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Christopher Headington (28 April 1930 - 19 March 1996) was an English composer and pianist.
Born in London, he studied at Lancing College and the Royal Academy of Music, later studying composition with Lennox Berkeley. He worked at the BBC and as a music tutor at Oxford University.
Headington had been composing for most of his adult life: his Violin Concerto of 1959 was finally recorded in 1991 on ASV Records (with Xue-Wei as soloist and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Jane Glover) and brought him wide recognition. Headington also wrote several pieces of chamber music: his Third String Quartet, composed to mark Haydn's 250th anniversary, reworks material from Haydn's Quartet op. 77 no. 2. Headington's solo piano pieces were strongly influenced by Debussy and Chopin. His song-cycle, The Healing Fountain, was written in tribute to Benjamin Britten, and Headington ranked as his finest achievement. His Piano Concerto of 1991 was also recorded by ASV (with Gordon Fergus-Thompson as soloist) as part of a posthmous collection released in 1997.
A music writer, his published works include a history of Western music, a survey of Britten's music and a major biography of Peter Pears. He was also a regular reviewer in Gramophone magazine.
Christopher Headington died in an accident in Switzerland in 1996, aged 65.
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