Orpheus

In 1970, Delia created music for Orpheus by Ted Hughes for the "Listening and Writing" series of schools programmes produced by Dickon Reed. The music consists of an electronic tune by Delia over guitar chords composed and performed by Alan Parker and the programme won the prize for the best educational programme in Japan.

Delia Derbyshire composed the music for the schools programme Orpheus which won the Minister of Education prize in last years's Japan Prize Contest. She had to create sounds that would have been made by stones and trees if they were able to speak.
   -- Desmond Briscoe in the Ariel article

It was first broadcast in early 1971.

The BBC Annual Report and Accounts 1971-72 includes the text:

Prize-Winning Radio Programmes
Japan Prize Minister of Education's Prize
Orpheus, a verse play written by Ted Hughes for a School Radio programme and produced by Dickon Reed
Series Editor John Kerry

This is not to be confused with Maddalena Fagandini's 1961 sound for Orpheus.

Papers

• DD110623 Memo dated 18th November 1970 from Dickon Reed to Desmond Briscoe, forwarded to Delia "Radiophonic Music for Orpheus"
• DD110742 Note by Ted Hughes on 'Orpheus'
• DD110726 Schedule for rehearsal and recording; script, page 1
• DD110829 DD110837 DD110837 DD110851 DD110858 DD110906 DD110912 DD110918 DD110925 DD110930 DD110936 DD110951 Script, pages 2-13
• DD163536: VCS3 dope sheet: "explosions"
• DD163600: VCS3 dope sheet: "tune"
• DD163620: VCS3 dope sheet: "Wind for Orpheus"

Availability

Script

• The autograph draft is in the Ted Hughes collection at the British Library.
• Published in Collected Plays for Children, 1971.
• Published in the 1974 US edition The Tiger's Bones.
• Published in the BBC schools' radio booklet Listening and Writing in Summer 1974.

Audio

• Broadcast in early 1971 and in 1973.
• In the BBC Sound Archive on tape TRW 7294.
• Attic Tape DD005 is described as containing Orpheus.