The Golden Age of Light Music- Here’s to Holidays

For better or worse, I have always associated ‘light music’ with travel and holidays. The first piece I consciously became aware of was ‘Coronation Scot’ by Vivian Ellis. I can recall that even as a youngster, I could imagine one of Sir William Stanier’s powerful pacific locomotives pounding up Beattock Bank or Shap Summit. I could picture the passengers in the first-class dining car enjoying their lunch as the hills of the Lake District rolled past.  All this was before I got into philosophical arguments about ‘programme’ and ‘absolute’ music. However, the feeling has remained. I can easily settle into a holiday mood whilst listening to any number of ‘light music’ tunes – even if the title does not necessarily imply carefree days at the seaside.

Now, the present CD is a cornucopia of delight for me – and I guess for many others. To be sure, not all the pieces are evocative of a stroll along the prom at Morecambe or watching Punch and Judy at Fleetwood or going for a dip at Blackpool’s long departed and lamented Derby Baths. Nevertheless there is a lot tease the imagination in these tracks. 

The proceedings open with the first of the ‘transport’ numbers – ‘Skyways’. This is an impressive, gutsy piece by Wally Stott with a big, romantic tune complete with swirling harps and bells and whistles but then the mood changes to something a little more up tempo. It is power all the way. I am tempted to say that the first, in this case, is the best.  We are certainly well and truly airborne before our next mode of travel appears on the scene. Alain Nancey’s ‘En Bateau Mouche’ is not a quiet drift down the Seine: it more of a party.  Malcolm Lockyer has taken the concept of ‘holidays’ out of this world with a trip to ‘Venus and Back’ - even Sir Richard Branson is not currently offering that particular vacation. It is a great up-beat piece.  ‘Transcontinental’ is a real railway piece complete with whistles, the rhythms of the rails and the hiss of steam.  Robert Docker is obviously an enthusiast. Something, perhaps the ‘cowboy’ tune, tells me that this piece is inspired by railroads of the good ole’ US of A.  The song ‘The Only Way to Travel’ from the knockabout Crosby/Hope/Lamour film, The Road to Hong Kong is given a romantic turn of phrase by its arranger Robert Farnon.  Steve Race has produced a slightly more exotic feel with his ‘Camel Train’; I was reminded of Latin America rather than Libya with this tune’s rhythm.  I do not know if the purist would regard ‘Water Skiing’ as a mode of travel, but Toni Leutwiler has contributed a wonderful, skittish little tune in the best tradition of light music.  Mantovani has elected to go for a trip on a ‘Rickshaw’. This piece has all the clatter and bustle of Shanghai or Hong Kong.  Finally, on the travel front, Anthony Mawer has penned a lovely piece called ‘Holiday Highway’. It is exactly the kind of tune that I was referring to at the start of this review – I can see in my mind’s eye my father driving the old Hillman Minx down the A6 past (or hopefully stopping at) ‘The Jungle’ transport café on the way to Blackpool.

Part of any holiday is visiting places – some new and some old favourites. Anyone who has been to Rome is always sad to leave: most will have thrown ‘three coins in the Trevi fountain’ but it eventually comes time to say ‘Arrivederci Roma’ and head out to the airport. It is a great song whether sung by Dean Martin or played here by Richard Hayman’s orchestra.  Many years ago the ambition of many British holiday makers was to leave the wet seaside resorts of Clacton and Cleethorpes and head for the ‘Costa Brava’. Philip Buchel has painted a somewhat sophisticated portrait of this long stretch of coast: it is full of atmosphere, only lacking castanets and flamenco guitar.  I am not sure how many people visit ‘Indiana’, but James Hanley and Ballard MacDonald have painted a cool image – complete with electric guitar and sweeping strings.  Heading further east we get into a sultry mood with Dolf Van Der Linden’s ‘Jamaica Road’. This is not to be confused with Jamaica Street in Bermondsey. It begins as a dark, moody work, but suddenly bursts into the light.  Still in the Caribbean, there is Joseph Kuhn’s image of ‘Haiti’. This is such a gorgeous, evocative picture of an island that has such a tragic history. So the message is a wee bit confused. Call it ‘Martinique’ and the imagery is perfect. I enjoyed the South Seas piece ‘Tiara Tahiti’ by Philip Green with all the composers tricks for creating the required mood. Sounds like the score of an Elvis Presley film. I did wonder if I would be bored by ‘The Olive Grove’ by Trevor Duncan: nothing much seems to happen in those sorts of places. This is a dishy little tune; it has a decided Mediterranean feel to it.  The same composer’s ‘The Wine Harvest’ is a number with zing –it has a melody that one seems to already know. It could be anywhere, but Spain seems the best bet: it is more to do with the celebrations rather than the actual harvest and ‘treading’ of the vintage.  The final ‘place’ tune is Werner Richard Heyman’s evocation of ‘Monte Carlo’. All the pizzazz is here: all the opportunities to spend money and dance or bet the nights away. And there is a touch of romance too. It is really a little tone poem. 

Holidays can mean other things than transport and places. It refers to anticipation, reflection and people met. Clifton Johns has given us a classic piece of light music called ‘Holiday Bound’ – it is the enthusiasm engendered in the days before your hols. It does not describe the queues at the airport, the traffic jams on the Brighton Road or the discovery that the tickets were left on top of the piano.  Ivor Slaney has written a short, but big in intention, piece for piano and orchestra – ‘Midsummer Madness’.  I guess that love is behind this tune. O how wonderful and how hurtful can a holiday romance be!  Maybe the cause of the lover’s grief was John Carmichael’s ‘French Flirt’ who no doubt leaves a trail of broken hearts behind.  This is a lovely, lively cheeky piece that lacks French colour – no accordions! Sidney Torch has also meditated on the Gallic mood with his ‘Oo La La’. In spite of this little bit of stereotyping this is full of fun and panache. Anyone would be sorry to have to leave all this gaiety behind. Or maybe the lover’s regret is because of some athletic ‘Beachboy’. Peter Dennis has painted a charming picture of a lively fella’ who is also a pure gentleman.

The classic tune ‘Volare’ (To Fly) by Domenico Modugno is given a fine reworking by William Hill Bowen.  This is a master-class in orchestration with beautiful brass and string passages. The main melody is important, but is surrounded by attractive subsidiary material.

The whole holiday enterprise can be summed up by Ian Sutherland’s ‘Here’s to Holidays’ which is the eponymous track of this CD. This is an exuberant tune that exudes all the excitement of holidays past and present.  Fortunately this composer is still alive –let us hope he is still knocking out tunes as good as this one.

I think, on this hot, sultry, sunny London day I will jump on a train to Eastbourne and have a walk along the pier, listen to the brass band and finish off with fish and chips (and mushy peas) on the prom…

I have raised this issue about Guild recordings before: I wish that they would provide all the composer dates in the track listings or a least in the liner notes. I believe that this is important, even on a ‘light music’ disc.

