Richard Gwilt has composed for friends and family since the age of 14, and while at the University of Birmingham he studied composition with John Joubert. His output to date is primarily for strings and includes two string quartets, duos for violin and cello and for two violins, Reflections for two flutes, violin, French horn and cello, a septet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and string trio, and Four Miniatures for string trio. More recent works tend towards the inclusion of text, and include a Fantasia cello alone, a Salve Regine for Soprano, two violins and cello and a Mass plus numerous smaller occasional pieces.
Works performed include the following - and those highlighted have a little button to hear a recording;
| Work | First performance |
|---|---|
| Krishulee GG (for two flutes, violin, horn, cello, 1985) | Edinburgh, August '85 |
| Septet (1988) | Edinburgh, August '88 |
| Lament for Rosie (for string trio, June 1991) | Manchester, May '92, (recorded and broadcast by the BBC) |
| Christmas Gwilt Suite (Dec 1992) | Edinburgh, Dec 92 |
| Violin Duet (1991) |
Abingdon, May '94 |
| A Dream within a Dream (Setting of Poe for alto and string sextet, October 1992) |
Freiburg, June '94 |
| Ganz Lieb (Suite for 7 instruments, June '94) | Salzburg, June '94 |
| Gwiltet (flute and string trio), Dec '97 | East Woodhay, February '98 (plus CD recording) |
| Two Oscar Wilde settings The Harlot's House and The New Remorse for tenor, wind quintet, string quintet & harp (commission from the Holst Sinfonietta, Freiburg) , March 1998 | Freiburg, April '98 |
| Three Joyce settings At that hour, Rain has fallen, I hear an army for baritone and string quartet (commission from HADCAF), April 2001 | Hungerford, July 2001 |
| Fantasia for Cello Alone 2002 | Bogota, Columbia, 2011 |
| Trailer for a video by Detmar Leertouwer | |
| Kaleidoscope (for two violins) - 2003 | Dickenson College, PA, USA, Feb 2003 |
| Kaleidoscope II (for orchestra) - 2004 | Freiburg, May 2004 |
| Salve Regina (soprano, two violins and cello) | Boppard am Rhein, June 2006 |
| Sextuplet for six violins - 2011 |
Cologne, May 2011 |
| Canzona for Declan for 10 instruments, in 2 choirs | Cologne, June 2016 |
| Mass (for choir and chamber orchestra) - 2014 | Bonn, March 2018 |
| various three-part canons 2016 | December 2016 |
| some samples (score plus audio) | |
| Passacalia (for string orchestra) - 2018 | Kirchzarten, November 2018 |
| Fantasy (for string quintet) - 2020 | Köln, October 2020 |