Cyril Scott(1879-1970): A Catalogue of the Orchestral and Choral Music

[Dundonnell]

This has been another difficult exercise-this time because there appears to be so much uncertainty about exactly when Scott composed many of his works. In addition, a number of compositions have been lost. Scott also was in the habit of revising and re-using material sometimes several times.

I cannot therefore offer this catalogue without a clear caveat that it is only an attempt on my part to list the orchestral and choral works and is, no doubt, full of errors.

CYRIL SCOTT: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL MUSIC

1899:       Symphony No.1 : 30 minutes(withdrawn)  + (Chandos cd)
                 Magnificat for soloists, chorus, organ and orchestra
1900:       Lyric Suite(otherwise English Suite, Idyllic Suite, Suite No.1 for Orchestra), op.6
                 Heroic Suite, op.7 (withdrawn)
                "Ballad of Fair Helen of Kirkconnell" for baritone and orchestra, op.8
c.1900:     Christmas Overture, op.10
                  Fantasia(Symphonic Fantasia), op.12(5)
1901-02: Symphony No.2
1902:      Overture "Princess Maleine", op.18
                Cello Concerto(No.1), op.19
                Overture "Aglavaine et Selysette", op.21
c.1904:   Rhapsody for Orchestra, No.1, op.32
                Rhapsody for Orchestra, No.2
1905/c.1911:Aubade for orchestra, op.77: 10 minutes  + (Marco Polo and Chandos cds)
c.1907:   Three Symphonic Dances, op.22 (revision of Symphony no.2): 18 minutes  + (Marco Polo and Chandos cds)
c.1910:   Arabesque for orchestra
1912:     Passacaglias: Two Passacaglias on Irish Themes": 11 minutes  *  + (Marco Polo cd)
               Overture "Princess Maleine" with chorus(revision of op.18)
c.1912:   Poem No.4 "Twilight of the Year"
                Poem No.5 "Paradise-Birds": 3 minutes
1913:      Ballet Suite "Egypt: An Album of Five Impressions" (lost)
1913-14:Piano Concerto No.1: 30 minutes  + (Lyrita and Chandos cds)
                 Nativity Hymn for soloists, chorus and orchestra
1914:       Britain's War March
1915-17: "La Belle Dame sans merci" for baritone, chorus and orchestra  *
1923:   Ballet "The Incompetent Apothecary: A Breughel Comedy"
             Nativity Hymn for soloists, chorus and orchestra
1924:  "Karma Suite"-An Orchestral Ballet
1925-28:Violin Concerto: 22 minutes  + (Chandos cd)
             "Philomel" for Cello and Orchestra
1926:   Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra (lost)
1927:   "Rima's Call to the Birds" for soprano and orchestra
1928:   Suite Fantastique for chamber orchestra: 17 minutes  + (Marco Polo cd)
1929:   Festival Overture (Symphonic Fantasia) for orchestra with chorus
                    (revision of Overture "Princess Maleine"): 10 minutes  +(Chandos cd)
1929-30:Poem "Melodist and the Nightingales" for Cello and Orchestra: 20 minutes
               Ballet "Masque of the Red Death"
c.1931: Concertino for Two Pianos and Orchestra (lost)
              Suite No.1 for Strings
1931:   Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra
1931/1962:"Early One Morning": Poem for Piano and Orchestra: 14 minutes + (Lyrita and Chandos cds)
1932:   "Mirabelle: A Quaint Cantata" for soloists, chorus and string orchestra: 30 minutes
             Mystic Ode for chorus and chamber orchestra
             Christmas Overture "Noel" with Nativity Hymn(1923) as choral finale
1933:   Symphonic Poem "Disaster at sea"
1935:   "Neptune: Poem of The Sea"(revision of "Disaster at Sea"): 24 minutes  + (Chandos cd)
             "Summer Gardens" for small orchestra: 8 minutes
c.1935: Passacaglia Festevole for two pianos and orchestra
             "Summerland" for mixed voices and orchestra
1936:   Ode to Great Men for tenor/narrator, women's chorus and orchestra
1937:   Harpsichord Concerto: 15 minutes   
             Cello Concerto(No.2): 27 minutes  + (Chandos cd)
             Symphony No.3 "The Muses" for chorus and orchestra: 34 minutes  + (Chandos cd)
1940:  "Ode descantique"-Serenade for Strings: 15 minutes
1946:   Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra  + (Dutton cd)
1947:   Oratorio "Hymn of Unity" for contralto, baritone, chorus and orchestra
c.1949: Hourglass Suite for chamber orchestra (lost?)
1951:   Concerto for Bassoon, Flute and String Orchestra
             Irish Serenade for strings
1951-52: Symphony No.4: 28 minutes  + (Chandos cd)
c.1952: "Russian Fair" for orchestra
1954:   Sinfonietta for strings, organ and harp
1958:   Piano Concerto No.2: 20 minutes  + (Lyrita and Chandos cds)
1960:   Neapolitan Rhapsody for orchestra: 13 minutes  + (Marco Polo cd)
1962:   Sinfonietta for strings (lost)

