Here is a list of composers whose early deaths robbed the music world of unimaginable talent. Each of these people displayed early genius in their compositions, recognised by established composers & critics during their time, who predicted brilliant futures for them. Their early deaths were greatly mourned. My list is a starting point, please add to it.
J.Arriaga 1806-1826, H.Goetz 1840-1876, K.Tausig 1841-1871, H. Rott 1858-1884, G.Lekeu 1870-1894, S.Coleridge-Taylor 1875-1912, W.Hurlstone 1876-1906, E.Mielck 1877-1899, E.Farrar 1885-1918, L.Boulanger 1893-1918, P.Warlock 1894-1930.
There may not have been any Beethovens amongst them, but I am sure if each had lived, the course of musical history may have changed. Arriaga had the potential to become a household name, and it would have been interesting to see if the "Beethoven effect" held him back, although I believe his genius would have shone out. As far as I know, he didn't know Beethoven's music.
Hans Rott was also a great loss. Mahler described him as a genius, and Rott's symphony was written long before Mahler's first attempt. The Rott symphony is very evident in some Mahler symphonies, something which wasn't acknowledged until fairly recently, when the manuscript was discovered & the work was recorded.
I would add Jan Hugo Vorisek (1791-1825) If that symphony of 1823 doesn't point to great things, then I'll eat my woollen hat and scarf.
David
Joachim Eggert (1779-1813)
Norbert Burgmüller (1810–1836), Hugo Staehle (1826-1848) & Antoni Stolpe (1851-1872).
Alexander Ernst Fesca (1820-49) +
George Frederick Pinto (1785-1806) ++
Julius Reubke (1834-58) ++
Christian Ludwig Schunke (1810-34) ++
William Baines (1899-1922)
George Butterworth (1885-1916)
Morfydd Owen (1891-1918)
Carl Filtsch (1830-1845
I'd certainly agree with Tausig - Liszt's best pupil. Dies of cholera at the age of 29. It would have been interesting to see how he progressed compositionally, Liszt described him as from the "mad dog" school when presented with Tausig's (second or third!) Op.1 - Das Geistschiff. An amazing piece, shame the orchestral version was destroyed along with his piano concerto during WW2.
This is really an interesting subject. There are so many promising composers who have died a premature death. However, many promising young composers lived on, turning into rather dull mature composers. This probably would have been the case of many of those who died young too, had they lived longer. And some of them probably woulnd´t have done very much more for other reasons. Swedish composer Eduard Brendler (1800-31), for instance, was an obvious talent, but he also seems to have been a rather lazy fellow who preferred to go out drinking with his pals, rather than composing. Hans Rott, mentioned earlier in this thread, ended up in a mental institution. Would they really have achieved much more had they lived a bit longer? Also, many of the composers mentioned above did live well into ther thirties. Well, Schubert died at 31, Mozart at 35, Mendelsohn at 38 and Chopin at 39, and they managed to achieve quite a lot during their rather short lifes...
Having said that, I would also like to add Cecil Coles (1888-1918), Vassily Kallinikov (1866-1901) and Sigurd Lie (1871-1904) to the list.
My heart starts to beat a little faster when I hear the name Tausig. I am going to sitck my neck out and suggest that the Tausig-Weber - Inivitation to the Dance is the greatest transcription ever, bar none. Strangely, his Bach Toccata in D Minor transcription (which he is more likely to be rembered for) has never appealed to me.
When I was a 2nd rate hack pianist, I used to love playing the Waltz Caprices, especially the Man lebt nur einmal. Rachmaninov's recording of this forgotten gem is one of my favourite recordings. Another of my favourite recordings is Ponti playing the Fantasie on Moniuszko's Halka, which is a spectacular piece and of the most obscene difficulty. I spent weeks on it and got nowhere, so hats of to Mr Ponti.
Thankfully, there are a reasonable amount of CD's, but they are not all good (my opinion only). The disks by Dennis Hennig left me unmoved, especially the Wagner transcriptions disk. One can only hope there will be more.
The one piece I would really like to hear is the Grand Fantasie Op.7 by Tausig's father Alois. A composition of Thalbergian splendour, as one would expect.
Thal
Nicolai's dates very closely parallel Chopin's, though he died not of consumption but of overwork (like Mendelssohn). That he died, like Bizet, at the peak of his fame and in the immediate aftermath of his best opera's premier suggests a real loss to music.