Like all the previous releases in this series that I have reviewed, I was impressed with the sound recording which is excellent. In spite of my comment about dates, the liner notes are fulsome and give many interesting details about the composers and the artists.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this wonderful selection of ‘holiday’ music. It brought back many happy memories and filled me with new enthusiasms as I picked my way through these tracks. I never listen to Guild CDs end to end, as I enjoy concentrating at least a little bit on each tune.  It is how I suggest that listeners approach this excellent and enjoyable disc. 
Guild Light Music GLCD5205 
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide - Book Review

I first came across William Alwyn’s music in 1972: it was hearing the Symphonic Prelude: Magic Island on Radio 3’s Record Review. As soon as the programme ended I rushed into Cuthbertson’s music shop in Glasgow and bought the record with some hard saved pocket money. I fell in love with that work and the coupled Symphony No.3. Apart from the sleeve notes, I could find no details about the composer. Even a visit to Glasgow’s Mitchell Library elicited little information beyond what was in the then-current Grove. But it was the start of my appreciation of Alywn’s music, and I have assiduously purchased releases of his music as they have appeared on Lyrita, Chandos and Naxos over the intervening 40 years.

John Dressler’s William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide is the book I would have dreamt about had I known such things existed. Primarily, this book will appeal to enthusiasts of Alwyn’s music: people who love his music and want to get to grips with its ‘sitz in leben’ and to discover possible avenues for further exploration. Students embarking on music courses or putative D.Mus’s will find this book essential reading. Programme note writers and CD and concert reviewers who specialise in British Music will require this book close at hand. And performers will be interested to get background information when they come to prepare for recitals (assuming they want to play Alwyn’s music). It is a book that will find its way onto the shelves of most music college libraries and large references libraries around the world.

For many years the only information about William Alwyn (apart from Grove) was to be gleaned from Craggs & Poulton’s William Alwyn: A Catalogue of his music (1985). As Dressler suggests in the present volume, it was a first attempt at sorting out the composer’s works. It was prepared with his blessing. I was lucky enough to find a copy of this book in a second-hand bookshop; I believe that it is relatively rare.  Even the Royal College of Music or the Royal Academy of Music does not list this book in their library catalogues.  

Prior to this Francis Routh (a former pupil of Alwyn) published an important book Contemporary British Music in 1972. Included was an entire chapter devoted to Alwyn. This is available for on-line perusal at MusicWeb International.

For many years the major diary article written by Alwyn for the ADAM International Review (1967) eluded me. This study elaborated the day to day composition of the Third Symphony. For biographical details the enquirer was limited to a slim volume entitled Winged Chariot. This book was selective in its coverage and discussion of many important works was omitted. It was published in 1983 and was effectively an ‘essay in autobiography.’

In 2005 Boydell Press published the significant study, William Alwyn: The Art of Film Music by Ian Johnson.  This explored in depth the composer’s major contribution to the world of the moving picture. Relatively little information was given about Alywn’s ‘art music.’

Three years later, the ‘official biography, The Innumerable Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn by Adrian Wright was published by Boydell Press. This remains the only volume to deal objectively with the composer’s life and music. The last major contribution to the Alwyn bibliography was Composing in Words: William Alwyn on his Art (Musicians on Music Volume 9) published by Toccata Press in 2010 and edited by Andrew Palmer. This is comprehensive collection of texts written the composer, including the elusive ADAM diary and the complete text of Winged Chariot with extracts from an essay on Alywn’s boyhood, Early Closing. Additionally, there are a number of pieces of journalism and essays.  This is essential reading for all who wish to understand the composer’s milieu as it includes the majority of Alwyn’s writings about music.

The Research and Information guide is presented in four major sections preceded by a short preface which outlines the purpose and scope of the volume alongside an extensive list of acknowledgements.

The first part is largely biographical. This begins with a brief sketch of the composer’s life and achievement by Andrew Knowles who is currently archivist and administrator of the William Alwyn Foundation. This is followed by a short ‘Discovering Alwyn by the current book’s author which presents similar biographical material.  The ‘Chronology’ is useful for situating the composer’s life and works. The references to his compositions are selective: I would have liked to have seen a full chronological listing of all his works – whether by genre or simply in order.   For example, exactly half a century ago, Alwyn was inaugurated as a member of the Isle of Wight Sailing Club at Cowes; he attended a memorial service for the poet Louis MacNeice and produced his last film score, The Running Man. There is no mention of his Twelve Diversions for Five Fingers.

Nearly half of the book is devoted to a ‘Catalogue of Works’. This is conveniently divided up into genre. Major elements of this catalogue include the Documentary and Feature Film Scores and the usual ‘art’ music divisions such as Orchestral Works, Instrumental Chamber Music and Works for Brass and Military Bands.  Within these divisions, each work is presented in alphabetical order.

For example, on Page 141, the Symphony No. 1 is catalogued. The format includes the work’s instrumentation, the titles of each movement, its duration and dedicatee. A list of first and early performances is quoted. The work’s publisher is given. In the case of the First Symphony there is a detailed description of the manuscript, including its location at the Alwyn Archive.  The last part of the entry includes cross-references to various biographical or critical notes as well as recordings.

The third major division of this Research Guide is the main ‘Bibliography’. This is divided up into eight specific sections.  The first considers the primary sources of material written by Alwyn. This includes details of articles, essays, letters to publications and even an unpublished novel. Additionally, there is a selected listing of letters from William Alwyn to and from a number of correspondents including Arthur Bliss, Ruth Gipps, Benjamin Britten and Muir Mathieson. Many of these are available for study in the Alwyn Archive at Cambridge University.

A comprehensive list of ‘obituaries’ is presented ranging from the Chicago Tribune to the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.

I was delighted to find an account of material located at the BBC Written Archives, Caversham. This includes a variety of scripts, films and radio broadcast featuring the composer. It is a pity that some of these could not be made available on ‘podcasts’. 

I was surprised that comparatively few ‘thesis and dissertations’ have been written about the composer and his music. At 2011 these numbered only five. The most useful being Ian Carmalt’s William Alwyn (1905-1985) a Romantic Composer of his Time. Fortunately this is available on-line.  

One of the desiderata of Alywn scholars must be to have ‘soft’ copies of the William Alywn Newsletter. This ran for only eight issues between January 1996 and December 2000. John Dressler has provided a convenient listing of the major articles featured in these publications. Fortunately some of them are available for perusal at MusicWeb International.  There is a listing detailing entries in various dictionaries, encyclopaedias and general overviews of musical history and achievement. This is followed by general studies dealing with Alwyn’s life and works. These includes articles and books specifically about the composer, and also references which contain useful information. Omitted from these are CD and record liner notes, unfinished dissertation projects, brief press notices and non-western European language materials.

The last major section of the bibliography explores references to individual works. Dressler has included virtually all William Alwyn’s major compositions, both film and art music, as well as a good selection of less important pieces. For example there are 32 references to the opera Miss Julie. The short Midsummer Night (c1930s) has been given a single citation. As an example, I looked at the Symphonic Prelude: The Magic Island.  Unfortunately no-one has written a major study of this work however there are three reviews from the work’s premiere at the 1953 Cheltenham Festival cited. Other references are to reviews of CDs and records. In this case the 1972 Lyrita discs and the later Chandos and Naxos editions of this work. There is a review cited of the miniature score – although this fact is not noted in the text.  I would have appreciated these listings in chronological order.

The last major division of this book is the extensive ‘discography’. For most listeners (and enthusiasts) the catalogues currently available at Arkiv, Crotchet or Amazon are sufficient for their explorations. Yet much more is available. For the The Magic Island, I was amazed to discover eight entries. I know of only four releases- the Lyrita (vinyl & CD) the Naxos and the Chandos.  In addition to these, there is a BBC Sound Archive recording from February 1966, a Musical Heritage vinyl disc, which I think is the American imprint for Lyrita. Interestingly Lyrita have presented The Magic Island in Box 1 of the company’s popular 50th anniversary set. Finally, the work has been included in a sampler of ‘mystic classics’ from Naxos.

