Discovering Joan Trimble (An Ulster-born composer) Part 2: Five Works

The Pool among the Rushes for clarinet and piano (1940)

A great place to begin an exploration of Joan Trimble’s music is with the short, but faultless, miniature for clarinet and piano: The Pool among the Rushes. The work dates from 1940 when she was still studying at the Royal College of Music. The title follows an ancient Irish tradition that named musical pieces after ‘everyday places or situations.’ No-one will know if Trimble had a certain ‘pool’ in mind. It does not matter. The ‘andante espressivo’ melody begins with the typical ‘scotch snap’ (A Scotch snap is ‘a rhythmic feature in which a dotted note is preceded by a stressed shorter note) but is suitably decorated with well-judged arabesques, typically in the middle of the clarinet’s range. The piano part is straightforward, allowing the nostalgic melody to express its sorrow. Trimble makes use of gently spread piano chords to echo the harp. It is unlikely that the melody is based on a genuine Irish folksong: what Trimble has done is to create a picture-perfect pastiche that seems to encapsulate the ethos of the genre. The only problem with this piece is that it is too short. The listener will wish that it could go on for ever.

Ruth Stanley (Joan Trimble (1915-2000) and the issue of her 'Irish' musical identity, 2003) recalls that when Trimble explained to Ralph Vaughan Williams that she was struggling to compose in the ‘modern’ style of Hindemith and Bartok, he replied that she ‘should follow her own inclinations towards composition regardless of the current fashion.’ Michael Dervan (Irish Times 2 June 1995) noted that when Trimble told RVW that she had written The Pool among the Rushes, he said, ‘I’d rather you’d written that than a symphony.’ (cited Stanley, 2003). He was not being disparaging: Joan Trimble has achieved absolute perfection in a tiny musical canvas.

Two Songs: My Grief on the Sea (1937) & Green Rain (1938)

During her time at the Royal College of Music, Joan Trimble begged her tutor Herbert Howells to be allowed to try some ‘real’ composition and have a break from her academic studies. The immediate result was the song ‘My Grief on the Sea’ for mezzo-soprano and piano. It was composed in 1937. This remains one of the most beautiful (yet largely unknown) songs in the repertoire. The words were taken from the collection Love Songs of Connacht, (1893) translated and edited by Douglas Hyde (1860-1949). Hyde was an Irish poet, a literary historian and statesman. He is often regarded as having created the agenda for Irish cultural nationalism and the revival of Erse or Irish Gaelic. Hyde latterly became the first President of the Free State Government of Eire in 1938.

The burden of the song is one of separation, as a result of emigration engendered by the Famine. The poet’s lover has left for America, no doubt promising to call for her to join him. The song climaxes with the singer declaring that ‘were I and my darling…on board the ship/For America bound.’ After a sleepless night, she imagines (vainly) that her lover had returned ‘from the South.’ The text reminds the reader of Ariadne’s abandonment at Naxos when Theseus set sail during the night. Douglas Hyde collected the text from an elderly lady, Biddy Crummy, who lived in Roscommon.

The vocal line has a genuine folk-like quality. The piano accompaniment is typically restrained throughout, although Trimble uses full chords to allude to the ‘lover’ aboard ship bound for America. The entire effect of the song is one of lament, with the straightforward vocal line and the pianist providing a commentary on the course of the text, rather than a ‘mere’ accompaniment. ‘My Grief on the Sea’ won first prize (£5) at the Dublin Feis Ceoil in May 1937.

'Green Rain' is a short poem written by the early twentieth-century romantic novelist and poet Mary Webb (1881-1927). Much of Webb’s work is set in her native Shropshire: she was noted for her poetic descriptions of the countryside, local worthies and nature. Less positive, was her fatalistic view on the human condition. Her prose style was often characterised by ‘soil and gloom.’ The poem is an idealised description of a deep wood, replete with faery. It expressed the poet’s joy at living in this ‘enchanted landscape’.

Joan Trimble has imbued her setting of Webb’s poem with similar pleasure, although it is not all lightness. The song reflects the passing of the seasons, from winter with its cold and grief, to spring with laughter, delight, rebirth and wonder. It is likely that ‘Green Rain’ is an image of fertility. The style of the song is largely tonal with little to disturb the reverie. The accompaniment is gentle and tranquil.

Joan Trimble’s songs fuse her love of words and poetry. To these she brought her own individual style which was a subtle combination of Irish folksong and ‘English’ art-song.

Phantasy Trio (1940)

Joan Trimble’s Phantasy Trio is one of her most significant works. Ralph Vaughan Williams encouraged her to enter the 1940 Cobbett Competition and gave her advice. The trio, which is written for violin, cello and piano was completed in only ten days. Trimble wrote about this work: ‘The piano trio was frankly rhapsodic and rhythmic—what came most easily to me.’ (Trimble, 1994). The description ‘rhapsodic’ is entirely appropriate here, with a score that is in the trajectory of English (British) Romanticism tinged with a gently stated pastoralism. The music is certainly conservative in style and harks back to an earlier age. There is nothing derived from contemporary modernism, the neo-classicism of Lennox Berkeley or the bombast of William Walton. Yet, this is a timeless piece, full of beautiful melodies, rich instrumentation and a profound understanding of formal constructs. The listener will not be surprised to discover an Irish mood permeating what is ostensibly an ‘English’ form. This is especially the case with the ‘jig’ in the central section.

The Phantasy was premiered by the Grinke Trio (Frederick Grinke, Florence Hooton and Kendall Taylor) on 30 April 1943 as during a concert promoted by the Committee for the Promotion of New Music. (Jamieson, 2017)

Buttermilk Point (1938)

Buttermilk Point (1938) for two pianos is a fine example of an Irish reel seen through the prism of classical sophistication. Joan Trimble explained in an interview (cited McCarroll 2013) that Buttermilk Point was an actual location on the shores of Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, where she had several family picnics.

A traditional ‘reel’ is usually designed as AABB, in other words, two musical thoughts with each one repeated. Trimble has adapted this structure of a rondo, simplified as ABACA, where the letters indicate contrasting or thematic sections. It is an exciting piece of music that is nearly always optimistic and full of sunshine. There is nothing here to disturb the pleasure of a picnic on a warm summer’s day.

Buttermilk Point was the Trimble Duo’s most performed work, and as mentioned above, often appeared as an encore.

Suite for Strings (1951 or 1953)

Joan Trimble’s Suite for Strings was composed in 1953 (or possibly 1951). It was a commission from Arthur Duff, who was then assistant director of music at Radio Éireann. He was also an accomplished composer, with several attractive works to his credit that do not deserve obscurity.

The Suite was originally composed in four movements; however, Trimble was persuaded to remove an ‘offending’ ‘Intermezzo’. The first of the remaining movements, a Prelude, is typically forceful with some more reflective moments that seem to speak of the Irish landscape rather than of its turbulent history. The emotional heart of the Suite is the intensely felt ‘Air’. The ‘Finale’ is a good-going Irish Reel that brings the work to a rumbustious conclusion. Nevertheless, even here there are times when the mood becomes just a little introspective.

The Suite for strings stands in a distinguished line of British music for string orchestra. From Elgar’s Serenade for strings, by way of Vaughan Williams’s Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus, Frank Bridge’s Suite for strings and Michael Tippett’s Concerto for double string orchestra. Trimble’s music equals these masterpieces in every way: technical prowess, imagination and sheer listening pleasure. The Gramophone (August 1999) is disingenuous in labelling Trimble’s Suite as displaying ‘unpretentious charm’. There is considerable emotional depth in the middle movement that goes far beyond ‘charming.’ The entire work epitomises Joan Trimble’s subtle balance between Irish-tinged music and the pastoralism of the more conservative British composers of the day.

Unbelievably, the Suite for Strings remains unpublished. The manuscript score is available from the Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin. The work was premiered at the Phoenix Hall, Dublin on 7 April 1953 with the Dublin Radio Éireann Orchestra conducted by Arthur Duff.

One unfortunate footnote to the Suite is that Trimble considered it was old fashioned, not displaying any sense of modernism characteristic of so much then-contemporary music. The BBC reading panel (John Lowe) had declared that it was ‘undistinguished’ (cited Stanley, 2003). Trimble stopped composing for several years. It was not until her TV opera commission that she recommenced. It is good that listeners are no longer hide-bound by an ever-progressive musical aesthetic: few could fail to admire Joan Trimble’s Suite for strings, when given the opportunity to hear it in a concert hall.

