Joseph (Josef) Holbrooke (1878-1958)

[albion]

A new book is apparently in progress edited by Dr Paul Watt (Monash University, Melbourne; editor of the Royal Musical Association Research Chronicle and Musicology Australia) and Anne-Marie Forbes (University of Tasmania): Josef Holbrooke: Composer, Critic and Champion of British Music.

No further details of content or projected publication date at present, but this may be one to watch out for.

[Jimfin]

Oh yes, my shelf is itching for that one!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Unless the authors are in touch with Jean Holbrooke and have gained her confidence and cooperation they will be able to do only half a job. I will ask her if she knows anything about this potential publication.

[albion]

Unless the authors are in touch with Jean Holbrooke and have gained her confidence and cooperation they will be able to do only half a job. I will ask her if she knows anything about this potential publication.

It would certainly be interesting to know if there has been any contact.



As the book is under joint editorship, it is almost certain to take the form of a symposium. The areas that the book may potentially cover could include the following (these are the titles of conference papers given by the editors in the last few years):

Paul Watt - Josef Holbrooke's Musical Nation-building Projects (1900–1925) and the end of his Friendship with Ernest Newman; The "German Problem" in Early Twentieth Century England and Joseph Holbrooke's Projection of a Dual Musical Identity; Josef Holbrooke's promotion of British music and his gift to the Grainger Museum

Anne-Marie Forbes - Joseph Holbrooke's Cauldron of Annwn and Metempsychosis in Music; 'Out of old Mythologies'—Josef Holbrooke and T.E. Ellis

[albion]

Rushing in where angels fear to tread, I have overhauled the Wikipedia work-list. I included works which are no longer believed to be extant, but which are known to have been performed, such as the overture The New Renaissance and the early Dramatique Piano Concerto. To attempt any sort of chronology with Holbrooke is pretty impossible, so I stuck to opus number sequence (almost equally as fraught) within each section.

[Dundonnell]

Brave, brave man

I was defeated by Holbrooke

Are you going to post this on here as well

[Paul Barasi]

Defeated by Holbrooke: what was the Score?

[Dundonnell]

Defeated by Holbrooke: what was the Score?

Penalty

(The penalty of trying to make sense of Holbrooke's eccentric use of opus numbers )

[Paul Barasi]

Making sense of opus numbers is a problem going back ages. First to be baffled were the ancient Egyptians who could never work out the order in which musical hieroglyphics had been written, not even after they stood before the statue of their cat god Bastet pleading: "Tell us, O Pus".

[Dundonnell]

 

[eschiss1]

That's why Cat loggers were first put to work.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I included works which are no longer believed to be extant, but which are known to have been performed, such as the overture The New Renaissance

Was The New Renaissance ever performed? If so, when and where, and what are your sources? Up until now I had thought it was either lost or never existed.
The "Bronwen" ballet is not part of the printed score of that work, though there is a point in the score where words to the effect of: "Here a ballet is inserted." appear.  I have seen a piano score of "Dances from 'Bronwen'", but I don't know if any full score survives. Doubtless Jean Holbrooke would know more.
Incidentally, Mike Freeman believes that the PC "Song of Gwyn ap Nudd" is merely the early Dramatique PC rehashed - and I find his argument a compelling one, although there is no way either of us can prove or disprove it unless the original score of the Dramatique were ro turn up.  But musically, it sounds earlier than the tone poems which precede it in Opus number. It would be just like Joe to dish it up again in the guise of a symphonic poem in order to get it performed.

[albion]

Was The New Renaissance ever performed? If so, when and where, and what are your sources? Up until now I had thought it was either lost or never existed.

Holbrooke conducted The New Renaissance in Bournemouth on 19th January, 1903 (Kenneth Thompson, Holbrooke: Some catalogue data, 1965; Stephen Lloyd, Sir Dan Godfrey, 1995).

The "Bronwen" ballet is not part of the printed score of that work, though there is a point in the score where words to the effect of: "Here a ballet is inserted." appear.  I have seen a piano score of "Dances from 'Bronwen'", but I don't know if any full score survives. Doubtless Jean Holbrooke would know more.

Bronwen - Ballet Music was published by the Modern Music Library for piano, arranged by Arthur Hammond, copyrighted 1929. Let's hope that a full score of the Ballet Music does indeed survive, as it will be an essential element when ENO mounts the trilogy ...

[Gareth Vaughan]

That's very interesting, John, about The New Renaissance. What a pity it does not seem to have survived. I wonder if it was among the scores lost in the fire when he was living in Wales.

An ENO staging of The Cauldron of Annwn - what a glorious event that would be. One can but dream!

[davetubaking]

Does anyone know anything about the 5th Symphony "Wild Wales" for brass band. I read somewhere the finale was used as a test piece in an esitedfodd. I know a lot of brass band music and have never heard of this piece.

How would one get hold of the MS?