The Discography is given by record label, which I am not sure is helpful – I guess that I would have preferred a chronological order or work order.

The final part of this Research Guide is ‘Related Materials.’ This includes an interesting ‘selected’ list of ‘Former First-Study Pupils of William Alwyn’ at the Royal Academy of Music. Names include Iain Hamilton (sadly neglected as a composer) Minna Keal, John Lanchberry, Steve Race and Francis Routh.  Alwyn also attracted a number of musical dedications with works by Arnold Cooke, John Manduell, Thomas Pitfield and Trevor Hold.  Finally there are two detailed indices –one an ‘alphabetical index of works’ and the second an index of names.

Unfortunately, there is no information given in the book about the author, John C. Dressler.  He is well-known to British Music enthusiasts for his two important exercises in bibliography. In 1997 Greenwood Press issued Gerald Finzi-A Bio-Bibliography. Some seven years later, there followed a similar book for Alan Rawsthorne. The present volume, although different in format and presentation, is of similarly high standard. John Dressler is Professor of Horn and Musicology at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.  As well as practical music lessons he has lectured in a number of 19^th and 20^th century musicological studies. He gained his Master’s and Doctoral degree from Indiana University. In addition to his academic work he plays horn with a number of ‘local’ orchestras and is also the organist at Fountain Avenue Methodist Church in Paducah, Kentucky.

This book is well-presented. It is printed on environmentally friendly paper: the text is clear and the layout is definitely easy to use. I have not been able to review the Kindle Version of this book: I note that it is priced at £62:23 on Amazon. I am not convinced that a reference book like is quite as effective when presented digitally. Personally, I like to be able to browse between sections, flick between indices and text and gain inspiration from serendipity. I understand that Kindle will allow a full search, but the results are not always clear to peruse.

At £95.00 the hardback version of William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide is high-priced. Amazon is offering it for £88.90 and other sellers for around the £80 mark. It is a fact of academic life that books of this calibre are expensive, even by today’s standard. Information does not come cheap in any walk of life. 
I recommend this book as ‘required reading’ for all enthusiasts of William Alwyn – whether they are ‘lay’ or ‘academic’. There is so much information packed into these 336 pages that will be of interest and value to researchers for many years to come. 

William Alwyn: A Research and Information Guide 
John C. Dressler

Routledge Musical Bibliographies

Routledge, hardback 336 pages

IBSN 978-0-415-88605-5
£95.00

Arnold Bax: A Wish List for Recordings from ‘The Gramophone’ July 1927

My last musings on W.A. Chislett’s contribution to early Arnold Bax discography considers his ‘wish list’ of music deemed to be appropriate for future recording. He suggests that the best place to begin would be with a few of the songs and the shorter piano pieces. A more ambitious ‘first shot’ would include the Quintet for harp and strings. He suggests that for larger scale pieces record companies ‘should choose first of all the ‘Symphonic Variations’ for piano and orchestra (1918) and the Piano Quintet (1915). Interestingly at this time these two works were deemed to be Bax’s finest achievements. Chislett insists that in both these pieces the piano part should be played by Miss Harriet Cohen, if possible.’

He then suggests a few orchestral pieces worthy of recording: his choice here would have been either The Garden of Fand of November Woods. Chislett then makes a swipe at the Gramophone’s editor, Compton Mackenzie who had previously suggested that Tintagel was like ‘an enthusiastic but badly written letter by somebody who had just arrived at the seaside for his holidays.’ Finally Chislett calls for a record of Bax’s choral work ‘To the Name above Every Name’, which has been heard at the 1923 Three Choirs Festival in 1933. 

Like every critic he had now warmed to his subject. Other possibilities were springing into his mind. He writes: ‘I should have liked to include the tone poem In the Faery Hills, the viola concerto and sonata, the short one-movement piano quartet, and one of the string quartets, as well as some more choral music and Moy Mell, an Irish Fantasy for two pianos.’ He concludes by suggesting that ‘a moderate demand such as I have made, however, is more likely to be met that one so large as this would have been.’

Although Mr Chislett would have had to wait many years, all the works listed here have been subsequently recorded. It is a tribute to the revival of interest in Bax’s music that many of these pieces are available in multiple versions. 

The Golden Age of Light Music- Melodies for the Starlight Hours

The proceedings get off to a great start with a smoochy, smoky little number by Robert Katscher – ‘When Day is Done’. I guess that this piece epitomises the selection of music on this disc. This Laurie Johnson arrangement emphasises it as a late-night piece. There is a particularly moody break for trumpets before the music closes with a violin solo.

Many of the numbers derive from various ‘shows’ or ‘films’. There is a fine arrangement of ‘I could have danced all night’ from My Fair Lady. The beautiful ‘I’ve told every Star’ comes from the Hammerstein/Kern musical Music in the Air which was premiered in Broadway in 1932.  The Bob Hope and Bing Crosby knockabout comedy The Road to Morocco has given the world the romantic ‘Moonlight becomes you’.  The classic Kurt Weill number ‘Speak Low’ comes from the largely forgotten ‘One Touch of Venus’, whilst ‘During One Night’ is the eponymous title from the 1961 film staring Susan Hampshire and Don Borisenko with a musical score by Bill McGuffie. I am not sure that the harmonica quite supports the mood of Starlight!

I am always pleased to find a number of ‘classic’ British (Commonweath) light music composers represented in these Guild CDs. This disc is no exception.  Steve Race’s ‘In Paris, In Love’ opens with a vamp that could be an introduction to an Adam Faith song! Later, the Parisian mood takes over this well-constructed little tone-poem. A little closer to home Robert Farnon has painted a picture of a ‘typical ‘Home Counties’ evening with his thoughtful ‘How Beautiful is the Night.’ Equally ‘English’ in its mood is Cecil Milner’s ‘Melody for Lovers.’ This composer, who lived in Wimbledon for much of his life, deserves to be better known.  Angela Morley can always be relied upon to deliver an effective and romantic piece of mood music and ‘A Tender Mood’ is quietly restrained and probably reflects lost love rather than an evening of romance.  More positive is Peter Yorke’s ‘Cocktails by Candlelight’. This hints at the magic of two lovers sipping Snowball’s or Cosmopolitans in the Dorchester or Claridges.

Our American allies are well represented here too. ‘Manhattan in Satin’ by Willis Schaefer is evocative of the lamented Rainbow Room in the Rockefeller Center – an elegant lady sitting by the picture windows with all the lights of Manhattan behind her.  Cole Porter’s standard ‘Mind if I make love to you’ is near perfect, whilst up the road Harry Revel has painted a picture  of an evening ‘Underneath a Harlem Moon’ which is a little edgier with a few blue notes, muted trumpets, big band-style breaks and a good part for clarinet. Further south ‘Moon over Miami’ by Edgar Leslie and Joe Burke is Mancini-like with its use of sweeping strings. Over in the Caribbean, David Rose has scored a hit with his ‘Night in Trinidad’. This has the trappings of calypso worked over by a London-born, but Chicago-raised composer. There is a Latin mood in ‘Midnight Tango’ by Hiller, Hiller and Newman: this is the most lively and least starry piece on this CD. I am not sure what the balalaika is doing in the Argentine though?

