British Music

[Rob H]

What's wrong with Whitlock? Is it the name? Or because he's un-exotically British?

Whilst not sounding exotic to me, I wonder if the name sounds exotic to someone living in France or Germany?

Thal

It is a possibility that it sounds exotic to those not overloaded with our cultural baggage. Consider the opera by Donizetti "Emilia di Liverpool" - not the setting we'd think of as ideal for a romantic opera but an exotic far off place that maybe sounds more romantic than boring old Naples or Turin to Donizetti.
Rob

[albion]

There is now a 1995 broadcast of Holst's powerful 1911 dramatic scena Hecuba's Lament (intended as a companion-piece to the wonderful Hymn to Dionysus) in BMB, together with two substantial scores by Geoffrey Bush (Folder 5).

Many thanks to Dylan for providing these. 

[albion]

Martin Eastick has very kindly sent me his collection of tape cassettes containing broadcasts of British music. I have started to work on these and the first selection is now available in Folder 5. These recordings comprise Balfe's overtly operatic Concert Overture in C, the overture to the 1834 opera Hermann by Scottish composer John Thomson, a lyrical concertante violin piece by Battison Haynes, Arthur Somervell's 1912 symphony Thalassa (with an elegiac slow movement in memory of Captain Scott), Charles Wood's most significant orchestral work (the 1899 Patrick Sarsfield Variations), Landon Ronald's hugely entertaining Suite de Ballet (1900) and the ebullient overture The Kentish Downs by Susan Spain-Dunk.

Many thanks to Martin for providing these - there are many more delights to follow presently! 

[eschiss1]

well, there are some names I can honestly (if oddly) say were on my mind lately- Susan Spain-Dunk, Battison Haynes, Charles Wood et al. Comes of doing so much lurking around Sibley and other related websites... (Spain-Dunk's violin sonata is there, e.g., ...)

[Mark Thomas]

Heartfelt thanks, John, are due once again to you and Martin. This thread is such a treasure - literally!

[Alan Howe]

Indded, thanks to you, John - and Martin.

[albion]

I've spent the morning doing some house-keeping at BMB. To simplify things from my side, I've amalgamated the 16 small folders into 5 larger ones - so some references to folder numbers earlier in the thread will no longer apply.

But don't worry - all your old favourites are still there! 

[dafrieze]

Thanks for all these new additions - I've been looking for Somervell's symphony for years. 

John Thomson was a completely unknown name to me - prominent Scottish composer and musical administrator of the early 19th century whose extremely promising career was cut short by his early death.  There is another recording of the overture on the Scottish Arts Council's website, as well three very beautiful songs for soprano and orchestra: http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/showcase/1000588.aspx.

[albion]

British chamber music makes its first appearance in Folder 5, with works ranging from Piano Trios by Thomson and Balfe, through imposing large-scale compositions by Mackenzie and Parry, to various Fantasies (or Phantasies) written in the early decades of the twentieth century: Cobbett prize-winning scores by Hurlstone, Benjamin Dale and Dorothy Howell. There is also a recording of Holbrooke's Alexander Prize-winning Israfel Sextet (1901) and a Quartet by Balfour Gardiner. 

[eschiss1]

scores and/or parts of the Balfour Gardiner and Hurlstone, and in fact a recording (by Steve's Bedroom Band) of the Hurlstone too, at IMSLP, btw (thanks for the 1905 date for the former, all I had was  a publication date of 1907.)

[albion]

Folder 5 now contains a vintage performance (1943) of Hamish MacCunn's delightful suite Highland Memories (1897), together with a real treat - something I've been hoping to hear for over thirty years:

The 1864 oratorio Ruth, by Victorian music's answer to William McGonagall, George Tolhurst (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tolhurst). Dubbed variously "The Worst Oratorio Ever!" (Percy Scholes, The Mirror of Music) and "the oratorio folly of the century" (Howard Smithers, A History of the Oratorio) this work garnered the following plaudits from The Musical Times in February 1868 -

We know nothing of Mr. Tolhurst and should have been pleased to know nothing of his oratorio ... the choruses appear to be the work of a student groping his way in part-writing and ... are in some portions perfectly unendurable.

