Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Tue, Aug 28 2012, 2:32AM
As a Continental European, who has traveled and lived for more than half of his life in different countries and continents, I've found out that English Music has been established as a great integral part of the Classical Music establishment. Of course, in various ways and forms, but it is well establsihed, even somehow in China, where I'm spending my annual vacation with my family.
So, I thought in a forum of predominantly native members, we could unfold the story of the development of the greatness of this musical tradition. Of course, we can always recognise the contribution of Dowland or Purcell, but I think the real foundation of the true rebirth of the English musical tradition starts with Elgar and, for me (and not only), reaches its culminating point with Britten. In between, major or smaller names passed and contributed, in one or the other way, to the further development and establishment of this musical tradition, making the music of an "island" looked as a unique art form of a continent!
To start with: Elgar could be well considered as the father of the English renaissance, but we should not neglect his contemporary Stanford, who was the actual founder of the new symphonic language in England. Then Delius, the most French of the English composers, a citizen of the world, a true cosmopolitan for his times. He was a unique case and moved beyond his era by producing some influential and memorable works, mlike his manifesto A Mass for Life. However, John Foulds, around the same time was a moderniste ignored by History. And, then, we have Gustav Holst, a revolutionary visionary, Frank Bridge, a modernist recognised and by now somehow well established and so on...
You may continue with your contributions...
Parla
Wed, Aug 29 2012, 10:14PM
#2
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Stanford, although little recognised now as a composer, except in church music circles, also had an important role in teaching, sometimes providing something for RVW to rebel against.
Having listened to some of Stanford's orchestral music, it is overshadowed by the likes of Elgar and RVW, but is nonetheless worth an occasional listen, if only to focus our minds on true greatness.
At the end of the 19th C there was a huge popular movement, and conductors such as Halle, Richter, Wood, and Bruch were able to bring music to people.
Best wishes,
P
Thu, Aug 30 2012, 10:42AM
#3
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Great subject for a discussion, Parla. The tag "the land without music" has been well and truly laid to rest by the outstanding achievements of several composers starting as you say with Elgar.
Britten is my own favourite as there is such a variety of compositions and all pretty excellent. I find the (perhaps overblown) Sinfonia da Requiem a great listen when there's no one else in the house! I'm still exporing his body of work and am constantly blown away by the quality and also accessibilty of it.
Walton is another favourite. Holst is fascinating and those Imogen Holst and Boult recordings on Lyrita are excellent. I also love the Englishness evoked in Vaughan Williams, Butterworth and the like. This pastoral folk-music inspired idiom, dreaming of a world of haystacks, summer cricket and village church yards before WW1, may be idealised but it is unique in music and profoundly moving for an Englishman. The more this country moves away from its essential 'Englishness' and becomes more multi-cultural, the more poignant that style becomes to listen to.
I've just bought the new Frank Bridge collection in the Richard Hickox legacy boxed set and am looking forward to exploring it. There is so little time to listen in my life and when there is I'll get some Stanford. Where should I start with his music?
Yes we are lucky to have such treasures coming from these shores and have made up for lost time. If anyone can recommend anything else let me know.
Must get back to work...
Graham
Thu, Aug 30 2012, 11:50AM
#4
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Sir Henry Wood!
The textbook view is that we had no one of any real note between Handel and Elgar. I'm in agreement with Graham above. Britten is outstanding - time for a revival which I presume will come next year as it's the centenary of his birth in 2013.
Holst - cetainly not a one-hit wonder with The Planets. Lots of beautifully crafted music. Bridge - underrated; try the sonata for cello and piano with its beautiful opening melody or a work like Oration. Graham that boxed set looks tempting! On a personal level Havergal Brian viz the symphonies thread last year is well worth exploring if a bit uneven...
Thu, Aug 30 2012, 3:45PM
#5
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
The Lyrita, Nimbus and Chandos CD catalouges, among others, including of course EMI, offer a wealth of English music that I have enjoyed for years. And don't forget a look at the Naxos listings, usually excellent performances at a better price than the earlier mentioned labels.
Thu, Aug 30 2012, 4:19PM
#6
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Among the names already mentioned, to a great extent, Arnold Bax and Michael Tippett contributed to the further consolidation of the significance and variety of development of the new English Music tradition. The former with 7 magnificent Symphonies, superb Symphonic Poems, great vocal works and very interesting Chamber Music, while the latter at least with his two pivotal Operas, namely A Child of our Time and The Midsummer Marriage, as well as his 3 Symphonies.
However, for me, the less flamboyant names have offered some other aspects of the richness of this tradition and a variety on the development of the Englsih Music. Herbert Howells, for example, a great composer of religious music par excellence, educated in the most pure tradition of choral music, had been student of Stanford and friend of Vaughan Williams. His works, however, are not formal or rigid, initiating elements even of subtle sensuality, sometimes intriguing sometimes evocative and more universal, reminding Delius. His masterwork Hymnus Paradisi, in fact a sort of Requiem, is a must of the new classic English Music.