Balalaikas and accordions inform Hubert Giraud’s attractive ‘Sweet Surrender Waltz’ – something between a music box and a Paris café scene. ‘Orchid’s in the Moonlight’ by Vincent Youmans has a sinister beat, yet the romantic strings play down any suggestion of ‘things of the night.’ Other tunes include the wistful ‘Thinking of You’ by Harry Ruby that makes such effective use of sweeping strings. ‘Take my Lips’ by Teo Usuelli is an upbeat little tune whilst ‘Stranger in Town’ by Malcolm Lockyer reflects on the dichotomy of its title – lonely but full of possibilities. Adolph Deutch’s ‘Lonely Room’ is not quite as sad as the title would imply. ‘Love me if you wish’ penned by Vittorio Mascheroni’s is quite simply beautiful and contains a luxurious trumpet solo.

The final number has gained a double entendre – ‘After Hours Joint’ by J. George Johnson. But perhaps to the innocent all things etc… For me this piece epitomises my idealised view of a nineteen-fifties night club down some half-lit, back street in Fitzrovia. Drum and bass gently supporting strings and piano give just the right atmosphere for a late night hang-out. It is a good place to conclude this exploration of music inspired by the ‘Starlight Hours’.

There is only one issue I have with this CD: I do wish that Guild would provide all the composers’ dates. It is important that the listener is able to ‘contextualise’ these pieces, even although they are ‘only’ light music. I do not expect the dates of composition to be given as I imagine that in many cases this will be well-nigh impossible.

As always with the Guild Light Music series the recording is superb: all the pieces have scrubbed up well.

I enjoyed this relaxed selection of music designed to be heard during the ‘starlight hours.’ It is to be hoped that many more ‘chilled’ tunes are available and will duly be presented in this hugely impressive series of recordings.

Guild Light Music GLCD5196

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

Arnold Bax: Early Reviews of the Oboe Quintet

W. A. Chislett writing in the July 1927 edition of The Gramophone magazine noted that the National Gramophonic Society (N.G.S.) were about to issue Arnold Bax’s Oboe Quintet. In fact, he had heard the ‘test prints’ and declared that ‘these records are technically the finest yet made for the Society.’ 

Some nine months earlier, in the October 1926 edition the N.G.S. had advertised the forthcoming release of this Oboe Quintet. Other British works scheduled included Delius’ ‘Summer Night on the River’, Eugene Goossens’ Violin Sonatas and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Phantasy Quartet.  

In the same issue, a review of the Bradford Chamber Music Festival on 5 & 6 October 1926, ‘Terzet’ noted that the outstanding work in the first evening’s performance was Bax’s Oboe Quintet. He wrote: ‘This delightful work reveals the hand of a master both in its melodic content and in the handling of the contrasting tone-colours of the oboe and the strings.’ The composer was in the audience that night and ‘must have been equally pleased with the excellence of the performance and the warmness of its reception by the audience.’  Terzet concluded his comments by hoping that this work would be released by the N.G.S. at an early date.  Other British works performed at the Bradford Festival included Delius Violin Sonata No. 2, in C major, Eugene Goossens’ Phantasy Quartet Op.12 and Bax’s Quintet for harp and strings. This last work was deemed to be ‘rather a forbidding work at first hearing.’

In April 1927 it was announced that the Music Society Quartet (International Quartet) would shortly release the Ravel Quartet and the Bax Oboe Quintet. At that time the personnel included Andre Mangeot, Boris Pecker (violins) Henry J. Berly (viola) and John Barbirolli (cello) although it was intimated that for this recording the violist was Frank Howard and the cellist, Herbert Withers. The oboe was to be played by Leon Goossens.

In June 1927, the N.G.S. reported that The Times (I was unable to find this reference) had criticised the surface noise or recent releases, However the Society stated that ‘we hope to improve this, the one weakness of N.G.S. records, in the works now being recorded.

I understand that NGS 76/77 was shipped to the society subscribers during August 1927. The first and last movements of the Oboe Quintet occupied two sides of the first disc and the the slow movement two sides of the second disc. Fascinatingly, Arnold Bax believed that this middle movement was taken too slowly.

Interestingly, final movement from these this recording was broadcast by the BBC on 29 September 1927.

Hardly surprisingly, the National Gramophonic Society published a number of ‘testimonial’ letters praising their recent issue of the Bax Oboe Quintet.  They include the following comments:-

[The Quintet is] a very fine achievement. I do not know which to praise most, the work with its supremely beautiful slow movement and its riotously jolly last movement, which set the household dancing, or the recording, which is positively superb.  Of course under the heading recording, I must include the playing, Mr Goossens’ oboe work being wonderful. The separation fot he parts in the rather complex writing in the first movement is extremely well done, and I do not think I have ever enjoyed a first hearing of any records so music before.’ A Burgess. The Rev. D. Campbell Miller wrote that ‘In the case of the Bax Quintet, I think your very best effort has been achieved.

Arnold Bax’s Quintet for oboe and strings was released on NGS 76/77.  This recording is currently available on Oboe Classics 2005.

Gustav Mahler: British Criticism from the 1930s.

Over the weekend I was reading Norman Lebrecht’s excellent book Why Mahler? (Faber & Faber Limited, 2010)  In his introduction he notes that until the Mahler revivals of the ‘fifties and ‘sixties, musical criticism in Britain claimed that his works were ‘laboriously put together and lacking that vital spark of inspiration.’ I checked out the references which are to The Musical Companion. This was a ‘compendium for all lovers of music’ edited by the great critic A. L. Bacharach. It was published by Victor Gollancz in 1934 and was subject to many impressions. The critic Dyneley Hussey contributed an essay on ‘Vocal Music in the 20^th Century. The first brief chapter is devoted to Debussy, Strauss and Mahler. He writes, ‘It is not improbable that, of Mahler’s music, posterity will cling to the songs and let the rest go. Mahler’s task was essentially literary, but since it was also profuse, his music is at its best when restricted by the limits of a poetic form.’ He considers the ‘long orchestral magniloquence upon some trivial texts of the fourth symphony’. However, Hussey is impressed by the songs in Des Knaben Wunderhorn and the settings of the Five Poems by Rückert. He considers that the Kindertotenlieder reveal the composer’s tenderness towards childhood in...a gloomy aspect.’

However Das Lied von der Erde receives less enthusiastic priase. He notes that these six songs from Hans Bethge’s ‘Chinese Flute’ have been ‘transformed...from miniatures into a work of symphonic proportions.’  He dislikes the imposing finale of the Eighth Symphony where the Latin hymn ‘Veni, Creator Spiritus’ as well as words from Goethe’s Faust are ‘allotted eight solo voices, a double chorus and a boys’ choir the performers numbering, together with the vast orchestra, about 1000. Finally he considers that with Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, ‘the megalomania of Central Europe reached its apex.’

Elsewhere in the Companion the composer and author Julius Harrison deals with Mahler’s Symphonies in one sentence – these are ‘works of enormous size, interesting at time, but laboriously put together and lacking that vital spark of inspiration that made Beethoven’s nine the only nine springing direct from the Nine Muses.’

How time deals with critics! Arkiv lists 803 recordings of Mahler’s symphonies. This includes 81 of the ‘Symphony of a Thousand.’ 

