William Maurice Miles

William Maurice Miles (25 March, 1883 – 9 September, 1958) was an English composer and cellist, active in Canada from 1905 until his death.

Miles was born into a musical family living in Crayford, Kent. His father was George Miles (a building contractor) and his mother Fanny Hood: she played the piano. His uncle Willie played the violin, his elder brother Percy Hilder Miles was a child prodigy violinist and became a prolific composer. His two younger brothers played the viola and cello. As a result the early chamber music compositions of both William and Percy were often tried out at home first.[1] W. Maurice Miles studied cello and composition at the Royal Academy of Music between 1899 until 1902. Arnold Bax was a contemporary at the College.

1n 1905 he emigrated to Canada[2] where he married Naemi Johnson in 1913: there were two children. Miles played as a cellist in the theatre orchestra in Winnipeg, moving to Vancouver in 1923, where he was Principal Cello of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra during the 1930s.[3]

William Stantan Miles in Canada holds archive material, including a series of 117 letters written by Percy Hilder Miles to Maurice between 1905 and 1921 containing comments on his musical point of view about his compositions and music in general.[4] His compositions include a Cello Sonata (circa 1914)[1] and the Sonata for Horn and Piano (1929), a copy of which was included in the library of Dennis Brain. The Horn Sonata has been recorded.[5] Miles also collaborated with the Canadian composer Jean Coulthard on several occasions and orchestrated her song cycle Night Wind (1952).[6]

References

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