Parla
Thu, Aug 30 2012, 9:56PM
#7
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
viz the symphonies
That sounds like a humourous view of English music. Sid the Sextet by any chance.
Fri, Aug 31 2012, 12:42AM
#8
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Alice, once more you're spot on even a bit "off topic".
By the way, Mark, while I never really appreciated Havergal Brian's enormous opus (let alone to be attracted by it), I have to admit its unique role in the wider development of the English music tradition. However, the fact that he never managed to escape the indifference of the general public and the disdain of the establishment (despite the good endeavours of great names such as Adrian Boult) have some explanation: To be prolific and creative is significant but, if you are not a Beethoven or Mozart or Wagner, moderation is a virtue. His 1st Symphonie, "The Gothic", is beyond any proportion one can stand. Nonetheless, if you can make it to the end, it's a work going beyond borders or nationalities. In short, an uneven but -somehow- important figure for the English musical scene.
Parla
Sat, Sep 1 2012, 12:35PM
#9
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Hi Bliss!
I'm with you on those labels - I have a couple of really useful Holst selections on Lyrita; CD of A Winter Idyll, Elegy, Indra, Song of the Night etc...with London Philharmonic/LSO and Atherton, and an album of Lyric Movement, Brook Green Suite, Nocturne for strings, St. Paul's Suite etc...Imogen Holst/English Chamber Orchestra - Lyrita vinyl.
(My Planets is on Phillips with Concertgebouw/Marriner). I might have one or two others in my collection but my filing system is in need of revision! (Was it you or Dave F who said he found some Havergal Brian filed under Parry?!)
Wonderful composer Gustav Holst.
(Parla - you've made a typo. Remember there are 4 Tippett symphonies).
Mark
Sat, Sep 1 2012, 4:36PM
#10
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Thanks for the correction, Mark. Tippett has ceased to be my cup of tea for the last two decades (at least), while, of course I never stopped recognising his contribution to English Music. I used to listen extensively to his works in the 70s and somehow in the 80s. I had in mind my favourite recording of Solti with the first 3 Symphonies (now deleted).
I had the same problem with his String Quartets. I always thought there were 4, till I found out he composed later a fifth one.
I hope one day soon I may revisit the more modern composers of yours.
Parla
Sat, Sep 1 2012, 7:03PM
#11
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Hi Mark, Yes there was a 3 LP set entitled "Masters of the English Musical Renaissance" that has music of Parry, Brian and Foulds. The Brian LP consisted of the complete Symphonic Movements from his opera "The Tigers" (54 minutes in total). I don't know if this ever came out on CD. The LPs are on the Forlane label distributed by Unicorn.
Your mentioning of Lyrita reminded me of their website (lyrita.co.uk) which, besides listing all 131 of their CDs, has a long BBC Radio 3 broadcast called "The Lyrita Story." It features Lewis Foreman, Richard Itter (the founder) and a host of others recalling the formation of the label with excerpts of their CDs played in the background. It was originally aired on Sept 29, 2007 and is worth a listen.
Mon, Sep 3 2012, 4:10PM
#12
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
For the record, A Child of Our Time is an oratorio, not opera.
Mon, Sep 3 2012, 4:28PM
#13
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
You're right, bowscott, it's an oratorio, but a secular one. Actually, a very secular one (the plot could fit perfectly in an Opera) and, depending on the performance (if you have some great operatic voices, like J. Norman) could be in the grey zone of the opera-oratorio, like Oedipus Rex by Stravisnsky.
Parla
Mon, Sep 3 2012, 4:37PM
#14
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
Not so secular Parla: What about all those spirituals? Indeed like the 'child of our time' that it is, it sits uncomfortably between sacred and secular. ?
Chris
Mon, Sep 3 2012, 5:57PM
#15
RE: Who and how made England a great musical nation?
It's the plot, the subject, Chris, that makes it so secular. They could be the central issue of a modern Opera. The structure is much closer to Oratorio.
As for the Spirituals, they have so far served both sacred as well as secular cases, very conveniently (Musicals, e.g. Showboat, Ballets like Alvin Ailey's Revelations, which its creator called it a "political statement", etc.).
Parla
Alice, I cannot be surprised by your cynical but, probably, very close to the truth response, if I have to judge the lack of any reply whatsoever on the rich variety of composers who, even outside the "Island", are considered as great contributors to this renaissance of English Music. I thought there will be enough to be written on Walton's role in the "New Music" or the lyrical side of Finzi, the minor but decisive parts of Warlock, Alwyn or Cyrill Scott, among others.
By the way, it is surprising that a brilliant budget-priced 10CD box set of DHM, dealing with the best collection of deleted, exquisitely performed and extremely difficult to find recordings on the Renaissance and Baroque English Music never reached its...actual destination, while it became a source of success in the rest of Europe!
Anyway, strange things can happen...
Parla