Searching the Internet throws up several ‘recent’ performances in the United States and Great Britain. They are often given by amateur and youth orchestras.

There is an excellent professional recording of the work in YouTube, here, (accessed 11 August 2024) played (I believe) by the Ulster Orchestra, conducted by Takuo Yuasa. Its source is unidentified but may be from a BBC Radio broadcast aired on 14 July 2008.

With thanks to Spirited, the Journal of the English Music Festival where this essay was first published.

To be contiuned...

Discovering Joan Trimble (An Ulster-born composer) Part 1

At an English Music Festival (Yorkshire) event, there was a splendid concert devoted to British Song (Sunday 29th September 2019). The programme included music by Gerald Finzi, Ivor Gurney, Peter Warlock, Frederick Delius and John Ireland. Just after the interval, there was a strategically placed song by Ulster composer Joan Trimble. ‘Green Rain’ was sung by Lorna Day (mezzo soprano) and was accompanied by David Jones (piano).

Whilst preparing the programme note for this song, and a short biography, I realised just how accomplished a musician Trimble was. Best recalled today as one half of the Trimble Piano Duet, she was also a composer of considerable distinction. The style of her music is an elusive fusion of impressionist harmonies, Irish-infused melodies and rhythms with the prevailing pastoralism of Vaughan Williams. Here and there, something more acerbic enters her musical vocabulary.

Biographical Notes

Ulster composer Joan Trimble was born on 18 June 1915 in the Ulster town of Enniskillen, in County Fermanagh. After study with Annie Lord and Claude Biggs at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, she gained her BA and BMus at Trinity College. In 1936 she relocated to London. At the Royal College of Music (RCM), Trimble studied composition with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells and piano with Arthur Benjamin.

During the late 1930s Joan Trimble formed a piano-duo with her sister Valerie which was extremely successful for over thirty years. Her piano teacher, Arthur Benjamin, dedicated his ‘famous’ Jamaican Rumba to them. It was given at their first recital, and finally became the Duo’s signature tune.

In her early twenties, Trimble published her first compositions which included several songs and music for two pianos. Other works followed, including an ‘advanced’ Sonatina for two pianos. In 1940, she won the prestigious Cobbett Prize with a Phantasy Trio for violin, cello and piano. Trimble also composed a couple of orchestral works, In Glenade and a Suite, both for string orchestra. She wrote many songs and arrangements of Irish folk tunes. Her one potboiler was the Irish reel, Buttermilk Point for two pianos: it was regularly used as an encore by Joan and Valerie.

In 1957, Trimble had a major success with her television opera Blind Raftery which was a story about a peripatetic Irish bard and his Spanish wife. Composition virtually ceased at this time: Joan Trimble taught at the RCM, played in the Duo and brought up her family. In 1977 Trimble had a major change of direction in her career: she returned to Enniskillen to manage the family-run newspaper, The Impartial Reporter. Joan Trimble died in her birthplace on 6 August 2000.

Overview of Joan Trimble’s catalogue.

Ruth Stanley, in her MA dissertation Joan Trimble (1915-2000) and the issue of her 'Irish' musical identity (2003), has provided a detailed catalogue of the composer’s music. This is presented in three sections: the dated works, the undated pieces and a list of arrangements (as opposed to original works) for two-pianos. The first section numbers some 23 entries.

Her earliest composition, My Grief on the Sea was written in 1937, and her final one, the Three Diversions for wind quintet in 1990. As mentioned above, there was a hiatus between the late 1950s and 1990. Only one work was composed between these years – the Introduction and Air for two harps (1969). The most significant piece in her catalogue is the television opera Blind Raftery, composed in 1957. It was commissioned by Kenneth Wright, for the BBC. Many of Trimble’s works are songs, which appeared throughout her compositional career. There is an important song-cycle The County Mayo (1949) which is unusual in having a two-piano accompaniment.

Joan Trimble wrote several original pieces for her Piano Duo. Some of these have a distinct Irish flavour but are not arrangements of pre-existing tunes. These include The Humours of Carrick, (1938), Buttermilk Point, (1938), The Green Bough (1941) and Puck Fair (1951). Other two-piano music pieces include the modern-sounding Sonatina (1940) and the French-accented Pastorale – Hommage à F. Poulenc (1943).

Works for orchestra include her masterpiece, the Suite for Strings (1953) (see below) the score for the documentary film The Voice of Ulster (1948) and a short tone poem, In Glenade (1942). Finally, in 1943 Kenneth Wright commissioned a March Rhapsody: Érin go Bragh scored for brass band.

The undated works appear to be relatively minor. These include song-settings of poems by Thomas Hardy, Padraic Colum and John Masefield. Two short instrumental pieces complete this section: a ‘Grazioso’ for clarinet and piano and a ‘Tempo di Gavotte’ for violin and piano.

The third section of Stanley’s catalogue features 23 arrangements, mainly for two pianos. Many of these are of Irish songs and airs. Transcriptions of other composers’ music include Frederick Delius’s ‘La Calinda’ from his opera Koanga, the Polovtsian Dances by Borodin, the ‘Scherzo’ from Mendelssohn’s Octet and the Rondo from Haydn’s String Quartet in E major, op. 33, no.3. One major work in this section is Ulster Airs arranged for orchestra (1939-40). This consists of some fifteen numbers.

With thanks to David Byars webpage, here,  for permission to use the photograph of Joan Trimble.

With thanks to Spirited, the Journal of the English Music Festival where this essay was first published. 

To be continued…

Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum from the August 2023 Festival

This CD gets off to an interesting start with William Sterndale Bennett’s Three Pieces, op.28, dating from 1846-49, played by Daniel Grimwood. It opens with a quiet, hymn like Introduction followed by a Pastorale dance. The second piece features a frolicsome Rondino. Finally, the Capriccio is a lively galop through the countryside. It is conventional to say that he is an English Mendelssohn. Although superficially correct, Bennett did look to Mozart and the London Piano School for inspiration. These included composers such as Cramer and Clementi, two men often overlooked by British music enthusiasts.

The longest work in this selection from the Husum Festival is Franz Liszt’s Grosses Konzertsolo (1849-50). This is better known in its revision as the Concerto pathètique for two pianos. The liner notes explain that the lyrical episodes “plunge us into a turbulent realm shared by Wagner’s early operas.” It also exhibits much virtuosic pianism and involved chromatic harmonies. Formally, it is neither a Sonata nor a character study, although Stephen Hough has suggested that it may be good preparation for the soloist who wishes to tackle Liszt’s B minor sonata!

I had not heard of Sophie Menter. She was a pianist primarily, playing duos with Liszt throughout Germany and Russia. Sadly, there are only a few surviving compositions. The Romance, op.5 (1907) was outmoded by the time it was published, yet it remains a good example of a well-wrought and attractive lullaby or nocturne. The liner notes are correct in stating that it deserves a place in the “encore repertoire of many pianists.” This final offering by Daniel Grimwood is played with true affection.

There is little information about Juliette Dillon. She was a “prodigy” who acceded to the post of organist at Meaux Cathedral whilst still a teenager. Sadly, she died from cholera, aged only 31 years. Jean-Frédéric Neuburger gave the “belated German premiere” of her 10 Contes fantastiques de Hoffmann completed in 1847. We hear Le Violon de Crémone, which is the first number of the set. The progress of the piece does not try to reproduce the sound of the violin, or singing, but gives an impression of the mood of Hoffmann’s strange tale. Stylistically, she nods toward Chopin and Liszt. It is to be hoped that Mr Neuberger will release an album of the full set.

Alfonso Soldano, for his recital, made a remarkable transcription of Sergei Rachmaninov’s song, Night is Sorrowful, op.26, no.12. The original majors on the traveller walking a lonely path across the vast steppe, seeing a distant light, but the singers dream, like the night is sad.

Composer and pianist, Sergei Bortkiewicz was very much not a child of his time. He left a legacy of richly Romantic music, often reminiscent of Chopin and Liszt with influences from Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Tchaikovsky. This included symphonic works, three wonderfully extravagant piano concertos and many solos. Soldano plays here the Nocturne, from Trois Morceaux, op.24 no.1, subtitled Diana. This is an evocation of the hunter-goddess in her incarnation as the divinity of the moon. The harmonies are luxurious, and shimmering. The other two numbers of the set, (not given here) evoke the Satyre and Eros.

