[2] George's father, William A. C. Lloyd, was an accomplished amateur flautist and an Italian opera aficionado, writing a biography of Bellini.
His maternal grandmother was the American painter Frances (Fanny) Powell who had been an opera singer, and was an early pioneer of the St Ives artists' colony.
He was trained in the dramatic aspects of opera by his father, who would regularly give him scenes from English plays to set to music.
From the age of 14 George studied violin with Albert Sammons and composition with Frank Kitson and Harry Farjeon.
His first symphony, written at the age of 19, was premiered in 1932 by the Penzance Orchestral Society[3][4] and was performed again in 1933 by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra, with the composer conducting on both occasions.
George Lloyd's first opera, Iernin, with a libretto by his father, was performed in 1934 in Penzance, before being transferred to the Lyceum Theatre, London, where it had an unusually long run.
On board the cruiser HMS Trinidad on Arctic convoys he was one of the Bandsmen manning the Transmitting Station, which was situated deep in the hull of the ship.
[6] He suffered severe mental and physical trauma from the shell shock, and was hospitalised before being discharged from the Royal Marines.
In 1946 Lloyd resumed composition and wrote two symphonies and the opera John Socman, the last commissioned for the 1951 Festival of Britain.
"[7] In 1972 he sold his market garden business and moved to London to "pick up the pieces of my musical life" as he put it, and began an extraordinary and productive Indian summer.
He consolidated his reputation with The Serf at Covent Garden in 1938, which led to his operatic commission (John Socman) for the Festival of Britain after the war.
Lloyd devoted more time to composition from 1973 onwards, and began to receive greater attention in subsequent years.
George Lloyd's traumatic experience of the torpedo strike on HMS Trinidad had a profound effect on his mental, physical and emotional health.
He spent several months in the Naval Hospital at Newmachar, near Aberdeen, suffering from shellshock (PTSD) which caused an uncontrollable shaking of the limbs, and which recurred for over 20 years.
Lloyd also wrote five works for brass band: Royal Parks, Diversions on a Bass Theme, English Heritage, Evening Song and Kings Messenger.
[13] It was recorded in 1985 by the BBC Concert Orchestra, with the composer conducting and Marilyn Hill-Smith singing the title role.
[16] In 2019 The George Lloyd Society published the first major survey of his work: The Swing of the Pendulum by Peter Davison.