Eric Coates: Orchestral Works, Volume 2 on Chandos

Brian Wilson has given a perceptive review of this CD in these pages. Part of his study explores past recordings of many of these pieces. Jonathan Woolf investigates differences in timings and stylistic parameters between various recordings. I do not intend to repeat this valuable and interesting information. 

First off, there is nothing ‘new’ here. As an Eric Coates fan, I have heard all this music in the past, mainly on CD and record. Nevertheless, there are some relative rarities which are a pleasure to revisit.

The concert opens with the less-often heard London Bridge: March written in 1934. This was composed shortly after the phenomenal success of the Knightsbridge March, from the London Every Day Suite. It is devised in Coates ‘standard’ march formula. The piece was premiered on the popular In Town Tonight programme. The recording of this work had been captured by Pathé News. Geoffrey Self (In Town Tonight, Thames Publishing, 1986) has suggested that this March ‘is hardly in the same class for its main theme is hopelessly tied to the word-rhythm of the title and becomes monotonous because it cannot develop.'  Despite this negative criticism, I enjoyed this work. There is a sense of energy about this music that suggests the bustle of the both the famous bridge and the adjacent railway station.

The Selfish Giant, a Phantasy for Orchestra (1925) is a work that is rarely heard. It is one of a series of ‘Phantasies’ that were written with Coates’s son Austin in mind: a celebration of fairy-tales and bedtime reading. The others include those based on The Three Bears and Cinderella. The plot of The Selfish Giant is centred around Oscar Wilde’s evergreen tale: remember the giant who would not allow children to play in his dismal winter garden. But his mood softens and the garden blooms. There is, alas, a sad note: with the coming of spring: the giant dies, albeit peacefully, covered in white blossom. Listen for the orchestral onomatopoeia of bird sounds and little scurrying furry creatures.  Much of the magic is created by Coates syncopated style and his use of the ‘foxtrot’ as a kind of underlying motif.

Many listeners will have heard The Enchanted Garden in one of its earlier recordings. I was introduced to this work on the recording by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Lanchbery on the old HMV Greensleeves label (ESD 7062). Interestingly, Eric Coates never recorded this work.

Much of the music or The Enchanted Garden had been used in an unpublished ballet entitled Snowdrop (1930). This was based on the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Some years later, Coates planned to revise this score, but due to Disney’s iconic film (1937), this project was deemed unworkable due to possible copyright issues.  So, in 1938 Coates reworked this ambitious ‘ballet’ as The Enchanted Garden. Regardless of being subtitled ‘ballet’ it was not really meant for dance performance. It is, in fact, a fully blown symphonic poem, which pushes the ‘light music’ genre to its limits. So, inspired by his garden at Ivy Grange, Sidlesham and using a new ‘book’ devised by his wife, Coates proceeded to create his latest score. He wrote that he ‘was inspired to write it by the owls screeching by night and the small birds singing by day in my garden.’ The plot is the usual battle between good an evil. There is a definite ogre (how wicked?) in the Garden as well as the Good Prince and Princess. The outcome of this ‘cosmic struggle’ is never in doubt.

Geoffrey Self (op. cit.) has given a paradigm for listening to this tone-poem. He reminds the listener that The Enchanted Garden ‘is no Delian Summer Garden, rather it is an enchanted forest - Bax like…’

This work is ambitious. It was one of few works scored for a full symphony orchestra. Most of his other music could be played by a ‘pier end’ outfit that often had to rely on an adventurous system of ‘cues’ to make up for missing instruments.

I first discovered Eric Coates’s Summer Days Suite in a piano reduction I had borrowed from the Coatbridge Public Library in Lanarkshire during my schooldays. I remember trying it out on the piano. For me it was a non-starter. Like much of Coates’s music, the piano arrangements are not easy to play. At least not for a Grade 5! I did manage to pick out a few bars of the magical second movement, ‘On the Edge of the Lake’ (The Isla of the Waters). The melody of that gorgeous piece has remained with me ever since. There is surely a hint of Highland Heather in this movement, despite the use of the word ‘lake’ rather than ‘loch’. Here we have Coates almost out Delius-ing Delius. The first movement is a little rustic romp which certainly fits the bill for ‘In a Country Lane’. I guess we must recall that this was completed on 18 November 1918, only seven days after the Armistice. It is part of what ‘we were fighting for.’ The final movement, ‘At the Dance’ is one of Coates’s greatest waltzes. 

An anecdote states that Edward Elgar loved this suite so much that he wore out his record of the work. 

Three short pieces are included. The first, Wood Nymphs: Valsette was written in 1917. It was originally for a stage production, an ‘elfin ballet’. The music ‘sparkles’ from start to finish. This Valsette is evocative of happy, lazy days, despite being composed during the First World War. It was one of the composer’s earliest successes. The Serenade, For Your Delight, was written to a commission in 1937. The entire piece is characterised by a ‘gentle but catchy melody.’ Lazy Night is one of those works that is a sheer delight to listen to. For me, it is a perfect musical evocation of some rural retreat or perhaps an early evening stroll in a London Square.

The final work on this CD is the March: Calling All Workers. This piece carries the inscription ‘To go to one’s work with a glad heart and to do that work with earnestness and goodwill’. The story goes that Coates was coy about the title until the first broadcast performance. Interestingly, the actual title was inspired by a Hollywood film, where one of the actors playing a ‘G-man’, spoke the words ‘Calling all Cars.’  The rest is history. The March was adopted by the BBC for the programme ‘Music while you Work.’ This ran for some 27 years and was heard five days a week.  

The BBC Philharmonic’s performance under the baton of John Wilson is perfect. It is always good to hear Coates’s music played well, and without any condescension. The liner notes, by Richard Bratby provide all the information needed to add value to this CD. Eccentrically, the order of pieces in the booklet notes does not match the batting order of the CD.  The sound recording is ideal.

This is the second volume of what (hopefully) may result in a ‘cycle’ of Coates’s complete orchestral music. Let us hope the subsequent future releases appear with due haste. There is certainly a lot of music to still to be recorded for this project.

Track Listing:
Eric COATES (1886–1957)
London Bridge, March (1934)
The Selfish Giant, a Phantasy for Orchestra (1925)
Wood Nymphs: Valsette (1917)
The Enchanted Garden, a Ballet (1938)
For Your Delight, Serenade (1937)
Summer Days Suite (1919)
Lazy Night, Valse Romance (1931)
Calling All Workers, March (1940)
BBC Philharmonic/John Wilson
rec. MediaCityUK, Salford, Manchester; 14 and 15 November 2019. DDD.
CHANDOS CHAN20148

It’s not British but…Maurice Duruflé ’s Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie op. 13 (c.1960)

Maurice Duruflé’s (1902-86) Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie op. 13 was written in response to a commission by the musicologist and organologist Norbert Dufourcq. It was included in the anthology Preludes à l’introït, the 48^th part of the series Orgue et liturgie, issued by long-winded Éditions musicales de la Schola cantorum et de la Procure générale de musique. It was published in 1961. This collection of pieces were designed to be played between the ‘Asperges me’, the preparation for the Mass, and the beginning of the Introit antiphon which is taken from the Proper Mass of the Day. 