Alexander von Zemlinsky is recalled for his massive Lyric Symphony (1922-23) and his orchestral symphonic poem Die Seejungfrau (The Mermaid) (1902-03) based on Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless story. His Fantasien über Gedichte von Richard Dehmel, op.9 (1898-1900) belongs to a small collection of piano music. These were inspired by the eponymous fin-de-siecle poet. They are a little bit of a stylistic pot-pourri. The first, Evening Voice has echoes of Brahms, whilst the following Woodland Rapture was inspired by a lieder written by Richard Strauss. Equally romantic is Liebe, dedicated to love. The finale is the Song of the May Beetle, which looks back to Felix Mendelssohn. Andrey Gugnin gives an imaginative and absorbing account.

Edvard Grieg’s Lyric Pieces Book 7, Bächlein, op.60, no.4 is always a delight to hear. As the title suggests, this is a charming evocation of a little brook on a hillside in Norway.

Leopold Godowsky was a legendary Russian-born American virtuoso pianist and composer. His “fantastical keyboard imagination” seems to have been forgotten in our day. Yet, his exceptional piano technique once dazzled audiences. His legacy resonates through his transcriptions and major influence on pianistic technique. During the festival, Vadym Kholodenko played four extracts from Godowsky’s “outrageous elaborations” of Chopin’s Studies. Two are presented here. First up is No.4 on op.10, No.2 “Ignis Fatuus” which, for a long time, was regarded as unplayable. “Ignis Fatuus” means “will-o-the-wisp.” The left-hand plays Chopin’s original Etude, whilst the right hand indulges in a sequence of “light, staccato, double note triplets.” The second was No.13 (liner notes say No.6) on op.10, No.6, for the left hand only. Chopin’s original for two hands looks difficult enough! Both are given stunning performances.

Tanya Gabrielian begins her contribution to this CD with another work by Godowsky: his Meditation dating from 1930. This lacks the overblown virtuosity of the Chopin Studies, providing instead a quietly reflective piece that is bittersweet, but lives up to its title.

Her second offering, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Melody from Orfeo and Euridice as arranged by Alexander Siloti is one of my Desert Island Discs. Not only does the opera set one of my treasured Greek myths, but the present tune is a timeless reminder of the human condition of love, loss, and lack of faith. It brings this remarkable recital to a poignant close.

Once again, Danacord have issued a superb selection from last year’s (2023) Husum Festival. It is full of rarities - as it says on the CD cover. The performances are excellent, and the liner notes are helpful without being prolix. The recording is complimentary to the playing. The listener is left wishing for more. Further exploration of these composers is called for. And there is next year’s disc to look forward to...

Track Listing:
William Sterndale Bennett (1816-75)
Three Pieces, op.28 (1846-49)
Franz Liszt (1811-86)
Grosses Konzertsolo (1849-50)
Sophie Menter (1846-1918)
Romance, op.5 (1907)
Daniel Grimwood (piano)
Juliette Dillon (1823-54)
Le Violon de Crémone, No.1 of 10 Contes fantastiques de Hoffmann (1847)
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (piano)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), arr. Alfonso Soldano (b.1986)
Night is sorrowful, op.26, no.12 (1906/?)
Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952)
Trois Morceaux, op.24, no.1 Nocturne “Diana” (1922)
Alfonso Soldano (piano)
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942)
Fantasien über Gedichte von Richard Dehmel, op.9 (1898-1900)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Lyric Pieces Book 7, Bächlein, op.62, no.4 (1895)
Andrey Gugnin (piano)
Frederic Chopin (1810-49)/Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938)
Studies on Chopin’s Etudes: No.4 on op.10, No.2 “Ignis Fatuus;” No.13 on op.10, No.6 (for the left hand) (1903-14)
Vadym Kholodenko (piano)
Leopold Godowsky
Meditation (pub. 1930)
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-87), arr. Alexander Siloti (1863-1945)
Melody from Orfeo ed Euridice (1926)
Tanya Gabrielian (piano)

Celebrating Gustav Holst’s 150th Anniversary- Today!

Today, 21 September 2024, marks the 150th anniversary of Gustav Holst’s birth. Born in Cheltenham, Holst is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, which remains a cornerstone of classical music. Beyond this iconic work, Holst’s extensive oeuvre includes choral pieces, operas, and chamber music, reflecting his innovative spirit and deep connection to English folk traditions. His contributions to music education, particularly at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, further cement his legacy.

My introduction to Holst was not The Planets. Back in 1973, when I was first getting to grips with British Music, a friend lent me an LP of his music. It was issued on the Lyrita label (SRCS.34).

The Gramophone (March 1967, p.511) featured a letter from Richard Itter, the founder and owner of the Lyrita Recorded Editon, which stated that “…Miss Imogen Holst has recently completed a recording of her father’s music with the English Chamber Orchestra....It is scheduled for early release.” Works to be included were the Fugal Concerto, and the premiere recordings of the Lyric Movement for viola and orchestra and the Brook Green Suite. He did not mention St Paul’s Suite and the Nocturne, both for string orchestra.

I remember listening to the Brook Green Suite first. It had been composed in 1933 for the junior orchestra of St Paul’s Girl’ School in Hammersmith. Written while Holst was in hospital, the suite features three movements: Prelude, Air, and Dance. It blends pastoral themes with folk influences, highlighting Holst’s ability to create accessible yet richly textured music. It was the arcadian aspect the impressed me, especially in the Air. Equally appealing to my imagination was the St Paul’s Suite. Written some 20 years previously for the same school ensemble, this four-movement suite for string orchestra incorporates English folk tunes and shows Holst’s skill in blending traditional melodies with classical forms. The four movements are, Jig, Ostinato, Intermezzo and Finale. This last movement includes The Dargason, which is a traditional English folk tune dating back to the 16th century. It was originally used for country dances and ballads. Holst cleverly combined this with the well-known Greensleeves.

Looking back over half a century I cannot now recall what I felt about the Nocturne for strings. The sleeve notes explain that Imogen Holst had found this unfinished piece in her late father’s manuscripts. It was in fact part of his “almost completed” arrangement of his Moorside Suite for string orchestra. This work had originally been written for brass band. Listening once again to this evocative and melancholic, I feel that it nods to RVW’s Tallis Fantasia and Elgar.

In 1952, the composer Gordon Jacob arranged the entire suite for strings. It can be heard on Lyrita SRCD.210.

In a contemporary review (Musical Times, July 1967, p.621f), Diana McVeagh sums up the Lyric Movement for viola and small orchestra: “[This is] a bigger, stronger, darker conception than the title suggests. It was composed during Holst's last year and is economical but not self-denying. There is more than a hint of passion and vehemence, perfectly scaled within its 10 minutes.”

At the time I did not “get it” but many years on think that it is one of Holst’s most perfectly conceived miniatures. This late work, written in the year before his death, was dedicated to the great violist Lionel Tertis. It is conceived in a single movement that covers a lot of emotional ground, with the pastoral feel being kept in check by its austere beauty.

Until hearing Holst’s Fugal Concerto for flute, oboe, and strings, I had associated the fugue form solely with J.S. Bach, especially, his organ music and the ‘48.’ Once again, Diana McVeagh (op.cit.) explains, “It used to be thought 'desiccated'; even Miss Holst in 1951 talked of the “dry and brittle ingenuity in its counterpoint;” but in this performance themes with good sharp profiles run easily, almost wittily, in the frank open texture of the first movement. The Adagio opens with Bach like meaningful arabesques and then moves surely, poignantly, through progressions of a wholly 20th century sensibility. But the last movement exposes one of the problems of Holst's period: English tunes acted as a liberation, but not always as good props; and If all the world were paper, worked in to make a double fugue, sounds rather tricksy after the independence of the first two movements.” It is a piece that I have grown into over the past half century: it did not appeal to me in 1974.

As for The Planets, I had to wait until the following year, to hear a performance at the Glasgow Proms held then at the Kelvin Hall.

All the pieces on this vinyl LP have been reissued on CD, Lyrita SRCD.223. Other works included on this great disc are English Chamber Orchestra under Imogen Holst, Two Songs without Words, op.22 (1906), Ballet Music from The Golden Goose, op.45, no.1 (1926,1969), the Double Concerto for two violins and orchestra, op.49, and the Capriccio of orchestra, (1933) edited by Imogen Holst (1968).

The Most Gallant Haydn...

This is a good, possibly apocryphal, story of Josef Haydn’s time in London sometime between 1791 and 1795.

