Nicholas Maw was one of Britain's most admired composers. He was also an acknowledged master in whatever genre he expressed himself, and one whose musical language was instantly recognisable. Born in 1935 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London (1955-58) with Paul Steinitz and Lennox Berkeley; and in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and Schoenberg's pupil, Max Deutsch. His career as a teacher included positions at Trinity College Cambridge, Exeter University and Yale University. He was Professor of Composition at the Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore. Prizes and awards he won include the 1959 Lili Boulanger Prize, the 1980 Midsummer Prize of the City of London, the 1991 Sudler International Wind Band Composition Competition for American Games and the 1993 Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.