Harry Farjeon 1878-1949

[giles.enders]

Harry Herbert Farjeon 16.8.1878 - 29.12.1948  Born to an American mother and English father in Hohokus, New Jersey, U.S.A. Harry was the eldest of five children.¹ His father Benjamin Leopold Farjeon is described as an author.   Harry's parents moved to England when Harry was a few months old.  Many of his compositions were for solo piano or voice and piano, frequently in cycles.  He studied privately under Landon Ronald and later under Frederick Corder and Septimus Webbe at The Royal Academy of Music, London

Orchestral

Symphony in D major
Characteristic Variations for orchestra  1903
Hans Anderson Suite for small orchestra  1905
'Summer Vision' Symphonic Poem  1913  - lost
Caldicott Suite  1929
'Pennychis'  Symphonic Poem  1942
'Mowgli' Symphonic Poem  1907
Elegy
Piano Concerto in D minor 1900
Fantasy Concerto for piano and orchestra  1919 (also 2 piano version)
Idyll for oboe and orchestra 
Pantomime suite for strings


Chamber

String Quartet No.1 In G
String Quartet No.2 in B flat
String Quartet No.3
String Quartet No.4 in C major Op.65 1927  pub. by W Paxton & Co.
Piano Trio in B minor
Piano Trio in G minor
Chant d'Ete for violin and piano  Op.14/1  1906   pub. by Augener
Berceuse for violin and piano  Op14/2   pub. by Augener
Suite for violin and piano Op.20
Deaux morceaux for violin and piano  Op.22  'Romanza', 'Canzonetta'  1908   pub. by Schott
Two Romances for violin and piano, 'Song of the North'- 'Song of the South'  1901   pub. by Boosey
'Air for violins upon a ground bass' for violin and piano  Op.38  1915   pub. by Augener
Three tone pictures for violin and piano  'Orientale', 'Keltic Lament', Russian Dance'  Op.57 1925
Poem for violins and violas  1917
Violin Sonata No.1
Violin Sonata No.2 in F sharp minor
Violin Sonata No.3 in E flat Op.69
Deaux morceaux for viola and piano - andante and scherzo 1911   pub. by Schott
Humoresque  for cello and piano  1928
Cello Sonata in G minor
Cello Sonata in D

Piano-

Melody in D  1905  pub. by Edwin Ashdown
'Swan Song' 1905  pub. by Augener
Two sketches  Op.7/1 'Album Leaf', 7/2 'The Rocking Song'   pub. by Rogers
Trois morceaux gracieux - allegretto con grazio  Op.10  1905   pub. by Rogers and also by Vincent Music Co.
Miniature piano sonata Op.12  1906   pub. by Augener
Two old fashioned pieces - 1. 'Air', 2. 'To a Harpsichord'  1906
Minuet in F 1906   pub. by Augener
Barcarolle  1907
Musical sketch book 1. Albumleaf, 2. Melody, 3. Elegy, 4. Gavotte  1907
Mistress Tabitha, her book of tunes  1910
Night Music  Op.11/2 Slumber Song, 11/7 At Parting  1905   pub. by Augener
Two Bohemian Sketches  Op16/1 Folksong  16/2 Gipsy Dance   pub. by Augener
'Spring Song'  1912
'Hilary's Cradle Song'
Variations in A  Op.35  1914   pub. by Augener
'The Ballet of the Trees' Op.45  1915
Valse - Barcarolle  1916
'Moorish Idylls'  1917   pub. by Ashdown
'From the Three Cornered Kingdom'  Op.30/2 'About the Fairy Who Dances'   pub. by Augener
'The Four Winds' East, West, South, North Op.18   pub. by Augener
Tone Pictures Book 1. Op.19/5 'To the Skylark'
Tone Pictures Book 2. Op.23  'Totenbilder'
Two Idylls  Op.28
Tone Pictures Book 3. Op.29
Tone Pictures Book 4. Op.31/4  'Chansonette
Six Pictures from Greece  Op.13/1 The Dryads /2 Fates, /3 The Muses, /4 Mercury, /5 The Graces, /6 The Niads
Summer suite for piano - 'In the Meadows', 'Under the Weeping  Willow', 'By the Brook', 'Siesta', 'In the Woods', 'At Dusk'  Op.21  1907   pub. by Augener
A Summer Pilgrimage in the White Mountains - 6 pieces for piano  No.4  'Reverie at Sunset Hill'
Sports suite for piano  1930
'Morning Serenade' - aubade  1911
Rhapsody'  Op.23
Three Album Leaves (Trois Moments Musicaux) piano duet  Op.24  1909
Aquarelles- Five idylls in Water Colour  Op.25   pub. by Ricordi
Prelude from The Forest of Andaine'  Op.27  1909   pub. by Augener
Prelude and Pavane  1910
Four twilight pieces  Op.34
Five pieces for piano - 'An Italian Piece' Op.36/1  'Bumkin Dance', a rustic minuet  Op.36/2  'A Little Study' Op.36/3  'Humouresque' Op.36/4  'A Melody' Op.36/5  1916
Two Italian Sketches - 'On the Water', 'On the Road'
Sonata in E Op.43  1920  pub. by Edwin Ashdown Ltd.
Elegie Heroique  1923
Six Preludes 1925
Invention and Pavan  1925
Contrasts  1926
Melody in A flat  1926
'To a Flower Child'
'Oriental Suite' Op.29/1
'The Milkmaids's song' - etude arabesque Op.29/2
'Romance' Op.29/3
Legatto and Staccato  Op.37
Lyric Pieces  Op.40
Peter Pan  Op.44/1 Peter and his Shadow,  /2 Maime in Kensington Gsardens, /3 Peter at his Mothers Window, /4 Solomon Cow, /5 The Wendy Bird.   pub. by Newman Pub. Co.
Little Melodies  Op.46
'In Olden France' Op.49/4 Courtiers, /5 Peasants  1921
Ladybirds - Prude, Coquette  1930
Two Pastorals - 'Evening in the Harvest Field', 'Moonlight on the Harvest Field'  1908
Two Free Fugues  Op.54
The Child  1935
'Peace'  1935
'Musical Catchwords'  1935
'Sprite of the Grass'  1936
'Proverbs'  1937
Two Fanciful Dances  Op.61/1  Autumn Bird  61/2 Kate Greenaway
Tunes without tales - 10 pieces for piano
Five Love Poems for Piano  Op.67
Sports Suite 1930
Canzonetta  1931
Sonata No.3 in E flat Op.69  1931
'Three Venetian Idylls' 'Nocturne', 'Barcarolle', Valse Fugitive'
'Country Sounds'  for piano duet
Rhapsody for two pianos  Op.70  1931
Vignettes for two pianos - A tone picture  Op.72/1   A Pastoral Revalry  Op.72/2  1931