“When in London, Haydn once visited the studio of that celebrated portrait painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds. He there saw a picture of Mrs. Billington, one of the best-known singers of her day. Reynolds had represented her listening to the song of the angels. On being asked for his opinion of the painting, Haydn remarked:

"Yes, it is a beautiful picture; it is just like her; but there is one strange mistake."

"A mistake! How is that?" exclaimed Reynolds, who could hardly believe his ears.

"Why," said the gallant composer, "you have made Mrs. Billington listening to the angels, when you ought to have painted the angels as listening to her!””

From Anecdotes of Great Musicians by W. Francis Gates (1895)

Notes
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was a prominent English painter, renowned for his portraiture. Born in Plympton, Devon, he was a founder and the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts. Reynolds promoted the “Grand Style” in painting, emphasizing idealization over mere representation. His works often depicted prominent figures of his time, blending classical influences with contemporary subjects. Reynolds’ contributions to art theory, particularly through his Discourses on Art, significantly influenced British art. Knighted by King George III in 1769, Reynolds remains a key figure in the history of Western art.

Elizabeth Billington (1765-1818) was a renowned British opera singer, celebrated for her extraordinary vocal talent and stage presence. Born Elizabeth Weichsel in London, she was the daughter of Carl Weichsel, a principal oboist, and Frederika Weichsel, a successful vocalist. Billington made her stage debut in Dublin and quickly gained fame across Europe. Known for her powerful and sweet voice, she performed at prestigious venues like Covent Garden and Drury Lane. Despite personal challenges, including a tumultuous marriage, Billington’s career flourished, making her one of the most acclaimed sopranos of her time.

It's not British, but...Franz Schubert Piano Music on Danacord

This CD was a bit of an adventure to me. I have probably heard all the pieces on this disc over the past half-century, but never listened to them systematically. Confession. I do enjoy the music of Franz Schubert but know an extremely limited range of his catalogue. I have appreciated the Trio in B flat since being introduced to it in the mid-1970s by a former girlfriend. It was used in the film score for Barry Lyndon, (1975) hence its popularity at that time. Winterreise is a perennial favourite with me, as well as the ballet music to Rosamunde, which was rediscovered by Arthur Sullivan and George Grove (of Dictionary fame) in a bookshop in Vienna. Then there are the Impromptus - and that is about it.

First up on this disc are the Six Moments Musicaux, D 780. It is impossible to know if these were meant as a cycle or if they were a collection of individual pieces. Certainly, Nos. 3 and 6 were published separately in 1823 and 1824, respectively. The complete set was issued in 1828, the year of Schubert’s death. It has been suggested that some of these Moments reflect nature. The liner notes explain that Schubert put “anything he experienced into music – water flowing, hunting scenes, galloping horses, thunder…and walking.” One of his most significant compositions was the Wanderer Fantasy D 760 (1822) for piano. So, “wandering” was one of his greatest pleasures, especially in the Austrian Alps. The first of these Moments Musicaux opens with a “hunting horn” and the second is a kind of lullaby. The third, which is the best-known, is a vibrant dance, which contrasts major and minor keys, whilst No. 4 seems to nod to the Baroque era. No.5, the most complex, moves from a fiendish opening to a cheery conclusion. Finally, No.6 has all the appeal and refinement of a Viennese drawing room soiree.

The Two Scherzos, D 593 were composed during 1817. The liner notes explain that at this time Schubert was working with “sonata form” and suggests that these two “charming movements” could well have originally designed for a Sonata. The first, in B flat major is a waltz/landler and progresses in a disarming manner. The second, in D flat major is much more extrovert. It opens with a peasant’s dance. Both Scherzos have contrasting, quieter trio sections. They are played here with seductiveness and stylishness.

Schubert’s Three Piano Pieces, D 946 date from 1828, the final year of his life. Once again, it is not known exactly what the context is. It can be construed as three individual numbers, or as a group, designed to be played in sequence, in its entirety. Another suggestion is that they may have been intended as another set of Impromptus. John Damgaard takes the opinion that they are nowadays viewed as a unit, “a sonata…and not a sonata.” They are long, altogether lasting just shy of half an hour.

The opening Allegro assai is dynamic, but with a thoughtful middle section. The Allegretto used a tune from Schubert’s opera Fierrabras D 796 (1823). There are two contrasting episodes, one of which is lively, the other more restrained. The last, in C major, is the briefest of the set, but has the most virtuosity, with a bracing pace and off-beat rhythms in the outer sections and a quiet trio.

Danish pianist John Damgaard studied at the Eastman School of Music in New York and at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen. His teachers included Georg Vásárhelyi, Ilona Kabos, and Wilhelm Kempff. He has held several teaching positions in Denmark, including, from 1984-2007, as Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. Dangaard has performed throughout the world. His repertoire is oriented towards the classical and romantic periods. He is also an enthusiastic promoter of Danish music. Recordings include the complete piano works of Maurice Ravel, and all the finished sonatas by Schubert.

I enjoyed this CD. To be sure there are dozens of competitors for this repertoire. I would not know where to begin in any further exploration of this music. From my point of view, I enjoyed John Damgaard’s performance of all these works. I found them both absorbing and moving. It has been a fascinating learning curve for me, both in listening and in researching each piece.

Track Listing
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Six Moments Musicaux, D 780 (1823-28)
Two Scherzi, D 593 (1817)
Three Piano Pieces, D 946 (1828)
John Damgaard (piano)
rec. February 2024, Concert Hall, Danish National Academy of Music, Odense.
Danacord DACOCD 980

Introducing Ignaz Moscheles

Since first learning that Ignaz Moscheles spent much of his career in the United Kingdom, I have regarded him as an ‘honorary’ British composer. Other contenders for this title are Felix Mendelssohn, J.C. Bach, Muzio Clementi, Johann Baptist Cramer and George Frideric Handel. This is not to deny their respective nationalities: only to point out the major contribution these men made to the musical life of this nation.

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) was a Bohemian pianist and composer, renowned as one of the leading virtuosos of his time. Moscheles was a close associate of Beethoven, who entrusted him with the piano arrangement of his opera Fidelio. He gained international acclaim for his virtuosic performances and compositions, including eight piano concertos and numerous studies and chamber works. In 1821, Moscheles settled in London, where he later became a prominent figure in the musical scene. He later joined the Leipzig Conservatory as a professor of piano, working alongside his friend and former pupil, Felix Mendelssohn. Moscheles’ influence extended to composers like Chopin and Schumann, and his innovative approach to piano technique and pedagogy left a lasting impact on the music world.

Brief Biography

• Ignaz Moscheles was born in Prague, on 23 May 1794.
• Studied at the Prague Conservatory between 1804 and 1806 with the composer and musicologist Bedřich Diviš Weber (1766-1842).
• Moved to Vienna in 1808 for study with Albrechtsberger (counterpoint) and Salieri (composition).
• Became acquainted with Beethoven during 1810.
• Extensively performed in Europe between 1815 and 1825
• First appeared in London during 11 June 1821.
• Gave piano lessons to Felix Mendelssohn in 1824
• Married Charlotte Emden at Hamburg on 1 March 1825
• Settled in London between 1825 and 1846.
• Was director of the Philharmonic Society, 1832, then conductor there from 1845.
• Directed the first London performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis on 24 December 1832.
• Professor of Pianoforte at the newly founded Leipzig Conservatory 1846 to 1870
• Pupils included Thalberg, Litolff, Sullivan, and Grieg.
• Died in Leipzig on 10 March 1870.

Twelve Selected Works

Beethoven had a tremendous influence on Moscheles. Mozart was also another key influence. However, Moscheles is on the cusp between classical and romantic aesthetic: Liszt, Chopin and Robert Schumann were still to compose their great masterpieces. So, he is more associated with such half-forgotten masters as Clementi, Kalkbrenner, Field and Hummel.

Moscheles catalogues includes 142 works with opus number and several dozen without. He typically concentrated on writing music for the piano, with or without the orchestra. There are, however, several pieces for chamber ensemble, including a cello sonata, and music for the flute and several songs.

All the pieces listed below are available on CD, download or streaming. 

