Alan Bush(1900-95): A Catalogue of the Orchestral and Choral Music

[Dundonnell]

ALAN BUSH: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL MUSIC

1922:      Festival March for Chamber Orchestra: 5 minutes
1926-27:Symphonic Impressions, op.8: 18 minutes
1934:      "The Pageant of Labour" for mixed chorus and orchestra
1935:      Dance Overture, op.12: 14 minutes  *
                Ballet "His War or Yours"
                Ballet "Mining"
1935-37:   Piano Concerto with baritone, male voice chorus and orchestra, op.18: 57 minutes  *
1939:      "Festival of Music for the People" for organ, winds, timpani and percussion
1939-40:   Symphony No.1, op.21: 32 minutes  + (Classico cd)
1941:      Meditation on a German Song of 1848 for Violin and String Orchestra, op.22:9 minutes
1942:      Overture "Festal Day", op.23: 4 minutes
                Fantasia on Soviet Themes, op.24: 11 minutes
1943:      "Freedom on the March" for soloist, mixed chorus and orchestra
1944:      Overture "Resolution", op. 25: 7 minutes
1945-46:   Homage to William Sterndale Bennett for String Orchestra, op.27: 8 minutes
                  English Suite for String Orchestra, op.28: 22 minutes  + (Redcliffe cd)
1946:        "The Living English" for soloists, choirs and orchestra
1946-47:   Symphonic Suite "Piers Plowman's Day", op.30: 26 minutes  *
1946-48:   Violin Concerto, op.32: 26 minutes  *  + (Claudio cd)
1948:      Communist Manifesto Centenary Meeting and Pageant for choir and instrumental ensemble
1949:      Symphony No.2 "The Nottingham Symphony", op.33: 36 minutes  *  + (Classico cd)
                Cantata "Song of Friendship" for bass, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.34:11 minutes
1950:      "The People's Paper" for soloist, mixed chorus and orchestra
1952:      Concert Suite for Cello and Orchestra, op.37: 28 minutes  + (Dutton cd)
               "Defender of the Peace"-Character Study for orchestra, op.39: 7 minutes
1953:      Cantata "The Ballad of Freedom's Soldier" for tenor, bass-baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.44: 21 minutes
1959:      Dorian Passacaglia and Fugue for orchestra, op.52: 16 minutes  *
1959-60:Symphony No.3 "The Byron Symphony" for baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.53: 50 minutes  *
1961:      "For a Festal Occasion" for Organ and orchestra, op.58: 5 minutes
                "The Tide That Will Never Turn" for two speakers, bass, mixed chorus, strings, percussion and piano: 15 minutes
1962:      Variations, Nocturne and Finale on an English Sea-Song for Piano and orchestra, op.60: 21 minutes  *
1965:      Partita Concertante for orchestra, op.63: 12 minutes
1968:      Cantata "The Alps and Andes of the Living World" for soprano, tenor, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.66: 11 minutes
1969:      Scherzo for Wind Orchestra and Percussion, op.68: 10 minutes  *  + (Kosei cd)
1971-72:Concert Overture for an Occasion, op.74: 8 minutes
1972:      Symphonic Movement "Africa" for Piano and orchestra, op.73: 25 minutes
1973:      The Liverpool Overture, op.77: 9 minutes
                Festival March of British Youth for wind orchestra, guitars, percussion and double-bass, op.78: 4 minutes
1976:      "Africa is My Name" for mezzo-soprano, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.85:10 minutes  *
1981-82:   Song and Dance for Junior School Orchestra, op.96
1982-83:   Symphony No.4 "Lascaux Symphony", op.98: 40 minutes  *
1984-85:   "The Earth in Shadow" for mixed chorus and orchestra, op.102: 14 minutes
1985:          Meditation for Orchestra in Memory of Anna Ambrose, op.107: 11 minutes
                   "Mandela Speaking" for baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra, op.110
1986:        Song Poem and Dance Poem for Piano and String Orchestra, op.109: 14 minutes

It is rather sad to compile this list and reflect on the number of choral works Bush wrote to try 'to entertain the masses' when, unlike Shostakovich say, he was under no compulsion to do so

[JimL]

I guess the masses weren't too entertained by communist rants, no matter how good the music was they were set to!

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Jim, I'm sorry, but that unconsidered jibe should not be left unchallenged. Should a similar jibe be made of Beethoven who in the D minor symphony set a text in which all men were exhorted to be brothers?

