Edward Williams(1921-2013)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Sound Department
Although of Welsh descent, Edward Williams was born in Surrey in 1921.
His father was a poet, journalist and folk song collector, and his
mother was the musical daughter of a Colorado cattle rancher. After
university and five years wartime Navy service, Edward became assistant
to legendary film conductor Muir Mathieson in 1946. His own prolific career as
British documentary composer began in 1948, and his many scores
included 24 shorts for British Transport Films alone, plus a number of
television films and features, often with Welsh subject matter. During
the 1960s Williams lectured on music at the University of Bristol and
developed his interest in electronic music. In 1984 he commissioned the
design of "Soundbeam," an ultrasonic movement-to-MIDI converter which
enables electronic instruments to be played from a distance by body
movements in an ultrasonic beam. This has proven particularly useful in
schools for children with special needs. Additionally, from 1991
Williams has been joint artistic director (with his wife Judith) of the
charity Elektrodome which commissions composers and other artists to
contribute mutimedia pieces for live performance. In 1995 Williams won
the BAFTA Cymru award for best original score for the BBC/S4C series
"Excalibur: The Search for Arthur".