1. Variations on a Russian Theme, op.23
2. Les Charmes de Paris, op.54
3. Piano Concerto No.4, op.64
4. Recollections of Ireland, op.69
5. Les Charmes de Londres, op.74
6. Anticipations of Scotland, op.75
7. Symphony No.1 in C major, op.81
8. Piano Concerto No.5, op.87
9. Jeanne d'Arc Overture, op. 91
10. 12 Charakteristische Studien, op. 95
11. Cello Sonata in E Major, op. 121
12. Grande Étude de Concert, op. 126

Further Reading

There were three books published in the Victorian period which still provide the ‘primary’ source material for Ignaz Moscheles studies. Charlotte Moscheles’ Recent Music and Musicians as Described in the Diaries and Correspondence of Ignaz Moscheles, edited by his Wife: Adapted from the Original German by A.D. Coleridge (1873) was the first book to examine the composer’s life and times. During 1888 the Letters of Felix Mendelssohn to Ignaz and Charlotte Moscheles were published in London by the composer’s son, Felix Moscheles (1833-1917). Felix also published Fragments of an Autobiography (1899) which provided some material about the composer.

Aside from these early volumes, listeners had to rely on articles in Grove’s Dictionary of Music, the standard histories of the period and contemporary biographies and memoires of some of the key players in his story. To be sure, copious reviews of Moscheles’ concerts are found in contemporary newspapers and journals.

In 1989 Emil F. Smidak issued Isaak-Ignaz Moscheles: The Life of the Composer and His Encounters with Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. This important volume consisted of extracts from the diaries and letters and included a catalogue of works.

Twenty-five years later, the Boydell Press published Ignaz Moscheles and the Changing World of Musical Europe by Mark Kroll (2014). It was and remains the first full-length examination of the composer. It is essential reading for all enthusiasts of Moscheles music.

There are also a few theses such as John Michael Beck’s Moscheles Re-examined (1986) and Carolyn Denton Gresham’s Ignaz Moscheles: An Illustrious Musician in the Nineteenth Century (1980).

One extremely important website is ‘Ignaz Moscheles Concert Life.’ This is a spin off from Dr Sevastiana Nourou thesis, Ignaz Moscheles’ reception in the nineteenth century and his influence on concert life, published in 2022. She writes: “In each section [of the webpage] you will find the advertisements and reviews of each concert I was able to locate. All of these have been typed down by myself and thus, I am not using any original images from letters, playbills, and newspapers that I do not have the right to.”

If you can only hear one CD…

I would recommend the Hyperion (CDA67430) recording of Moscheles Piano Concerto No.4 in E major, op.64 and the Piano Concerto No.5 in C major, op.87. These are coupled with the delightful Recollections of Ireland, op.69. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is directed by the piano soloist, Howard Shelley. All three works on this disc are full of melody, piano technique that defies the fingers’ agility, and satisfying formal constructs. With Moscheles there is never a bar too many or a note out of place.

Finally, if you can only listen to one work…

Ignaz Moscheles’ Recollections of Ireland, op. 69 is a grand fantasia for piano and orchestra, completed in 1826. This piece reflects Moscheles’ experiences and impressions during his travels in Ireland. It includes popular Irish melodies such as The Groves of Blarney (now, The Last Rose of Summer), Garry Owen, and St. Patrick’s Day, combining them with his virtuosic piano style.

This composition is notable for its stunning orchestration and the seamless integration of traditional Irish tunes with classical forms. Moscheles’ ability to evoke the spirit and atmosphere of Ireland through music is evident in the lively and expressive passages that characterize the work. Recollections of Ireland not only highlights Moscheles’ technical prowess but also his sensitivity to cultural influences and his talent for creating evocative musical narratives.

Finger Prints: British Light Music for Piano

The ethos of this pot-pourri is predicated on an old Viennese adage of “taking serous music lightly and light music seriously.” Here the listener will find an “eclectic” selection from a wide cross section of composers. These include pieces by so-called “classical” masters such as Frank Bridge, John Ireland, Roger Quilter, and Lennox Berkeley. These men were able to cross the boundaries between art music and a more “popular” touch. The recital gets off to a great start with Harry Engleman’s Finger Prints. This is the epitome of the novelty piano solo made so popular by Billy Mayerl (more of him later in the review) and the American Zez Confrey. Later in the programme we hear Engleman’s Golden Chain, another challenging piece for “dizzy fingers.”

Haydn Wood is usually remembered for his First World War hit, Roses of Picardy. Capable of working in both light and classical genres, he wrote accomplished piano and violin concertos, as well as attractively evocative orchestral suites. Longing is delightfully sentimental, poignant, at times passionate and always engaging. Written in 1917, it well reflects the emotions of wartime lovers.

I enjoyed Cecil Macklin’s The Cockney Crawl, which was originally danced at the Alhambra Theatre, London by Phyllis Monkman and Clyde Cook. Basically, a one or two-step with knobs on!

All enthusiasts of so-called light music will know Jack Strachey’s In Party Mood, used for many years as the theme tune for the radio programme Housewife’s Choice. Equally popular is his Theatreland, so reminiscent of London’s West End. Anna’s Polka is a lovely little number that combines the Bohemian dance of the title with a beguine. Paul Guinery adds a little “quirky” magic of his own in the concluding bars.

When I inherited my late grandparents’ upright, there was a copy of Amy Woodforde-Finden’s Indian Love Lyrics in the piano stool. I struggled to battle my way through the Kashmiri Love Song from an early age, never quite getting it right. The mood is of lost love, nostalgia, and despair, as seen through the eyes of an Edwardian lady’s enthusiasm for things ‘Oriental.’ It is heard here in Stephen Hough’s transcription.

Billy Mayerl was an English pianist and composer, popular in the 1930s. He is best remembered for his syncopated novelty piano solos like Marigold and Bats in the Belfry. His music was “highly crafted,” often cunningly difficult to play and always entertaining. He is represented on this disc by four arrangements of songs written for Hollywood by the British born songwriter, Harry Revel. Most popular is the jazzed-up version of Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? Equally attractive is I Feel Like a Feather in The Breeze with its lush opening and bouncy middle sections. With My Eyes Wide Open I’m Dreaming appeared in film about a successful nightclub singer and radio star. Once again Mayerl creates a balance between a slow foxtrot and an up-tempo section marked “with much rhythm.” The final transcription is the well-crafted You Hit the Spot from the film Collegiate (1936). The one original composition is The Shy Ballerina, which is a wistful celebration of a bashful girl who was asked to dance for Mayerl, but “nothing would persuade her to pirouette for him.” All are marked by rhythmic dash, memorable melodies, abundant caprice, and a touch of sheer sentimentality.

Edward German was an English composer of Welsh descent. He is known for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage. His light operas, including Merrie England, hold a place still in the repertoire. German also wrote symphonies, orchestral suites, and some piano pieces. The Polish Dance nods to the Chopin’s Mazurkas and is none the worse for that. It balances high spirits with more reflective moments.

Frank Bridge’s Berceuse was dished up in several editions, including for small orchestra, violin or cello and piano, violin and strings, and a late addition in 1929, as a piano solo. This exquisite lullaby features a delicate, calming tune that perfectly lives up to its title. In true Frank Bridge fashion, it transcends the boundaries of mere salon music, revealing layers of subtlety and elegant craftsmanship.

Two works are heard by cinema pianist and broadcaster Jack Wilson. Phantom Fingers ticks all the boxes of “novelty, syncopated or rhythmic piano solos.” It is his only published piece. The second, still in manuscript, is the undated Shadows on the Moon. It fairly swings along, with little gloom in these pages.

Cavatina by John Ireland has had numerous incarnations. Originally produced in 1904 for organ, and violin and piano, it “shows that Ireland had a gift for melody in the style of say Elgar’s Salut d’amour or Chanson de Matin”.

Transitioning from violinist to rhythm pianist, Peggy Cochrane, wrote Busy Day in 1941. This lively item highlights a jazzy left hand and a delightful, almost mischievous, flurry of notes in the right hand.

Roger Quilter is recalled for his incomparable songs. There are a few pieces for piano, including Three Studies and Three English Dances. The present Country Dance is from incidental music for the 1921-22 Old Vic production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Grainger-esque, it uses “off beat rhythms” and “teasing counter melodies.”

Arthur Sullivan is usually paired with W.S. Gilbert in peoples’ minds. Yet in recent years, his non-Savoy-Opera music has gained a hearing, especially in the recording studio. He did not produce many piano works: the liner notes state that there are only nine original pieces published in his lifetime. The two Thoughts here date from 1862 and clearly have a debt to Felix Mendelssohn. They are full of melodic charm and pianistic delight.

