Editing David Bedford (section)

==Avant-garde classical compositions==
Bedford was also known for his [[avant-garde]] classical works.
His 1963 ''Piece for Mo'' was described as "his first work of standing",<ref name=albion/> although it was never recorded for release.  In 1965 he composed a chamber work for soprano and septet called ''Music For Albion Moonlight'',<ref name=music_aficionado /> based on poems by [[Kenneth Patchen]].  He continued to set music to Patchen's poems throughout his career, including ''O Now the Drenched Land Wakes'' and ''The Great Birds'', released by [[Deutsche Grammophon]] on one of their ''Avant Garde'' series of albums in 1968,<ref name=discog_avantgarde>
{{cite web|title=Avantgarde (1968, Vinyl)|date=14 September 1968 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2741076-Various-Avantgarde-|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=22 September 2022}}</ref> and ''Instructions For Angels'', released by [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] in 1977.<ref name=discog_instructions>
{{cite web|title=David Bedford – Instructions For Angels (1977, Vinyl)|date=14 September 1977 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2011960-David-Bedford-Instructions-For-Angels|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=22 September 2022}}
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He also composed a number of works for [[wind orchestra]], beginning with ''Sun Paints Rainbows on the Vast Waves'' in 1982, commissioned by the [[Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesternovello.com/Default.aspx?TabId=2432&State_3041=2&workId_3041=12720 |title=David Bedford: Sun Paints Rainbows on the Vast Waves |publisher=[[ChesterNovello]] |access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref> Many of these works have recorded by the wind orchestra of the [[Royal Northern College of Music]], conducted by [[Clark Rundell]], released by Doyen Records UK in 1998.<ref name=list_of_works>{{cite web|title=David Bedford – List of Works|url=http://www.davidbedfordmusic.co.uk/listofworks.php|publisher=www.davidbedfordmusic.co.uk|access-date=22 September 2022}}
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Bedford is noted for the large amount of educational music he wrote for children.<ref name=times_obit>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list/profile/article/david-bedford-65cd56jt5t0|title=David Bedford|work=[[The Times]]|date=11 October 2011 |access-date=22 September 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922210126/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/david-bedford-65cd56jt5t0|archive-date=22 September 2022}}</ref> The [[musical notation]] he used was often unconventional, frequently making use of [[graphic notation (music)|graphics]], thus letting his works be performed by children and others who cannot read conventional notation.<ref name=guardian_obit /> In the liner notes to the album ''Viola Today'' (1974) by [[Karen Phillips (musician)|Karen Phillips]], it is stated that in the score of Bedford's ''Spillihpnerak'' (1972) there is "(a) page consisting of a drawing of a [[lysozyme]] [[molecule]] which the performer is asked to interpret".<ref name=phillips>[[Atlantic Records|Finnadar Records]] (1974) LP notes by Karen Phillips from ''Viola Today'' LP by Karen Phillips, SR 9007</ref>

Bedford took a similar approach for his 1972 work, ''[[With 100 Kazoos]]'', in which an instrumental [[musical ensemble|ensemble]] is joined by the audience who are invited to play [[kazoo]]s.<ref name=guardian_obit /> The audience members were presented with various space-themed illustrations, and asked to interpret them using their kazoos. The piece was intended to be conducted by [[Pierre Boulez]], but he rejected it, with Bedford stating "He rejected my piece on the grounds that audiences would be stupid and would fool about with their kazoos in the other pieces too".<ref name=music_aficionado />

Bedford composed a 35-minute choral suite, commissioned by the [[BBC]], "Twelve Hours of Sunset", based on [[Roy Harper (singer)|Roy Harper]]'s song of the same name, from his 1974 album ''[[Valentine (Roy Harper album)|Valentine]]'', which Bedford orchestrated. The suite was given its live premiere at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London on 8 August 1975, by the [[BBC Singers]], [[BBC Choral Society]] and [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]], with [[Simon Lindley]] on organ, conducted by [[John Poole (conductor)|John Poole]], as part of the 75th [[BBC Proms|Proms]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Proms 75: Part 1 |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1975-08-08#at-19.30 |website=[[BBC Genome]] |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> Another performance for [[BBC Radio]] was on 29 August 1997, on [[BBC Radio 3]], by the [[Crouch End Festival Chorus]] and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with [[Jacques van Steen]] conducting, as part of a 60th birthday tribute to Bedford, who was also interviewed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hear and Now |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_radio_three/1997-08-29#at-22.00 |website=BBC Genome |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|XikmzpufidI| David Bedford - "Twelve Hours of Sunset" (1974) }}</ref>

He continued to combine skilled and non-skilled musicians in other works such as ''Seascapes'' (1986), combining a full symphony orchestra with school children, and ''Stories from the Dreamtime'' (1991), written for 40 deaf children and orchestra,<ref name=guardian_obit /> as well as unconventional performance techniques such as requiring a singer to scream into a piano.<ref name=music_aficionado />  The score to ''The Song of the White Horse'' (1978)<ref>{{YouTube|UlIAlaiE6Do|Song of the White Horse (David Bedford, 1978)}}, posted by family of David Bedford</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016vks3 David Bedford's The Song of the White Horse] BBC Radio 3</ref> instructs the choir to inhale [[helium]] gas to be able to reach the highest notes near the end of the piece.<ref name=cluster>Oldfield Music Records (1983) LP notes from ''Star Clusters, Nebulae and Places in Devon / The Song of the White Horse'' LP, OM 1</ref>

Science fiction was a repeated area of interest for Bedford. ''The Tentacles of the Dark Nebula'' has words taken from [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s short story ''Transcience'',<ref>[[Decca Records|Decca]] Headline (1974) Insert from LP recording of ''Tentacles of the Dark Nebula'' LP Head 3</ref> recorded by tenor [[Peter Pears]] with Bedford conducting the [[London Sinfonietta]].  The title of ''Star's End'' was taken from [[Isaac Asimov]]'s book ''[[Second Foundation]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nagl |first=Manfred |title=Science Fiction: ein Segment populärer Kultur im Medien- und Produktverbund |year=1981 |page=140 |publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag |isbn=9783878089254 |language=de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pcSIAuOi5joC&pg=PA140 }}</ref> ''Rigel 9'' is a play based on the book by [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], featuring background music composed and recorded by Bedford.

Bedford's music has been described as [[modernist music|modernist]],<ref name=guardian_obit /> [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] and [[experimental music|experimental]].<ref name=music_aficionado />  He was known for his use of [[atonality]],<ref name=music_aficionado /> [[harmony|harmonic]] stasis, and rich [[timbre]].<ref name=times_obit />