I don't have too much to add to this thread, but I would definitely agree about Nicolai, Arriaga, and Boulanger (the three mentioned composers I am familiar with). It is quite something to think of what might have happened had people like Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, or Mendelssohn who died young and were famous lived to a ripe old age.
Tausig indeed was a great loss to music. We don't, I think, know for sure that the Piano Concerto and the orchestral version of Das Geisterschiff were destroyed in WW2. They may still turn up somewhere - but nobody's holding their breath! What would Tausig's PC have been like? More finger-twisting than the monumental Halka Fantasy? One can only conjecture.
Hi All,
Regarding the Tausig concerto, the only reason I cite it as being destroyed is that I remembered it being mentioned in an old edition of Grove (but I may be wrong). ;) I sincerely hope one day that it will turn up, along with the other works which were apparently destroyed at the same time.
I've also tried to Halka Fantasy and it is ridiculously difficult. I believe someone here (probably on the old forum) mentioned that Hyperion would eventually get around to a complete recording of his piano music when they found the pianist who could cope with it!!
It appears most of his music is now on CD, for example Petronel Malan's Beethoven transfigured contains the Beethoven string quartet transcriptions, Ponti did Halka, Ride of the Valkyries and Geisterschiff (Rian de Waal recorded Geisterschiff as well), Hough's new piano album contains La Contrabandista (after Schumann) and the Hungarian Fantasy and so on. I did put together an article for another website years ago (it was never published) which had a discography in it - plus some reviews. It's hopelessly out of date now but I'll try and find it and start a new thread with it.
Glad to see that Marcus' list includes the Belgian Guillaume Lekeu, who died of typhus at 24. A 2x Prix de Rome winner, he left mostly chamber music including a fine violin sonata that hovers at the fringes of the repertoire. He has been well-served by Belgian performers and at his centennial a box set was released that included just about all of his instrumental, choral and orchestral works. I'm pretty sure it's out of print, but may be available on the secondary market...
David
I would have to add Rudi Stephan (1887 - 1915), who left us a handful of impassioned works that evoke Mahler without using the same musical vocabulary. Listen to his 1910 Music for Orchestra sometime, or just sample the clips at: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:131930 (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:131930)
--
Jim Moskowitz
The Unknown Composers Page: http://kith.org/jimmosk/TOC.html (http://kith.org/jimmosk/TOC.html)
My latest list of unusual classical CDs for auction: http://tinyurl.com/jimmosk (http://tinyurl.com/jimmosk)
Gareth Vaughan mentions William Baines.(1899-1922). A few years ago, I recieved a CD of his Symphony in C minor op.10 (1917). A live performance was recorded in 1992 by the Airedale Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Kennaway. I believe it was a private recording issued by Mr Kennaway.
The symphony is a fairly uneven work of four movements lasting 47'35", and if Baines had lived longer, I am sure he would have revised it, however, I appreciate Mr Kennaway's efforts to have it recorded. Any effort to bring such neglected works to public attention, no matter what quality, is to be applauded.
Hi all
Another couple to add. Frederick Septimus Kelly (1881-1916), an Australian who went to England to complete his education and settled there, except for a musical home-visit or two. He was an Olympic Games Gold medalist in 1908. He joined the Royal Navy Reserve in 1914 when war broke, mainly to serve with some of his British mates, including the poet Rupert Brooke. He ended up as an officer in the Royal Navy Division (which did its fighting on land, from what I can make out) and received the Distinguished Service Cross for valour at Gallipoli in 1915. He was killed while leading an attack during the Somme campaign of 1916. He was a good pianist and respected composer - more promising than Butterworth, according to the liner notes of a disc featuring his Elegy for Strings 'In Memoriam Rupert Brooke'. A really nice piece. At least one song (text by Shakespeare) has made it into recorded form. Anyone know of anything else?
The other is William Denis Browne (1888-1915), British composer friend of Rupert Brooke and Kelly. A noted pianist, organist and music critic. Killed at Gallipoli.
regards
Peter
peter_conole thanks for reminding me of F.S.Kelley an "unsung aussie".
We are happy to call him an Australian, although, like many of that generation of Australians, he spent his formative years in England. There has been very little written about him, but the reported quality of his small repertoire would suggest that he would have been a major musical talent.