One work that may surprise the listener is Lennox Berkeley’s Java. This parody was written in 1932 and was originally part of an unrealised ballet score. Lots of wrong notes and chords here (think Les Dawson!) and a good impression of the “salacious” dance that was the rage in post war Paris in 1919. The arrangement here was made by composer, historian, and pianist, the late Peter Dickinson.

The final track on this charming CD is Richard Addinsell’s Blithe Spirit Waltz, taken from the eponymous 1945 film starring Rex Harrison, Kay Hammond, and Constance Cummings. This was a supernatural, black comedy derived from Noel Coward’s stage play. The Waltz is a wonderful evocation of Elvira (Hammond), Charles’s (Harrison) first wife, who is summoned at a seance.

The CD booklet is a model in design. Beginning with a brief outline of each composer, in alphabetical order, this is followed by succinct comments on each work in batting order. They are clear to read. Illustrations of sheet music covers enhance the impact of this insert. A note on the soloist is included.

This is the third CD in Paul Guinery’s exploration of light music classics. In 2020 he released Dicky Bird Hop (reviewed, here, and here) and two years later Chasing Moonbeams. (Sadly, not yet assessed for MusicWeb International).

Tremendous playing by Paul Guinery, an outstanding recording, and splendid packaging contribute to the success of this CD. Each piece is played with love and enthusiasm, and is never condescending, which is the way that light music ought to be performed.

Track Listing:
Harry Engleman (1912–2002)
Finger Prints (1936)
Haydn Wood (1882–1959)
Longing (1917)
Cecil Macklin (1883–1944)
The Cockney Crawl (1914)
Jack Strachey (1894–1972)
Anna’s Polka (date unknown)
Amy Woodforde-Finden (1860–1919)
Kashmiri Song (1902) (Trans. Stephen Hough, b.1962)
Harry Revel (1905–1958)
Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? (1933) (Trans. Billy Mayerl)
I Feel Like a Feather in The Breeze (1936) (Trans. Billy Mayerl)
Edward German (1862–1936)
Polish Dance (1891)
Harry Engleman
Golden Chain (1937)
Frank Bridge (1879–1941)
Berceuse (1901)
Jack Wilson (1907–2006)
Phantom Fingers (1934)
John Ireland (1879–1962)
Cavatina (1904)
Peggy Cochrane (1902–1988)
Busy Day (1941)
Harry Revel
With My Eyes Wide Open I’m Dreaming (1934) (Trans. Billy Mayerl)
You Hit the Spot (1936) (Trans. Billy Mayerl)
Roger Quilter (1877–1953)
Country Dance (1920)
Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900)
Thoughts, op. 2 No. 1 (1862)
Thoughts, op. 2 No. 2 (1862)
Jack Wilson
Shadows On the Moon (date unknown)
Billy Mayerl (1902–1959)
Shy Ballerina (1948)
Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989)
Java (1932) (Trans. Peter Dickinson, 1934-2023)
Richard Addinsell (1904–1977)
Blithe Spirit Waltz (1945)
Paul Guinery (piano)
rec. 4-5 January 2024, St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford
EM Records EMR CD088

Gordon Cameron: Organist and Composer (1900-89)

The Priory CD Organs of the Lake District (PRCD1177) has enabled listeners to discover the music of an organist and composer who had an important association with Glasgow and Scotland. His most prestigious appointment was between1944 and 1952 when he was Director of Music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in the Great Western Road, Glasgow.

I asked Frikki Walker, current Director of Music at St Mary’s for some information about Cameron’s tenure at the Cathedral. He kindly passed on my request to the Choir Historian, Pam Barrowman.

The wartime situation at the Cathedral between the years 1939-45 has been described as ‘in the doldrums.’ The Vestry, at a meeting held on 4 December 1944, was therefore delighted to engage the highly-regarded and well-qualified Gordon Cameron to the post of ‘choirmaster’. The appointment was taken up on 28 January 1945. Cameron first appears in the ‘officials’ section of the Cathedral Magazine during March 1945. He made huge improvements to the choir and general music making at the Cathedral. Pam Barrowman told me that the vestry ‘was pleased to order and pay for 16 royal purple boys' cassocks to replace the old ones, and St Mary's was invited to send representatives to sing at the Albert Hall Service, celebrating the 1951 Festival of Britain. They were able to send their best eight boys, and to pay their expenses.’

In June 1952, St Mary’s Vestry received Gordon Cameron’s resignation, on personal and health grounds. Three months later he left to take up the post of organist at Town Kirk (Holy Trinity), in St Andrews. Between 1946 and 1969, Cameron was lecturer of Harmony, Counterpoint and Composition at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).

There is no ‘formal’ biography of [John] Gordon Cameron (1900-89) except for a few fugitive references here and there. Despite his Scottish-sounding name, Cameron was born in Cardiff in 1900. He studied at Ellesmere College, Christ’s College Cambridge and Edinburgh University. Whilst at Cambridge, he was one of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s last pupils. Before his appointment to St Mary’s, he was organist at St John’s Episcopal Church in Dumfries (1937-44).  Gordon Cameron died in 1989.

Gordon Cameron published two sets of hymn-tune preludes. The first was Six Preludes on hymn-tunes for organ (Novello, 1942) including ‘Rockingham’, ‘Tune by Orlando Gibbons’ [Song 13], ‘Windsor’, ‘Martyrdom’, ‘Cape Town’ and ‘Bristol’, followed by Four Preludes on Hymn Tunes (Novello, 1948): ‘St Columba’, ‘Strathcaro’, ‘Franconia’ and ‘Quam dilecta.’

Ian Hare has performed Gordon Cameron’s Fantasia on St Denis (‘Immortal, Invisible’) which was published by Novello in 1945. The CD liner notes point out that this Fantasia was dedicated to Lieut. Colonel George Dixon (1870-1950) – possibly of the Border Regiment (1914) - who had considerable influence on the design of the organ at St Bees Priory and several other Cumberland instruments. 

The Fantasia is an accomplished work that explores the tune of ‘St Deniol’, with considerable subtlety. The tune, somewhat varied, is usually heard on a reed stop although it is often subsumed by the complex figuration of the accompaniment. This is a piece that would make an ideal recessional at a wedding or ‘big service.’ 

The Fantasia is played on the fine three-manual organ in St Peter’s (Roman Catholic) Cathedral in Lancaster. This instrument, commissioned in 1889, was originally by Henry Ainscough of Preston. After additional work by Ainscough in 1956 and some modernisation and a new console by Pendelbury of Cleveleys in 1976, it was rebuilt by Willis during 2008-9.

Other instruments used on this CD include St. Patrick’s Patterdale, Crosthwaite Church, Keswick and St. Oswald's Church, Grasmere as well as Lancaster Cathedral. Music includes works by Handel, J H Reginald Dixon, Dr F W Wadely, Adrian Self, Arthur Somervell, Ian Hare and the complete Six Sketches by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs.

With grateful thanks to Frikki Walker and Pam Barrowman at St Mary’s Cathedral and Stuart A. Harris-Logan, Archives Officer at the The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for their valuable assistance.  

With thanks to the Glasgow Society of Organists Journal where this essay was first published in 2017.

It's not British, but...Pelléas and Mélisande: Schoenberg and Fauré

The listener needs to know that both these great works are predicated on Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck’s (1862-1949) five act play, Pelléas et Mélisande. This was completed in 1892 and was premiered the following year. I understand that it is regarded as a highlight of French Symbolist drama. This genre became popular in the late 19th century. It put an emphasis on atmosphere, feeling, and the numinous, using poetic language and abstract settings to explore themes of spirituality, dreams, and the subconscious.

The “plot” involves a love triangle between the three main characters: Pelléas, Mélisande, and a certain Golaud, who is Mélisande’s husband and Pelléas’s half-brother. The backdrop to the action is an imaginary country, during medieval times. Reviewers of the play have explained that Maeterlinck emphasises atmosphere over plot, by creating a “dreamlike fairy tale about the terrifying power of love.”

Over the years, composers have been inspired by the play, including incidental music by Jean Sibelius and the operatic masterpiece by Claude Debussy.

The two works on this disc are hugely different. Gabriel Fauré’s op.80 was originally incidental music for a London performance of the play in 1898 whilst Schoeneberg’s op.5 was a tone-poem written in a full-blown late-Romantic style.

