Arnold Bax (1883-1953): Overture to a Picaresque Comedy (1930)

Arnold Bax wrote that “As an overture, this piece does not pretend to be the prelude of any particular play. It is simply a piece of music associated with some such character as D’Artagnan or Casanova. The listener may make [their] own choice in the matter.”

The word ‘picaresque’ can be construed as style of literature (and by transference music) that takes as its subject matter the “picaroons” or “rogues” who were especially popular in seventeenth century Spain. Lewis Foreman (liner notes, Chandos CHAN 8494) has explained that many other characters from the pages of Fielding, Smollett or Beaumarchais would fit the bill. Equally, one can imagine the piece as a musical picture of Falstaff. 

The Overture to a Picaresque Comedy was completed at Morar, in the West Highlands of Scotland on 19 October 1930. Graham Parlett (A Catalogue of the Works of Sir Arnold Bax (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999) has noted that “Bax is said to have produced this overture after being challenged by someone to wrote a piece in the style of Richard Strauss.” Interestingly, the composer’s “friend” Mary Gleaves was with him at Morar whilst he was orchestrating the work. Bax described it to her as “high jinks.” It is, in fact, an English Till Eulenspiegel.

A contemporary programme note by D. Millar Craig explains: "Over an accompaniment of reiterated chords, the violins in octaves dash in at once with a gay and impudent theme, mirth-provoking in its sense of infectious gaiety. It is vigorously set forth and for a moment lower woodwinds and brasses have a gentler form of it, and then another theme appears on bassoon and string basses with a vigorous staccato figure in the upper strings. Singly and together, and with other shorter figures thrown in from time to time, these two form the opening section, and then a little passage for lower woodwinds leads us to a molto moderato with a broadly impressive theme for English horn, horns and flute. It is carried on by the first violins and proves to be the prelude to a section in waltz measure with the theme given first to English horns and 'cellos. The violins and celesta break in alone for a moment, and then there is an emphatic trumpet solo before we reach an allegro commodo in which the earlier subjects return. They are elaborated with constantly changing interest and variety, and the gaiety of the music here is unmistakable. There are moments of rough strength and of sparkling buoyancy, and then a rushing figure which begins on the basses and mounts upwards, leads back to the waltz measure, more forcibly than at first. It is again that rushing upward figure which heralds the boisterous close of the Overture."

In the printed score the Overture was dedicated to the conductor Sir Hamilton Harty. Harty gave the premiere performance on 19 November 1931 at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester. It was so successful that it was repeated at the same venue on 10 December of that year.

Mr. Ferruccio Bonavia, the London correspondent of the New York Times, describing the first performance wrote "Bax has been identified with tragic and somewhat gloomy subjects. The new overture shows a change of heart - or perhaps an aspect of the composer's talent the existence of which was unsuspected. He can unbend and be quite gracious in his chamber music. But this orchestral work has a spirit that is not only lively, but positively impertinent; thoroughly in keeping with picaresque nature. It shows the stuff from which great comedies in music are made." Mr. Bonavia concluded, "The modern public is most grateful to a composer who can be direct and does not need to preface a page of music with a volume of explanation."

At least five recordings of Arnold Bax’s Overture to a Picaresque Comedy have been issued. The earliest was released by Hamilton Harty in 1935. A superb ‘modern’ version is that made by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bryden Thomson on Chandos (CHAN 8494) in 1987. Equally satisfying is David Lloyd Jones and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on Naxos 8.555343 released in 2002.

Arnold Bax’s Overture to a Picaresque Comedy has been uploaded to YouTube.