Alan Rawsthorne was born in Haslingden, Lancashire. He spent a period of training as a dentist, and not until his early twenties did he take up music seriously. After the war - during which Rawsthorne served in the Army - he devoted the bulk of his time to composition. Rawsthorne was awarded the CBE in 1961, and was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by Liverpool, Essex, and Belfast Universities. He died in Cambridge on 24 July 1971.
