SIR JOHN TAVENER

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That this House is deeply saddened by the death of Sir John Tavener at the age of 69, one of the leading classical composers of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries; appreciates his outstanding contribution to classical music by bringing it into popular culture, with works such as Protecting the Veil, Song for Athene and pieces inspired by William Blake's poetry, The Lamb and Eternity Sunrise; recognises his exceptional creative talent demonstrated in the recent piece Cantus Mysticus, which premiered at a late night BBC Proms in 2008; notes that, as a student of the Royal Academy of Music and a teacher at Trinity College of Music, his work serves as a reminder of the importance of music in our cultural life; and calls on the Government to ensure that all children not only have access to music but are able to learn to play a musical instrument.