Philip Cannon obituary

Versatile composer whose commissions included a requiem in one movementThe composer and teacher Philip Cannon, who has died aged 87, defied avant-garde trends with vocal and instrumental music that communicated immediately with listeners.His first acknowledged works date from his student years at the Royal College of Music. He was only 19 when he wrote his symphonic study Spring, which was played at the Proms under Sir Malcolm Sargent in 1954. Another notable piece from this period, the lively n