He was born in Double Bay, Sydney,NSW,Australia, on 29/5/1881. He was from a wealthy family & was sent to Engalnd for his schooling at Eton & Oxford. His goal was to become a great pianist & great composer. From 1903-1908 he attended the Hoch Konservatorium in Frankfurt, Germany.At Oxford, he was a pupil of Donald Tovey and in Frankfurt, the renowned master of counterpoint and fugue, Iwan Knorr. With that pedigree, it is easy to see that he would have become a great composer, and the few works which he did manage, confirms this. I remember reading in Cobbett, mention some of his chamber works. He was a member of the rowing eights at Eton & Oxford, & won a gold medal at the 1908 Olympics.
When the Great War broke out, he enlisted in the Hood Battalion of the Royal Navy, and in 1915,was sent to the Dardenelles on the "Grantully Castle", together with his close friend ,poet Rupert Brooke. Brooke died of septicemia, and Kelly joined the Gallipoli campaign two days later. He attained the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. (not bad for a musician !)
Kelly wrote his "Elegy in Memory of Brooke"a few months later. It is for divided strings, harp & solo violin, and has a melancholy reminiscent of V.W.'s Tallis Fantasia. A truly beautiful work, which has been broadcast on the ABC a few times recently.
Other works by Kelly, in addition to the Elegy, are Theme,Variation & Fugue for 2 pianos, Serenade for Solo Flute & Small Orchestra, ( 5 mvts), Sonata in G minor for Violin & Piano,Monographs, (piano), Allegro de Concert, (piano),
String Quartet ?, String Trio ?, plus songs. (The last two items mentioned ,were, from memory, listed in Cobbetts famous work, but I do not have access to those volumes here in Albury, but I do remember reading the critique of Kelly's chamber works 20+ years ago.) hopefully, someone will fill in the missing pieces for me.
He was very close to his friend Rupert Brookes, and a description of Brooke's burial & last resting place,( Skyros,nr Greece) is a poignant reminder of his ability as a writer:
"It was a most moving experience.The small olive grove in the narrow valley and the scent of wild sage, gave a strong classical tone which was so in harmony with the poet we were burying, that to some of us, the Christian ceremony seemed out of keeping..... The body lies looking down the valley towards the harbour, and, from behind, an olive bends itself over the grave as though sheltering it from the sun and rain.No more fitting resting place for a poet could be found than this small grove, and it seems as though the gods had jealously snatched him away to enrich thsi small island"
If anyone has further information about F.S.Kelly, and any other compositons not listed, I would be grateful.
Cheers!
My references for this article: John Carmody, (ABC 24 Hours magazine article 4/02, Groves (5th Ed.)
I'd very much like to hear William Baines' symphony. Marcus, do you know how I can get hold of a copy of the CD George Kennnaway produced, please?
A few more for the list:
Leo Smit 1900-1943, (Dutch) (symphony in C on the NM label)
Walter Leigh 1905-1942 England
P.O.Ferroud 1900-1936 (France)
E.Bache 1833-1858 (England)
L.Boellman 1862-1897 (France)
M.K.Ciurlionis 1875-1911 (Lithuania)
J.M.Kraus 1756-1792 (Sweden)
V.Bellini 1801-1835 (Italy)
A.V.Stanchinsky 1888-1914 (Russia)
C.T.Griffes 1884-1920 (USA)
J.S.Schroeter 1752-1788 (Saxony)
A.Catalani 1854-1893 (Italy)
Hello Gareth Vaughan,
I found details fof Baine's symphony, a few years ago while looking for more details of a symphony, which I thought, at best, would only be an incomplete manuscript.
On the Len Mullenger web-site, I found the details of a live performance from 1991,by Airedale S.O. with George Kellaway. I e-mailed Len, who in turn advised me to contact George Kellaway direct. George was kind enough to send me a CD of the performance.
Here is the address which I had :
[Address removed - email Mark Thomas (mark@raff.org) if you want it]
E-mail: musigwk@leeds.ac.uk
Also Len Mullenger's (MusicWeb) e-mail address: Len@musicweb-international .com
If you do not have any success, let me know, and I will do my best to help. I am not going to say,I will burn a copy, as it may be copyright, however let me know if you have difficulty, and I'll take it from there.
Please send me your private e-mail address if this happens.
All the best.
Marcus.
George was still distributing the CD about 2 years ago when I enquired.
For some reason I did not purchase it.
Thal
Thank you very much, Marcus.
