The composer Nigel Butterley died in Sydney on 19 February, 2022 after a long illness just two months before his 87th birthday. Along with Peter Sculthorpe (1929-2014) and Richard Meale (1932-2009), Butterley was the third member of that triumvirate of Sydney-based composers whose music created a new, contemporary outlook for Australian music. Every new work of Butterley’s was eagerly awaited and keenly discussed.

Nigel Butterley. Photo © Jim Rolan

Nigel Henry Cockburn Butterley was born in Sydney on 13 May, 1935. His middle-class family was steeped in literature, music and the church. His father was a prep school headmaster who had a fine singing voice. His mother Nora played the piano and the violin and was a great friend of Patrick White. The family line boasted various Anglican clerics, notably his older brother Harlin who became Dean of Hobart (1972-80). In 1954, 19-year-old Nigel joined the St Andrews Cathedral Choir. It was in that rich English choral tradition – Byrd, Purcell, Herbert Howells and Vaughan Williams – that he found his early musical identity. He went on to compose music for the Anglican liturgy and play harmonium in suburban...