David Arditti was born in Bournemouth in 1964, and now lives in NW London. He first concentrated on science, and only took up music seriously from the age of 18, when he started to sing in choral and opera groups, learn the piano, and work out how music worked for himself. Later he studied, part-time, piano with Peter Bithell, composing with Paul Webster and others, and conducting.

He has written most possible types of music including piano, orchestral, chamber, wind and brass band, though songs and choral music have been his greatest preoccupation, in line with his experience as a singer and choral conductor, and reflecting also his love of poetry. He has also written music for film.

His signature style is a clear and direct tonal idiom, with major influences from the core classics, the English romantic tradition, folk music, east European and Jewish music and 20th century minimalism. His music has been performed in the UK, USA and Israel, and some is published. He is also known as an amateur astronomer and writer on astronomy.

Sample works

Chamber Music (Op. 20)
Song-cycle for tenor and string quartet, words by Joyce (20 songs)

Down Wessex Way (Op. 29)
Song-cycle for baritone and Piano to words by Thomas Hardy (9 songs)

Three Bird-Songs (Op. 33)
for voice and piano. Sample: Ben Cooper (tenor), Martin Jones (piano)

String Quartet No. 2 in G minor (Op. 31)

Introduction and allegro brillante (Op. 41)
for flute, oboe and piano

Fantasia on a West-country Tune (Op. 36)
for brass quartet

Fantasia on a West-country Tune (Op. 36)
arranged for wind quintet Video

Time and Tide (Op. 37)
March for wind band

Sonatina (Op. 40)
for wind ensemble

Comic Overture (Op. 6)
(2122, 222, timp, perc, strings)

Concertino (Op 32)
for clarinet or soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra (2111, 2, strings)

Requiem (Op. 5)
for choir, soloists and orchestra

Mass in C (Op. 12)
for choir, soloists and orchestra

Four Poems by Sir Philip Sidney (Op. 26)
SATTB unaccompanied

Eclipse!
music for a video by Robin Scagell for the Society for Popular Astronomy