Carl Davis, BAFTA-Winning Composer of ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman,’ Dies at 86
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Carl Davis, the composer known for his BAFTA-winning score for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), died of a brain hemorrhage on Thursday. He was 86.
Davis’ family issued a statement on social media, writing: “We are so proud that Carl’s legacy will be his astonishing impact on music. A consummate all-round musician, he was the driving force behind the reinvention of the silent movie for this generation and he wrote scores for some of the most loved and remembered British television dramas.”
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Born in New York, Davis co-authored revue “Diversions” (1959), which won an off-Broadway Emmy and featured at the 1961 Edinburgh Festival. Davis moved to the U.K. in 1961 and was commissioned by the BBC to compose music for “That Was the Week That Was.” Subsequent work included BBC’s anthology play series “The Wednesday Play” (1964-70) and “Play for Today” (1970-84).
Davis then composed for several iconic British television shows, including “The Naked Civil Servant” (1975), “Shades of Greene” (1975), “The Kiss of Death” (1977), “Oppenheimer” (1980), “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1982), “The Far Pavilions” (1984), “The Pickwick Papers” (1985), “Hotel du Lac” (1986), “Ashenden” (1991), “Pride and Prejudice” (1995), “Anne Frank Remembered” (1995), “Coming Home” (1998) and “Upstairs Downstairs” (2010). He conducted the BBC’s theme song for their coverage of the 2006 soccer World Cup.
Highlights of Davis’ numerous film scores include “Up Pompeii” (1971), “Man Friday” (1975), “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), “King David” (1985), “Scandal” (1989), “The Great Gatsby” (2000), “Mothers & Daughters” (2004), “The Understudy” (2008) and “Ethel & Ernest” (2016).
In 1991, Davis and Paul McCartney collaborated on “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio,” recorded to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and based on McCartney’s own life.
Davis also composed for the stage for works including “A Simple Man” (1988), “Lippizaner” (1989), “A Christmas Carol” (1992), “Alice in Wonderland” (1995), “Aladdin” (2000) and “Cyrano” (2007).
The multi-faceted composer also had another string to his bow. The ecstatic reception accorded to his score for Abel Gance’s 1927 silent epic “Napoleon” led to a revival in live orchestral scores accompanying screenings of silent films. Davis composed music for more than 50 classics of silent cinema including the works of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and D.W. Griffith.
In 2005, he was accorded the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).
Davis is survived by his wife, the actor Jean Boht, who he married in 1970, their two daughters and three grandchildren.
Davis’ publisher was Faber Music. Richard King, CEO of Faber Music, said in a statement: “The Faber Music family is devastated by this sad news. Carl was a central figure in our roster since his arrival in 1990, over half of the company’s existence. We are honoured and proud to have worked alongside such a compositional giant, and our thoughts are with Carl’s family at this time.”
I was very sad to hear that my friend Carl Davis had passed away. Carl and I wrote the 'Liverpool Oratorio' together. It was my first full-length classical venture and I really enjoyed working with him to make it happen. I would show up at his house and we would start writing. I… pic.twitter.com/3jEoxowH4A
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) August 5, 2023
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