Nevertheless, Ruth attracted large audiences and eminent artistes agreed to perform in it. Scholes concludes that in fact

the oratorio had an enormous success de ridicule - that its eminent folly attracted derisive audiences, induced performers of importance to accept engagements to take part, prompted large sales of the score [dedicated to Queen Victoria no less], and inspired sarcastic critics - all of which phenomena the composer took seriously.

The full score having long been consigned to the purifying flames of oblivion, in 1973 Antony Hopkins presented his re-orchestration of a shortened version (the original ran to three hours) to an open-mouthed audience at the Royal Albert Hall. This performance was broadcast at the time, but did not see light of day again until Part 1 was broadcast in November 1985 - such was the 'acclaim' from listeners that Part 2 was rebroadcast in February 1986. These parts can now be reunited to form a glorious whole! 

Many thanks to Martin Eastick for once again providing the original cassette recordings.

[albion]

A mixed, but fascinating, selection for today - early British piano sonatas by Pinto, Donaldson and Potter, Henry Pierson's brooding and eccentric Symphonic Poem Macbeth (1859), Ethel Smyth's 1887 Cello Sonata, three works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Haydn Wood's Apollo Overture and a suite of dances by Ernest Tomlinson.

Two of the Coleridge-Taylor items have slightly problematic sound: Meg Blane was recorded at a live amateur performance and suffers from some distortion in louder passages, whilst in the Five Choral Ballads the sound is very recessed (I remember that this was an inherent problem with the recording as originally broadcast) and noise-reduction is highly counterproductive. Originally heard in orchestral guise in 1905, the full score is unfortunately lost but it is well worth getting to know these very attractive and often moving settings of Longfellow's poems about slavery. A vocal score of Meg Blane can be downloaded from IMSLP (http://imslp.org/wiki/Meg_Blane,_Op.48_%28Coleridge-Taylor,_Samuel%29) - the orchestral parts of this stormy seascape were quite literally rescued by an enthusiast when Novello's were junking their archives prior to a move of premises and leaving such material on the road-side for waste-paper collection! 

It is great to have these rare works in BMB and many thanks again to Martin Eastick for providing the original cassette tapes. 

Latest addition:

Dylan has very kindly sent Vernon Handley's recording of A Berkshire Idyll (1913) by Balfour Gardiner - this has been added to Folder 5. 

[albion]

Some more of Martin's tape recordings have now been transferred to BMB - Parry's Piano Trio No.2 (1884), the Overture and Ballet Music from Stanford's first opera The Veiled Prophet (1881) and a very early Symphonic Poem by Delius, On the Mountains (1890-92). These can all be found in Folder 4.

Upgrades:

Two of Martin's recordings (Stanford's Ballata and Ballabile and the Overture to The Canterbury Pilgrims) are markedly superior to mine - these replacements have now been effected in Folder 1. 

[jerfilm]

Another BIG thanks to you all for this treasure trove of rare music.

I suppose it would be greedy to ask if anyone has the wherewithall to start a German Broadcast Music thread or French or Polish or
I wish we could start a U S thread but I don't know what would be included.   Certainly not much unsung.  I have several nice performances by the Mn Orch which are not available commercially, but things like Brahms 4 and Bruckner 7.  I guess not exactly our cup of tea (or coffee).....

Jerry

[albion]

Hi Jerry, that would be a splendid idea! I'm sure that there are many enthusiasts out there with great collections of otherwise unrecorded French, Italian, Russian, Scandinavian (etc.) broadcasts (and not restricted to Radio 3).

I'd take the job on, but I've got my hands full grappling with the Brits!