Walter Carroll: Four Gypsies – Suite of Four Pieces for Pianoforte

Readers will not find any reviews of these four charming miniatures in any musical journals. It is unlikely that they will ever be recorded unless some generous pianist choses to upload a performance onto YouTube. Yet these four short pieces by Manchester-born Walter Carroll are delightful examples of his music which was primarily written to encourage the player to make an ‘imaginative response’ to the music and the accompanying quotaiton. I found this sheet music in the Oxfam Shop in Southampton.

Pianists will know some of Carroll’s more popular pieces such as ‘Sea Idylls’, ‘Forest Fantasies’ and possibly ‘Water Sprites’. Fewer will have heard his fine Piano Sonata which was released on CD in 2002, also published by Forsyths (FS0004)

Unlike much of Carroll’s music, which was published by the Manchester firm of Forsyth’s Four Gypsies was issued by Riccordi of London in 1937.  

The four movements are each prefaced by a short quotation:-

Melissa (Graceful)

Nimble her feet as the mountain hind

And darker her hair than night. (Old Song)

Alanza (Serious)

With pensive mien and bronzèd face

He tells the story of his race. (Anon)

Lorinda (Joyous)

Born by the sea she laughed and danced

A radiant vision on the silver sand. (Anon)

Montago (Sparking)

Your eyes are black and lovely,

But wild as those of a stag. (Montago)

The musical content of these four pieces is hardly profound. The difficulty level is probably a good Grade 3. However, the best piece (in my opinion) is the final ‘Montago’ which is written as a tarantella. This needs nimble fingering to play with the recommended direction and I must admit to finding it difficult to neatly execute.  It has been my experience of Walter Carroll’s music that there is much to trip up the over-confident player who deems these piece too simplistic or trivial. 

Walter Carroll: Four Country Dances for Pianoforte

I have always had a soft spot for Walter Carroll. For one thing I learnt to play some of his pieces as a youngster and still enjoy giving them an airing more that forty years later. For another, my late father told me that Carroll was a friend (or was it an acquaintance) of my grandfather. And lastly most of Carroll’s music was published by Forsyth’s music shop in Manchester: that emporium is still a favourite haunt of mine.
Four Country Dances was published by Carroll some 16 years after his previous work, Four Gypsies.
There are four short pieces that combine playability with a sense of style that transcends being simply ‘teaching music.’ This was a quality of virtually all Carroll’s educational pieces.
Each piece is prefaced by a quotation from the poets. These are not meant to be the basis of a programme - they are simply there to act as a stimulus to the player. It has the additional advantage of introducing the child (or adult) to some interesting lines from English literature. And finally I do love the cover cartoon. It is so full of life and fun. Just look at the faces of the little Elves at the bottom of the page.

Elfinboys,

"He piped, I sang; and when he sung I piped,
By change of turns each making other merry." Edmund Spenser

The Fairy Ring
"By the moon we sport and play,
With the night begins our day." – John Lyly

Gnome
"His limbs are all antic- he skips like a flea;
His body is brown as the bark of a tree." – R.H. Horne

Zephyr
"Tender as a harper’s string
Is the low wind’s lute-playing." – Philip Dayre

At the end of the sheet music Walter Carroll has penned a short ‘afterword’ to any children (or others) who may choose to play his music. It was to be his last published work before his death in 1955 (although there was a posthumous work of piano duets issued in 1973)
Carroll wrote:-
‘Many years ago the writer decided to make a tour in Southern Scotland and so to test the condition of Music in that region which had been the inspiration of so many of his compositions. The result was pleasing and valuable, especially in regard to children and young people, many of them occupants of caravans, and of the dry and accessible cliffs provided by nature. Music, dancing and poetry were the most perfect features, presented with confidence and by memory. Asked to name poet or composer brought no response. A few bits of paper, hardly readable, were offered, but seldom accepted by the visitor, who tried to catch the words as they came. The composer of the music had to make new tunes to fit the poetry and rhythm presented. Thus ends the little note to the pupil from...Walter Carroll’