The compositional career of the British composer Michael Tippett extended over eight decades, from juvenilia and unpublished works written in the 1920s to his final works of the 1990s. He composed across many genres, from large-scale orchestral works and full-length operas to solo songs and brass band fanfares. From the mid-1930s his music began to be published and performed publicly. The main list is restricted to published and publicly performed works; a subsidiary list gives details of unpublished pieces, some of which may have been privately performed.

Published works Opera Date of compositionTitleMusical forcesFirst performance details Notes 1946–52 The Midsummer Marriage Voices and orchestra 27 January 1955: London. Royal Opera House cond. John Pritchard Opera in three acts. Libretto by composer. See also "Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage" in orchestral works1958–61 King Priam Voices and orchestra 29 May 1962: Coventry. Coventry Theatre. Royal Opera House chorus & orch. cond. John Pritchard Opera in three acts. Libretto by composer. 1966–69 The Knot Garden Voices and orchestra 2 December 1970: London. Royal Opera House cond. Colin Davis Opera in three acts. Libretto by composer. 1973–76 The Ice Break Voices and orchestra 7 July 1977: London. Royal Opera House cond. Colin Davis Opera in three acts. Libretto by composer. 1985–88 New Year Voices and orchestra 27 October 1989: Houston, Texas. Houston Grand Opera cond. John DeMain Opera in three acts. Libretto by composer.Orchestral Suite 1989.

Orchestral Date of compositionTitleMusical forcesFirst performance details Notes 1938–39 Concerto for Double String Orchestra Orchestra 21 April 1940: London. South London Orchestra (Morley College) cond. Michael Tippett Dedicated "to Jeffrey Mark" 1944–45 Symphony No. 1 Orchestra 10 November 1945: Liverpool. Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Malcolm Sargent Kemp, p. 5001946 Little Music for Strings String Orchestra 9 November 1946: London. Jacques Orchestra cond. Reginald Jacques Written for 10th anniversary of Jacques String Orchestra 1948 Suite in D: Birthday Suite for Prince Charles Orchestra 15 November 1948: London. BBC broadcast, BBC Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Adrian Boult BBC commission to mark Prince Charles's birth. Revised in 1983 by Brian Bowen 1952 Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage Orchestra and optional chorus 13 February 1953:Basel. Basler Kammerorchester cond. Paul Sacher Dedicated "to Walter Goehr" 1953 Variations on an Elizabethan Theme (Composite work: second variation, "Lament" by Tippett) Small Orchestra 16 June 1953: London. BBC broadcast, orchestra cond. Benjamin Britten Variations by six composers. First public performance Aldeburgh Festival, 20 June 1953 1953 Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli String orchestra 29 August 1953: Edinburgh. BBC Symphony Orchestra cond. Michael Tippett Edinburgh Festival celebration of tercentenary of birth of Arcangelo Corelli 1953–54 Divertimento on Sellinger's Round Chamber orchestra 5 November 1954: Zürich. Collegium Musicum Zürich cond. Paul Sacher Commissioned by, and dedicated to, Paul Sacher 1956–57 Symphony No. 2 Orchestra 5 February 1958: London. BBC Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Adrian Boult Dedicated "to John Minchinton" 1962 Incidental music for The Tempest Chamber Orchestra 29 May 1962:London. Old Vic production; music directed by John Lambert Kemp, p. 3731962–63 Concerto for Orchestra Orchestra 28 August 1963: Edinburgh. London Symphony Orchestra cond. Colin Davis Written in celebration of Benjamin Britten's 50th birthday and dedicated to him 1966 "Braint" (last of Severn Bridge Variations, a composite work) Orchestra 12 January 1967: Swansea. BBC Training Orchestra cond Sir Adrian Boult One of 7 variations on a trad. Welsh melody, each by a different composer 1970–72 Symphony No. 3 Soprano and orchestra 22 June 1972: London. Heather Harper, London Symphony Orchestra cond. Colin Davis Dedicated "to Howard Hartog" 1976–77 Symphony No. 4 Orchestra 6 October 1977: Chicago. Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Georg Solti Dedicated "to Ian Kemp" Kemp, p. 5051988 Water Out of Sunlight Orchestra 15 June 1988:London. Academy of St Martin in the Fields cond. Neville Marriner Orchestral arrangement by Meirion Bowen of String Quartet No. 4 (1977–78)1991–93 The Rose Lake Orchestra 19 February 1995: London. London Symphony Orchestra cond. Colin Davis Premiered at a Tippett 90th birthday celebration concert

Concertante Date of compositionTitleMusical forcesFirst performance details Notes 1939–41 Fantasia on a Theme of Handel Piano and orchestra 7 March 1942: London. Phyllis Sellick, London Symphony Orchestra cond. Walter Goehr Dedicated "to Phyllis Sellick" 1953–55 Piano Concerto Piano and orchestra 30 October 1956: Birmingham. Louis Kentner, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra cond. Rudolf Schwarz Dedicated "to Evelyn Maude" 1978–79 Triple concerto for violin, viola and cello Violin, viola, cello and orchestra 22 August 1980: London. György Pauk, Nobuko Imai, Ralph Kirshbaum, London Symphony Orchestra cond. Colin Davis Dedicated "to Herbert and Betty Barrett"

