Holbrooke Chamber Music

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have just been listening to a recording, taken off the air and sent to me on CD by Michael Freeman (a man with enormous knowledge of Holbrooke's music, who knew Josef's wife and was a great friend of the composer's eldest son, the late Gwydion Brooke), of a broadcast in the late 1980s of the Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 33a "Soul". This is one of the compser's most lyrical and delectable creations. As one would expect, the writing for winds (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon) is extremely accomplshed and effective (Josef knew how to write for these instruments), as is the part for piano. It is a most moving and captivating work. The last movt. is Holbrooke at his music-hall best! It should go to the top of the list among Josef's chamber works for recording AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - together with the glorious Trio for violin, horn and piano in D minor, Op. 28, and the lovely Serenade, Op. 63 for harp, viola and 10 wind instruments (oboe, Bflat clarinet, basset horn, 2 flugel horns and 5 saxophones - soprano, alto, tenor, baritone & bass).

[Albion]

I have just been listening to a recording, taken off the air and sent to me on CD by Michael Freeman (a man with enormous knowledge of Holbrooke's music, who knew Josef's wife and was a great friend of the composer's eldest son, the late Gwydion Brooke), of a broadcast in the late 1980s of the Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 33a "Soul". This is one of the compser's most lyrical and delectable creations. As one would expect, the writing for winds (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon) is extremely accomplshed and effective (Josef knew how to write for these instruments), as is the part for piano. It is a most moving and captivating work. The last movt. is Holbrooke at his music-hall best! It should go to the top of the list among Josef's chamber works for recording AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - together with the glorious Trio for violin, horn and piano in D minor, Op. 28, and the lovely Serenade, Op. 63 for harp, viola and 10 wind instruments (oboe, Bflat clarinet, basset horn, 2 flugel horns and 5 saxophones - soprano, alto, tenor, baritone & bass).

According to the latest BMS News, Bob Stevenson (the power behind the Dutton CD of Holbrooke, Walford Davies, and Rootham) hopes to record the following Holbrooke pieces next year: Violin Sonatas 1 & 2, Trio for piano, violin and horn, Op.28, and Mezzo-Tints for violin (or clarinet) and piano, Op.55.

I remember taping the Op.33a Sextet at the time it was broadcast - it is a lovely work. Unfortunately, the tape I made (complete with lousy FM reception) subsequently perished. Another off-air recording which I have is of the Serenade for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, Op.94 (1929) - three very attractive movements entitled Moonlight on the water, Sad memories and Scherzo Caprice.

I'd like to second Gareth's advocacy of the Op.63 Serenade - from what I recall of the score it is built upon the slow-movement theme from The Song of Gwyn-ap-Nudd, Op.52.

[Dylan]

Er - slightly OT, since technically this belongs under Recordings - there's also BML 50

http://www.cornucopia-music.co.uk/BML.htm

which looks like a reissue of an LP I had years ago which I recall included some rather witty and raucous songs...

[Albion]

looks like a reissue of an LP I had years ago which I recall included some rather witty and raucous songs...

Yes, it's clearly taken from the Blenheim LP which included the following very enjoyable songs:

Tinker, tailor
The Saracen's Head
Unto my foe
The folks that live
Bacchus

I obtained a copy from Gwydion Brooke, together with a vocal score of the Dramatic Choral Symphony containing scratched-out and inked-in corrections to vocal lines!

[Pengelli]

He sent me an Lp too. I wrote him an enthusiastic letter a couple of years ago,and lo and behold,I got a very nice letter & a free Lp,which I hadn't asked for,but was very pleased to receive,to say the least.

[Albion]

I just came across this brief but useful dissertation from the University of North Texas: Joseph Holbrooke: A Study of the Published and Unpublished Solo and Chamber Works for Clarinet with an Annotated Bibliography by Joseph Dee Webb (2009). It is available for download at http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9821/m1/1/

[Gareth Vaughan]

The dissertation (thanks very much, by the way, Albion , for drawing our attention to it) is a useful, but disappointingly slight, piece of research. I have only skimmed through the text but can find no mention of the op. 63 Serenade - almost as if the author doesn't know of its existence. And the Nonet "Irene" is mentioned but not discussed at all - has he seen the score? one wonders. The John Hopkins Library, Baltimore, would be very happy to provide a photocopy from their holdings - that's where I got mine. This is another lovely piece, by the way. It would be marvellous to have these pieces of chamber music involving winds recorded and issued altogether, because Josef never disappoints in his writing for wind instruments - often difficult but always beautifully alive to the timbres of each instrument.