Originally, there were twenty separate numbers of stage music, which Fauré had devised in under a month. His pupil Charles Koechlin produced the orchestral score in time for the play’s London premiere. Three years later, Fauré gathered up various fragments to create the Suite. There were originally three movements: Prélude, Fileuse, and La mort de Mélisande, with the famous Sicilienne being added some years later. This latter piece was originally part of an “uncompleted stage music project.”

The Prélude sets a serious tone, while Fileuse portrays Mélisande’s spinning wheel, creating a filigree of movement. The Sicilienne depicts the lovers’ short-lived happiness: it has a charming melody which is justifiably popular. Finally, La mort de Mélisande leaves the listener in a sad, but thoughtful mood. Overall, Fauré has captured the story’s “mysterious, enchanted, cryptic” tempers. This is aided by sophisticated orchestration and a rich harmonic palette.

I discovered Arnold Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, op.5 (1902) several years after having been introduced to his atonal and dodecaphonic music. And it came as a major surprise. Here was a strong, romantic sounding tone poem that sounded more Wagnerian or Straussian than the expressionist sound world of Pierrot Lunaire, the string quartets, or piano pieces with which I was familiar.

Richard Strauss had suggested to the 27-year-old Schoenberg that he should write a work based on Maeterlinck’s play. This was to have been an opera, but finally he decided to craft a tone poem.

The critic Harry Neville summed up the creative process (Sleeve Note Angel 36509): “Unlike the incidental music of Fauré and Sibelius, Schoenberg’s Pelleas is no mere delineation of character and atmosphere; in it the composer attempts not only to narrate musically the action of the drama, but to depict the psychological implications as well – all within the confines of a vast sonata form.”

Pelleas und Melisande is long, lasting for more than forty minutes. It is conceived as a single movement divided up into eleven interrelated sections. Schoenberg wrote that “Aside from a few omissions and minor alterations in the sequence of scenes…I tried to reflect every detail…”  In fact, it is customary to analyse it as a “symphony” rather than a “symphonic poem.” Alban Berg has suggested that “in the four principal sections of this work we can even identify clearly the four movements of a symphony.” The initial sonata form is followed by a scherzo, a slow movement, and a rondo-like finale, that recaps much that has gone before.

The progress of the tone poem is constructed from leitmotifs and themes associated with the individual characters in the play. Also represented by musical tropes are the various external forces at play: jealousy, fate, death, and love. These are often superimposed on each other, with deft contrapuntal skill. Berg categorized twenty themes. Also, instrumental colouring is used to identify the characters – Pelleas, trumpet; Golaud, horn; and Melisande, cor anglais.

The work was completed in 1903 and was premiered at the Musikverein in Vienna on 26 January 1905. This caused great consternation amongst the audience and the critics.

For the listener unacquainted with Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, the stylistic markers are Wagner and Strauss, with hints of Mahler and Brahms. Yet, this is not a pastiche, but a glorious synthesis of the received musical language of the late nineteenth century.

The playing by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi is faultless, the recording is ideal. The booklet with notes by Adam Gellen is essential reading: it is printed in German, English and French.

This CD presents two wonderfully contrasting explorations of Maurice Maeterlinck’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Both are a pleasure to listen to.

Track Listing

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Pelleas und Melisande, op.5 (1902)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Pelléas et Mélisande, op.80 (1898/1901)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi
rec. October 2012, Alte Oper, Frankfurt (Schoenberg), January 2016 HR Sendesaal, Frankfurt (Fauré)
Alpha Classics Alpha 1058

 

 

Frank Bridge: Cherry Ripe for orchestra (1916)

Frank Bridge’s Cherry Ripe is a delightful piece that forms the second of his Two Old English Songs for string quartet, completed on 30 May 1916. This work, alongside Sally in Our Alley, displays his ability to blend traditional folk melodies with his own unique compositional style. Cherry Ripe is based on a popular English folk tune, and Bridge’s arrangement captures its pastoral and nostalgic qualities. Interestingly, he did not use folksong very often. The only other obvious example apart from these is Roger de Coverley.

Cherry Ripe is characterized by its lyrical melodies and rich harmonies, which evoke a sense of simplicity and elegance. Bridge’s use of the string quartet format allows for intricate interplay between the instruments, creating a delicate and intimate soundscape. This has been replicated in the orchestral transcription.

Paul Hindmarsh (2016, p.141) explains that “Cherry Ripe is a miniature technical tour-de-force. The bustling opening gives no hint of the tune, and this eventually eases in unannounced, emerging out of the contrapuntal texture as the second subject. There is a touch of class in the way Bridge towards the end combines his own energetic subject with the more sustained phrases of the traditional melody.”

On the afternoon of 17 June 1916, the London String Quartet premiered the chamber version of the Two Old English Songs at the Aeolian Hall. The orchestral transcription, enhanced with an added bass part, had its debut at a Queen’s Hall Promenade Concert on 26 September 1916, conducted by Henry Wood.

Leonard Rees (The Sunday Times, 1 October 1916, p.4) noted “that [there] was a quasi-novelty on Tuesday night when Mr Frank Bridge’s skilful and genial arrangement of Sally in our alley and Cherry Ripe for string orchestra was given for the first time under the composer’s direction.”

Sadly, the critic of the Westminster Gazette, (27 September 1916, p.9) was unimpressed – “If, therefore, there was not an overflowing audience last night, it was really not very surprising—for it is to be feared that the "first performance "of Mr. Frank Bridge's perversions of Sally in Our Alley and Cherry Ripe were hardly compensation, in the opinion of most, for the absence of works more famous.”

For me, Cherry Ripe remains a good example of early 20th-century English music, highlighting Bridge’s talent for crafting beautiful and evocative arrangements.

Listen to the orchestral version of Frank Bridge’s Cherry Ripe on YouTube, here. The English Northern Philharmonia is conducted by David Lloyd-Jones.

Bibliography
Hindmarsh, Paul, Frank Bridge (1879-1941) The Complete Works, PHM Publishing, 2016. eBook.

Select Discography

1. Bridge, Frank, Cherry Ripe, with Enter Spring, The Sea, Lament and Summer, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Sir Charles Groves EMI 566855-2 (1998) (original LP release: EMI ASD 3190) (1976)
2. Bridge, Frank, Cherry Ripe, with Threads: 2 Intermezzi, Suite for Strings, Sally in Our Alley, Rosemary, Canzonetta, Valse Intermezzo à Cordes, Sir Roger de Coverley, Todessehnsucht {after J.S. Bach}, The Hag and Two Songs of Robert Bridges), BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Richard Hickox, CHANDOS CHAN 10246 (2004)
3. Bridge, Frank, Cherry Ripe, with Sir Roger de Coverley, Sally in our Alley, Vaughan Williams: Charterhouse Suite, Haydn Wood: Fantasy-Concerto, Ireland: The Holy Boy, Delius: Air and Dance, Elgar: Sospiri, Warlock: Serenade, G. Bush: Consort Music), English Northern Philharmonia/David Lloyd-Jones NAXOS 8.555068 (2001) 

With thanks to Paul Hindmarsh for permission to use the musical example.

Thomas Pitfield: His Friends and Contemporaries

The advertising brief for this new CD from Divine Art states that this album “pays homage to the multifaceted talent of Thomas Baron Pitfield (1903-1999). Pitfield was not just a composer; he embodied the essence of a Renaissance man, excelling in various fields including teaching, visual arts, poetry, writing, furniture making, and ornithology.” Of huge importance was his impact on his musical colleagues. Here is a wide selection of works by Pitfield and his peers, friends, and students.

The four movement Divertimento, for oboe and string trio was dedicated to Leon Goossens who celebrated his 70^th birthday during 1967. Pitfield headed the score with a few poetic lines, beginning, “He pipes his pastoral way...” These five words sum up the impression of this delightful tribute. After a brief, airy Toccatina, the Pastorale unsurprisingly presents a folksong-like melody. This is followed by a well-crafted, introspective Intermezzo, before concluding with a rondo featuring a “chattering” tune with several reflective byways. It is a long work, lasting for eighteen minutes. It delights the listener with its evocation of the North Country landscape.

John Joubert’s Remember: Scena for soprano, recorder and string quartet, op. 184 (2018) was one of his final compositions. It was dedicated to the recorderist, John Turner. The text is taken from Christina Rossetti’s heart-breaking sonnet, Remember, which explores themes of love, death, and memory. This intense setting emphasizes the poet’s desire that the beloved should remember her without sadness.

