David C F Wright was born on 21 June 1946. His father, Charles Henry, ( 1913-1983) was a highly decorated marine of World War II and, by profession, a builder . His mother, Edith Violet, nee Atkins (1919-2002) was of Welsh extraction. Her uncle was Sir Ivor Atkins, the organist of Worcester Cathedral and conductor of the annual Three Choirs' Festival. This makes David Wright half-Welsh. His father was a descendant of the Macintosh clan of Aboyne, near Aberdeen, in Scotland.
David had an ordinary schooling but was very talented. He was head chorister at his local parish church at the age of eight, played the organ for services by the age of nine, gave his first full-length organ recital at the age of eleven with works by Bach, Rheinberger, (the difficult Second Organ Sonata), and Max Reger. As a teenager he was the conductor of the Ventnor Orchestra. In 1967 he accompanied the legendary Maria Callas. For six years he was the conductor of Island Voice Singers ( 1999-2005)
A serious eye accident in March 1957 prevented his taking up music as a performer although he won first prizes in Musical Festivals with performances of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto no. 3 and the late piano sonatas of Beethoven. As a chorister he sang solos in Salisbury and Winchester cathedrals which were issued on DECCA records.
He studied law at University and Music at the Royal College of Music obtaining a first with his Bachelor of Music. For this degree he composed his Symphony no. 2 with which won the coveted RPS prize in 1966 and was commercially recorded under the baton of Norman del Mar.Among his teachers were Humphrey Searle, Alan Rawsthorne, Sir Adrian Boult and Pierre Boulez.
Between 1962 and 1976 he composed three symphonies, an oboe concerto, a piano concerto, two string quartets, Requiem for a Bride and Music for Rosalind.
His legal experience led him to write a book on Copyright in 1969 which is still widely used today and was approved by the Law Society. But his first major written work was Aberfan published in 1967. He has written on many topics since including The History of Education, Nell Gwynn, Rupert Brooke, moral issues and numerous evangelical Christian issues such as The Sin of Pride, The Trinity, Solomon, The Existence of God and The Charismatic Movement.
The History of Education is an important work cataloguing all the changes in education from the time of the Christian Brothers to the present time. He also wrote an extended essay on Disraeli, the Jew who wanted to take Christianity out of British Education.
He has written 350 mini-biographies of composers all of which are available of the internet along with 300 CD reviews. Several composers seek his advice on their own work and three composers have dedicated works to him in appreciation of his tremendous music skill. These composers are Reginald Smith Brindle ( his Second Symphony), James Brown (his Summer Idyll and Prelude and Fugue in B flat) and John Veale (his Third Symphony).
Many of his theological works are used in Colleges around the world. Some universities use his work as essential study books for their theological courses. His works on history are also widely used.
In 1977 he wrote the biography of Dr William Graham Scroggie. Further books followed such as Righteousness and The Devil's Music. In recent times he has written extended essays on Beslan and Blair's Illegal Invasion of Iraq.
A few of his books or articles on music have caused a stir. His exposure of Elgar created a real uproar. Dr Wright's great uncle, Sir Ivor Atkins, knew Elgar well and their unpublished letters are now in Dr Wright's possession. The article about Britten as a pervert and a paedophile was not liked by Britten fans but all the evidence is there. The article on Schubert as a woman abuser and a plagiarist of many other composer's music, all of which is evidenced, has also turned people away from him and, indeed, against him.
He has often said, "People would rather believe a beautiful lie than an ugly truth."
Originally he wrote for the website of which Len Mullenger is the webmaster and Rob Barnett the editor. That he told the truth about musicians and evidenced it, resulted in his being unfairly dismissed from this site which is a seriously flawed site and the editor is not a musician and writes some unbelievable nonsense. His article on Britten contains over 30 errors.
David has written many articles on moral issues for which he is regularly accused of being a Puritan or a Victorian and living in the past. Having been a schoolmaster he is a supporter of the NSPCC and he has written many articles on the rights of children.
He has doctorates in divinity, philosophy and music; he has also received the Order of Merit from Cambridge.
He also gives talks on history and local history of the Isle of Wight where he lives.
It is hoped that this website will eventually publish all his written work but it is all copyright material and if anyone copies it in whole or part or downloads it without prior written permission it will mean that they will subject to legal action. In most cases Dr Wright will give permission upon written request and he can be contacted at Elvington House, 24 Belvedere Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 2JW.
Linda Karen Dowson.
