So Written to After-Times: John McCabe - A Life in Letters

The advertising for this new book explains that it is “a compilation of letters between composer-pianist John McCabe (1939-2015) and eminent composers and performers from across the world.” The tenor of the letters ranges from “the scholastically interesting to the frivolous and emotionally moving.” Correspondents include Benjamin Britten, Alun Hoddinott, William Alwyn, John Barbirolli, André Previn, and (of course) his wife, Monica.

After his death, McCabe’s archive revealed a remarkable collection of letters, postcards, faxes, and emails. These documents offer valuable insights into his considerable impact on music, musicians, family, and friends, shedding light on various aspects of his life and legacy.

A few biographical details will put these letters into context. John McCabe was born in Huyton, Liverpool, deciding to become a composer at the age of five-and-a-half. He studied at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music, later continuing his education in Munich with Harald Genzmer. McCabe's career spanned composition, performance, and teaching. Notable works include symphonies, ballets, concertos, and chamber music. He gained international recognition with pieces like Notturni ed Alba (1970), his Concerto for Orchestra (1982) and supremely, Cloudcatcher Fell for brass band (1985). His music defies categorisation: he often used post-tonal structures, including serialism, but rarely entered avant-garde blind alleys. It is typically approachable, and always satisfying. As a concert pianist, McCabe’s recordings of Haydn's complete Piano Sonatas on the Decca label are considered definitive.

He served as director of the London College of Music from 1983 to 1990. In 1999 Oxford University Press published his major study of fellow North Country composer Alan Rawsthorne. John McCabe died in Rochester, Kent on 13 February 2015.

The principal text examining his life and work is Landscapes of the Mind: The Music of John McCabe edited by George Odam (2008). Prior to this the indefatigable Stewart R Craggs published John McCabe: A Bio-Bibliography (1991). Sadly, this latter volume is now 34 years out of date. However, it is still a decent starting point for students wishing to explore his achievement. The entry in Grove’s Dictionary was published as far back as 2001.

In A Life in Letters, most of the text is a chronological selection of 314 letters between John McCabe and a wide range of correspondents. They begin with one from the organist Frederick H. Wood to the nine-year-old boy, suggesting that writing a Soldier’s March or a Fairy Dance might be an easier task than a symphony. The final epistle is a moving draft of “John’s Last Letter” written shortly before his death.

It is invidious to pick out examples from this book, as all are of interest and importance. Yet for me, the twenty-one letters from Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) who was a versatile British composer, known for his film scores, concert music, and jazz performances, are of deep significance. Superficially, Bennett’s letters are often characterised by wit and frivolity but there is a deeper intent here. Monica McCabe told me that she found “an undercurrent of loneliness and insecurity” in these pages, “even about his [own] outstanding talent.” Certainly, these letters deserve to be read as a group. In fact, in a note dated 25 November c.1983, he does suggest that if they keep up the correspondence, “we can publish a slim volume of letters.” Based on the humour and subjects of these missives, I think an edition of RRB’s ‘complete’ correspondence is a desideratum for all cultural and music historians.

Two important sequences of letters are included between McCabe and his fellow student and lifelong friend Professor George Odam and the American composer, literary scholar and teacher, Barney Childs. The latter wrote avant-garde music both in the United States and in the UK, at Goldsmiths College.

Another fascinating series of letters explores John McCabe’s overseas trip to the middle east where he gave a series of recitals, lectures, and masterclasses under the auspices of the British Council. During October and November 1979, he wrote to his wife from Riyadh, Jeddah (Djidda), Baghdad, Kuwait, Amman, and Damascus. Much of this is his thoughts about the places he visited and the hotels he stayed at. There is even a note suggesting that typewriters were hard to find in Iraq, due to “the spy industry, apparently.” McCabe mentions to his wife that “there is undoubtedly a tape recording of our phone call last night…”

The letters are complimented by a light touch commentary by Monica McCabe, which give a sense of perspective and expands on some of the less well-known correspondents or people mentioned in the text. Interestingly, there is a selection of emails. This is one of the problems of our modern age. I guess that many people do not keep these electronic messages, and they inevitably disappear into the recycle bin. So, it is good to have these here.

The book is enhanced by a striking selection of photographs of John McCabe, his friends and family. Many are in colour. The text is readable, and the binding is sturdy. The only slight criticism of this otherwise flawless volume is the lack of a topical index. To be sure, there is a comprehensive listing of correspondents, but no opportunity to search for folk mentioned in the text and McCabe’s (and other composer’s) compositions.

The ethos of this book is summed up by an apt quotation from John Milton’s The Reason of Church Government urged against Prelaty: “By labour and intense study (which I take to be my portion in this life) joined with a strong propensity of nature, I might perhaps leave something so written to after times as they should not willingly let it die.” Letters are an important means of understanding an artist’s work. They fill out details of historical context and can reveal much about the intentions and creative process behind specific compositions. They often reveal the character of the person themselves, which can help in evaluating a response to their art. Too often we forget that great musicians are human beings, with all that the human condition brings. And they are not always thinking about music…

Finally, although, I hope that this volume will be used by historians for serious study, I agree with the sentiment printed on the rear cover, that besides being an interesting and valuable historical document and revealing the inner reflections of celebrated artists, it also makes good, often humorous, bedtime reading.  This is a high recommendation indeed.