Quote from: Marcus on Friday 22 January 2010, 12:34
Hans Rott was also a great loss. Mahler described him as a genius,
Gustav's brother Otto studied under Bruckner and was apparently considered by Gustav as gifted but lazy. His symphonies do not appear to have survived.
The current e-mail address for George Kennaway is:
G.W.Kennaway@leeds.ac.uk
David,
I was going to second the mention of Lekeu, but you beat me to it. I have loved his Violin Sonata for many years. So much fire to it. I really think he would have become something terrific.
I do second the mention of Lili Boulanger, who was an extraordinary talent.
Speaking of Mozart, Schubert and the other greats who died young, I always find it in a way heartening that they developed so precosciously, as though they knew they didn't have much time. Other composers, Verdi comes to mind, lived a long life and in his case, he seemed to need that time for his long and amazing progression from the earliest operas to such masterpieces as Otello and Falstaff. If he had died at Schubert's age, he would be the merest footnote in musical history. So perhaps in an odd way it all balances out. Who can say?
In 2002, Timpani released a CD of music by Gabriel Dupont(1878-1914).He was plagued by ill health for most of his life, succumbing to TB in 1914. He wrote operas, symphonic poems, string quartet, piano quintet, piano pieces & songs.
The two items on this disc are the Poeme, for piano & string quartet, and for piano La Maison Dans Les Dunes.
The latter piece,a suite in 10 parts is reminiscent of Faure.It is beautiful gentle music, and I commend it to any who do not know it.
Marcus.
Just a final anecdote re F.S.Kelly (1881-1916):
Pablo Casals, who played in chamber music ensemles with him, wrote in his memoirs:
"whenever I was invited for a weekend to the country home of businessman & musical philanthropist, Sir Edgar Speyer, I always took my tennis racquet, in the hope of a game with Kelly, who played like a professional."
F.S.Kelly was, therefore, one of those rare geniuses who excelled in everything he did, and as well as music, he excelled in every sport he chose to play. An enormous loss to music & sport.His career in the Royal Navy would also have reached great heights, as he was a proven leader of men.
Marcus.
Mention of Nicolai's symphonies reminds me of two early symphonies written by F.Herold in his youth. ( I suppose age 22 & 23 is youthful enough - Mozart spoilt it for evryone !)
A CD was released by Dynamic (#CDS-282) in 2001. The works on the dics are:
Symphony no1 in C major (1813) and Symphony no2 in D major (1814). plus Le Pre aux Clercs & zampa overtures.
The symphonies are obviously student exercises and deserve to be heard at least once.
My brother has alerted me to a Finnish composer, whose name I didn't know,(another one - I am learning something every day) :
Heikki Suolahti. I am posting the details which he sent.He didn't provide a source.
"Heikki Suolahti (2/2/1920- 27/12/1936), who died at the early age of 16, was one of the greatest prodigies in the history of Finnish music. His musical talent was oriented towards extensive work from the very first in an exceptional way, and within a short space of time, he composed a Symphony, Violin Concerto, (1934)two String quartets,a Piano quintet, Agne dei for voice & orchestra, (1936),and some minor pieces. He also began work on an opera, Parttylin yo, (St Batholomew's night),a ballet Uponnut kaupunki, (Sunken City),a second Symphony, a Piano Concerto and several Orchestral Tone Poems, but these remain unfinished.
Suolahti grew up in a musically enlightened home, where his talent was nurtured. He studied the piano, the organ and theory of music at Helsinki Conservatory from 1929-1936. His theory teacher,Arvo Laitinen, was a known Wagnerian, aned he imbued his young pupil with his enthusiasm. Suolahti saw performances of most of Wagner's operas, knew the Leitmotifs of the Ring Cycle by heart, and had been promised a trip to the Bayreuth festival in the summer of 1937, as a school leaving present, but the trip never materialised.
Sinfonia piccola:
Although Wagner was Suolahti's great idol, Wagner's musical influence can scarcely be detected in his works. His major work is the fully romantic Sinfonia piccola in B minor of 1935. Though written by a budding composer of 15 years, it is a mature four movement work, full of freshness. It was later published in the USA (1959),and it has remained in the repertoire of youth orchestras both in th USA & Europe. It has been considered particularly suitable for young musicians because of its youthful lively idiom, and the gratifying part-writing, with solos for all instruments.
When Heikki Suolahti died in December 1936, none of his compositions had ever been performed in public. His music was first heard at his funeral. The first public performance of his music took place at the memorial matinee conducted by Tauno Hannikainen in February 1938; on the program were Sinfonia piccola and three songs orchestrated by Hannikainen.
