Guide to the Papers of Peter Tahourdin, 1919-2009

 

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Collection context

Summary

Collection number:
MS 10282
Creator:
Tahourdin, Peter
Extent:
18.15 metres and (18 ms boxes + 26 medium folio boxes + 3 large folio boxes + 158 sound/av carriers + 125 digital carriers)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as [Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Peter Tahourdin, National Library of Australia, MS 10282, [series/file/item number(s)].
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Part available for research; part requires permission for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:
The bulk of this collection comprises original and typescript scores of works by Tahourdin, complemented by recordings in several formats of many of these works. There is general correspondence relating to Tahourdin's day-to-day life and career and personal correspondence that includes early letters from Tahourdin to his parents while a school student and also while undertaking military service together with letters from his family. There is a group of subject files relating to aspects of Tahourdin's career that contain papers, ephemera, and correspondence, including one file that has a number of letters from French tenor, Damian Top. There are also several portrait photographs of Tahourdin and a group of 35mm slides that relate to his works 'Ern Malley' and 'Graffiti'.
Biographical Note:

Peter Tahourdin was born in southern England in 1928. He studied composition with Richard Arnell at Trinity College of Music in London, graduating in 1952. In the years that followed, various concert and broadcast performances of his music were given in England, Holland and Canada.

Tahourdin came to Australia in 1964 and was appointed visiting composer to the University of Adelaide. In 1966 he undertook a year's course of study in electronic music at Toronto University in Canada. On returning to Adelaide he became active as a composer, lecturer and broadcaster, and established the first practical course in electronic music in Australia at the University of Adelaide in 1969.

In 1973 Tahourdin was appointed to the staff of the Faculty of Music at the University of Melbourne, first as lecturer, then senior lecturer, in composition. From 1978-1979 he was chair of the Composers' Guild of Australia. He retired from the University of Melbourne in 1988 at the age of 60 in order to work full-time as a composer.

Tahourdin had wide musical interests including chamber music, the orchestra, Indian music and music theatre, but his dominant interest for most of his career was electronic music. He developed a pioneering electronic studio, and began his friendship with another English-born Australian composer, Tristram Cary.

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Performing arts

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn5832488).
Conditions Governing Use:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as [Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Peter Tahourdin, National Library of Australia, MS 10282, [series/file/item number(s)].
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact: