Doreen Carwithen: Suffolk Suite (1964)

The other day, Classic fM played the second movement from Doreen Carwithen’s (1922-2003) Suffolk Suite. “Orford Ness” is one of four evocative movements. The work has its origins in her film score for the British Transport Film East Anglian Holiday (1954). I have discussed this documentary in these pages. In 1962, Carwithen responded to a request from the Music Master of Framlingham College, in Suffolk. This was close to Blythburgh where she was at that time living with her husband, the composer William Alwyn. The work was required for a concert given to celebrate the opening of the school’s new concert hall. Royalty was to be in attendance. The Suite was designed with the musical capabilities of the school orchestra in mind. 

The Suffolk Suite was the first orchestral piece that Carwithen had produced since Bishop Rock (1952). Her most recent major work was the film score for Break the Circle (1955) starring Marius Goring, Eva Bartok and Forrest Tucker. By 1961, Carwithen was spending most of her time working as an amanuensis and secretary to her husband. Apart from Six Little Pieces for cello, the Suffolk Suite was her final major composition. That said, shortly before her death, she was working on a Third String Quartet. Only sketches remain.

Dorreen Carwithen has provided descriptive notes for each movement of her Suffolk Suite:

I The Prelude begins with a trumpet fanfare which is followed by a stately tune on the strings, befitting a royal occasion.

II Orford Ness - a peaceful, rocking movement, reminding listeners of the yachts at anchor, accompanies the tune, played first on the solo flute, then on the strings, the oboe and finally the clarinet.

III Suffolk Morris. The dancers, wearing traditional costumes decorated with ribbons and bells, begin a lively dance in 6/8 rhythm A brief, slower section (a long tune on solo woodwind accompanied by chords on the harp) allows them to get their breath back before the side drum sounds the dance rhythm and off they go again, through the market square and down the High Street.

IV March: Framlingham Castle. The brass introduce a stirring march, summoning picture of the moated ruins of this superb, Norman castle, which still dominates the town and surrounding countryside.
(MusicWeb International The William Alwyn Society pages).

Little else needs to be said. Carwithen has reimagined music from the 1954 film score. It has been elaborated and fitted into the formal scheme of a Suite. There is nothing challenging here. Just lovely imaginative and evocative music. It would be easy to categorise this score as “light music.” Certainly, it will appeal to listeners who enjoy tuneful music that is well written and approachable on a first hearing. But here and there something deeper emerges. This is especially so in the haunting “Orford Ness”. This is a miniature tone poem that perfectly matches the redolent mood of the landscape. Of interest here is the element of “deeper waters” that she introduces into the middle section before the water lapping the hulls of the yachts returns. Equally poignant is the ‘trio’ section of the third movement “Suffolk Morris”. The short “Framlingham Castle March” is just a little too short. Reminding listeners of many examples of English composer’s marches, it just does not quite deliver with its ‘big tune.’ The opening movement, the Prelude, to a large extent makes up for this. After a fanfare, the big tune does emerge. As Carwithen writes, it befits a Royal Occasion.

There are two recordings of the Suffolk Suite available. In 1997 Chandos Records released a retrospective CD of Carwithen’ music (CHAN 9524, rereleased in 2006 on CHAN 10365X). This included the Overture ODTAA (One Damn Thing After Another) (1945), the Concerto for piano and strings (1948), the dramatic Overture: Bishops’ Rock (1952) and the present Suffolk Suite. All four pieces were Premiere Performances. The London Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Richard Hickox and the piano soloist was Howard Shelley.  Edward Greenfield, reviewing this CD for The Gramophone (May 1997, p.56f) was impressed by the entire disc, both for content and performance. Turning to the Suffolk Suite, he considered that “the wonder of this delightful, unpretentious little Suffolk Suite is that though this is music written for schoolchildren to play, you would hardly guess that from the richness of the scoring.” It is certainly no cinch to play.

Scott Morrison (MusicWeb International July 1997) has noted that “one does not sense any 'writing down' here. The music is, however, somewhat more conventionally organized and harmonized than [her other concert music]. Lovely tunes abound and the Morris dance is particularly infectious.”

Guy Rickards (Tempo October 1999, p.59) writes that “The Suffolk Suite is light (but not slight) music, written to order for a school orchestra, full of good tunes and sounding grateful to play but not of the same order as, say, Thea Musgrave's The Seasons (on Cala CACD 1023). Shelley, Hickox and the LSO put not a foot wrong.”

Women Write Music was released in 1999 on the ATMA label (ACD 2 2199). This CD featured music by Elizabeth Maconchy, Jean Coulthard, Nicola LeFanu and others. The Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by David Snell. Guy Rickards (Tempo, April 2001, p.52) notes that Carwithen’s “Suffolk Suite…seems bluff and obvious; it is also not really weighty enough to conclude the disc. Its performance by the Foundation Orchestra under David Snell does not rival that by Hickox & the LSO; indeed, it seems a touch lame - which is credit to Hickox.” I have not heard this recording.

Fascinating details of the Framlingham College concert to follow in the next post. 

Doreen Carwithen’s Suffolk Suite (Hickox) has been uploaded to YouTube. (Accessed 13 May 2021)