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Brian Dennis

1941 – 1998

Composer

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About Brian Dennis

Lived 1941 – 1998 (aged 56–57). Brian Dennis was a composer and writer.

Brian Dennis was an English experimental music composer, and author born in Marple, Cheshire in May 1941 and died in June 1998.

Brian studied with Stockhausen, Berio, Earle Brown and Cathy Berberian at The Cologne Course for New Music and was a lecturer in Composition and Contemporary Music at Royal Holloway College, University of London.

Brian wrote two books in the 1970s: Experimental Music in Schools and Projects in Sound , which propose a new graphical form of Musical notation, showing instruments as images representing their sound, rather than traditional notation on a stave. For example, the notation of a scraping wood Güiro would be shown as zig-zag lines. Both books have been used extensively in classrooms and became part of the National Curriculum of England, Wales and Northern Ireland

He also featured in BBC documentary Music in Schools and has inspired Dan Mayfield's School of Noise.

His compositions include approximately 150 songs many of which are settings of Chinese poems with lyrics in English prepared by the composer, as well as a number of piano pieces. He completed a trilogy of one-act operas based on Japanese Noh plays as well as an unfinished three-act opera based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

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Important facts

Born
1941
Birth century
Died
1998
Occupation

People in Brian Dennis's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Brian Dennis's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Brian Dennis?

composer

When was Brian Dennis born?

Brian Dennis was born in 1941.

When did Brian Dennis die?

Brian Dennis died in 1998.

What was Brian Dennis's occupation?

Brian Dennis was a composer and writer.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Brian Dennis

· Wikidata: Q18808766

· DBpedia: Brian Dennis

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Brian Dennis. https://biography.guide/brian-dennis/

MLA: "Brian Dennis." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/brian-dennis/.

Chicago: "Brian Dennis." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/brian-dennis/.

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