Duruflé’s Prelude was originally without opus number but was later allocated op.13 by the composer’s wife, Marie-Madeleine Durufle (1921-99).  The exact dating of this work is unknown, but is thought to be around the same time as the Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens, op. 10 and shortly before the Fugue sur le thème du  Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons op. 12 (1962).

The tune of cantus firmus is based on Gregorian chant. The composer has chosen the seasonal second-mode plainsong introit for the Feast of The Epiphany:

The text is: Ecce advenit dominator Dominus: et regnum in manu ejus, et potestas, et imperium Deus judicum tuum regida: at justifiam tuam filio regis (Behold the Lord the ruler is come: and the Kingdom is in His hands and power, and dominion Give to the King Thy judgement O God: and to the King's son Thy justice).

The entire work consists of 53 bars and is written in straightforward ternary form. The three parts are similar lengths (17, 18, 18 bars). The opening and closing sections use the melody from ‘Ecce Advenit’, and the middle section ‘Dominator dominus’ (See above). Duruflé uses the chant as inspiration and does not quote it precisely. The Récit or Swell organ, registered ‘Plein Jeu’ (full chorus) is used throughout, with the ‘trompette’ taking the ‘cantus firmus’ (fixed melody). This is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of many polyphonic compositions. This combination of stops points up the celebratory nature of the Feast of the Epiphany. The progress of the music is characterised by constant alteration of tempos as well as irregular bar lengths. Time signatures include 5/8 and 9/8. This gives the music a fluidity that perfectly reflects the characteristics of Gregorian chant. The composer has adopted an elastic use of accents and rhythms which are also apparent in his Quatre Motets sur des themes grégoriens, op. 10. The achievement here is how Duruflé weaves a flowing, complex, modal counterpoint around the melody.  The overall effect is to create a sense of stasis or timelessness, despite the Prélude being just over two minutes in duration.

Maurice Duruflé gave the premiere performance of the Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie op. 13 on 4 May 1961 at St Merry, 76 Rue de la Verrerie in Paris. The same day the Quatre Motets were also premiered.

The overall impression of the Prélude is summed up by a perceptive comment by J. Connolly (2013). He writes that:

‘[Durufle’s] vocal and organ compositions…are concert works, they are liturgical in aesthetic, bound to their Catholicism, and yet more liturgically-minded and less theologically-planned than the works of Messiaen, the other great ‘Catholic’ organ composer of the twentieth century. That is to say that, unlike the, concert liturgies presented by Messiaen’s larger scale works, Duruflé’s pieces display a greater sensitivity. They are the work of a Catholic with a deep appreciation for the liturgy of the church, however, they do not display the same theological depth as that which we will see in Messiaen’s cycles.’

There are many recordings of Maurice Duruflé ’s Prélude sur l'introït de l'epiphanie op. 13. Several have been uploaded to YouTube. David M. Patrick’s excellent recording on the Harrison and Harrison organ of Coventry Cathedral is a perfect example.

Bibliography:
Connolly, D. The Influence of Plainchant on French Organ Music after the Revolution. Doctoral Thesis. Dublin, Technological University Dublin (2013)
O’Keefe, John, An Analytical Survey of the Organ Music of Maurice Duruflé, A thesis submitted to Professor Gerard Gillen, Department of Music, in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts in Performance and Interpretation, St Patrick's College, Maynooth.

Were You There? Popular Music at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall: 1951-1996 Richard Lysons

Sometimes we classical music enthusiasts forget that Manchester’s onetime iconic Free Trade Hall was not the sole preserve of the Hallé Orchestra. Looking back over the post-World War 2 years, attendees will recall great conductors such as Sir Malcolm Sargent, Glorious Sir John Barbirolli, James Loughran, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and Kent Nagano directing what for Mancunians is the best symphony orchestra in the country. But the Free Trade Hall hosted a wide variety of events far removed from Classical Music. Just about everybody in the world of pop, rock, jazz and folk music performed here. Beginning in 1951, when the Hall was restored to use after extensive bomb damage, music fan Richard Lysons new book Were you there? catalogues every non-classical musical event, from Nina Simone to Slade and from Norman Wisdom to Wizzard. It is an indispensable catalogue, a valuable commentary and nostalgic reminiscence. 

This book can expect a wide range of readers, from students through to long-time fans of the popular music scene and to people with an interest in Manchester’s recent cultural history.  The Royal Northern College of Music now provides Jazz Studies as an elective part of their BMus programme. In 2015 the RNCM offered, for the first time, a four-year BMus degree in Popular Music. Were you there? will therefore become a critical tool for anyone majoring in non-classical music research. And for readers ‘Who were there’ this book will act as an aide-memoire of the concerts they attended and, perhaps more pertinently, those they missed.

In 1896 Thomas Batley published a comprehensive listing of all the Hallé Orchestra’s Concerts from 30 January 1858 until 7 March 1895. This included details of all vocal and instrumental soloists. For students of Victorian music, this rare volume is essential, but I guess few people will currently have access to it. In 1960, Michael Kennedy produced his masterly The Hallé Tradition, which presented similar information brought up to date, albeit less comprehensively, and in a narrative form. Manchester’s non-classical music scene has been addressed by several books. These include Dave Haslam’s Manchester, England: The Story of the Pop Cult City (2000) John Robb’s The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1976–1996, and Phill Gatenby and Craig Gill’s The Manchester Musical History Tour (2011). Richard Lysons’s book is an important addition to this historical literature.

Were You There? Popular Music at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall: 1951-1996 has an introduction by Clinton Heylin, the highly respected authority on Bob Dylan. One of his anecdotes reminds the reader that Dylan appeared here on two occasions, one being the infamous ‘Judas’ Concert. This ‘happening’ occurred when a concertgoer shouted out ‘Judas’ during the event. The reason? Bob Dylan chose to play a ‘set’ on electric instruments. Heylin concludes his remarks by insisting that Lysons ‘has opened the door of history on Manchester’s finest concert hall…’

Richard Lysons’s personal introduction outlines the practical aspects of this book as well as acknowledging his sources, personal and written. There is a handy listing of performers arranged by genre: e.g. British Pop, Jazz Rock, Skiffle and World Music.

The fundamental structure of the book is a year by year chronicle of (typically) non-classical events at the Free Trade Hall. I pick one year as an example to explain the book’s system: 1973 is a good as any. This was at a time when pop, rock, progressive rock and country were all regularly heard on radio, TV and record. Glancing at the comprehensive listing immediately uncovers the eclectic nature of these concerts: Genesis, Shirley Bassey, David Bowie (two houses), King Crimson, Lindisfarne, Ray Conniff and orchestra, Victor Borge, Yes, Status Quo, Petula Clark, Ravi Shankar and Johnny Cash - a wide-ranging set of top-class performers from many genres.  Information about supporting acts are included where appropriate. Concise notes are given about each group or singer. Also, of interest are details of ‘Other Events at the Free Trade Hall.’ For 1973, these included an RSPB Film Show and a lecture by ‘alternative historian’ Erich von Däniken. A final section records ‘headliners’ at other venues in Manchester. For example, that year The Beach Boys, Lulu and Slim Whitman had appeared at the Palace Theatre in Oxford Street.