Arnold Bax: An Early Recording of ‘Mater ora filium’

I was perusing some early editions of The Gramophone magazine the other day. I was surprised to read that at July 1927 there was only a single work by the Arnold Bax currently available on record – the choral piece ‘Mater ora filium’. This work which was composed in 1921 was composed for unaccompanied double choir (SSAATTBB) and was based on an old carol discovered in the library of Balliol College, Oxford. David Parlett has written that this music was inspired after the composer heard a performance of Byrd’s Mass for five voices. The musicologist, Edward Dent has written that the ‘result on paper looks an almost unsingable jumble. In performance it was admirably calculated, full of the most adorable surprises.

The recording referred to was sung by the Leeds Festival Choir of 1925 and was issued under H.M.V. D.1044-5.  The reviewer in The Gramophone W.A. Chislett noted that the singing of this ‘difficult and exacting work is magnificent. No trace of flattening of pitch can be found, and the sustained high notes of the sopranos and the sonority of the basses are positively thrilling at times.’ He also praised the high quality of the recording, although he noted that, ‘in one or two places perfect balance in this complicated texture of sound is not achieved He concludes his review by suggesting that this is a work that needs to be heard repeatedly and that ‘it is in a work of this nature that the greatest benefit is derived from the gramophone.

Fortunately this very recording has been re-pristinated for the digital age by Symposium SYMPCD1336 and was released in 2003:  it is currently available for download at Amazon. It is truly a magnificent performance.  

There is a fine ‘modern’ recording, made in 1969 by the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge conducted by David Willcocks. This was released on EMI Classics 95433.

Finally I shall be considering W.A Chislett’s further remarks about Arnold Bax in later posts.

Mixed Doubles: Double Concertos by John Manduell & Gordon Crosse

I heard my first work by Gordon Crosse more than 40 years ago. I had found a second-hand review copy of his Changes for chorus and orchestra on the old Argo LP (ZRG-656). It was a piece that I struggled with at the time. In recent years I have been privileged to re-discover this masterly choral work as well as a number of other compositions by Crosse. The recent re-issue of Changes by Lyrita included the stunning Ariadne - Concertante for solo oboe and twelve players Op. 31 (1972).  I have not yet heard his major opera Purgatory, also on Lyrita. Dutton Epoch has released his Water Music (CDLX 7191) and his Elegy & Scherzo alla Marcia, Op.47 for string orchestra (CDLX 7207). NMC have issued his Cello Concerto and Some Marches on a Ground (NMC58).

Gordon Crosse was born in Bury, Lancashire in 1937 and has combined an academic career with composing.  His musical education included study with Egon Wellesz and Goffredo Petrassi in Rome. Crosse’s university appointments included Essex, Birmingham and in the United States at Santa Barbara. He was ‘composer in residence’ at King’s College Cambridge between 1973 and 1975. Over eighteen years ago Crosse largely suspended his compositional activity, but recently he has begun to write music one again. Works that have been issued recently included a trio for oboe, violin and cello, a violin sonata, music for recorder and an anthem for Blackburn Cathedral.

It is difficult to pin-point Crosse’s musical language – but I guess that it is a subtle balance between tonal and serial with excursions to more exotic formats. The music in the present disc is less complex and easier to assimilate than some of his earlier compositions. I would suggest that in Crosse’s music Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Britten are never too far away: the more avant-garde style of Petrassi is also influential.

Brief Encounter (2009) was written at the instigation of the doyen of the recorder (and many other things) John Turner. The music makes a sentimental nod to that great film starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. This present score is not romantic film music of the Rachmaninov-ian style – but a meditation on farewells.  Nevertheless, the music is romantic in its own way; the clever balancing of the oboe d’amore and the recorder giving the work a sense of sadness and regret. The piece is written in straightforward ternary form: the middle section is intense and even anguished, contrasting with the gentler music in the outer sections.

The major Crosse work on this CD is the Concerto for viola and strings, with French horn (2009). The composer writes that this music was a ‘rescue operation’ and utilised some themes and motifs that had been devised during the previous twenty years.

The Viola Concerto is presented in three contrasting movements. The opening Prelude is dominated by two folk-like tunes. However there is nothing of the ‘cow & gate’ about these. The movement is presented in an arch-like structure, with a considerable climax in the middle section. It is energetic, dramatic music that immediately captures the listener’s attention. The second movement is a deeply felt song that is heart-breaking in its effect. The form is once again relatively straightforward with the main melody being played over three times. There is a reference to the first movement towards the conclusion. The Finale, a vivace, is derived from an abandoned Trumpet Concerto written in 1998– this time it balances ‘machine shop’ rhythms with a Durham miner’s folksong. Amusingly, Crosse suggests that this tune was something that might have appealed to the Scottish composer Hamish MacCunn. Certainly it could be used as a theme tune in sit-com or soap ‘from north o’ the border’. It is exciting stuff with some thoughtful moments. The composer introduces the French horn into the palette of orchestral texture. This movement is cyclic with references to the opening ‘prelude’.   The Viola Concerto is an impressive and significant concerto that is of huge credit to Gordon Crosse. In many ways its stylistic content is far removed from his early music: the quality, the emotional content and the concentration are complete. It is a sympathetic and often moving work. I believe that this is one of the most important viola concertos in the catalogue: let us hope that it becomes a part of repertoire.

I was impressed with Crosse’s lovely Fantasia on “Ca’ the Yowes.” (2009). The composer has suggested that he hoped to write a piece along the lines of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves, but, ‘as usual things got more complicated as I worked, and the wonderful simplicity of RVW eluded me.’

The work is dedicated to Stephanie Rose Irvine, whom the composer had heard singing the folk-song, accompanied by the clarsach. What Crosse has done is to deconstruct the melody of the song and to present it either in sections, as a tune or as fragments. The harp has been substituted for the clarsach and the singing has been presented on the flute – or for this recording the recorder.  The string orchestra provides the background with some very attractive writing that does seem much closer to the soundscape of R.V.W. than the Gordon Crosse of old. The piece is well-structured, often moving and quite beautiful.

A few notes about Sir John Manduell may be of interest to those who have not yet come across his music. The composer was born in Johannesburg in 1928, however his family returned to the United Kingdom ten years later. Manduell read Modern Languages at Jesus College Cambridge. He won a Performing Rights Society Scholarship for post-graduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music: his composition tutors at this time were William Alwyn and Lennox Berkeley.  Manduell’s career was to embrace a wide variety of musical activities, which must necessarily have limited the amount of time spent on composition. Amongst many appointments were a BBC producer in London, the head of music for the Midlands and East Anglia, the first Director of Music at the University of Lancaster and in 1971 the first principal of the RNCM. He remained in that post until 1996. Other important activities included the first chairman of the European Opera Centre, programme director of the Cheltenham Festival for 25 years and service on the British Arts Council. From a compositional point of view, Manduell’s catalogue is tantalisingly small. He has written work in a number of genres, including chamber music and song.

Sir John Manduell is represented by comparatively few works on CD. The current Arkiv catalogue gives only one entry – the Rondo for Nine, which is part of the Manduell tribute CD ‘Antiphon’ from Dutton Epoch, (CDLX 7207). There is also a disc dedicated to a number of his chamber works including the Trois Chansons de la Renaissance for baritone and piano, the String Trio and a String Quartet. One or two other works are scattered about the catalogues such as the ‘C-H’ Aria and recitative dedicated to Peter Crossley-Holland. The two works presented on this CD are therefore amongst the few orchestral pieces that are available.

