Malcolm Arnold sculpture unveiled in Northampton
3rd July 2017
Austin said: ‘It's always so uplifting to work on a sculpture that represents the best of humanity. To work on six such figures for public display is therefore particularly exciting. I hope that this legacy from Northampton Borough Council will be as inspiring to those who see these statues, as it has been to create them.’
Sir Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton on 21 October 1921. At the age of sixteen he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, London, studying the trumpet with Ernest Hall and composition with Gordon Jacob. From 1941 to 1948 he held the post of principal trumpet with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with the interruption of two years military service during the war. By the time he was thirty he was composing full-time, being bracketed with Britten and Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain. His natural melodic gift has earned him a reputation as a composer of light music in works such as the sets of English, Scottish and Welsh Dances, or the scores to the St Trinian’s films and Hobson’s Choice. However, many of his concertos and symphonies are profound, affording the listener a deeper insight into a fascinating and complex musical personality. In 2006 an annual Arnold Festival was established in the composer’s birthplace of Northampton.
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