Song Cycles

Three toy songs - 1. 'The Doll', 2. The Lonely Child', 3 The Kite'  1906
Child songs - 'The Ship', 'The Rocking Horse', The Leaden Soldiers' words by E Farjeon  1908
Vagrant Songs  'Wander-Hunger', Of troubles know I none under the dark', 'White Women', 'I went far and cold' words by E Farjeon  Op.26  1909
'A Sussex Alphabet'  1924
'The Lute of Jade' five songs - A lilly, Desolution, An Emperor's Love, Tears, On the banks of Yo-Yeh 1926
Three vocal duets for soprano and baritone - 'The world has gone a-maying', The Secret', 'The Star and the Rosebud' 
'Snatches and Catches' - unaccompanied songs
'Peacock Pie' four songs - The little Green Orchard words by Walter de la Mare


Songs

'Bric-a-Brac' Songs  words by E Farjeon  1901   pub. by Boosey
'Cupid on the Clock' words by E Farjeon  1901
'A Faded Flower'  words by E Farjeon
'Mandarins'  words by E Farjeon  1903
'The Enigma'  words by E Farjeon   1906
'Changes of the Moon'  two part song words by W G Robertson  Op.32/1  1912
'The Seagull and the Crow' words by W G Robertson  Op.32/2  1912
'Cherry Bloom'  two part song  words by W G Robertson Op.32/3  1912
'Proud Princess' a singing game for children with piano accompaniment  Op.33/1  1913
'Rock Away Boat  two part song  Op.33/2
'My love shall be the tender flower' words by M Barton 1917
'My Father's Close' words by C Rossetti Op.42  1917
'Blossoms of the Night'  words by W G Robertson  1918
'The Wind Blows North  words by E Farjeon  1925
'A Tudor Sailor's Song'  two part song 1924
A Sussex Alphabet words by E Farjeon  1924
'Chimes'  two part song words by A Meybell 1924
'The Truants'  words by Walter de la Mare  Op.48
'Bluebell Time'  two part song  words by W G Robertson  1927
'Though Art the Flower' - song for high voice words by E Farjeon
'The Swallows are Homing' two part song words by E Farjeon  1929
'The Divine Image'  two part song words by W Blake  1930
'The Talking of the Trees' words by E Farjeon 1934
'Under the Lilacs' words by E Farjeon 1908   pub. by Chappell
'At the Gate'  words by E Farjeon 1904   pub. by Chappell
'The Bells of Jubilee' words by E Farjeon
'Proud Princesses' - a singing game for children with piano accompaniment Op.33/1  1913
'As Happy as Kings' two part song for female voices  words by R L Stevenson 1924
'A Medley of Perfume' two part song for female voices words by Yuan Mei 1931
'A Ring Song' for two voices words by E Farjeon  1925
'The Seagull and the Crow' two part song  Op.32/2  1934
'Milk Cart Pony' two part song  words by E Farjeon 1936
'Golden Crown' - 'Green Crown'  unison song words by E Farjeon  1937
'Down-adown-Derry  choral ballad for female voices and piano words by Walter de la Mare
'The Sleeping Beauty' choral ballad for female voices and piano words by Walter de la Mare  Op.60/1  also version for flute, cello and piano  Op.60/2
'The Fountain is Dry' unison song  words by E Farjeon
'The Night will never stay'  unison song  words by E Farjeon
'The 'Hush' two part song  words by W G Robertson
'I am content'  words by E Farjeon
'Infant Joy' unison song  words by W Blake
'Jenny White and Johnny Black'  two part song words by E Farjeon
'Joseph fell a-dreaming'  two part song  words by E Farjeon
'Lavender Lady'  unison song  words by W G Robertson
'Light the lamps up, lamplighter'  unison song words by E Farjeon
Two love caprices - 1. One Rose, 2. If I should come a lovering  words by E Farjeon
Two lyric pieces - 1. The spirit of the past, 2. An Elfin Lay  words by E Farjeon
'Christmas Eve' unison song  words by E Farjeon