The ‘Flutes’ Concerto dates from a commission from Kent Nagano and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. It dates from 2003. The title ‘Flutes’ Concerto is not a ‘typo’ but refers to the fact that the soloist is required to use the alto flute and the piccolo as well as the ‘concert flute.’ This latter flute is used exclusively in the opening 'vivo-lento’, however the slow second movement utilises the alto flute. The piccolo makes an appearance in the concluding allegro. There is also an involved part for harp – which I think makes this into another ‘double concerto.’ The two percussionists make an important contribution including the effective use of a ‘rain stick’.  The work is presented in three longish movements (it last for 26 minutes) and explores as variety of typically reflective motifs and themes.

The musical language is a fine example of an approachable ‘modern’ style that is challenging but never off-putting. Nevertheless, it is well within the tradition of British and French music. It makes use of dissonance, but in a controlled and sensitive manner. The melodies are always clear but never obvious or trite.

If I was seriously impressed by the Flutes Concerto, then the Double Concerto literally ‘took my breath away’.  This work began life as a 1985 BBC commission for the Cardiff Festival of that year. It originally had ‘dizi’ and ‘erhu’ soloists. The former is a Chinese flute and the latter is like a single stringed viol. It was composed in a sabbatical year whilst Manduell was on holiday in Hong Kong.   In 2012 the composer substantially revised the work for solo oboe and cor-anglais. There were apparently no examples of a double concerto for these forces.  In addition to the soloists and string orchestra there is a requirement for multiple percussionists.  

Manduell has created a diaphanous sound world that is strikingly beautiful as well as being musically interesting. There is a fine balance between the soloists who are in conversation, in agreement and in debate with each other. The musical language is designed to give a sense of timelessness to this music. There is no obvious (to me) reference to Chinese idioms implied by the work’s genesis. There are three movements: a well structured opening ‘adagio –allegro molto’, followed by a more penetrating and introspective ‘adagio molto’ with a short ‘allegro vivo’ bringing the proceedings to a close with an almost Bernstein-like aplomb.

The performance of all five works on this CD is splendid. These are demanding works that are not in the standard repertoire, yet the soloists and the Manchester Sinfonia make them sound second nature. The liner notes are written by the two composers and make essential reading as there are no other sources of information on these pieces. A little bit more analysis of the Manduell pieces would have been welcome. The CD sound quality is ideal and reflects the typically intimate nature of these works.

Finally I do hope that one day an enterprising CD company (like Métier) will seek to record Sir John Manduell’s Sunderland Point Overture. It is a work that I would love the opportunity to hear. Based on his two master-works presented on this CD, I can only assume that it will be something special. Sunderland Point is one of my favourite places, lying as it does between the estuary of the River Lune and Morecambe Bay.    

Track Listing:

Gordon CROSSE (b. 1937) ‘Brief Encounter’, for oboe d’amore, recorder and strings (2009) Concerto for viola and strings with horn (2009) 
Fantasia on ‘Ca’ the Yowes’, for recorder, harp and strings (2009) 

John MANDUELL (b.1928) Flutes Concerto, for flautist, harp, strings and percussion (2000) Double Concerto for oboe, cor anglais, strings and percussion (1985/2012) 
Michael Cox (flute) Richard Simpson (oboe/oboe d’amore) Alison Teale (cor anglais) John Turner (recorder) Matthew Jones (viola) Timothy Jackson (French horn) Anna Christensen (harp, CD1 Track 5) Deian Rowlands (harp, CD2 tracks 1-3) Manchester Sinfonia/Timothy Reynish

Métier MAV77201

Charles Villiers Stanford: An Appreciation by Henry Walford Davies

This is one of man tributes paid to Sir Charles Villiers Stanford shortly after his death on 29 March 1924, It need no editorial comment. 

I had but one term of close contact at College with him. The things I remember most vividly in his teaching were: that the ground-plan of each movement had to be perfect; that he ‘sensed’ it in a wonderful way if any measurement was wrong; that he did not repair the disproportion there and then except so far as the ground-plan was concerned. He would go to the piano and hammer out the necessary scheme with a more or less definite bass and a vague super-structure which left a pupil quite free to fancy for himself, but in no doubt as to the exact measurements within which his fantasy was to range.

Parry seemed to have intimate concern for and sympathy with the pupil's thought itself; Stanford's concern was to see the thought through to the hearer, whatever it was; so when the design seemed right he simply nodded and that was done with. The two men made so splendid a combination that we who had lessons from both were uniquely fortunate; and I may be pardoned here for mentioning Brahms's remark to me that ‘he hoped I taught others as well as my teachers has taught me.’

‘Make my compliments to your teachers’ was his message as we parted, with greeting to ‘Sir Grove.’ Whenever I think of him now, my mind will go back as it has dozens of times with gratitude to a trivial kindness of his. In 1889 I had sent in a half-baked exercise for the Cambridge Mus. Bac., which failed. There came a gratuitous letter from the Professor to the unknown candidate, to say that he felt justified in ‘breaking the rule of silence’ and encouraging me ‘to try again.’ It ended with the sentence: ‘Remember that a degree is the reward for excellence attained, not for excellence attainable.’ A scholarship exam at the R.C.M. followed: and this being a search for evidence of excellence attainable, gave him a further chance; and I shall never forget Stanford's kindly eager handshake with me in 1890, when he found himself able to recommend me (mostly on the rejected exercise) for a year's trial scholarship, and followed me through a packed crowd (in the passage in the old College) to say how glad he was. The professor and the composer were-for good and all-one man. His whole being, as I knew him, was as fully in that slight endearing act as in his greater vein of lovable melody. And when unborn singers revel in ‘Cuttin' rushes on the Mountain,’ they will have the same joy of personal contact with Stanford himself as I had in 1890, and as I shall hope to have countless times yet, whenever I hear or think upon a strain of his lovely music. 

Henry Walford Davies   Music & Letters July 1924 (with minor edits)

William Alwyn: Hunter's Moon for piano

William Alwyn’s attractive suite ‘Hunter’s Moon’ was seemingly composed in the early 1920s but was not published by Associated Board until 1932/33. In many ways these are quite definitely for 'teaching' purposes; they were originally conceived as examination pieces. However, that is not to disparage them. No one would claim that this is great music and no one will expect to see many fingerprints of the composer that was to emerge in the post-war years. However one feature of these three miniatures that does strike the player and the listener is their neat craftsmanship. They are well balanced formally and ever so slightly daring harmonically.

The first piece, Midsummer Magic is a lovely little ‘allegretto e capriccioso’, which is perhaps just a little too fast to suggest a drowsy summer's evening. However there are two contrasting themes and a variety of accompaniment figurations, which makes it interesting for the player. Ernest Fowles, writing in the Musical Times in 1933 suggested that ‘a wistful and mystic touch pervades this music’. Furthermore, ‘...the direction ‘capriccioso’ must, however, be remembered, and also the absence of any climactic intensity; the result being a considerable demand upon the imagination of the player’.

The second piece, The Darkening Wood is influenced by John Ireland. This is by far the most difficult piece in this suite. The left-hand figuration is used over and over again; this suggests to me the static feel in a wood at night. Yet as we know, night-time also brings a wood to life with a thousand nocturnal creatures. So it is with this music. The interest is in the right hand and consists of a melody juxtaposed with brief snatches of that melody manipulated in a variety of ways. This ‘andante’ movement ends totally at peace with itself.

