Lost British Piano Works: Part 1

Any reader of my blog will know that I am fascinated by obscure British piano music. Do not get me wrong I love the standard (at least from the British music enthusiast’s perspective) repertoire. The piano works of John Ireland, Arnold Bax, Cyril Scott and Frank Bridge are all safely uploaded to my iPod ready for instant access. However, from a personal point of view most of the pieces by the four above named composers are beyond my Grade 6½ standard. So I tend to look to simpler pieces.  To this end, I love Alec Rowley, Thomas Dunhill, Felix Swinstead and Harry Farjeon.  However, let it be sad that not all their works are easy.

I recently bought a couple of short pieces by a composer called Geoffrey Robbins – Two Preludes for Piano.  They are just about in my gift. The first is The Lavender Path, which is a short ‘allegretto’, has some interesting harmonies and possibly a few too many octaves for its own good.  The second is Trees on the ill which is slightly more complex but well worth practising.  Once again, the composer likes octaves. Btu what struck me most about these pieces were the listings of ‘forgotten’ piano music by often forgotten composers on the back cover.  Simply by reading their titles, I want to hear and possibly play them. Someone once said that lists are good for blog – so here goes with part one. The second part will follow in a few days. Meanwhile I will try to find out a wee bit more about Mr Robbins and his music.

William McLean

By Killarney

In Andalusia

In the Moonlight

Jessamine

Joy – Valsette

Margery Moore

The Merry Mid-Shipman

Herbert Murrill

Two Impromptus

Geoffrey Shaw

What Grandpa Plays – The Pony Gallops, Mrs Duck, The Shepherd to his lambs, The Brave Tin Soldier & Grandfather Clock

Arthur Somervell

What you will

Frederick J Staton

Romp on the Sands

Freda Swain

The Mountain Ash

Colin Taylor

Barren Woods

Beside the Idle summer Sea

Pantomime

The Haven of Piece

Touch-Last

Two Preludes: Retrospect & Gossamer

Alec Templeton

At the Garden Gate

Concert Waltz

Flight

Idyll Caprice

The Trout Stream

To What Place?

Kathleen Tittle

Moon Magic

Ernest Walker

A West African Fantasietta

Richard H. Walthew

The Scholar and the Day Off

Joseph Wardale

The Toy Box: The Clown, Hippo, The Fort, The Dancing Bear, The Sailing Boat & The Flying Scotsman

The Toy Cupboard

Mickey Mouse, Dismal Desmond, Jumbo, Japanese Doll, Peter Rabbit & Monkey-up-the-stick.

Although as a principle, I always try to put a title into its ‘sitz in leben’: what may be rather funny today could have been quite serious back in 1935.  However, there are a few deliciously camp titles amongst these pieces.  One wonders what the Merry Mid-Shipman got up to? And what about the Romp on the Sands? Finally, I am glad I never had a toy called Dismal Desmond.