Sir Michael Tippett, the composer who as a student was told by a leading conductor that he had no particular ability but should not be discouraged from trying, has died aged 93.
The little-regarded student became one of the most important British composers of the century. His best-known and most-performed work, inspired by the horror of the Holocaust, was the oratorio A Child Of Our Time, written in 1944.
Sir Michael, who remained vigorous and active until his death, was taken ill with pneumonia in mid-November on a trip to Stockholm for a 12-day festival of his music. He died at his London home on Thursday.
Speaking from New York conductor Andrew Davies, who organised the Stockholm festival, said: "He was one of the most remarkable musical visionaries. His operas were very groundbreaking. The Midsummer Marriage is one of the great operas of the 20th century. It is a piece of great depth."
Fellow composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies said: "One will miss dreadfully the wicked twinkle, the quirky but profound criticism, and his particular kind, gentle laughter, full of a profound joy, yet encompassing and enfolding the deepest, widest sorrow."
Composer Steve Martland, a close friend of Sir Michael's, said: "It is a huge loss but his music will stay on."
Known as the "Grand Old Man of British Music", Sir Michael was acclaimed for his humanitarian vision. He continued composing into his late eighties. His music was inspired by humanitarian and spiritual concerns, from the Holocaust to poverty in England, to Jung and Goethe. But he was also deeply influenced by the contemporary and refused to indulge his past achievements.
A man of strong beliefs, he briefly joined the Communist Party in the late 1930s and became president of the pacifist Peace Pledge Union. In 1943 he was jailed for two months on account of his conscientious objection.
Born in London, the son of a lawyer who later became a theatre owner, and a suffragette mother who was also imprisoned for her beliefs, he was a late developer musically.
He gained a place at the Royal College of Music where he studied under Malcolm Sargent, who dismissed his ability, and Adrian Boult.
On leaving the RCM in 1928 he took up a teaching post in Surrey, but it was not until 1935 that his first published work, Piano Sonata No 1, appeared. His first notable work was A Child Of Our Time, although it did not bring him immediate acclaim.
His first opera, The Midsummer Marriage, performed in 1955, was acclaimed by his supporters but attacked by his detractors, who saw it as self-indulgent and overcomplex.
His second symphony perpetuated that reputation, its premiere under conductor Adrian Boult grinding to a halt.
His music was saved by a new generation of conductors, and throughout the sixties and the seventies he maintained a steady output. His most notable pieces included King Priam, the Concerto for Orchestra and the Vision of Saint Augustine.
This stage of his career culminated in the highly complex the Knot Garden, commissioned by the Royal Opera House in 1970, and the Third Symphony in 1972.
The last marked something of a departure and drew more criticism from the classical music establishment as he sought inspiration in other sources, including blues, jazz, literature and television.
In 1959 he was made a CBE, becoming a knight in 1966. He was made Companion of Honour in 1979 and was given the Order of Merit in 1983.