The last number has a feel of Schumann about it -a definite Night Ride through an English landscape as opposed to a German one. The tempo is 'allegro molto' throughout. There is some interesting chromatic writing here, with the harmony changing constantly. For an examination piece it is covered with accidentals. Maybe not one of Alwyn's best pieces, but played well it is exciting and rather fun.

Andrew Knowles has written that ‘surely each of these beguiling miniatures transcends that of mere examination pieces, so long after do the haunting melodies remain in the memory’. Andrew Aschenbach, writing in The Gramophone (November 2008) suggests that ‘...these pieces have ‘more than their fair share of winsome invention.’ 
William Alwyn’s Hunter’s Moon can be heard on Ashley Wass’ fine Naxos CD of the composer’s piano works. (8.570464) 

Whisky Galore: music by Ernest Irving.

Whisky Galore (1949) is one of the great classic films made by Ealing Studios in the post war years. It was unusual in that much of it was shot on location on the Isle of Barra in the Western Isles of Scotland.  The screenplay, by Angus MacPhail was based on Sir Compton Mackenzie’s book of the same title however there were a number of simplifications of the story to make it suitable for the screen.  The story concerns the adventures of the local inhabitants when a cargo ship loaded with whisky runs aground off the island of Todday.  The locals salvage much of the whisky but have to hide it from the ‘pompous and high-minded’ local Home Guard commander, Captain Waggett.  The film starred Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood and Gordon Jackson. The story is based on a real-life incident when the SS Politician was wrecked off the coast of the Isle of Eriskay.

The ‘ebullient’ score was provided by Ernest Irving (1878-1958) who was a composer, arranger and conductor. He had recently written the music to another Ealing comedy, Passport to Pimlico.  In 1948 Irving had conducted the sound track for the classic Scott of the Antarctic with music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

A short suite of the music was arranged by Philip Lane and released on The Ladykillers with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Kenneth Alwyn.  The Suite opens with a martial tune, soon followed by a jig which is played in counterpoint. The dance begins to dominate the proceedings. There is a short bridge passage leading to the ‘lover’s tune’ celebrating the relationship between the English Sergeant Odd and Joseph Macroon’s daughter, Peggy.   This is so typical of romantic film scores of the period: there is nothing Scottish about this. The second part of the suite uses music heard when the locals board the stricken ship and begin to unload the cargo onto smaller boats. This section continues with music used in the chase towards the end of the film. The dancing music recurs. The final bars are a reflection on the fact that after all the salvaged whisky had been drunk, the islanders could not afford to buy the legal stuff, because the prices had risen to such an great extent.  

The film score is full of pastiche Scottish tunes. However, Irving is presumed to have only quoted a single genuine tune throughout. The composer uses an array of musical effects to present a definite Celtic feel to this score: Scotch snaps abound, dance tunes fall over each other, but there is also a darker, more introspective mood at times.  Miguel Mira and David Burnand in European Film Music (2006, Ashgate Publishing) have suggested that Ernest Irving’s score ‘seems positively lush with its expansive seascapes and emotive expressions of anxiety in the community.’

The Suite was released on Silva Screen Records in 1997. The film, which is in black and white, is readily available from Amazon. 

The Cranmer Legacy: Choral Music

I will nail my colours to the mast. I am a ‘card carrying’ member of the Prayer Book Society. However, like most members, I am not a Cranmer Bigot. There is an important place for liturgical revision and modern versions of the bible and services. On the other hand, so many of the recent liturgical changes have been unfortunate. Since 1662 the Book of Common Prayer has been authorised for use and fortunately we still have it. It has been revised a number of times over the centuries, but typically has not had the language dumbed-down. The last major update of the traditional language book was the ill-fated 1928 revision which was voted down in Parliament.

Since 1960 we have had Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, Alternative Service Book (1980) and finally Common Worship (2000). It has been an exponential progression of sidelining Cranmer’s language and substituting ‘contemporary’ words. To be fair, Common Worship does contain a good selection of ‘traditional texts.’ However this is not the full picture: parish churches and dioceses have set up their ‘liturgical groups’ and have introduced ‘local uses’ on an almost church by church basis. There is an ever-present danger of this turning into anarchy. Liturgical Groups seem to take the view that if only we get rid of the ‘thee’s and ‘thou’s,’ make the language inclusive and remove any word that is not in the vocabulary of a nine year old primary school scholar, then the people will flock into the pews. This has not happened. They have managed to throw the numinous content out alongside the beauty of the language and sometimes the meaning and theology of the text.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of churches and cathedrals that recognise the importance of superlative speech in their services and make regular use of 1662 –even if only at the early morning Communion Service or Choral Evensong. 2012 saw the 350th Anniversary of the publication of Cranmer’s masterpiece. The present CD is a celebration of the majesty and beauty of that book. It presents four works that have been inspired by a response Cranmer’s ‘incomparable language’.

Most Anglican churchgoers will be familiar with the ubiquitous ‘Merbecke’ and will be able to ‘join in’ with the progress of the musical part of the liturgy. Some unison settings for Series 3, ASB and Common Worship are also perfectly singeable by choir and congregation. However, the worshippers typically do not ‘join in’ when the choir are singing a ‘sung setting’. I think of some well-know works like Stanford in B flat or one of Howells Canticles. These are complex works that require practice and perseverance to present the music effectively.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Service in D minor ‘Christ’s Hospital’ was composed in 1938 and was specifically written for Dr. C.S. Lang and his singers at ‘Christ’s Hospital.’ Michael Kennedy in his catalogue has quoted a note on the score by the composer: it bears repeating:- ‘This service is designed for college chapels and other churches where there is, besides the choir, a large body of voices who also wish to share in the musical settings of the service. The part allotted to these voices is entirely in unison or octaves. The part for the choir is, it is hoped, reasonably simple...’ it is therefore a halfway house between a simple setting and one for choir only.

This note really defines the mood of the music. Paul Spicer has written that this Service ‘[is] strong-boned, masculine, no-nonsense music.’  I guess that there is a danger that the singing of such a setting may become a little raucous or over enthusiastic:  however the recording here is well-stated. The music is often subtle and is always restrained, even when exhibiting power and majesty.

R.V.W. in D minor has some stunningly beautiful moments that are a million miles away from a chapel full of lustily singing schoolboys. It is a satisfying work that amply fulfils its purpose; however, I doubt that this setting will be used on any kind of regular basis in ‘churches and place where they sing.’

John Sanders’ ‘The Firmament’ is inspiring. The text is collated from the Book of Common Prayer and part of Joseph Addison’s (1672-1719) Ode ‘The spacious firmament on high’. The anthem is set for treble soloist, choir and organ.  It was commissioned by Coutts Bank for the organist Marcus Huxley and the Choir of Birmingham Cathedral to celebrate the Millennium.  The setting is quite ‘modern’ in its sound and concept. The organ acts more as a commentary on the proceedings rather than as an accompaniment. The opening line ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’, acts as a connection between the liturgical and the poetic texts. There is a beautiful treble solo at the words ‘The Lord himself is thy Keeper.’ ‘The Firmament’ is a well-crafted work that successfully balances two strands of achievement in the English language –poetry and liturgy.

The anthem ‘Let not your heart be troubled’ by Paul Spicer is a welcome addition to the choral repertoire. This piece was composed as recently as 2011, yet is timeless in its use of choir and organ. The anthem was commissioned by John Gilbert Harvey as a memorial to his parents. The text is taken from the King James Bible rather than the BCP. It is a lovely, reflective work that is both heart-easing and inspiring.

