Philip Goddard was born in 1942, at Harrow Weald, Middlesex — a north-western suburb of London. Currently he lives in Exeter, South-West England. He writes visionary symphonic, choral and organ works inspired by mountains, wilderness, nature and the spiritual dimension. He is largely self-taught, his work being influenced particularly by the English and Scandinavian music of the first half of the 20th century in addition to the visionary work of the French composers Alain and Messiaen. His interests range far wider, however — from pre-Baroque Church music through to recent visionaries and experimenters such as Iannis Xenakis and Harry Partch, and he has learnt from all these different styles and types of musical content without his individual voice being compromised.
His works include six Symphonies, several large scale works for Chorus, works for Organ, and Chamber music. His more recent works are influenced by Eastern mystical traditions and use the rhythms and repetition of ancient Sanskrit Mantras. His works have been performed in the United States and Europe by such noted performers as organist Carson Cooman and saxophonist Paul Wehage.
One of the first generation of composers to use the resources of the internet to promote their works, he has produced MIDI realisations of his orchestral works which are widely acclaimed as being some of the most realistic and effective uses of this medium.
As from February 2002, Musik Fabrik in France has started to publish his works.