The Music of Bill Hopkins: a preliminary approach

Abstract

When Bill Hopkins died of a massive heart attack in March 1981, at the age of 37, the loss was immense, not only for his family and friends, but also for the music world at large. Those who have actually listened to his music (they are fewer than one would suppose) have judged that his potential was huge, one commentator being ‘sure he would have become a considerable force, comparable perhaps with Pierre Boulez’. However, rather than a dismissal of his work as promise unfulfilled, more appropriate would be a celebration of the startling achievement his completed works in fact represent – as I hope this article, and further performances, will demonstrate.