The Foundation

The Music of Anthony Burgess

Music was at the heart of Anthony Burgess’s creative life. The Burgess Foundation is making the scores of his music available free of charge to anybody who wishes to study or play it. Click the links below for scans of the scores and parts to many of his works.

All publication and recording rights are reserved, and for permissions please write to info@anthonyburgess.org. We are keen to encourage public performances of the work, and please write to the same address to tell us about any you are planning.

in this section

The Music of Anthony Burgess:

Anthony Burgess wrote about his own music in many books and articles. Key primary sources include:

Little Wilson and Big God (1987) – the first volume of Burgess’s memoirs, this book details his formative musical experiences and his early attempts at composition before becoming a novelist.

You’ve Had Your Time (1990) – the second volume of Burgess’s memoirs contains a wealth of information about the music he composed alongside his writing in the period 1959 to 1982.

This Man And Music (1982) – a book-length study of the close relationship between literature and music, and the importance both artforms have in Burgess’s life.

The main secondary source of information about Burgess’s music is A Clockwork Counterpoint: The Music and Literature of Anthony Burgess (2010) by Paul Phillips.

Recordings of Burgess’s music that are currently available include:

The Bad-Tempered Electronic Keyboard (2018), performed by Stephane Ginsburgh and released by Grand Piano for Naxos. This complete set of 24 preludes and fugues was written to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of J.S. Bach.

The Piano Music of Anthony Burgess (2015), performed by Richard Casey and released by Prima Facie. This album contains a selection of Burgess’s works for solo piano.

Orchestral Music (2016), performed by Brown University Orchestra and conducted by Paul Phillips, released by Naxos USA. The album contains performances of Mr. WSMarche pour une révolution 1789-1989 and Mr. Burgess’s Almanack.

The Man and His Music (2014), an anthology of works for recorder including a selection of Anthony Burgess’s compositions for the instrument, performed by John Turner and Harvey Davies and released by Metier.