What is John Gardner (composer)?
'''John Linton Gardner''', (born [[Manchester]], 2 March 1917; died [[Liss]], [[Hampshire]], 12 December 2011) was an [[England|English]] [[composer]] of [[classical music]]. He is particularly remembered for his [[church music]], especially for his setting of the [[carol]] ''Tomorrow shall be my dancing day''. ==Early life and education== Gardner was born in [[Manchester]], [[England]] and brought up in [[Ilfracombe]], North [[Devon]]. His father was a [[Medical doctor|doctor]] and [[amateur]] composer who was killed while fighting at the end of the [[World War I|First World War]]. Gardner went to school at Eagle House and [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]] and studied at [[Exeter College, Oxford]]. He enjoyed [[jazz]], but concentrated on [[classical music]] and soon started to compose. An ''Intermezzo for Organ'' was published by [[Oxford University Press]] in 1936. In the same year he got an [[pipe organ|organ]] [[scholarship]] to Exeter College, Oxford. He got to know the composer [[Arthur Benjamin]] and dedicated his ''Rhapsody for Oboe and String Quartet'' (1935) to him. At Oxford he became friendly with [[Theodor Adorno]] with whom he played [[piano duet]]s. ==Career== Gardner went to [[Repton School]] to teach music, but after two terms [[World War II]] started and he joined the [[RAF]]. He conducted the RAF band and played the piano for the dance band. He enjoyed playing jazz and started a [[swing band]]. Later in the war he was a [[navigator]] in the fighting. After the war Gardner got a job as [[repetiteur]] at the [[Royal Opera House]]. He rejected all the music he had composed (although he did not throw it away) and started again by calling his next piece his [[opus]] 1. His First Symphony was numbered opus 2. It was a mature work and made him famous. He resigned from his job at the opera house and he had time to concentrate on composing. He wrote ''Cantiones Sacrae'' for the [[Three Choirs Festival]] in 1952 and an opera ''The Moon and Sixpence'' which was performed at [[S