The final pages of this remarkable book include a short discussion about the demise of the Free Trade Hall as a venue and its transformation into a high-class hotel. Information about other ‘Major Manchester Venues’ are given, along with their seating capacity and ‘active dates.’ Interestingly, the Bridgewater Hall has been omitted from this list! There are notes about the Lesser Free Trade Hall and the Mighty Wurlitzer commissioned in 1977, replacing the organ destroyed during the 1940 Blitz.  The book concludes with suggestions for further study and a ‘Select Bibliography’. There is also a ‘Discography’ and ‘Videography’ giving particulars of recordings made (legally!) at the Free Trade Hall.  The index alphabetically lists headlining acts, referenced by date rather than page number.

Finally, as a bonus, there is an outstanding collection of colour and black and white photographs. These include pictures of the venue, performers, and advertising posters.

Despite Richard Lysons’s eschewal of classical concert performances, he does catalogue the first post war event on 16 November 1951. The Hallé Orchestra and Chorus were joined by the wonderful contralto Kathleen Ferrier and conductor Sir John. Works featured in this short concert included Maurice Johnstone’s Overture: Banners, Barbirolli’s Elizabethan Suite, Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music, Hamilton Harty’s arrangement of Handel’s Water Music and concluded with Ferrier’s rendition of Land of Hope and Glory. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) was in attendance. An historically significant extract from the 60-page commemorative brochure is included in the book, giving a vote of thanks to all who had helped restore the Free Trade Hall to its glory. There is also a description of the then-current facilities.

Lysons lists several more classical concerts at this date, including the Hamburg Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It was on 8 December 1951 that the first ‘pop’ concert took place: Graeme Bell and his Australian Jazz Band.  

Richard Lysons attended his first Free Trade Hall concert on 12 February 1972. Top of the Bill was the folk-rock band The Strawbs.  After a career teaching English, he is now a music historian and writer. He was chief researcher for the highly acclaimed Discover Amazing Women by Rail project. Lysons first major publication was an edition of his father’s war letters, ‘My Dear Mother, Love Keith which was published on Kindle in 2018. The present book ‘Were You There?’ is his first print book.

Were you there? is a quality production. It is a strong, well bound hardback, with an artistically sound jacket. The print is a decent size, clear and readable. The book is easy and convenient to use. Priced at only £20.00 it is excellent value for money. 

I write as a classical music ‘historian’, but there is an enormous amount here to interest me. I’m a child of my times, and the pop and rock music of my generation is hugely important to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed investigating this book and getting a good feel for what I have missed.

The entire volume is a vital addition to musical history, both locally to Manchester and in the wider world. It is an essential work of reference that has been written to scholarly standards but does not lose the common touch. I wish it every success.                  

Were You There? Popular Music at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall: 1951-1996
Richard Lysons
Empire Publications, hardback, 288 pages
ISBN: 978-1-909360-81-5
£20:00                                            

Herbert Chappell (1934-2019): Overture Panache (1970)

It is always astonishing how a great piece of music can disappear into the mists of time. To be sure, Herbert Chappell’s Overture: Panache is hardly a major masterpiece: it does not storm the heavens nor plumb the deeps. What is does do is entertain. Every bar of this vivacious work is thoroughly enjoyable, well-written and replete with a good sense of humour and fun.

Herbert Chappell (1934-2019) was a British conductor, composer, and filmmaker. He is now best known for his television scores. As a conductor and composer, he had a strong association with the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO). Their repertoire included his Overture Panache along with two other works: Dead in Tune and George and the Dragonfly both for narrators and symphony orchestra.

The composer declares (LP sleeve notes): ‘Writing a piece of music is comparatively easy: the difficult bit is finding a title. This overture, composed on the spring of 1970, started out jokingly – but not without some justification – as a Scherzo- a sort of Scherzo. Anxious for improvement I sought other suggestions – Prima Donna, Festival 70, The Comedian, Groucho (there’s a fortissimo section with his characteristic ‘Liszt’…) and so on. My wife, as usual, had the last word: with a flash of inspiration she suggested a common factor which was absolutely right: Panache. After all, the original commission from Eric Pinkett and the orchestra (to whom the overture is dedicated) had been for something ‘tuneful, cheerful, exuberant and short, and that is just the way it turned out.’

As an aside, what is the Liszt connection here? In an exchange between Groucho Marx and the American radio and TV presenter George Fenneman on the You Bet Your Life show, confusion arises over the word ‘agenda’. Fenneman explains that it means a ‘list’. Referring to W S Gilbert’s Mikado, Groucho thinks that the Lord High Executioner ‘Having a little agenda’ does not quite fit the bill. He concludes, ‘You know when Franz Liszt was born that’s what his mother sang – “I’ve got a little Liszt…”’ Another connection with the Hungarian composer is in the 1937 film The Day at the Races. Chico ‘plays’ the Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 (soon transformed into ‘On the Beach at Bali-Bali’) and the ‘band’ is conducted by Harpo.  

I think that the clue to enjoying this delightful Overture is indeed regarding it as ‘a sort of scherzo’. The opening section presents a couple of interesting ideas. It is not quite structured as a classical ‘minuet and trio’, but more as a series of loosely interrelated episodes. The general mood of the music is vivacious and boisterous. Just occasionally, the excitement ebbs a little, to allow the listener to relax. There is a nod to Gershwin in the middle of the piece, with echoes of ‘I got Rhythm’. The Overture concludes with a massive coda. The quality of the orchestration is bright and well defined with good brass and percussion writing.

In April 1971, The Gramophone carried an advert for the second Argo recording by the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra (LSSO) (ZRG 685). This LP included Arthur Bliss’s Introduction and Allegro (1926, rev.1937), Andre Previn’s Overture to a Comedy (1963), the ‘Elegy’ from John Ireland’s A Downland Suite (1932),  Bryan Kelly’s Cuban Suite (1956) and Michael Tippett’s ‘Interlude’ and ‘Non Nobis Domine’ from A Shires Suite (1970), along with the present overture by Chappell. The Tippet and Chappell pieces had been specially written for this Orchestra. The LSSO on this occasion was conducted by Bliss, Previn and Tippett (in their own works) and Eric Pinkett (in balance).

Trevor Harvey writing in The Gramophone (April 1971) considered that overall ‘the playing really is remarkable’ and despite some minor intonation problems with the strings he could ‘find little to fault and much to admire’ in the orchestra’s performance.’  Harvey notes that despite the album’s title of ‘Contemporary Orchestral Works’ most of these pieces were written a while ago. This seems a little unfair. Tippett’s Shires Suites was first heard at that year’s Cheltenham Festival (8 July 1970) played by the LSSO, and Previn’s Overture was only seven years old at the time of recording.

Turning to Chappell’s Overture, Harvey simply states that it is a ‘virtuoso piece and not much more.’ Along with the Previn Comedy Overture, he thinks that they are ‘skilfully done’ and both are ‘exhilarating.’

Strangely, Chappell’s Overture was given its premiere concert performance after the recording had been made. It was first heard at the De Montfort Hall in September 1970 (I was unable to find the exact date). The LSSO played Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the soloist Nigel Allcoat, who was a former member of the orchestra. Other works included of Kelly’s Cuban Suite, Arthur Bliss’s Introduction and Allegro, Ireland’s ‘Elegy’ from A Downland Suite, Morton Gould’s Spirituals. The oldest work played was Dvorak’s Romance for violin and orchestral. The soloist was Eleanor Cooke, a pupil at Melton Upper School. The Leicester Mercury noted that Chappell’s Overture opened the concert ‘with wit and glitter.’

