Holbrooke from Dutton

[Pengelli]

Hm! I enjoyed every single minute of the cd. I honestly couldn't believe how good the music was. Even better than the cpo disc. Fantastic! So,each to his own opinion,eh. I can imagine Andrew Clements in the Guardian giving it a terrible review,when he gets his hands on it,but who knows? The symphony was fascinating,but more like a sequence of interesting tone poems. The slow movement is so wonderfully orchestrated. It reminded me a little of Korngold. With luscious orchestration like that,who cares if it isn't really a symphony. I can hardly wait to hear No3. Bring it on!
                                                                                       

[ahinton]

I can imagine Andrew Clements in the Guardian giving it a terrible review,

I've long since found that, in most instances, it's much better not to imagine Andrew Clements at all...

[Gareth Vaughan]

JH was not a rigorous symphonic thinker - but that's not what his music is about. His inspiration was almost always extra-musical and literary. He never used the term "symphony" in its 19th century sense, and virtually all of his so-called symphonies are really suites. There is, however, more sense of musical architecture in the Cauldron operas where the use of leitmotif helps to to give structure, but also you can sense that Josef was really inspired by his subject and the intensity of that inspiration gives a tautness to the music. I think the same is true of Queen Mab, Ulalume, The Bells and Apollo.

[Pengelli]

They all seem to have titles,except for No 7,suggesting that Holbrooke was more interested in some kind of programmatic content,than the actual structure and developement of a symphony in it's purest and most absract form. It seems to me that there are three kinds of symphonies, blatantly programmatic ones,like Raff's Fifth,purely abstract ones of the the kind Sibelius wrote,and ones that are merely a convenient frame work for expressing one's imagination. There are also eccentrics like Brian & Langgaard who seem to seem to have a blatant disregard for convention,throwing aside tradtional symphonic developement,like a writer who decides to omit grammar and punctuation.

[Alan Howe]

It seems to me that there are three kinds of symphonies, blatantly programmatic ones,like Raff's Fifth,purely abstract ones of the the kind Sibelius wrote,and ones that are merely a convenient frame work for expressing one's imagination.

I would distinguish between the 'characteristic' symphony and the 'programme' symphony. The former is about moods, characters, seasons, etc., whereas the the latter actually attempts to tell a story. I wonder whether in fact Raff 5 is actually a hybrid - characteristic in movements 1-3 and programmatic in the finale.
Just a thought...

[eschiss1]

It seems to me that there are three kinds of symphonies, blatantly programmatic ones,like Raff's Fifth,purely abstract ones of the the kind Sibelius wrote,and ones that are merely a convenient frame work for expressing one's imagination.

I would distinguish between the 'characteristic' symphony and the 'programme' symphony. The former is about moods, characters, seasons, etc., whereas the the latter actually attempts to tell a story. I wonder whether in fact Raff 5 is actually a hybrid - characteristic in movements 1-3 and programmatic in the finale.
Just a thought...

Well, Liszt eg did call a number of his works program works (including his Faust and Dante symphonies if I'm not mistaken) which were more or less characteristic works/symphonies here, and gave others somewhat specific programs only after the works had been written (I know this is well known, just putting my .009944 cents in)
Eric

[Mark Thomas]

Alan wrote:

I wonder whether in fact Raff 5 is actually a hybrid - characteristic in movements 1-3 and programmatic in the finale.

Spot on. In fact, almost all of Raff's symphonies are "characteristic" rather than "programmatic". There are many movements with some variant of "Impressions and Feelings" in their title. The Third, Im Walde, is definitely a programme symphony throughout and the scherzo of Im Sommer, No.9, is also programmatic (it's about Oberon and Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream) but otherwise they lack detailed programmes. Once the programme symphony fell out of fashion, though, the categorisation of Raff as a writer of such works was another stick to beat him with.

[albion]

Those who never thought to hear operatic music by Holbrooke may be intrigued to know that The Pit and the Pendulum is in fact derived from the Opera-Ballet The Wizard (1914) also known as The Enchanter. This work is ascribed to both Op.65 (Lowe) and Op.70 (Goodwin & Tabb vocal score).

The principal sections used are virtually the entire Prelude (vs pp.5-9), the Prelude to Act III (p.108) and the Dance of Terror (pp.125-127).

