Born in Haddenham, Bucks., Nov 15, 1922
Died in Forncett, January 5, 2003
- Carwithen was an RAM-educated composer, pianist, and teacher. She taught composition at the RAM after graduating, and also taught at Furzedown College in London.
- One of Carwithen’s earliest compositional successes was an overture which Adrian Boult premiered at Covent Garden in 1947. The overture was entitled ODTAA, inspired by a novel of the same name (it stood for One Damn Thing After Another).
- Carwithen composed concert works and a large number of film scores, including the score for the official film of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
- In 1961, Carwithen became an amanuensis for composer William Alwyn (who had also been one of her teachers at the RAM). They married, and she took the name “Mary Alwyn” as her married name. (Mary was her middle name. Apparently she never liked the name Doreen.) 12
Biography from Chandos Records
Sources
- Lewis Foreman, “Carwithen, Doreen,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed January 13, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000049089.
- “Doreen Carwithen,” Chandos, accessed July 21, 2021, https://www.chandos.net/composers/Doreen_Carwithen/549.