Herbert Chappell’s Overture: Panache (1970) can be heard on YouTube. This has been uploaded from the Argo ZRG 685. It is the only recording of Chappell’s Overture.

New Year's Greetings

A Happy and Prosperous New Year 

To All Readers of 

The Land of Lost Content 

Some Significant (and less so) British Composer Anniversaries for 2021: 

Bi-Centenaries: 

Clara Angela Macirone 

John Francis Holcombe Read 

Charlotte Helen Sainton-Dolby 

Charles Edward Stephens 

150 Years: 

Percy Buck 

Clement Hugh Gilbert Harris 

William Henry Squire 

[Royal Albert Hall]

Centenaries: 

Malcolm Arnold 

William Blezard 

Adrian Cruft 

Ruth Gipps 

Anthony Hopkins 

Leonard Salzedo 

Robert Simpson 

Gerard Victory 

Peter Wishart

Alpha & Omega: Christmas Music by Gustav Holst

This is a hugely valuable addition to Gustav Holst’s discography. Three reasons lead to this conclusion. Primarily, for the first time, all the composer’s Christmas carols can be found on a single disc. This includes two that are premiere recordings: ‘A Dream of Christmas’ (1917) and ‘I saw three ships’, the first number from Three Carols (1916/17). The second reason is the ‘complete’ organ works. Four early pieces dating from Holst’s schooldays are given their debut recording. I guess that for most enthusiasts, these will be new discoveries. And finally, the intricate organ transcription for four hands of the ‘Scherzo’ from the unfinished Symphony is an interesting addition. 

I intend to consider the premiere recordings in this review. The old favourites have had much ink expended on them. That said, I enjoyed the Godwine Choir’s rendition of ‘Personent Hodie’ (this has been a favourite of mine since my schooldays), ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, and the less-than-pew-friendly ‘Bring us good ale’.  But my favourite carol here is the ‘Wassail Song’ with its ‘intricate counter melodies and changes in texture mak[ing] this a work of some complexity.’

‘A Dream of Christmas’ is new to me. This setting was made in 1917 and published two years later. The anonymous words were mined from Mary Segar’s Medieval Anthology (1915).  The text is set for two soprano parts (often in thirds) with a piano or string orchestra accompaniment, but here played on the organ. A noteworthy feature of this carol is the way the words of Christ are sung in the key of D major, whilst the rest of the setting is in the Dorian mode.

‘I saw three ships’ is a well-known carol, especially in the versions by John Rutter and David Willcocks. Holst has taken the traditional tune and provided a vibrant setting for unison voices and organ (or orchestral) accompaniment. The words of this carol have an esoteric message which would have appealed to the composer. This refers to Joseph of Arimathea’s sea trips to Cornwall and, on one occasion, legendarily bringing Jesus and the Virgin Mary with him.

The four organ pieces were composed in 1890-91 when Holst was attending Cheltenham Grammar School. They are very much of their time and owe much to the prevailing ‘Village Organist’ school of Victorian organ music. The first, a March in C major, has a decent trio tune and an equally vibrant march section. The captivating ‘Allegretto pastorale’ bounces along in typically rustic manner. I disagree with the liner notes that state this is a ‘whimsical piece’: there is a depth in the middle section that is thoughtful and introverted. It is a little stodgy in places, but thoroughly enjoyable. The Postlude in C major would make a good recessional in 2020. Little touches of Jeremiah Clarke here and there give this a sense of musical continuity. The Funeral March is massive in scale. Lasting nearly ten-minutes this work is full of interest. The liner notes note the eccentric registration which has been retained here. I must confess that it seems reasonable to me. It certainly adds colour and variety to what could become a touch longwinded.  These four pieces may not be masterworks, but they are of some significance, and provide a valuable insight into the composer’s early years. Bearing in mind that Holst was only 16 years of age when he wrote them, they hold up well. They deserve an occasional outing, and it is great that they are available here for the first time. Well done EM Records!

Gustav Holst’s Scherzo has been available in its orchestral version since 1972 when Adrian Boult issued it on Lyrita SRCS 56. Further recordings have been made by Richard Hickox in 1996 and Sir Andrew Davis in 2018. This work pushed Holst’s musical language in a new direction. The Musical Times summed it up well: ‘it sounds too inclusive...characteristically angular, rather chilly in temperature and European rather than national in style...as if Hindemith had taken a hand in a scherzo by Vaughan Williams.’ At the time of the premiere in February 1935, there was some debate as to whether the ‘Scherzo’ was standalone or part of a projected Symphony. Vaughan Williams settled the argument in a letter to The Times: he recalled that Holst had told him that he intended to write a symphony and had composed the Scherzo first. The quixotic organ transcription by Richard Brasier sounds very complex to play, clearly pushing the possibilities of four-handed organ music to its limits. It is a worthy experiment,

The Godwine Choir with their conductor and accompanying instrumental and vocal soloists give a studied and enthusiastic performance of all this music. The liner notes are exceptional. There is a long introduction by Chris Cope, chairman of The Holst Society, which puts the entire CD in context. This is followed by a useful biography of the composer by Em Marshall-Luck. Details of all the Christmas music and Organ works are essential reading: all the texts are included with helpful programme notes. Organist Richard Brasier provides a short background note to his transcription of the ‘Scherzo’. Biographies of all the main performers complete this comprehensive booklet.

This is an ideal Christmas present for all enthusiasts of Gustav Holst in particular, and English music in general. As noted above it features all 17 of the composer’s Christmas Carols. The organ music is an attractive bonus.

Track Listing:
Gustav HOLST (1874–1934)
Christmas Day (1910)
In the Bleak Midwinter (1904)
Four Old English Carols (1907) 1. 'A Babe is born’; 2. ‘Now let us sing’; 3. Jesu, Thou the Virgin-born; 4. ‘The Saviour of the World is born’
March in C Major for organ (1890/91)
Two Carols (1907–1916) 1. ‘A Welcome Song’; 2. ‘Terly Terlow’
Allegretto Pastorale’ for organ (1890/91)
Lullay My Liking (1916)
Three Carols (1916–1917) 1. ‘I saw three ships’; 2. ‘Personent hodie’; 3. ‘Masters in this Hall’
Postlude in C for organ (1890/91)
Of One that is so Fair and Bright (1916)
This Have I Done for My True Love (1916)
Bring Us in Good Ale (1916)
Funeral March in G Minor for organ (1890/91)
A Dream of Christmas (1917)
Wassail Song (pub. 1931)
Scherzo for organ (1933) (arr. Richard BRASIER b.1988)
Godwine Choir/Alex Davan Wetton and Edward Hughes, John Wright (organ), Richard Brasier (organ), Tom Bell (organ), Douglas Tang (organ), Charlotte Evans (oboe), Alison Moncrieff-Kelly (cello)
Rec. 13-14 July 2019, St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead; 22 August 2019, Hereford Cathedral (Scherzo)
EM RECORDS EMR CD062

Yuletide Greetings

A Merry Christmas: 

To All Readers and Followers of 'The Land of Lost Content'

Adoration of the Magi Pieter Brueghel (1590-1638)

Sing Lullaby

Sing lullaby, sing lullaby, 

While snow doth softly fall, 

Sing lullaby to Jesus 

Born in an oxen-stall. 

