Pianist and composer, born in London. He formed the Michael Nyman Band in 1977, for which he composed several works characterized by highly charged, stylized, rhythmical chord progressions, much influenced by Purcell, in which his own piano playing is a driving force. His compositions include scores for the films of Peter Greenaway, and for the films Carrington and The Piano, as well as a chamber opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (1986), string quartets, and a piano concerto (1994).