It was on the former P&O liner Oriana that I discovered Bruce Montgomery. In fact, it was quite a coincidence, with three strands coming together at once. Let me explain. The cruise's first ‘leg’ was the long but relaxing journey from Southampton to Barcelona. I spent most of the time eating, reading, swimming in the Riviera pool, and listening to a carefully chosen play list on my iPod. An annoying habit I developed was whistling the ‘hornpipe’ as I walked round the promenade deck. But not just any ‘hornpipe’ – it was the catchy version used in that comedy classic - at least I think so - Carry on Cruising. I could talk for hours about this film. There are so many ‘classic’ lines – "I’ve been up to the sharp end; I’ve been to the blunt end…" "Italy has nothing to offer me I cannot get here (the bar!) – break out the Chianti …" etc. etc.
Recently, I had been reading an article about detective novels in general and so-called ‘locked room’ mysteries. One of the texts mentioned was a book called The Moving Toyshop by an author called Edmund Crispin. This was part of my holiday reading. And last, but not least, I listened to a certain Concertino for String Orchestra. It was not part of my plan to make connections – but I did. I soon realised that all three of the above indulgences were written or composed by a remarkable, if melancholic man called Bruce Montgomery. So, the opportunity to review this masterly book by David Whittle was a most welcome, educational, and thoroughly enjoyable opportunity.
I imagine that few folks will have heard of Bruce Montgomery, yet there will be hardly a person in the United Kingdom who is not acquainted with at least half a dozen of his film scores. I have already alluded to Carry on Cruising – add to this Constable, Nurse, Regardless, Sergeant and Teacher. I can only presume that most people (of a certain age) must respond to at least one of these classic excursions into camp British comedy. But it was not just music for the Carry On films: he provided scores for the equally enjoyable Doctor movies starring the redoubtable Dirk Bogarde, Leslie Phillips, and James Robertson Justice. How often do we look for the composer’s name in the credits of a film? I guess rarely.
Bruce Montgomery was born in Chesham Bois in 1921. He had a good education both locally and at St John’s College, Oxford. He studied modern languages and subsequently filled the vacant post of organ scholar there – the incumbent had gone off to fight Hitler. Montgomery was inspired to write his first detective novel after reading a book by one of the mid-century doyens of that genre, John Dickson Carr. He finished The Case of the Gilded Fly in an unbelievably brief time, and it was equally speedily published by Victor Gollancz in 1944. It was the first foray of the detective/don Gervase Fen into the criminal complexities of Oxford. Fen, a professor of English Language, was to feature in most of Montgomery’s subsequent crime writings. The detective novels were all authored using the pseudonym of Edmund Crispin.
It is surprising that nowhere in this book does Whittle suggest that Gervase Fen may have had a profound influence on Colin Dexter and his ‘scholarly policeman’ Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse.
Concurrently with his authoring, Montgomery was keen to follow a musical career. His early works were small scale piano pieces and anthems. His magnum opus is An Oxford Requiem which was commissioned by the Oxford Bach Choir to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951. Whittle quotes The Times critic as thinking that this is “Montgomery’s most considerable achievement to date; it confirms the suspicion that he is a composer with something of real significance to say." According to Whittle’s evidence and the contemporary assessments, a recording is long overdue.
It is clear from reading the musical analyses in this book that Bruce Montgomery was not a major ‘concert hall’ composer. He had twenty-four pieces published – most of which was choral or vocal music. However, two key works stand out for me – the above-mentioned Concertino (an overly modest title) and the Overture to a Fairy Tale. In addition, there are the attractive Scottish Aubade and the Scottish Lullaby – both adaptations of film scores. These would be a feather in the cap of anyone. They are interesting, well-wrought and full of character. In fact, apart from the film scores, they represent everything that is recorded and easily available on CD.
When Bruce Montgomery turned his hand to the lucrative business of film music, his career really took off. In total, he provided the scores for some forty odd films of greater or lesser importance. His biggest achievement was in producing both the score and the screenplay for Raising the Wind – a humorous story about music students. Whittle tells the tale that Kenneth Williams and Leslie Phillips were coached by him on how to conduct Rossini’s William Tell Overture. Montgomery himself had a cameo role in this film.
Alas, Montgomery had a propensity to fail to meet the strict deadlines that the film producers imposed. This came to a head when the score for Carry on Cruising had to be completed by Eric Rogers. The years after Carry On Cruising marked a decline in his fortunes. Poor health and alcoholism led to long stays in clinics, minimal work, and financial insecurity. He spent the last fifteen years of his life contributing reviews to The Times, editing collections of Science Fiction stories and finishing his ninth and last novel, The Glimpses of the Moon. Bruce Montgomery died on 15 September 1978.
The story presented in these pages is not really one of poor to rich or vice versa. It is a survey of a man who struggled with several problems – some of his own making and others that were just part of his lot. Montgomery had his moments of fame in the first four decades of his life. The last sixteen or so years seemed to many of his friends to be a let-down, yet Whittle rightly insists that it must "not be allowed to obscure the achievements of his earlier years."
I read the analysis of the novel, The Moving Toyshop. There is much useful and helpful information here that increased my understanding of the book. Yet I wonder if there are ‘plot spoilers’ lurking around here if I had not already read the novel. I avoided perusing the detailed studies of the other books and short stories: I do want to read these stories and I do not want to have the plot revealed or even hinted at. I recall an edition of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles where the culprit was named and shamed in the introduction!
The study of the musical compositions is impressive. The important pieces are all treated to two or three or more pages of close written text. For example, the fine Concertino for Strings has five pages of detailed discussion and nine helpful musical examples. It is really a model for discussing an unknown work and raising the awareness of the listener.
The author discovers significance in examining Montgomery’s relationship with ‘famous men.’ I did not know for example that he was close friends with Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis. These two men encouraged Montgomery when he was sliding into the unproductive phase of his career.
The present volume feels good, although I guess a ‘glossy’ cover may just have improved the first impression. There are photographs and dozens of musical examples. Whittle has quoted extensively from the letters of Larkin, Amis, and other key players in the Montgomery story. Separate appendices provide considerable essays on Detective Fiction and Film Music. There is a list of works – both literary and musical and a brief (necessarily so) discography. A short bibliography concludes the documentation.
David Whittle has been involved with music from an early age. He was Head Chorister at Peterborough Cathedral and studied music at Nottingham University. At present, (2007) he is Director of Music at Leicester Grammar School. Whittle regularly gives organ recitals and is also interested in performing ‘big band’ music. Yet another facet of his musical interest is the harp: he plays with an Irish folk music group in the school. The author enjoys British Music of the 20th century and has an interest in an earlier age in the 16th century which goes with the territory of spending much time in the organ loft. He is interested in detection fiction – he has contributed to the Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing. The author told me that he is minded to pen a detective story of his own.
Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life in Music and Books is a fine volume. It is extensively researched and is written in an approachable style. However, it is a scholarly book and will have a limited market. Notwithstanding, this market will reach out in quite a few directions – including students of film and classical music, detective fiction, Philip Larkin, and Kingsley Amis.
Ashgate 2007 £60 314pp
ISBN-13: 978-0-7546-3443-0
ISBN-10: 0-7546-3443-4
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