Sing lullaby to Jesus, 

Born now in Bethlehem, 

The naked blackthorn’s growing 

To weave His diadem.

Sing lullaby, sing lullaby 

While thickly snow doth fall, 

Sing lullaby to Jesus 

The Saviour of all. 

F.W. Harvey (1888-1957)

Adam Saunders: Fairy-tale Sleighride (2008)

The Season of Christmas has many overlapping traditions, both religious and secular. For Christians it is clearly the celebration of the Birth of Jesus in a stable at Bethlehem, with its theological significance of God made Man. For most, it is a time of family reunions (problematic in this year of COVID-19), the exchange of gifts and Christmas cards, eating too much, spending too much, decorated trees and fairy lights. Other religious and secular factors come into play such as Yule Logs, Mistletoe and Boxing Day Swims. 

For over 60 years I have hoped that it would snow on Christmas Day. Good deep snow, that covers the entire land or town scape. I know that this conceit is wholly selfish: what about the people who must work and travel at this time of the year? But I can dream…

I can count on one hand the number of times I recall a White Christmas. One memorable time was when I was living in Glasgow during the memorable winter of 1962/3 when snow lay across the whole of Scotland on the 25^th December.  It was a time of sledging, snowball fights, and misery, I guess, for our teachers and parents. And then, once when leaving Midnight Mass from a church in York, there was a veritable snowstorm. Everything looked perfect: Christmassy in every way. Sadly, it had thawed by the morning. So, if I am honest, any possibility of a Sleighride on this most Holy Night is very much wishful thinking - at least in the UK. But perhaps for folk living in Austria…?

The clue to enjoying this delightful short work by Adam Saunders is the prefix ‘Fairy-tale.’  For we all know that at Christmas Time wonderful things can and do happen. There is nothing challenging in this delightful piece of ‘light music’. It has been suggested that this piece could be a score for an imaginary Christmas movie. According to the Naxos CD liner notes (see below for details) the music ‘paints a picture of a magical sleighride, journeying through a fairy-tale wintry landscape.’ It does not define where this journey takes place. However, ‘en-route, various adventurous and humorous encounters take place, until finally arriving triumphantly back at home.’   It is left to the listeners’ imagination to divine what these encounters represent. For me, there is certainly a touch of romance (think Bing Crosby) and possibly a glimpse of Santa Claus driving his team of reindeers across the frosty star-spangled sky, sleigh laden with presents for the well-behaved. Here and there something a little intimidating (bad fairies or mischievous goblins trying to be good?) appears in the brass department as well as ‘comic cuts’ from the bassoon. No piece carrying this title would be complete without the percussion department’s ‘sleigh bells.’ From start to finish this little tone poem does what it says on the tin: it gives an enchanting impression of a journey most of us would like to take, but probably never will.

Adam Saunders was born in Derby in 1968 and subsequently studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he won several prizes for musical composition.  His focus as a composer is divided between the concert hall and media including television and film.  He writes a deal of library music, which can be used by producers to give a suitable background to their screenplays.  Saunders has had works performed by leading British and European orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Other works that have been recorded include the 'Comedy Overture' on British Light Overtures Volume 3 (ASV White Line WHL 2140), and 'The Magical Kingdom' on Dutton Epoch CDLX 7147 (incorrectly titled 'The Magic Kingdom').

Adam Saunders’s Fairy-tale Sleighride can be hears on Another Night before Christmas, Naxos 8.572744, (2011) and also on the Halle’s Christmas Celebration CDHLL7545 (2016).  Both have been uploaded to YouTube. See links above.

Horace Shepherd (1892-1960): ‘Winter’ for orchestra

One of the most evocative tone-poems describing a winter landscape is Horace Shepherd’s Winter. It is classified as light music, but there is a greater depth and mystery to this piece than that genre may suggest.  This subtle music truly evokes the season. I think that Shepherd had a rural landscape in mind when he devised this piece. There is certainly nothing to suggest the pizzazz of Christmas shopping in Regent Street or Yuletide festivities.  I am certain that this landscape is not snowy but depicts winter sunshine.  

The strings play a major role here. In fact, they create the typical swish romantic sound so often associated with the ‘light’ music genre. But Shepherd has provided some interesting passages for woodwind and the harp.

There is no way of telling when this piece was composed, but guessing from the stylistic parameters, probably in the early 1950s. The only recording of this piece was made in 1953 by New Concert Orchestra, conducted by R. de Porten.

I know precious little about the composer, and there is not much information about him on the Internet. Horace Shepherd was born on 10 October 1892 in Richmond, London. Much of his musical achievement was in the field of film music, working as a musical director and composer. He provided the scores for more than ten British films between the 1930s and 1950s. His best known was written for Hatters Castle, based in the eponymous novel by A.J. Cronin. This film starred Robert Newton and Deborah Kerr. Other scores included The Flamingo Affair and a Musical Masquerade. This latter film was telling. It is about a composer who only manages to get his music performed when it is believed to have been written by Tchaikovsky.  Shepherd contributed many scores for documentary films including Symphonies in Stone: St. Paul's Cathedral and a study of Snowdonia.  Like many light music composers, he provided short character pieces for music libraries, where film, TV and radio producers could find ready-made scores suitable for immediate use. He also published music under the pseudonym of Hugh Kairs. 

Horace Shepherd died in Holloway, London on 10 March 1960.

Only two or three pieces by Shepherd seem to have made it onto CD. These include the present Winter on Guild (GLCD 5138) and The Magic Garden (GLCD 5144).  Several other short numbers include the Fashion Waltz, Hornpipe, Glenside Scena, Dawn of Love, and the Primula Waltz. All these are available on YouTube.

Exploring World Cat I discovered a potential Violin Concerto by Shepherd. This is a holograph score held at the Northwestern University in Illinois. If this by the same Horace Shepherd, this could be a valuably discovery, and may make an interesting project for a professional violinist or orchestra.

Winter by Horace Shepherd is available on YouTube.

O Magnum Mysterium: Christmas Music from Clifton Cathedral, Bristol

This is a lovely Seasonal Album. Despite having been recorded a third of a century ago, the sound, the singing and the organ playing is as if new-minted. The selection of music is a subtle mix of old favourites and new discoveries. 

The ageless numbers include ‘Silent Night’ in a perfect setting by Christopher Walker, the children’s favourite, ‘Away in a Manger’ in a beautiful arrangement by Geoffrey Mendham and the ‘Sussex Carol’ in David Willcocks’s well-loved version. It is good to hear the ‘Coventry Carol’ in its original incarnation.  Finally, Harold Darke’s ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ is always a great alternative to Gustav Holst’s miniature masterpiece.

Two of my favourite Christmas pieces are included on this disc: Peter Warlock’s ‘Bethlehem Down’ and Francis Poulenc’s ‘O Magnum Mysterium’. New (or maybe long forgotten) numbers to me were Sweelinck’s ‘Hodie Christus natus est’ and the ‘Echo Carol’ from the Cölner Gesangbuch, arranged by the late David Wulstan.

