Minerva Scientifica Birthday Celebration: Delia Derbyshire
5th May 2021
Delia Derbyshire
Composer
BORN 5th May 1937, Coventry, England
Doctor Who?
Delia Derbyshire (1937 – 2001), was the most important pioneering composer of electronic music the UK has ever produced, yet her most famous work wasn’t officially credited to her on TV until 50 years after its first airing on the BBC. Yes – you guessed it – she made the first electronic realisation of Ron Grainer’s Theme Tune for Doctor Who.
TV isn’t the only place you would find her music – she worked on film, theatre, art installations, electronic music performances, pop music and many weird and wonderful things. Her influence can be found in the work of many famous artists eg: – Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Karlheinz Stockhausen – and she worked directly with Luciano Berio, Yoko Ono, Peter Hall, Sonic Boom, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Peter Zinovieff……
Looking at the range and extent of her output is exhausting in itself! If you don’t know her music then we urge you to explore, you can start on her Minerva Scientifica Webpage and while you are there why not get a taste of the many women composers past and present who are featured on the site.
Women Composers Page on the Minerva Scientifica Website
The Tardis Image is by sonywiz Pixabay
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Created by electric voice theatre, Minerva Scientifica is a project that brings together professional performers with community musicians and school children. Together, we raise awareness of the rich heritage and deep connections between music and science, and inspire the next generation of future scientists.