After the concert, Sibelius wrote to Suolahti's mother :
I cannot get your son's symphony (Symphony piccola) out of my mind. It made a profound impression on me, having both aptitude and heart. It is certain that in Heikki Suolahti ,Finland lost one of her greatest musical talents. "
He earns a brief mention in Groves & Oscar Thompson's Cyclopedia, and I have not yet unearthed any detail as to the cause of his early death. Does anyone know ?
What a massive loss to the musical world !
Cheers !
Marcus
This is my second attempt to post this, the first "lost in the ether"?
Re Heikki Suolahti.
Apparently he died from peritonitis.
A concert, which included his Sinfonia piccolo was held in West Salem, Wisconsin, USA, on 11/11/2006.
A blog by a lady reviewed the concert, and made this brief comment about Suolahti:
"Speaking of boy geniuses (sic), yesterday on radio, I heard the Sinfonia piccolo by the Finnish prodigy, Heikki Suolahti who died aged 16. (by peritonitis according to some sources).
It started off a bit grand, influenced by Sibelius maybe, but the later movements had some really nice moments."
An excellent book which I have found on the i/net, but very expensive ,is The Historical dictionary of Music & Musicians of Finland, byRuth-Esther Hillila (1997), reportedly the most comprehensive book in English, of Finnish music & composers. Some pages are freely accessible for preview on the I/net, but the some pages are unavailable, including most of the article on Suolahti.
Marcus.
A few more names of composers, who died before reaching their full potential :
Axel Ingelius (1822-1868), (Finland), reported to be the first Finnish symphonist - died of hypothermia, wrote a Symphony, Operas, and was a writer of many novels, and a well-known music critic 0
Taki Rentaro (1879-1903), (Japan), lived in a time in Japan, when western classical music was virtually unknown.Died from TB.
Julian Scriabin (1908-1919) (Russia), son of Alexander, who drowned in a boating accident. Wrote preludes & other piano music reminiscent of the style of his father,which showed great promise. Alexander's daughter, Marina was also a composer. Alexander's own early death was a huge loss.
I mention also, G.B.Pergolesi (1710-1736) (Italy), who is famous &certainly doesn't qualify as an unsung, but died very young .(TB)
A recent acquisition is the Sterling CD which couples Ernst Mielck's Symphony in F minor, op. 4 (1897) with his Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra in E minor, op. 9 (1898).
The Finnish Ernst Mielck (1877-99) was a fragile boy who has had a very poor health throughout his short life. When he was a baby the doctor told his mother on one occasion: 'Don't cry; it's best if the child dies, otherwise he'll become an idiot.' (quote from the booklet notes by Bo Hyttner). What a tactful bloke. Two days before his 22th birthday he died because of malignant tuberculosis.
Nevertheless, thanks to his mother he grew up, became a favourite student of Max Bruch, and left us some beautiful music.
The 4 movement Symphony doesn't sound as a beginner's work, on the contrary. The opening is a subtle andante maestoso, followed by an allegro energico. It is indeed a movement full of energy, with some beautiful passages. If you like tranquil, slow movements, than you will certainly love the andante cantabile. Mielck surely knew how to create such a serene atmosphere. The last movement, an allegro, sounds rather powerful, but is perhaps the least interesting.
The Concert Piece is a somewhat strange kind of piano concerto. It has 3 movements, all very different in character. The largo is a lovely, lyrical movement, with as a climax a subtle dialogue between the orchestra and... a violin. The theme of the 3rd movement sounds almost like Spanish folk-music, and doesn't match with the 1st and 2nd movement, but it's pleasant listening all the way and makes the whole piece quite interesting.
In summary, Mielck was a very promising talent and could have been a competitor of Sibelius. Let's be happy that some of his music is available on CD. The Sterling CD is recommended!
It looks like I have a lot of people to Google! :)
Hi Peter1953,
Mielcks Concert Piece for Violin & Orchestra op8 is on Ondine #ODE 1019-2. It is a single movement work of 14'43"
According to the notes, Mielck's work is modelled on his teacher Max Bruch, although it is closer to his uncle's works.
His uncle was Ernst Fabritius who wrote a beautiful Violin Concerto. Fabritius does not rate a mention in any of my music books.
Mielck was known as the "Finnish Schubert". and wrote ,(in addition to the Symphony),string quartets, a string quintet,Fantasy for Chorus & Orchestra,an Orchestral Suite & songs etc
Cheers !