One of the highlights of this CD is the interspersion of organ pieces throughout the programme. This includes a good concentration of J.S. Bach taken from the Orgelbüchlein and the Schübler collections. The Bach chorales are played to perfection. The ‘recessional voluntary’ is the charming ‘Noël Suisse’ from Louis Claude-Daquin’s twelve published Noëls. These are based on ancient country dances. Perhaps one would have expected a powerful warhorse as the concluding track.  This piece is a meditation on Christ as a ‘little angel’ and on the God of Mercy: it makes a thoughtful conclusion to the recital.

Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul is a brutalist (raw concrete) building. Naturally, it won several awards and is now Grade II* listed. An important attribute of the structure is its interior functionality, and participating in any celebration of the liturgy, high or low, is an inspirational event. The stained-glass windows in the narthex are particularly stunning, as well as the remarkable Stations of the Cross.

The superb three-manual pipe organ was built by Rieger Orgelbau of Austria and was commissioned on the opening of the Cathedral in June 1973. Unfortunately, the organ specification is not included.

The liner notes leave a little to be desired. The composers’ details omit Christian names and sometimes their dates of birth and death (where appropriate), and there are no dates provided for the music. I concede this latter information can be difficult to establish in this kind of music. The booklet cover does not appeal to my taste: some people will love it. I would have used the snow scene of Clifton Cathedral, which is printed on the rear pages of the notes. More seriously, no texts are provided for the carols. Historical and musicological details of the works are minimal.

It is interesting to note that the Clifton Cathedral Choir is voluntary: they ‘aim to achieve the highest standards of performance in a wide range of music for the liturgy.’ This is splendidly accomplished here.

As noted above, everything about this recital is ideal. Reviewing this disc in the dying days of October put me into Christmassy mood.  Despite the politicians and even clergy suggesting that Christmas is going to be ‘cancelled’ in this year of Covid 19, just listening to this CD fills the listener with Seasonal Joy and Hope. Quoting Robert Bridges, ‘The old words came to me by the riches of time/Mellowed and transfigured…’

Track Listing:
Jacob HANDL (1550-91) Resonet in Laudibus
William James KIRKPATRICK (1838-1921) arr. Geoffrey MENDHAM (1899-1984) Away in a Manger
Trad. Arr. David WILLCOCKS (1919-2015) Sussex Carol
J.S. BACH (1685-1750) Wachet Auf, BWV 645
Francis POULENC (1899-1963) O Magnum Mysterium
J.S BACH Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 604
J.S. BACH Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich BWV 605
Coventry Carol, original 1591 version
Jan Pieterszoon SWEELINCK (1562-1621) Hodie Christus natus est
J.S. BACH In dulci jubilo BWV 608
Arr. Robert Lucas PEARSALL (1795-1856) In dulci jubilo
Franz Xaver GRUBER (1787-1863) arr. Christopher WALKER (b.1947) Silent Night
J.S. BACH Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter BWV 650
Harold DARKE (1888-1976) In the bleak midwinter
Peter WARLOCK (1894-1930) Bethlehem Down
Cölner Gesangbuch 1623, arr. David WULSTAN (1937-2017) Echo Carol
Louis-Claude DAQUIN (1694-1772) Noël Suisse
Choir of Clifton Cathedral/Christopher Walker; John Gibbons (organ)
Rec. 23-24 October 1987, Clifton Cathedral, Bristol
HOXA HS 07 1027

Ernest Markham Lee (1874-1956): Rivers of Devon Suite (1929)

Many years ago (6 June 2008), I wrote in this blog that I was curious to know what Ernest Markham Lee's Rivers of Devon Suite sounded like. Twelve years later, I have found out. At the end of 2019, The Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra conducted by Major David B Hammond issued a CD entitled Palace Premieres (MPR CWSO01). This interesting disc included several works for string orchestra, including music by English composers Alec Rowley, Thomas Dunhill, Frederic Curzon and, amongst others, Markham Lee’s above-named suite. 

The composer clearly had a soft spot for the Devonshire landscape, despite being a Cambridgeshire man. Markham Lee is probably best known is his Moorland and Torland Suite for piano solo. Equally evocative is the West Country Suite. The present Rivers of Devon Suite was an original piano work published in 1929 and in the same year it was issued in its string orchestra arrangemnt.  The Suite was premiered by the Torquay Municipal Orchestra on 6 March 1934. The concert included music by Albert Ketèlbey, Montague Phillips and extracts from Wagner’s Lohengrin! The event was relayed live to the BBC.

The Rivers of Devon Suite is presented in four well-balanced movements: 1. Tamar: Stately ships ride out to sea, 2. Dart: Waters flash and leap, 3. Torridge: Dusk deepening between hills and 4. Lynn: Through the wild and woodland.  The mood of each river is perfectly captured. The Tamar is the great shipping river that divides Devon from Cornwall. Here we imagine fishing boats and warships. This is broadly played music, with just a hint of sadness (farewells?). The splendid evocation of the River Dart presents music that is gentle and amiable as befits this idyllic waterway. I think that the third movement ‘Torridge’ is the heart of the work, generating a considerably intensity of sound. The finale comments on the River Lynn which rises in the heights of Exmoor. It provides a charming conclusion to this Suite as the waters flow down to the lovely holiday resort of Lynmouth.

The liner notes suggest that the entire Suite would not have been out of place in film music. I can imagine it having been used in a British Transport film exploring the holiday delights of Devon, during the early 1950s. The workmanship of this lavish suite is superb. It fits into the long trajectory of English string music going back to Parry’s Lady Radnor’s Suite and continuing to the present. The music features lush harmonies and characteristic string writing, as well as some delightful melodies. One reviewer (Nick Barnard, MusicWeb International, 18 October 2020) has suggested that ‘the thickness of the writing finds this small group of strings under-powered.’ I tend to agree with him. Despite the excellent performance of this piece by the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra, one feels that the full string section of a major symphonic band would add power and strength to this piece. 

The Suite lasts for about 13 minutes and the score was published by Goodwin and Tabb in their ‘The English String Series.’

Finally, it is good that music by several of the so-called minor composers has been deemed worth of performance and recording. Let us hope that orchestras and recitalists begin to explore the some of these byways of English music. They can only make interesting and fascinating discoveries.

For details of the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra's CD see the Mike Purton Recordings Website. 

Exploring Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata, Op.21 (1951) Part 2

The Recordings. The March 1953 edition of The Gramophone (p.xxvii) carried an advert for several new Argo ‘long playing microgroove’ records. Interestingly, these included a recitation of T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land and other poems’ by British actor Robert Speaight, and records of music by Bartok, Debussy, Rawsthorne, Arensky, Bloch and Wolf. Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata, played by Gordon Watson was coupled with Peter Racine Fricker’s Sonata [No.1] for violin and piano, performed by Maria Lidka, violin, and Margaret Kitchin, piano. It was issued on ATC 1002.  This was reviewed in The Gramophone (June 1953, p.16). Lionel Salter begins congratulating Argo for displaying ‘courage’ for being ‘willing to risk its arm by publishing two ‘advanced’ British works’, which are described as ‘tough nuts.’ The critic reminds the reader that both composers are still in their thirties, and both owe their training to foreign musicians. In Fricker’s case it was the Hungarian émigré Mátyás Seiber at Morley College, and for Searle, Anton Webern in Vienna. Sadly, both composers have in common little save that their works are better known in Germany than in this country.’  Turning to Searle’s Sonata, after introducing the piece, Salter thinks that:

‘The massive piano writing makes a pleasant change from the coy keyboard pecking usual with the dodecaphonists, though I feel that Searle overdoes the perpetual growling semiquavers in the bass. Gordon Watson…plays the sonata in masterly fashion and is completely at home in its challenging idiom: it is unfortunate that he does not get a better recording - this is both shallow and rather rattly. Nevertheless, this disc is a valuable one for all interested in the art of our time, and Argo 's enterprise is much to be applauded.’