The highlight (for me) of this first CD is E.J. Moeran’s Fantasy Quartet, for oboe and string trio. The liner notes explain that Pitfield knew Moeran well. The Fantasy was devised for Leon Goossens, who gave the premiere performance on 8 December 1946. It should be recalled that at this time, Moeran was struggling with alcoholism as well as marriage problems with Peers Coetmore. Yet, these issues barely trouble the progress of this mature and deeply felt piece. It was summed up by the reviewer of the premiere (The Times, 10 December 1946, p.6) who noted that it was “almost inevitably pastoral in its general character” and “somehow conveyed the feeling of sunshine over rural England.”

Ernst Hermann Meyer’s Now, Voyager: Ode for voice and string quartet was completed in 1946. It is a haunting exploration of Walt Whitmans’ poem Now finalè to the shore. This text encourages the reader to embark on new adventures, suggesting that there is much still to be discovered and experienced. The words can be seen as being a metaphor for the transition between life and death. Although contemporaries, Meyer and Pitfield never actually met. Both men were Socialists, although Meyer was a card-carrying communist who would find fulfilment after the Second World War in East Germany.

The final work on CD 1 is the charming Three Nautical Sketches (1982) for recorder and string quartet. Originally devised for recorder and piano, the present arrangement was made in 2003 by Pitfield’s onetime pupil, the late John McCabe. The three movements explore a “quodlibet” (often a light-hearted combination of tunes) on the sea shanties The Three Mariners and Donkey Riding. The slow movement is a moving reflection on Tom Bowling, whilst the finale majors on a rumbustious take on The Keel Row. There is also a version for recorder and string orchestra. (Naxos 8.572503). Any of these incarnations would make a great piece for the concert hall or recital room.

The second CD opens with Robin Walker’s Parrottry for recorder and string quartet, completed in 2006. The title is a play on words between the dictionary definition of Parrotry (one ‘t’) as being “servile imitation and repetition” and the composer Ian Parrott (1916-2012) whose ninetieth birthday was celebrated in this commission. Certainly, the progress of the music calls for repetition, but never “servile.” Walker asks “How much repetition is too much? Literal repetition rapidly wears thin (vide Minimalism), but varied repetition is the essence of extended symphonic composition. The instruments play out a mixture of the two until - to avoid things getting out of hand, and the likely onset of parrotry – it is time, as it were, to place a cloth over the parrot's cage.” It is fun, and I am sure Ian Parrott must have appreciated it, with no imputation concerning his musical achievement!

The liner notes explain that Jeremy Pike’s Spring for recorder and quartet was written to celebrate the eightieth birthday of John Turner during 2023. Pike explains that “the letters contained in John’s name are used to create a theme that reflects the various sounds of the season. The music alludes to the conflicting emotions stirred in the months of March and April.” The only musical note in JT’s name is ‘E,’ but perhaps there was a scheme…? Altogether a dark offering, rather than an explosion of vernal fecundity.

My comments on the songs for soprano solo and recorder are given together. Firstly, the Three Short Songs by friends of Pitfield, for soprano and recorder. First up, is a lively Yeats setting, by Nicolas Marshall, To a Child Dancing in the Wind. This is followed by Anthony Gilbert’s lugubrious realisation of his own text, A breath for Life. Finally, John Turner has contributed a song to words by William Blake, Spring. Stuart Scott’s Three Blake Songs for recorder and soprano include: Ah, Sunflower, The Lilly, and Infant Joy. For me, the tessitura of the two soloists tends to be too piercing and overbearing in most of these songs.

Richard Pantcheff’s Spring Suite, for recorder and string quartet was written in 2022 for John Turner. It is an attractive collection of baroque dances reimagined in a contemporary, but not unapproachable, musical language. The four contrasting movements include, a Bourrée, a Siciliano, an Air, a Minuet, and a concluding Gigue.

Seasons of Mist for recorder and string quintet (2021) by Geoffrey Poole’s was conceived during the Covid pandemic. It was designed to reflect “poets from Basho to Keats [who] have dwelt on the peculiar beauties of Autumn.” There are three contrasting movements. November Dawn is restrained and impressionistic, and the Bonfire Night is a vibrant scherzo, complete with musical onomatopoeia, of bursting rockets and Catherine wheel. The work concludes with a meditation on Autumn Leaves, echoing the transience of life, rather than portraying a blustery day.

Two more songs follow. The Carol Lullaby for soprano recorder and harp is gentle and sentimentally religious. Both text and music are by Pitfield. The second number Lullaby (TBP [Thomas Baron Pitfield] his goodnight) is by Gordon Crosse and uses the same forces. The liner notes explain that this piece began life as part of the incidental music for Michael Elliott’s Manchester Royal Exchange production of the Greek tragedy Philoctetes, by Sophocles. It was revised as a contribution to Thomas Pitfield’s eightieth birthday album, published by Forsyth’s of Manchester. It is an astringent, rather than soothing, berceuse.

Christopher Cotton’s Overture for St. Paul’s, (possibly 2018), for recorder, oboe and string quartet was composed for the launch of the Stockport Heatons concert series ‘Music on the Moor.’ The liner notes are shy on explaining which St Paul’s is referenced in the title: it is in fact St Paul’s Church, in Heaton Mersey, Stockport. This is a wistful little work that seems timeless in its evocation of baroque mannerisms and more up-to-date echoes. It is perfectly scored with the two wind instruments in equilibrium.

This CD features magnificent performances from all the artists, a splendid recording, and an informative booklet. The cover features the evocative water colour "Weaver Bridge at Church Minshull, Cheshire, from the garden of Weaver Cottage.” It is a remarkable sample of Pitfield’s accomplishment as a visual artist.

This two-disc set is a rewarding exploration of music by Thomas Pitfield, his contemporaries, and friends.

Track Listing:
CD1
Thomas Pitfield (1903-1999)
Divertimento, for oboe and string trio (1966/67)

Richard Simpson (oboe), Benedict Holland (violin), Heather Wallington (viola), Jennifer

Langridge (cello)

John Joubert (1927-2019)
Remember: Scena for soprano, recorder and string quartet, op. 184 (2018)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), John Turner (recorder), Victoria String Quartet
E. J. Moeran (1894-1950)
Fantasy Quartet, for oboe and string trio (1946)
Richard Simpson (oboe), Benedict Holland (violin), Heather Wallington (viola), Jennifer
Langridge (cello)
Ernst Hermann Meyer (1905-1988)
Now, Voyager: Ode for voice and string quartet (1946)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), Victoria String Quartet
Thomas Pitfield, arr. John McCabe (1939-2015)
Three Nautical Sketches, for recorder and string quartet (1982, arr. 2003)
John Turner (recorder), Victoria String Quartet
CD2
Robin Walker (b.1953)
Parrottry, for recorder and string quartet (2006)
John Turner (recorder), Victoria String Quartet
Jeremy Pike (b. 1955)
Spring, for recorder, harp, and string quartet (2023)
John Turner (recorder), Lauren Scott (harp), Victoria String Quartet
Nicholas Marshall (b.1942)
To a Child Dancing in the Wind (words by W. B. Yeats) (2023)
Anthony Gilbert (1934-2023)
A Breath for Life (words by “Anthonymus 2023”) (2023)
John Turner (b.1943)
Spring (words by William Blake) (1968, rev.2023)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), John Turner (recorder)
Richard Pantcheff (b.1959)
Spring Suite, for recorder and string quartet (2022)
John Turner (recorder), Victoria String Quartet
Stuart Scott (b.1949)
Three Blake Songs (?)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), John Turner (recorder)
Geoffrey Poole (b.1949)
Seasons of Mist, for recorder and string quintet (2021)
John Turner (recorder), Victoria String Quartet, Alex Jones (double bass)
Thomas Pitfield
Carol Lullaby, for soprano, recorder, and harp (undated)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), John Turner (recorder), Lauren Scott (harp)
Gordon Crosse (1937-2021)
Lullaby (TBP his goodnight), for soprano, recorder, and violin (c.1982)
Lesley-Jane Rogers (soprano), John Turner (recorder), Benedict Holland (violin)
Christopher Cotton (b.1947)
Overture for St. Paul’s, for recorder, oboe, and string quartet (?2018)
John Turner (recorder), Richard Simpson (oboe), Victoria String Quartet
rec. 22/23 June and 11 October 2023, St. Paul's Church, Heaton Moor, Stockport. 

Divine Art DDX 21246