The following synopsis for The Wizard is taken from the vocal score:

ACT I. The story tells of a WIZARD in prehistoric times, who by the dark powers of enchantment caused all who came near his castle, to become dumb and serve in his service.
One OSCAR who had lost his way, comes near the castle. He sees PATRICIA appearing in one of the WIZARD'S dances, - he approaches too near, and becomes dumb. She explains his misfortune by signs. MARIA appears and sings a song. PRINCE ANTON now also appears and is enraptured by MARIA'S song. She warns him to fly from the danger. He refuses. He sees his friend OSCAR who fails to remember him. ANTON listens to MARIA'S explanation of the magic and promises he will return and rescue all the enchanted people.

ACT II. KING JOHANN'S palace crowded with courtiers, and their JESTER are holding an audience when ANTON, the KING'S son, returns and begs help against the WIZARD. The KING refuses his help. The MAGICIAN now appears and by incantation sees the vision of MARIA, etc. He promises to go with ANTON and defeat the sorcerer.

ACT III. The Ballet of the WIZARD is dancing. OSCAR is pleading his love with PATRICIA when he, also, is overcome by the WIZARD'S power. ANTON now appears with the MAGICIAN. The latter challenges the power of the WIZARD. The WIZARD gives a wierd [sic] invocation to the evil powers of darkness, - the MAGICIAN responds and appeals to the higher powers with his sword as a cross and enters the castle. The turrets fall - the enchanted are released - the WIZARD perishes - the lovers are united. Ballet and Chorus now sing and dance. (CURTAIN)

[Pengelli]

Makes you want to hear the rest of the work! I have an old s/h book,one of those 'Stories from the Opera's' type books,(for young people),they used to do,which recounts the plot lines of a couple of Holbrooke opera's,including 'The Wizard' or 'The Enchanter',in mouth watering detail'.
Mind you we haven't even had a complete recording of Holst's 'The Perfect Fool,yet'.( I keep pestering Chandos for one!)
Not that I'm all obscure. I've got Saint-Saens 'Organ' Symphony on at the moment! And very nice it is too.....

[eschiss1]

The Dover-republished book on Orchestration by the Stanford pupil Cecil Forsyth (a century-old, of course out of date, but worthwhile for its attitude, humor, and many other qualities, like many other "outdated" good music books I've read written between 1910-1950 ) may be some peoples' (it may have been mine...) first introduction to Holbrooke's music, by the way- it includes excerpts from several of his scores, including Apollo and the Seaman (pp 170&285), Children of Don (p 283, for a basset horn passage, p 311 for a particular violin passage)...
Eric

[Gareth Vaughan]

Cecil Fosyth's "Orchestration" is an excellent treatise, still referred to by musicians, and, as has been noted, eminently readable.

[albion]

The whereabouts of Act I of Bronwen in Holbrooke's autograph was a puzzle (at some point it was divorced from Acts II and III which are now in the National Library of Wales). I've now tracked it to the the Grainger Museum (part of the University of Melbourne Library) - so the whereabouts of the complete trilogy is as follows:

The Children of Don, Op.56 - The British Library

MSS Mus. 230-231. JOSEPH HOLBROOKE: 'The Children of Don', music drama in a prologue and three acts to a libretto by Thomas Evelyn (Scott-)Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, after the Mabinogion, op.56; 1910-12. Autograph full score. Written in black ink, with numerous tempo markings and stage directions in red ink, as well as conductor's markings in crayon and pencil annotations in the hands of the composer and the engraver. Dated 1 Aug. 1910 (MS Mus. 230, f. 2), March 1911 (230, f. 194), July 1911 (231, f. 69), 20 Feb. 1912 (231, f. 140). With a note, 'With No Cuts as 1st performed – 1912 – by A. Nikisch & the Composer' (231, f. 1). Composed as the first part of the trilogy 'The Cauldron of Annwn': the full score of the second opera, 'Dylan' (1909) is Add. 54339, and that of the third, 'Bronwen' (1920) is MSS 23863-23865E in the National Library of Wales (lacking Act 1). First performed at Hammerstein's London Opera House, June 1912. Published Novello, 1912 (vocal score) and [1913] (full score). Purchased at Sotheby's, 15 May 1997 (lot 188).

Two volumes. 484 x 338mm. Red cloth binding, half red leather.

MS Mus. 230. Overture, Prologue and Act 1 (ff. 194).

MS Mus. 231. Acts 2 and 3 (ff. i + 140).

