The untimely death of Welsh composer William Mathias, at age 57, July 29, 1992, deprived us of one of the most engaging, communicative, and versatile musical minds of the last half of the twentieth century. Born in 1934, Mathias immediately revealed his unusual musical talents, studying the piano at the age of three and venturing small compositions by the time he was five. In the essentials of composition he is said to be largely self-taught.
Mathias was a composer of prodigious energy and discipline, traits which may account for his renowned ability to meet deadlines. Mathias, who was something of a compulsive composer, devoted himself generously to music education and performance, as conductor and pianist, in concerts and recordings.
Geraint Lewis reminded us at the composer's death that "one aspect of his output which brought him immediate worldwide acclaim was his church and choral music. This was deeply rooted in his feeling of contributing usefully to a particular musical community, but also reflected his concern that music should be 'praise'." At the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana, his anthem, Let the Peoples Praise Thee, O Lord (Psalm 67, Op. 87, 1981) was heard and seen by 750 million TV viewers, probably the largest audience ever to hear the first performance of a new anthem.
In an interview with American professor Gordon Lamb (Choral Journal, November 1975), Mathias revealed his true Celtic passion when he argued: "Music must be one immense act of celebration." "As far as I am concerned," he said, "choral music is a very important part, an essential part of what I do. As a composer, I make very little distinction, in fact, between secular music and church music when I write for choirs. It is all music." Responding to his biographer, Malcolm Boyd, at age fifty the composer said: "...The concept of light, consciousness, praise, (call it what you will) is prominent in my music to a degree unusual in this century. It is also one of the reasons why I am able to integrate music for the church into my work without loss of identity."