Sir Henry Walford Davis suffers from being known for three or four works – the well-known ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ tune, the Solemn Melody heard at the Cenotaph, the RAF March Past and the anthem ‘God be in my Head.’ However his achievement is much wider. There are two symphonies, the second of which is to be performed at this year’s English Music Festival.  There is the major oratorio Everyman, a number of short orchestral works  including the evocative ‘Big Ben Looks On’, the ‘Holiday Tunes’ Suite and the piano ‘concerto’ Conversations. Also included in his catalogue are many chamber works, an operetta, The Pied Piper of Hamelin and dozens of songs and part-songs. Church music is an important part of his opus. There are many services, anthems, hymn-tunes and carols. He is a composer awaiting rediscovery.

The Short Requiem was composed in 1915 ‘in sacred memory of those who have fallen in the war.’ Alas, there were to be many more casualties before Armistice Day.  The text is a confection of words that includes Latin, extracts from the Book of Common Prayer, a hymn written by the composer and some words by John Lydgate (c.1370-1451). It is an appropriate selection that is both effective and moving. The musical content of the Requiem is relatively straightforward and does not challenge the technical abilities of the choir yet the singing here is perfect. The overall effect is one of devotion and meditation. There is nothing untoward about this music: it is the perfect accompaniment to the ‘Service for the Dead’.

The singing in all these works is superb and the organist makes a major contribution to the success of this CD. With the exception of John Sanders’ anthem all these works are new to me and I guess will be to most potential listeners. Paul Spicer’s liner notes are first-rate and make essential reading.

I recommend this CD to all enthusiasts of the English Cathedral/Parish Church musical tradition. It is especially good to have Vaughan Williams’ rarely heard service available in its entirety on disc.

Track Listing:
Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS (1872–1958) Service in D minor “Christ’s Hospital” (1938)
John SANDERS (1933–2003) The Firmament (2000)
Paul SPICER (b.1952) Let not your heart be troubled (2011)
Sir Henry WALFORD DAVIES (1869–1941)  Short Requiem in D major [1915]
Regent REGCD389
With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.

George Lloyd: The Virgil of Venus

I have always struggled with the music of George Lloyd. Let me explain. It is not that I do not like it. I find much of it attractive, enjoyable, interesting and moving. I certainly appreciate his ability to write good melodies that are well-harmonised and musical structures that are formally sound. I admire his consistent attempt at flying in the face of the modernist and avant-garde project. But that is part of the problem. At the risk of offending Lloyd aficionados I feel that it his music is to a certain extent primitive. Not in a sense that he was not musically educated; he was taught by William Lovelock and Harry Farjeon at Trinity College of Music. It is not as if he deliberately tried to produce music that sounded as if it was written by someone who was not formally trained. It is just the fact that he seems to deliberately and consistently ignore new developments in musical form and structure. Many composers have dabbled in serialism, for example, without making a fetish of it - we need only think of William Alwyn. It is possible to take and develop prevailing fashions. Many composers in the 1950s were influenced by Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony and used its structure as a model for their own creations without writing in the French composer's style.

Yet somehow Lloyd seems to fly in the face of all musical development - it is as if he has decided to ignore all that has happened and ploughed his own furrow through the musical landscape.

Britten did the same, yet somehow he developed a unique language of his own that is instantly recognisable.  Lloyd's music always sounds like someone else. I can never quite pin him down. If I heard a piece of his music with an 'innocent ear' I would probably not guess him as the composer -even if I thoroughly enjoyed the work: I would always give another composer the benefit of the doubt!

Yet all this is not fair - no one can accuse George Lloyd of writing pastiche music. That is not the case. What he does is to build on much that has gone before in the musical heritage. He is able to produce fresh sounding music that is a pleasure to listen to and is thoroughly enjoyable. He does compose in a style that is not off putting to the majority of listeners. Yet does he challenge them? On that question my jury is at present out!

The one work on this excellent CD is a case in point. This was composed in 1979/1980 yet large chunks of it could almost have been written at almost any time over the past century.

This is a vast choral work with solo soprano and tenor with orchestral accompaniment. It is a setting of the late Latin work- Pervigilium Veneris- The Vigil of Venus. The words were written as a celebration of Venus. The sentiment of the entire piece is summed up in the words 'Cras amet qui numquam amavit; quique amavit cras amet,' which loosely translated means ‘Tomorrow you must learn to love those who have never loved - and you folk who have been in love, learn to love again!’  This is a recurring theme of the entire work. Lloyd himself describes the original Latin poem as a 'spring song, a love poem, the Creation itself.' The Latin is 'barbarous - in the sense that it is not Ciceronian - but was probably written by a poet who hails from one of the Northern Provinces of the Roman Empire. It has even been suggested that it could have been written by a Romano-Briton.

This is not the place to do a detailed analysis of this seventy eighty minute work. To do so without the score would be futile. It would have been nice if the CD booklet had provided more detailed programme notes. As it is, there are a few paragraphs by the composer on the choice of poem and a brief overview of the composer's life and works.

The Vigil of Venus is a huge work - both in design and subject. There are allusions - to a variety of composers - including Wagner, Verdi, Elgar, Holst and most certainly Frederick Delius - especially in the final movement. This is one of the problems with this work - there is a lack of stylistic unity - somehow it just does not seem to be a coherent whole. Many passages in this work are stunning, glorious, moving and meditative. Much of the orchestration is superb. There are numerous passages written for orchestra alone. It is clear that Lloyd was to become adept at composing for brass band - there are many delicious moments for brass here. There is much fine choral writing here that must be fun to sing.

However there are some pages of this work that seem to me to be quite frankly padding. This may be because the composer has decided to set the entire text. Much of this music is operatic in feel rather than choral.

The recording is good, although some of the singing seems quite weak. I wish that the translation of the Latin text had been placed adjacent to the poem rather than following it. I found it quite difficult flicking back and forth as my Latin is no longer strong enough to translate at sight!

This is an interesting CD by one of Britain's lesser know great composers. It is very much a work like the curate's egg -good in parts. What it lacks in consistency it makes up in invention and a big choral sound.

Track Listing:
George LLOYD (1913-1998)
The Vigil of Venus - for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1980)
Carolyn James, soprano; Thomas Booth, tenor;
The Orchestra & Chorus of the Welsh National Opera, conducted by George Lloyd.
The British Music Collection

Decca 473-437

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published. 

Peter Yorke: Cocktails by Candlelight

It has been many years since I enjoyed a cocktail in the Dorchester Hotel. I seem to recall that the price was hardly ‘budget.’ Today’s prices are around £16 per cocktail. But then there is the caché of the place, not to mention the possibility of seeing one of the great and good parading through the main atrium or one of the bars. Peter Yorke’s attractive miniature reminded me of this experience. I am not too sure when the piece was composed, but the currently available recording on Guild suggests that it might have been around 1960.  

The music has all the attributes of a romantic prelude: sweeping strings, harp glissandi and restrained interpolations from the brass department.  Peter Yorke was an arranger and well as a composer and conductor and this is certainly apparent in this piece. Not only is the tune perfectly attuned to the mood, but the orchestration is well balanced, smooth and complimentary to the picture suggested by the title.  In the present recording the composer also conducts the Telecast Orchestra.

Peter Yorke’s Cocktails by Candlelight is available on The Golden Age of Light Music: Melodies for the Starlight Hours GLCD5196.