Yes, Bush certainly did have political views which were not left in the comfort of the armchair but manifested in various activities. He joined the Labour Party in the 1920s, and showed great commitment in bringing decent music (both awareness of it and performance of it) to many who might not otherwise have discovered that particular joy and pleasure that affects everyone on this forum. Bush was the founder and conductor of the London String Orchestra, which among its members had a few Jewish refuges from the Continent. He was the co-founder of the Worker's Music Association and was frequently organising and conducting events with the London Labour Choral Union. He was also especially active in the London Co-operative Society, and one of the highlights of that was a great pageant of music and celebration in the Wembley Stadium.

But what's the complaint about such activities? A good number of prominent musicians, writers and other intellectuals were also caught up in such activity. Some, like Michael Tippett, got locked up for it. In an earlier generation Holst was also thoroughly committed to bringing music to the ordinary working man and woman. In slightly more enlightened times we look back and surely applaud such people for their commitments.

Unlike many, Bush was not dwarfed by the establishment. He joined the British Communist Party in 1935 (as did many many others partly in response to the growing menace of fascism). An unthinking prejudice against Bush perhaps originated with his ambitious (and I believe magnificent) piano concerto of 1937, the first performance of which took place the following year with Bush as the soloist and Boult as conductor. Like the Busoni concerto, that by Bush had a choral section in which he used a brief text by Randall Swingler. If you examine the text you will see that it consists of just a few lines of clumsy mawkish text with a political import that would not be sufficient to intimidate a mouse. Nonetheless certain establishment figures were offended, not least those in the upper reaches of the BBC. In March 1941 (and do note that date and be conscious of what was happening in London at that time) the BBC placed a ban on the broadcasting of Bush's music and debarred him from appearing in any radio programmes. That rather silly ban was lifted a short time afterwards (in September) after Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.

Nonetheless a suspicion about something called 'communism' persisted (and continues to persist in some supposedly enlightened nations), and Bush was affected by it. He was one of the first to promote Shostakovich in British musical life - he conducted, for example, the first performance in Britain of the 1937 Fifth Symphony in 1940, and then took the piano part in a broadcast of the Piano Quintet in 1941. Unthinking bigots might have thought that, Oooh lumme, here is someone interested in a contemporary Russian composer. Hrmph, the chap must be a commie and engaged in the toppling of all that is decent. What rot, and if we give room to such daft slurs we shall soon be resurrecting the custom of drowning eccentric elderly ladies charged with witchcraft in the the village pond.

Enough of it! Alan Bush should be properly recognised as a major figure of 20th century British music. A paucity of performances and recordings, perhaps attributable to that lingering prejudice, prevents a widespread recognition of his achievement and someone of permanent significance in musical history.

[Alan Howe]

All I'm interested in is: "How good is the music?" The VC is now on my shopping list...

[ahinton]

Jim, I'm sorry, but that unconsidered jibe should not be left unchallenged. Should a similar jibe be made of Beethoven who in the D minor symphony set a text in which all men were exhorted to be brothers?

Agreed - and good question?(!)...

An unthinking prejudice against Bush perhaps originated with his ambitious (and I believe magnificent) piano concerto of 1937, the first performance of which took place the following year with Bush as the soloist and Boult as conductor. Like the Busoni concerto, that by Bush had a choral section in which he used a brief text by Randall Swingler. If you examine the text you will see that it consists of just a few lines of clumsy mawkish text with a political import that would not be sufficient to intimidate a mouse. Nonetheless certain establishment figures were offended, not least those in the upper reaches of the BBC. In March 1941 (and do note that date and be conscious of what was happening in London at that time) the BBC placed a ban on the broadcasting of Bush's music and debarred him from appearing in any radio programmes. That rather silly ban was lifted a short time afterwards (in September) after Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.

I believe that I am correct in stating that Bush's "reinstatement" occurred at the behest of Vaughan Williams - and yes, his piano concerto is a most remarkable work, much admired by Michael Tippett and others yet so rarely performed (its only recent airing was several years ago with Rolf Hind as soloist and BBCSO conducted by Leonard Slatkin as the second half of a programme whose first half comprised Tippett's Second Symphony).

Enough of it! Alan Bush should be properly recognised as a major figure of 20th century British music. A paucity of performances and recordings, perhaps attributable to that lingering prejudice, prevents a widespread recognition of his achievement and someone of permanent significance in musical history.

