In 1922 there
was a short correspondence with the editor of the Daily Mail. It is largely self explanatory, however, a few
annotations are useful as not all the composers and artists are
well-known. Marie Pauline Hall (1884-1956) was an English violinist.
The interesting thing about this short exchange was that the three works
mentioned by Hall have disappeared into obscurity. However, John Ireland’s list
of composers and their sonatas are mostly available on CD. There are some four versions of John
Ireland’s First Violin Sonata and seven of his Second currently available on
CD.
To the editor of
The Daily Mail
Sir,
May I through
your columns press my sympathy with Dame Ethel Smyth [1] in the neglect of her
music by British conductors and at the same time offer a suggestion that I
think might be useful to other composers.
I am very
hopeful for the future of British music. During the past 12 months I have given
more than usual attempt to it, although there have not as yet been as many big
compositions attempted for the violin by our countrymen as there have been
vocal and pianoforte works.
I find myself
the fortunate possessor of three delightful inspirations which I intend to bring
before the public at the Wigmore Hall, February 7. These are Percy Sherwood’s
Sonata on C minor, No.3, [2] Gordon Bryan’s Suite for violin and piano, Op.1
[3] and Rutland Boughton’s Sonata in D major [4]. The three composers will be
there to play with me, and everything and everybody at the concerts (audience
excepted) will be thoroughly British.
I think that it
is the spirit Dame Ethel Smyth would like artists and conductors to introduce,
for works of merit now lost or hidden would then quickly present themselves to
proclaim to the world that England is musical,
Marie Hall
Inveresk, Cheltenham.
Daily Mail [London,
England] 17 Jan. 1922.
In response,
John Ireland writes:-
To the editor of
The Daily Mail
Sir,
Miss Marie
Hall’s letter to The Daily Mail suggests that few works of large scope for the violin
have been ‘attempted’ by native composers, and that her twelve months’ search
for such works has been unsuccessful.
May I draw her
attention to violin sonatas by Bax, Delius, Dunhill (2), Elgar, Goossens, McEwen
(2) and Scott, [5] to mention only those which first come to mind?
None of these
works has been played to the extent of satiating London audiences. Perhaps Miss
Hall has overlooked them.
John Ireland
The Studio, 14a,
Gunter-grove, Chelsea.
The editor added
a short note:-
Mr Ireland
modestly refrains from mentioning that he himself is the composer of two violin
sonatas frequently played and justly esteemed among the best in modern music.
Daily Mail (London,
England), Thursday, January 19, 1922.
[1]
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth, DBE (1858 –1944) was a British composer and a prominent member of the women's suffrage movement. I will post the article that led to this correspondence
at a later date.
[2]
Percy Sherwood (1866–1939) was a German-born composer and
pianist of English nationality.
[3]
Gordon Bryan (1895-1957) English composer, pianist and arranger.
[4]
Rutland Boughton (1878-1960) was a British composer possibly best remembered as attempting to set up an English
Bayreuth at Glastonbury. His most famous work is the opera The Immortal Hour, however his Symphonies demand our attention.
[5] I will give a list of these Sonatas in a subsequent post.
1 comment:
I happened on your blog when making post on Marie Hall at http://fluffontheneedle.blogspot.co.uk/
Interesting that she was trying to record contemporary music - or what was considered contemporary - this time in her career.
Jolyon
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