[violinconcerto]

1931:   Double Violin Concerto (lost)

Hmm, worldcat.org actually lists a published score of the work by Novello. I could not find it on the Novello website, but I could not believe that a published score gets all lost..

Best,
Tobias

[Dundonnell]

The information comes from the Cyril Scott website-"whereabouts of score unknown".

[albion]

1931:   Double Violin Concerto (lost)

Hmm, worldcat.org actually lists a published score of the work by Novello. I could not find it on the Novello website, but I could not believe that a published score gets all lost..

Best,
Tobias

A score certainly appears in the catalogue of the Deutsche National Bibiothek - their catalogue entry includes the orchestration (2.2.2.2.-4.2.3.0.,Pk, Schlzg, Hrf, Str; Soli: 2 Vl) so one must assume that it is a full score...

[JimL]

What's a Schlzg?  And why the 0 for, I presume, the tuba?  If you're not scoring for something, why even mention it?

P.S.  BTW, perhaps the Cyril Scott website should be informed of this right away.   You'd think!

[violinconcerto]

What's a Schlzg?  And why the 0 for, I presume, the tuba?  If you're not scoring for something, why even mention it?

P.S.  BTW, perhaps the Cyril Scott website should be informed of this right away.   You'd think!

Schlzg is German for "Schlagzeug", which means percussion.
And its just like the 0 in the number 109... why mention it? Because without its 19.

Best,
Tobias

[albion]

BTW, perhaps the Cyril Scott website should be informed of this right away.   You'd think!

Done.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Jim, you should know that it is standard practice when listing the scoring for a symphony orchestra to place a 0 where an instrument is missing from a section in which it would normally appear if the work were scored for a standard orchestra. For example: 2,2,2,2  4,2,3,1  timp. perc. strings  would be the standard 19th century orchestra (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons; 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones (it is understood that means 2 tenor and 1 bass), 1 tuba; timpani; percussion; strings. Usually the percussion will be specified, but sometimes not. A lightly scored bassoon concerto could be listed thus: 2,2,2,0; 2,0,0,0; timp.; strings; solo bsn. Where one instrument doubles another, the extra instrument appears in brackets thus: 2(picc), 2(ca), 2(bclt), 2(cbsn) = 2 flutes, one doubling piccolo; 2 oboes, 1 doubling cor anglais... etc.  If the composer has written for 2 flutes AND piccolo.. etc. the listimg appears thus: 2 +picc., 2 +ca, etc...  The 0 is particularly helpful to orchestral librarians receiving hired sets of parts. If, for example, the invoice listing has a 0 where the tuba might be expected, the librarian knows not to look for a "missing" tuba part.

[Dundonnell]

BTW, perhaps the Cyril Scott website should be informed of this right away.   You'd think!

Done.

.....and well done

To be honest, I have my doubts about the complete accuracy of several items listed on the Scott website. This despite the fact that it is maintained by two people both of whose surnames are Scott and (one presumes) are relatives of the late composer The dates given in the list of works frequently do not match those in the chronology of Scott's life.

[JimL]

Well, I'm sure glad that if Scott's website minders (and presumed heirs) thought their ancestor's Double Violin Concerto was lost, they can rest assured that it has been found.  Wonder if there's any way to make sure it's still there, and not checked out and never returned?  Maybe the website knows something we dont.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Wonder if there's any way to make sure it's still there, and not checked out and never returned?

Ask the library if they'll photocopy it for you!

[phoenixmusic1]

Sorry to post on an old thread! Most of the information on the Cyril Scott website is based on Laurie Sampsel's bio-biblography -

Sampsel, L. J. (2000). Cyril Scott: A Bio-Bibliography. London: Greenwood Press.

This book contains a complete list of Scott's works. According to the book, the double violin concerto was composed in 1931 and published by Elkin in 1935. It says the score and parts are on hire from Novello... Perhaps it has later been discovered that the score has gone missing.

I think some of the discrepancies regarding the dates on the website might be because some are dates of composition and others are dates of publication.

Hope this helps!

Peter.