Choral Date of compositionTitleMusical forcesFirst performance details Notes 1939–41 Oratorio: A Child of Our Time SATB soloists, choir and orchestra 19 March 1944: London. Joan Cross, Margaret MacArthur, Peter Pears, Roderick Lloyd, London Regional Civil Defence Choir, Morley College Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Walter Goehr Text by Michael Tippett, who in 1958 arranged the five spirituals for unaccompanied chorus. 1942 Two Madrigals for unaccompanied chorus: "The Source" and "The Windhover" SATB chorus 17 July 1943: London. Morley College Choir cond. Walter Bergmann Settings of poems by Edward Thomas and Gerard Manley Hopkins 1943–44 Motet: Plebs Angelica Double choir 16 September 1944: Canterbury. Fleet Street Choir cond. T. B. Lawrence Commissioned by Canterbury Cathedral and dedicated to the cathedral's choir 1944 Motet: The Weeping Babe Soprano and SATB choir 24 December 1944: London. BBC broadcast, BBC Singers cond. Leslie Woodgate Setting of poem by Edith Sitwell. Dedicated "in memory of Bronwen Wilson" 1956 Four Songs from the British Isles: "Early One Morning"; "Lillibullero"; "Poortith cauld"; "Gwenllian" Unaccompanied SATB chorus 6 July 1958: Royaumont Abbey, France. London Bach Group cond. John Minchinton Performed at the 1958 Royaumont Festival Kemp, p. 5021956 "Over The Sea To Skye" Unaccompanied SATB chorus 31 July 2003:Dublin. National Chamber Choir of Ireland conducted by Celso Antunes Work lost after 1956, rediscovered 2002 1958 Cantata: Crown of the Year SSA chorus; recorders or flutes, oboe, clarinet, cornet or trumpet, string quartet, percussion, handbells and piano 25 July 1958: Bristol. Badminton School choir and ensemble, cond. Michael Tippett Composed for the Badminton School centenary 1958 Hymn tune: Wadhurst (setting for "Unto the hills around", by John Campbell) Written at the request of The Salvation Army 1960 "Music" (Shelley poem) Unison voices, strings and piano (or voices and strings) 26 April 1960:Tunbridge Wells. Choirs of East Sussex and West Kent Choral Festival, cond. Trevor Harvey 1961 Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis SATB chorus and organ 13 March 1962: Cambridge. St John's College Chapel Choir cond. George Guest Composed for the 450th anniversary of the foundation of St John's College, Cambridge 1962–65 The Vision of Saint Augustine Baritone solo, chorus and orchestra 19 January 1966: London. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, BBC Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra cond. Michael Tippett Commissioned by BBC 1965–70 The Shires Suite Chorus and orchestra 8 July 1970: Cheltenham. Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra cond. Michael Tippett Written for the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra Kemp, p. 5041980–82 Oratorio: The Mask of Time SATB soloists, chorus and orchestra 5 April 1984: Boston. Faye Robinson, Yvonne Minton, Robert Tear, John Cheek, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Symphony Orchestra cond. Colin Davis Commissioned for 100th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Vocal Date of compositionTitleMusical forcesFirst performance details Notes 1943 Cantata: Boyhood's End Tenor and piano 5 June 1943: London. Peter Pears (tenor), Benjamin Britten (piano) Text by W. H. Hudson 1950–51 Song cycle: The Heart's Assurance Solo high voice and piano 7 May 1951: London. Peter Pears (tenor) and Benjamin Britten (piano) Setting of poems by Sidney Keyes and Alun Lewis. Dedicated "in memory of Francesca Allinson (1902–45)" 1952 Madrigal for five voices: "Dance, Clarion Air" Two sopranos, alto, tenor, bass 1 June 1953: London. Golden Age Singers and the Cambridge University Madrigal Society cond. Boris Ord Text by Christopher Fry. From A Garland for the Queen, a collection of madrigals by various composers, marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II Kemp, p. 5011956 Bonny at Morn (folksong arrangement) Unison voices, recorder accompaniment April 1956 Written for 10th anniversary of the International Pestalozzi Children's Village at Trogen 1959 Lullaby for Six Voices Six voices, alternately for alto solo and small SSTTB choir 31 January 1960: London. Deller Consort Written for the Deller Consort's 10th anniversary 1960 Words for Music Perhaps Speaking voice and chamber ensemble 8 June 1960: London. BBC broadcast, ensemble conducted by Michael Tippett Poem by W. B. Yeats Kemp, p. 5031961 Songs for Achilles Tenor and guitar 7 July 1961: Aldeburgh. Peter Pears (tenor), Julian Bream (guitar) Sung at Aldeburgh Festival 1961 1962 Songs for Ariel Solo voice, piano or harpsichord 21 September 1962: London. Grayston Burgess and Virginia Pleasants Adapted from The Tempest incidental music (1962); rearranged in 1964 for voice and small instrumental ensemble 1970 Songs for Dov Tenor and small orchestra 12 October 1970: Cardiff. Gerard English, London Sinfonietta cond. Michael Tippett Dedicated "to Eric Walter White" 1988–90 Byzantium Soprano and orchestra 11 April 1991: Chicago. Faye Robinson, Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Georg Solti 1995 Caliban's Song Baritone and piano 26 November 1995:London. BBC broadcast, David Barrell (bar), and Iain Burnside (piano) Incorporated in Suite: The Tempest (1995) 1995 Suite: The Tempest Tenor, baritone, and ensemble 14 December 1995:London. Martyn Hill, tenor, David Barrell, baritone, Nash Ensemble cond. Andrew Parrot Arranged by Meiron Bowen from The Tempest incidental music

Chamber / Instrumental