Marcus.
Thank you, Marcus. However, both Sterling and Ondine features the more than 40 minutes lasting Symphony in F minor. In the Sterling booklet notes I read: 'A concert piece for violin and orchestra, with which Mielck himself was not satisfied, received a disappointing reception.'
So, what to do? I think I'll buy Bowen's VC as an alternative... (thanks, David).
The Ondine performance of the Symphony is vastly superior...
I've just spend a few pleasant hours listening to William Hurlstone's Piano Trio and Piano Quartet, and then a disc I've received today: Les Roses et les Épines, piano works by the Polish piano virtuoso Juliusz Zarebski (1854-85).
If I didn't know who composed both chamber works, I would have thought that it could be written by Gernsheim or Von Herzogenberg, especially the Piano Trio. Lovely, very appealing works, probably written in 1904-05. Not very progressive music for those years, but that doesn't matter. Hurlstone also wrote a Piano Sonata in F minor. Has anybody ever heard it?
Zarebski is totally different. He was a pupil of Liszt, in Rome between 1874-77. That might have influenced his music. However, his piano music sounds almost like Debussy. It's quite dreamy and impressionistic. Zarebski was definitely far ahead of his time.
Two very promising composers with a lot of potential, unfortunately died too young due to bad health. Both are unjustly neglected, thus I'm sure many members will love their music.
"Zarebski was definitely far ahead of his time."
Zarebski's Ballade, opus 18, has a longish section near the start notated in two versions, the alternative labeled "Pour les Amateurs." Unlike the usual ossias in nineteenth-century piano music, which were designed for less skillful hands, this alternative is completely different and was clearly designed for less skillful ears.
I hope to hear Zarebski's Ballade one day, especially the alternative version. It's not on the cpo CD. What could have been his motive?
Could be interesting topic: 'Music by skilled composers, deliberately written for less skilful ears.'
Hello Peter1953: I have not heard the Hurlestone Piano Sonata in F minor, but there is a good description of it in the book "The British Piano Sonata" by Lisa Hardy. The contents of this book is on the net. Another interesting blog site is "British Classical Music: Land of Lost Content". The blog archive list on left-hand side - see 24th.October 2009, and on a wish-list of unrecorded British Piano Sonatas is the Hurlestone.
Marcus.
Hurlstone, probably, Stanford's ablest pupil, also wrote a fine 4 movement piano concerto at the age of around 20. This, I gather, has lately been re-issued under the revived Lyrita label. Back in 2006 I nagged the BBC about commemorating the centenary of his death----with the usual negative response. However, I have put both his Cobbett prize winning Fantasy Quartet and his Piano Trio on the Noteworthy Scriptorium.
I recently had the pleasure of listening to the Hurlstone PC and have since listened to it a further 3 times.
Georgous work, highly recommended.
Thal
Quote from: peter_conole on Sunday 24 January 2010, 16:04
Hi all
Another couple to add. Frederick Septimus Kelly (1881-1916), an Australian who went to England to complete his education and settled there, except for a musical home-visit or two. He was an Olympic Games Gold medalist in 1908. He joined the Royal Navy Reserve in 1914 when war broke, mainly to serve with some of his British mates, including the poet Rupert Brooke. He ended up as an officer in the Royal Navy Division (which did its fighting on land, from what I can make out) and received the Distinguished Service Cross for valour at Gallipoli in 1915. He was killed while leading an attack during the Somme campaign of 1916. He was a good pianist and respected composer - more promising than Butterworth, according to the liner notes of a disc featuring his Elegy for Strings 'In Memoriam Rupert Brooke'. A really nice piece. At least one song (text by Shakespeare) has made it into recorded form. Anyone know of anything else?
Here's a link on Kelly's Violin Sonata, composed at Gallipoli: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-13/lost-gallipoli-sonata-returns-home/2714850 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-13/lost-gallipoli-sonata-returns-home/2714850)
Is there a place on the ABC website to listen to the entire sonata?
Jerry
Just found this: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2012/04/25/3477385.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/classic/content/2012/04/25/3477385.htm). It's only just been broadcast so perhaps it will available as a podcast shortly. I was sent the first link when I posted to a Gallipoli forum about my grandfather, who was there at Gallipoli too. He was a sergeant-bugler, and in his photo collection is a shot of a brass band at one of the base camps.