Christopher Headington

Christopher Headington (28 April 1930 – 19 March 1996) was an English composer, musicologist, and pianist.

Born in London, he was educated at Taunton School and was a Scholar of the Royal Academy of Music. He studied with Sir Lennox Berkeley for composition and won a prize as best instrumentalist in his year. After graduating, he taught at Trinity College Glenalmond and subsequently (1954–64) at Lancing College and was Senior Assistant for Music Presentation for the BBC. In 1965 he became the Staff Tutor in Music for the Oxford University Department for External Studies.

Headington had been composing for most of his adult life: His Violin Concerto of 1959 (described by Sibelius expert Robert Layton as "accomplished and beautiful") was finally recorded in 1991 on ASV Records (with Xue-Wei as soloist and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Jane Glover) and brought him wide recognition. Headington also wrote several pieces of chamber music: his Third String Quartet, composed to mark Haydn's 250th anniversary, reworks material from Haydn's Quartet op. 77 no. 2. Headington's solo piano pieces were strongly influenced by Debussy, Ravel and Chopin. His song-cycle, The Healing Fountain, was written in tribute to Benjamin Britten, and Headington ranked it as his finest achievement. His Piano Concerto of 1991 was also recorded by ASV (with Gordon Fergus-Thompson as soloist) as part of a posthumous collection released in 1997.

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