Recitation Music

'La Belle Dames Sans Merci' ballad by Keats for recitation with piano accompaniment  Op.17/1   pub. by Augener
'Christ's Eve - A music recitation  words by Herbert Farjeon   pub. by Augener

Carol

'Now Every Child that Dwells on Earth'  words by E Farjeon  1925
'Carol of the Signs'  words by E Farjeon
'A Child's Carol'  words by E Farjeon

Choral

St. Dominic Mass  Op.51  1923
Salvator Mundi - Anthem  1924
Lament, for women's choir 

Opera

'Floretta'  1899

Operetta

'The Registry Office'  1900
'A Gentleman of the Road'  Op.6  1902   pub. by Boosey

Organ

Three Pieces  (St. Cecilia Collection)   pub. by Augener
Trois Morceaux Gracieux   pub. by Vincent
To a Flower Child   pub. by Augener
A Prayer   pub. by Augener

His sister Eleanor destroyed many of his works shortly after his death and failed to keep a record of what.

1.
Harry Herbert Farjeon  16.8.1878 - 29.12.1948
Charles Jefferson Farjeon  1880-1881 died aged one year.
Eleanor Farjeon  13.12.1881 - 5.6.1965 writer & poet
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon  1883 - 6.6.1955 
Herbert 5.3.1887 - 3.5.1945  writer, drama critic, lyricist and theatre producer.

[musiclover]

I would like to find the Piano Concerto - anyone know where it is? I have the phantasy concerto, but the earlier one could be fascinating.

[Alan Howe]

What's the idiom of his music, Giles?

[eschiss1]

Well, a few of his small-scale piano works, once I gather very popular? light music items, can be heard on YouTube. Will go listen soon - must rush now

[X. Trapnel]

I've been curious about Farjeon for years. His sister Eleanor was a well-known writer of children's books but is mainly remembered for her memoir of the great English poet Edward Thomas (a favorite of mine). The Farjeon children engaged for years in some kind of strange self-invented fantasy game/world lasting well past adolescence that left a trace of unworldliness, if not psychic damage, in Harry. He was also George Lloyd's teacher.

[calico]

There's a new double CD out recently with some of Farjeon's works: http://landofllostcontent.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/an-englishman-in-italy-british-piano.html
Nothing outrageous, early 20th century light/romantic, though the two late pieces are somewhat more modern.

The Piano Concerto was premiered at the Proms on 3 September 1903 but doesn't appear to have been published.

Harry Farjeon also taught Steve Race - who had to write music on special brown paper as Farjeon's eyes were so sensitive. I think the fantasy games damaged Eleanor too - though this may have been to the advantage of her writing for children.

[chill319]

Bravo. Provenances? Particularly of the 1931 sonata?

[calico]

chill319, the 1931 violin sonata is in the British Library http://www.bl.uk/ - search for BLL01014986333 or BLL01004331334. Most of Farjeon's published works are there.

[phoenixmusic1]

There's a copy of Farjeon's Piano Sonata in E in the music library at the University of Sheffield which has a hand written note at the front from Farjeon to Benjamin Dale. Unfortunately I can't quite work out what it says as the writing is quite unclear, but it's something like

'with N__  ____ _____ to Ben Dale from Harry Farjeon'

[phoenixmusic1]

Also, have you accidentally listed the 'Sonata in E flat' in the piano section. Is that not just a violin sonata?