Agreed again - and as for the political issues, the fact that they did not prevent the friendship of over half a century between him and Sorabji, whose political views hardly coincided with his, ought of itself to demonstrate what there's nothing narrow-visioned about Bush's best works, even though some of the lesser (and often socialist-oriented) ones often do him less than justice.

[Dundonnell]

Yes, Peter's points are very well made and, in retrospect, I should not have added the comment I made at the end of the catalogue
I would remove it but in doing so I would be removing the raison d'etre for Peter's lengthy post-so I shall leave it in place.

I must certainly do agree that it is high time that Bush's music enjoyed substantial rehabilitation. Dutton, apparently, gave some serious thought to recording The Byron Symphony but were intimidated by the cost. They are however interested in the Lascaux Symphony (or, at least, were interested). I was impressed by the Concert Piece for Cello and Orchestra which was coupled with the Havergal Brian cello concerto issued not so long ago.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

And with thanks for those comments!

And I believe you're right, Alistair, about the role of RVW in the affair of the piano concerto. I've read (somewhere!) that when the stuffy ones at the BBC placed a ban on Bush, Vaughan Williams was so incensed by the stupidity of it that he refused a BBC commission. Good for RVW I say!

[Jimfin]

RVW was very principled and very much a liberal of the 'I may not agree with you, but I support your right to have your opinion' mould. He defended Tippett's pacifism despite disagreeing with it. Such a great man in every sense

[Dundonnell]

RVW was very principled and very much a liberal of the 'I may not agree with you, but I support your right to have your opinion' mould. He defended Tippett's pacifism despite disagreeing with it. Such a great man in every sense

An agnostic who wrote such magnificent church music and so much choral music based on religious texts

[Jimfin]

Indeed. He seemed to understand so much more than himself. A nationalist without the slightest hint of chauvinism about him, someone Britain should be truly proud of. If the government had any interest in culture, they would insist on his complete operas being given at Covent Garden for the Jubilee and broadcast on television, and all the school children in the land given the chance to watch at least one performance.

[Dundonnell]

Indeed. He seemed to understand so much more than himself. A nationalist without the slightest hint of chauvinism about him, someone Britain should be truly proud of. If the government had any interest in culture, they would insist on his complete operas being given at Covent Garden for the Jubilee and broadcast on television, and all the school children in the land given the chance to watch at least one performance.

Yes...instead we have the Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace Tom Jones, Elton John, Shirley Bassey, Clif Richard, Gary Barlow etc etc. If the Royal Family, and in particular the Queen herself (whose Diamond Jubilee is after all being celebrated), really prefer this sort of music then I do truly despair

[ahinton]

Indeed. He seemed to understand so much more than himself. A nationalist without the slightest hint of chauvinism about him, someone Britain should be truly proud of. If the government had any interest in culture, they would insist on his complete operas being given at Covent Garden for the Jubilee and broadcast on television, and all the school children in the land given the chance to watch at least one performance.

Fat chance of British government interest in culture, let alone the staging of all four Bush operas at ROH, especially as none was first staged in Britain and given that they are all very much on socialist subjects dear to the composer's heart; the last and, I think, greatest of them all, Joe Hill: The Man who Never Died, was broadcast by BBC during the 1970s, however - and Sorabji, who listened to it, was immensely excited by it and commended it to me as what he considered to be one of its composer's finest achievements of all. Wat Tyler in celenration of HM QE II's Diamond Jubilee? - somewhat indiscreet, I should think!...

[Jimfin]

Sorry, I was veering off at a tangent and suggesting a run of the VW operas, though a Bush one might be delightful, and frankly is about as likely. Yes, what a ghastly line-up for the Jubilee. The family which has inspired compositions from Morley, Tallis, Purcell, Sullivan, Elgar.... puts up with Cliff Richards.

[Dundonnell]

To be fair the Diamond Jubilee is no worse than the similar disgrace of the 2002 Golden Jubilee "musical" celebrations with the 'Party at the Palace'. The real contrast is with the 1951 Festival of Britain when the Arts Council commissioned a number of new works from established British composers.

I wonder these days why we have a Department for Culture, Media and Sport or an Arts Council of Great Britain

.....however this is taking us away from Alan Bush

[ahinton]

Sorry, I was veering off at a tangent and suggesting a run of the VW operas, though a Bush one might be delightful, and frankly is about as likely. Yes, what a ghastly line-up for the Jubilee. The family which has inspired compositions from Morley, Tallis, Purcell, Sullivan, Elgar.... puts up with Cliff Richards.

Cliff Richard, actually; one's already too many, surely?...