Howard Goodall

Howard Goodall was a chorister, a rock band talent contest winner in the days before Simon Cowell, a music scholar and the musical director of a classic BBC comedy sketch show all before he turned 21. In the following three decades he has become one of Britain’s most popular and versatile composers writing theme songs for hit TV shows, best selling albums of choral music and a Requiem that are regularly performed at churches and concert halls, film scores, West End Musicals.

Even before he graduated with a first Howard was working on Not The Nine O’clock News, and quickly became the go to guy for incidental and theme tunes for cutting edge comedy - Red Dwarf, Blackadder, The Catherine Tate Show as well as the Vicar of Dibley, Mr Bean, The Thin Blue Line, 2 point4 children and QI. He has also composed nine musicals. “What I write is musicals,” he laughs, “even if it was performed by an opera company it would still sound like a musical.

Committed passionate and witty he won a Classical Brit and an Emmy; is currently Classic FM’s Composer in Residence with a weekly show on the station; has presented a six part series on the theory and history of music for Channel 4…and is an inspired, inspiring, champion of music education.

“I trained in a choir school but I’ve always liked pop music,” he says firmly. “In the car I’m as likely to put on a new piece of black music as some sacred choral music from the 16^th century. When music becomes a cerebral crossword it’s not interesting. The key for me is emotional directness. Does this make me feel something? I can feel that listening both to a piece of Mahler, which is fantastically complicated, or a Tamla song which isn’t.”

The May 10^th release of “Pelican in the Wilderness” on Classic FM, the third album in his Enchanted Voices project, marks a slight change of direction. “Howard Goodall’s Enchanted Voices” was a modern exploration of ancient chant, scored for soprano voices, cello, organ, handbells and synthesizer was the number one specialist classical album of 2009. “Enchanted Carols” continued the theme with traditional Christmas songs

“Pelican has a slightly more romantic feel,” explains Howard, “I’ve approached 14 psalms afresh and really enjoyed doing it. I’ve gone for a richer, fuller sound using the Tippett Quartet and full voices from the best eight young sopranos there are. They sing so high, so pure the way they float their voices is an amazing thing.” Howard has revisited Psalm 23 – The Lord is My Shepherd, with a new arrangement of his much-loved theme for The Vicar of Dibley.

Some might call him a workaholic. He composes, records and mixes primarily at the Chelsea flat where he once lived - “a lot of work is done on headphones so as not to disturb the neighbours” – cycling to and for the South London house where he lives with his wife and two stepdaughters. He also does a great deal of composing at his house in France, which is surrounded on all sides by the great vineyards of South Burgundy.

To visit the official Howard Goodall website, click here