Dylan, Op.53 - The British Library

Add. 54339
JOSEPH HOLBROOKE: 'Dylan, Son of the Wave', the second part of the operatic trilogy 'The Cauldron of Annwn', by Joseph Charles Holbrooke, a setting of poems by T. E. Ellis, i.e. Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden; 1909 (f. 3). Autograph full score, in ink. Full score first published 1911. First performed London, 4 July 1913. Presented by the composer to his nephew, Jim Baker, in Dec. 1951 (f. 2). Purchased from Mrs L. A. Baker, 18 May 1968.
Paper; ff. 170. 490 x 340mm. Red cloth binding, half red leather.

MSS Mus. 230-232. JOSEPH HOLBROOKE: music manuscripts; 1910 – circa 1920.

Three volumes.

Bronwen, Op.75 (Act I) - Grainger Museum, Melbourne, Australia

MG C2/H0L-10-1(Q)
[Bronwen. Act I]
Bronwen : drama : Act I / Josef Holbrooke. - 1 full score (86p. 40 stave ms. paper) taped & stitched into cardboard covers; 48cm. - Holograph signed (black ink). - Holbrooke's note: This is the original Score, by the composer, used on the Carl Rosa Opera Tour, 1922 [sic], of Act One. - Annotated for performance in red & blue pencil. - Stamped Modern Music Library Copyright.

Bronwen, Op.75 (Acts II & III) - National Library of Wales

Ref. no.      NLW MSS 23863-23865E
Title    Joseph Holbrooke: Opera 'Bronwen' 1916-1928
Summary    Incomplete autograph manuscript by Josef Charles Holbrooke (1878-1958) of his three-act opera Bronwen (op. 75), being the third and final part of his operatic trilogy The Cauldron of Annwn; Act I is lacking. The libretto, based on the narratives of The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, was written by Holbrooke's patron, Thomas Evelyn Scott-Ellis, eighth baron Howard de Walden (1880-1946). Mostly composed at Harlech, the work was completed in parts, the Overture (MS 23863E) (published as a piano arrangement in 1917), here dated July 1916 (p. 17), Act II (MS 23864E) dated 5 Aug. 1918 (p. 183), and Act III (MS 23865E) October 12 ([19]24) (p. 295), the latter probably the completion date of the full score (confirmed by the note at the end of the published version of 1929), as opposed to the vocal score of the opera, which was apparently completed at Harlech on 5 February 1920 (see note at end of the published vocal score (1922), and cf. George Lowe, Josef Holbrooke and his work, (London, 1920), p. 273). However, a note added at the end of the Prelude to Act III (MS 23865E, p. 190) suggests that a final revision was made in 1928. The vocal score was first published, with English and German words, as Bronwen: A Music Drama (No. 3) (London, 1922), and the full score in 1929 (see British Library Catalogue of Printed Music); the opera was first performed by the Carl Rosa Opera Company in Huddersfield on 1 Feb. 1929.

Description    MS 23863: 10 ff. (original pagination 1-17), MS 23864: 46 ff. (original pagination 95-184), MS 23865: 56 ff. (now paginated [185]-295, original pagination 3-7, 192-295). Each volume 480 x 340 mm.

[albion]

More great news on the Holbrooke front. According to George Vass' home-page (http://www.georgevass.co.uk/news.php), he has recently recorded the Saxophone Concerto, Op.88 (1927) and the ballet Aucassin et Nicolette (1935) for Dutton, coupled with Seven Country Dances by Richard Rodney Bennett.

There is mention also of his forthcoming disc for Somm, coupling two Piano Concertos by William Matthias with the very early Vaughan Williams Fantasia for piano and orchestra.

[Dundonnell]

More great news on the Holbrooke front. According to George Vass' home-page (http://www.georgevass.co.uk/news.php), he has recently recorded the Saxophone Concerto, Op.88 (1927) and the ballet Aucassin et Nicolette (1935) for Dutton, coupled with Seven Country Dances by Richard Rodney Bennett.

There is mention also of his forthcoming disc for Somm, coupling two Piano Concertos by William Matthias with the very early Vaughan Williams Fantasia for piano and orchestra.

t
Excellent new about the two Mathias Piano Concertos in particular

[Gareth Vaughan]

I submitted the booklet notes for this CD to Dutton about a month ago and have just done the proofs last week. It should be out soon and, I hope, will give much pleasure.