A major review was included in The Record Guide (1952, rev.1955, p.693). Desmond Shawe-Taylor considered that ‘the sonata is a most arresting piece, which could not fail to create a majestic impression in a concert hall.’ The pianist, Gordon Watson, ‘must be congratulated on the aplomb with which he tackles the difficulties of the work.’  However, there was a problem. The recording ‘is too ill managed’ …and the soloist could have been ‘better served by the engineers.’  Otherwise it would have been ‘a wholly praiseworthy contribution to the catalogue.’

The critic concludes with a short footnote. Since he wrote this review in 1952, Argo announced that the record has been withdrawn with the intention of a new version.  It was never re-released, and listeners had to wait until 2014 before another edition of Searle’s Piano Sonata was issued on Naxos.

The Malcolm Smith Memorial Album was the result of a bequest. Smith (1932-2011) was head of the Promotion and Hire Library at Boosey and Hawkes. A vice president of the British Music Society, Smith bequeathed a sum of money to facilitate this recording, which includes Robin Holloway’s six-handed Grand Heroical March, Leslie Howard’s Sullivan-inspired Ruddigore Concert Fantasy, and Humphrey Searle’s Sonata.

Malcolm Smith had a passionate interest in British music, with his job allowing him to know most of the composers of the post war generation. Composer and academic Peter Dickinson provided the assessment of this somewhat unusual CD for The Gramophone (March 2015, p.75). Commenting on the Searle Sonata, Dickinson notes that the composer was a ‘devotee of Liszt, not the obvious enthusiasm for one of the first British 12-note composers.’ Perhaps Dickinson was thinking of the Hungarian composer’s ‘romanticism’, rather than as a progenitor of ‘thematic transformation’.  Dickinson continues by insisting that ‘Julian Jacobson puts this taxing, but impressively rhetorical piece through its paces brilliantly – just the kind of gesture [Malcolm] Smith would have admired, bringing something unknown to a wider audience.’ Peter Dickinson subsequently explained to me that Jacobson told him what a dreadful time he had learning the Sonata: ‘The point is that if you have rapid arpeggios based on note-rows, every single one is a different layout, unless you’re very careful – which Searle wasn’t. That means that every bar must be separately fingered, and nothing repeats. This is virtually impossible.’

David Denton (David’s Review Corner, October 2014) provides a short but apposite comment on the Sonata: '...if you can imagine Liszt’s B minor sonata being rewritten by Schoenberg, you will have Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata. Composed in 1951 it received critical acclaim at the time but has since fallen by the wayside, this being the first modern recording. The magnificent performance comes from the much-experienced Julian Jacobson who makes light of its demands.’

Finally, Mark L Lehman in the American Record Guide (March/April 2015. p.200) gave a crisp review of this performance: ‘Searle's 1951 sonata, a frenetic, jagged, dissonant, tormented excursion into extremes of dynamics, tessitura, and emotion, that combines Schoenbergian chromaticism, Mahlerian weltschmerz, (world weariness) and Lisztian cataracts splashed up and down the keyboard, is the most ambitious item on the [CD’s] program. Listeners who find Allan Pettersson optimistic and genial and Harrison Birtwistle pastoral and folk-like are sure to cosy up to this porcupine. Others beware.’

It seems strange that one of the most important post-war British Piano Sonatas has ‘fallen by the wayside.’ This work can be regarded as entry level into Humphrey Searle’s compositional style. The balance between Serialism and Lisztian romanticism is skilfully crafted. It is a Sonata that surely deserves its place in the canon of 20^th century music, no matter how tentative its hold.

Bibliography:
Searle, Humphrey, Quadrille with a Raven: Memoir of a Composer Unpublished Autobiography, 1976-1982.
Searle, Humphrey, ‘Programme Note’ for Wigmore Hall concert 22 October 1951.
Searle, Humphrey, The Music of Liszt, Second Revised Edition (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1966)
Files of The Times, The Guardian, The Musical Times, The Stage, Music and Letter, The Gramophone, The Record Guide, MusicWeb International, David’s Review Corner, American Record Guide, etc.

Discography: 

1. Searle, Humphrey, Piano Sonata, op.21 Gordon Watson (piano), with Peter Racine Fricker’s Sonata [No.1] for violin and piano, Maria Lidka (violin) and Margaret Kitchin (piano) Argo ATC 1002 (1953)
2. Searle, Humphrey, Piano Sonata, op.21 Julian Jacobson (piano) with works by Georg Frederic Handel, Robin Holloway, Leslie Howard and Robert Matthew-Walker, Mark Bebbington, Leslie Howard and John Lill (piano). Naxos 8.571354 (2014)

Exploring Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata, Op.21 (1951) Part 1

Introduction. Music historians are doubly lucky in possessing two primary sources for understanding Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata. The first is his unpublished autobiography, Quadrille with a Raven, written between 1976 and his death in 1982. The other is the programme note that he wrote for the premiere performance of his Sonata in 1951. 

In his memoirs (Chapter 11), Searle explained that the Australian pianist, Gordon Watson ‘intended to celebrate the 140^th birthday of [Franz] Liszt, 22 October 1951, by performing the Transcendental Studies complete in the Wigmore Hall.’ Watson had asked the composer for a new Sonata for him to play at this recital. Searle wrote that he ‘decided to write a virtuoso piece - fiendishly difficult…more or less in the form of the Liszt B minor sonata but in a twelve-note idiom.’ It was an act of homage to the Hungarian master. As he composed the music, he sent it to Watson, ‘piece by piece’. Watson later told him that ‘if he had received the whole sonata at one go, he would have despaired of ever learning it.’ There was an eerie backdrop to the composition of this Sonata. Searle elucidates: ‘While I was writing this work I had a very curious experience; three times while the music was progressing in a certain direction something told me to stop and write something completely different, and each time I heard the next day of the death of someone with whom I was connected, either as a colleague or a friend.  The three who died were Arnold Schoenberg, Constant Lambert, and Cecil Gray. Searle had adopted the serial techniques of Schoenberg and later translated the important biography of the elder composer, written by Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt (Schoenberg - His Life, World and Work, John Calder, 1974/1977). Constant Lambert had ‘first revealed to [him] the true greatness of Liszt.’ Lambert was a well-respected conductor, composer, author, and friend. Searle would become an expert on the Hungarian master, and later wrote a book about him (Music of Liszt, Dover, 1954, rev.1966). Finally, Cecil Gray was a composer, critic and author and casual friend of Searle.

