Arnold Bax: Romantic Overture (1926) Part 1

In the July 1966 edition of Musical Opinion, Lewis Foreman examined the ‘Unperformed works of Sir Arnold Bax.’ Amongst many pieces discussed, was the Romantic Overture. Foreman noted that this was one of several smaller orchestral works “dating from the period between the wars [which] have been almost totally neglected.” Others in this category included Summer Music, the Rogue’s Comedy Overture and Cortège. At present, even with an expanded appreciation of Bax’s music that has developed over the past 55 years, these works are hardly well known: they are rarely performed and feature on only one or two recordings.

Genesis & Composition
Anecdotally, music historians (in rare discussions of the work) have understood that the genesis of the Romantic Overture was the result of a short visit that Bax made during April 1926 to Frederick Delius in Grez-sur-Loing. The exact date of this visit in unclear. Incidentally, en route to Grez, Arnold Bax had met his lover, the pianist Harriet Cohen, in Paris: she was returning from treatment for TB in Geneva. (Foreman, 1983/2007)

Later, in an undated letter to Cohen (Foreman, op.cit.) written from Delius’ home, Bax wrote: “This is an old house – sixteenth century - and last night in the dimness of candles and somewhat feeble lamp light seemed rather eerie...” Bax had been left alone in the “shadowy music room.” Earlier, he had admired “the neglected and overgrown garden” where “spring is marvellous...” and had enjoyed ‘the river [which] flows at the bottom of it and bluebells, pansies, wallflower and apple-blossom riot in the pouring sunlight.” It has been assumed that this inspired the Romantic Overture.

Following detailed research by Graham Parlett, the “received” origin of the work has been modified considerably. The first indication that Bax was working on the Overture is presented in a letter to Harriet Cohen (15 March 1926). He wrote: “I can’t get on with my choral thing [Walsinghame] at all - so I am revising I think successfully a work which I thought was no good and may score it for Barbirolli’s small orchestra.”

The score must have been completed, at least in draft, sometime before this date. This indicates that the work had been sketched out before Bax’s trip to Grez.

Furthermore, it has been presumed that the scoring of the Romantic Overture was completed whilst Bax was staying with Philip Heseltine (Peter Warlock) and E.J. (Jack) Moeran in the Kent village of Eynsford. Warlock had moved to a small cottage in the High Street, next to the Methodist Chapel and, more appositely, a few yards away from the Five Bells public house.

Several days after returning from Grez to his home in Fellows Road, near Swiss Cottage, Bax wrote to Cohen: “I have just finished orchestrating a thing for very small orchestra. It is a piece that I very nearly tore up at one time, but just at the moment I am rather pleased with it. I expect Barbirolli will do it.” (Wednesday, 28 April 1926).

On the previous Monday (26 April 1926), Bax had written to Warlock asking if he could visit the cottage “next Saturday to Monday.” Parlett presumes that this implied as 1-3 May. The full score was complete, therefore, before Bax’s trip to Eynsford.

Interestingly, another letter to Harriet Cohen written from Fellows Road and postmarked 3 May 1926, suggested that his visit to Eynsford was shortened: “I came back with [Lionel] Jellinek last night [2nd], partly in order to see about your francs, and also because the perpetual boozing of Heseltine [Warlock] and [Cecil] Gray was a gloomy and irritating spectacle.”

The work’s ‘official’ title is Romantic Overture for Chamber Orchestra: in the short score it is referred to as being ‘for Small Orchestra.’  The orchestral forces are two flutes (one doubling on piccolo), oboe, two each of clarinets, bassoons, and horns with trumpet, piano and strings. There is no percussion. The full score was published by Murdoch, Murdoch & Co. in 1928. On the printed score, it was dedicated to ‘To Frederick Delius’ presumably in memory of Bax’s April visit to Grez-sur-Loing.

‘Programme Note’

Three things should be grasped about the Romantic Overture. Firstly, the rare use (in 1926) of a piano in a work of this kind. This part is complex and requires a considerable technique. It is effectively an ‘obligato’ that is integral to the work: it is not a piano accompaniment that can be omitted from a performance. Clearly, Bax’s use of the piano, presages his imposing Winter Legends dating from 1930. Secondly, much study could be given to examining whether this Overture is a parody or a pastiche of Fred. Delius. It is common knowledge that Bax’s influences included Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius as well as the Russian nationalists, Irish folk-music, and Impressionism. Personally, I find intimations of Delius’ music at many points in this score. I imagine that these are the ‘impressionistic’ influences, where Bax creates a moody, misty sound often with muted horns or sometimes with woodwind. I do not believe that this work is an attempt at sounding like Delius: it is just that there are moments that could have come from the pen of the elder composer. And thirdly, the utilisation of the small or chamber orchestra makes the texture seem brighter than that often associated with Bax’s music.

Most commentators include reference to a musical quotation from César Franck that Bax used in this work. This Belgian composer was not a favourite of Bax’s, but there is a two-bar’ allusion to the Franck’s Symphony at ‘Letter H’ in the score. It is assumed that Bax was “put up to it” by Peter Warlock, who had recently composed The Old Codger which had parodied Franck’s Symphony in D minor. It was the fourth of his Cod-Pieces.

Brief Bibliography
Foreman, Lewis, Bax: A Composer and his Times (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1983, 1987, 2007)
Parlett, Graham, A Catalogue of the Works of Sir Arnold Bax (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1999)
Scott-Sutherland, Colin, Arnold Bax (London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1973)

 
To be continued… With thanks to the Delius Society Journal where this essay was first published.