The following is a descriptive discussion of Searle’s Piano Sonata, not an analysis. It is based on the composer’s own programme note, written for the premiere performance. The Sonata is a fusion of the Lisztian idea of ‘thematic transformation’ with the twelve-tone methods of Arnold Schoenberg. Searle reminds the listener that the latter used thematic transformations, by way of serialism. 

Grove’s Dictionary defines ‘thematic transformation’ as ‘a term used to define the process of modifying a theme, so that in a new context it is different but yet manifestly made of the same elements; a variant term is ‘thematic metamorphosis’’. Commenting on this process, Humphrey Searle (1966, p.61) suggests that ‘the serial methods of Schoenberg, for instance, use precisely the methods of Liszt's thematic transformation within the framework of an entirely different [musical] language.’ So, based on Searle’s admiration for these two composers, it is hardly surprising that the Piano Sonata is a fusion of both constructive principles.

Searle’s Piano Sonata is conceived in a single movement, divided into contrasting sections. Four elements form the constructive material of the Sonata and are first presented in the ‘exposition.’ These are the opening three-note ‘Lento’ phrase (Db, F, A), the rising theme of the ‘Allegro’ which immediately follows, a figure consisting of repeated semiquaver chords, and finally, the material of the second ‘lento section.’

After several broad opening bars forming the exposition, the music passes into a short ‘scherzo’ before leading into the ‘development’ section played ‘Allegro risoluto.’ Without a pause, the slow ‘Andante’ is written in standard ternary form, ending with a cadenza. This leads into the second ‘scherzo’, followed by the recapitulation of the opening theme (Allegro risoluto). Both scherzos have acted as interludes: the first exploits notes in the bass register of the piano, whilst the second uses the top notes. The Sonata ends with a sinister coda, that has the character of a ‘recitative’ played ‘lento.’

It is important to note that like most ‘serial’ works, few listeners can aurally follow all the permutations of the series as the Sonata progresses. A score, paper and pencil and a lot of time and skill are needed to unravel all the ‘changes and chances’ of the underlying structural material. What is clear, is the inherent unity of purpose underlying this Piano Sonata.

The Premiere. The premiere of Humphrey Searle’s Piano Sonata, op.21 was given at a recital at the Wigmore Hall, Wigmore Street, London on Monday 22 October 1951. The concert programme declared that it was ‘On the Occasion of the 140^th Anniversary of Liszt’s Birth.’ The soloist was the Australian pianist Gordon Watson (1921-1999). Two works were performed: Franz Liszt’s Études d'exécution transcendante (1852) and, after the interval, Searle’s Sonata. The composer recalled in his memoirs that ‘Gordon Watson's performances of the Transcendental Studies and my Sonata were very successful, and both he and I got good notices in the Press.’ (Searle, Quadrille, Chapter 11.) 

It was a surprise to read that Gordon Watson was ‘distinctly more eloquent in [his] account of Searle’s Sonata than he was in the Liszt Transcendental Studies. The critic of the long-running journal The Stage (25 October 1951, p.12) insisted that only ‘the utmost technical mastery and all the dramatic and rhetorical resources of the grandest romantic style can give [both] these pieces their proper effect.’ As for the Studies, ‘although the young Australian pianist (he was 30 at the time) displayed a technique of exceptional facility, neither his execution nor his style could truly be called transcendent.’

The following Monday, The Times (29 October 1951, p.2) reported that Gordon Watson ‘stormed high heaven with Liszt’s 12 Transcendental Studies.’ He noted that the pianist ‘dropped a wrong note here and there’ in this work but this was balanced by ‘his technique [which] was fully competent to display the craftsmanship, invention and imagination in these hair-raising studies.’ The reviewer, possibly Frank Howes, recalled that Searle’s Sonata ‘owes some of its design and textures to Liszt’s B minor work’, and that part of its ‘impulse’ was to the memory of Arnold Schoenberg, Cecil Gray and Constant Lambert. The power of the Sonata ‘is quite individual, suffused with darkling elegiac poetry and commanding thought; brilliantly scored, it was brilliantly played by Mr Watson, whose memory is evidently equal to his courage and virtuosity.’

The Musical Times (December 1951, p.563) A.P. (Andrew Porter) considered that Searle’s Sonata was ‘the most important new work’ heard during October 1951. Remarking Gordon Watson’s performance of the Liszt Studies, he felt that it was ‘marked by an astonishing technical facility and by a poetical feeling for the writing which made one forgive wrong notes.’  Noting Searle’s fusion of Lisztian Transformations with Schoenbergian serialism, he feels that ‘it was not surprising to find in the Sonata an affecting beauty; at any rate it would be surprising only to those who regard the twelve-note system of Schoenberg as a purely intellectual device.’ In conclusion Porter highlighted the ‘passages of brilliant pianistic excitement, and passages of lyrical emotion.’ His overall impression on a first hearing was that ‘it seemed a fine work and left one waiting for its second performance.’

The Score. The score of Searle’s Piano Sonata was published by Oxford University Press in 1952. It was priced 10/6d. At today’s prices that would be about £34. The holograph was completed between June and September 1951. The date of the work’s premiere is included in the frontispiece, as well as noting that Gordon Watson had made a recording of the Sonata on Argo ATC 1002, 12 inch (long playing). The score is inscribed ‘For the 140^th Birthday of Franz Liszt, 22 October 1951’.

A review of the score was included in Music and Letters (April 1953, p.174). The critic began by admitting his review was not based on ‘a personal performance with any pretensions to accuracy’, as it would have taken ‘weeks so to familiarize oneself with the notes that one could begin to tackle the technical problems of playing them.’ So, use was made of Gordon Watson’s recording to assess this Sonata. The impression is given that I.K. does not warm to ‘serial music.’ He wonders if Humphrey Searle ‘gains inspiration from wrestling with his note rows, or whether his fervour and technique enable him to carry the mill-stone (presumably serial technique) like a banner is perhaps neither here nor there, for this Sonata makes a thoroughly convincing impression of power and necessity.’ I.K. reminds readers that the Sonata is ‘a worthy monument to [Liszt] for whom [Searle] has already done much.’ Importantly, he considers that the elder composer’s concept of ‘thematic transformation’ finds its consummation in the twelve-note technique. Finally, three other features of Searle’s Sonata share Liszt’s qualities: ‘the dauntlessly leaping contours, an urgent and extravagant dramatic sense and a sure feeling for the sound of the instrument.’ The last thought is the observation that this Sonata is for ‘professional pianists only.’ Controversially, I.K. suggests that Searle’s Sonata is not as difficult as Liszt’s example. The sad fact is that few pianists will be prepared to invest the time and effort to master Searle’s work as they would to study the Hungarian master. At least Liszt does not introduce ‘serial arpeggios’.

Bibliography:
Searle, Humphrey, Quadrille with a Raven: Memoir of a Composer Unpublished Autobiography, 1976-1982.
Searle, Humphrey, ‘Programme Note’ for Wigmore Hall concert 22 October 1951.
Searle, Humphrey, The Music of Liszt, Second Revised Edition (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1966)
Files of The Times, The Guardian, The Musical Times, The Stage, Music and Letter, The Gramophone, The Record Guide, MusicWeb International, David’s Review Corner, American Record Guide, etc.

To be continued…