British Music

[albion]

re William Wordsworth- forget if I asked this, but do you know if sym. 7 has received performances since Gibson premiered it?... (see for those who don't know the premiere I'm speaking of.)

If the recording in the BMB archive isn't the first performance, Cosmos must have been played again but I can't find reference to further airings. Like so much else, this symphony was more-or-less destined for the shelf from the moment the applause had died down and Gibson had closed the score.

Also re Wordsworth - symphony 1 movement headings according to Wright- 1. Allegro maestoso; 2. Adagio ma non troppo ; 3. Allegro con brio ; 4. (introduction) - Allegro.
(source: Wright Music PDF.

Symphony no.4 op.54 (1953)- one movement, Poco adagio-Allegro (basically).

Thanks very much for these details - Wright is useful for some things: when he likes a composer he gives detailed and interesting information - but when he doesn't ...

[Dundonnell]

Discovering all this is like having the most marvellous dream....except that one is not going to wake up to a colder reality

How absolutely wonderful    SO many treasures-all but one of Wordsworth's eight symphonies, the Simpson Cello Concerto, Fricker's 3rd, the Hoddinott 10th, McCabe's 3rd, Alan Bush's 4th and Piano Concerto....oh, WOW!!

Thank you a hundred times

[eschiss1]

Wordsworth- all but one of the 8? I missed several and assumed 2 and 3 weren't posted because they're already recorded- must look again... listened to the first and fourth so far and enjoyed them very much, may have been my first exposure to his music instead of just articles about it and etc. ... (and no, not confusing him with the poet of the name...)

Re Sterndale Bennett- ah, I knew he wrote at least 2 symphonies in G minor, trying to remember if his opus 43 (1863-4) has been recorded at all, it's clearly not that one (the full score of opus 43 is at IMSLP- at least, the openings are quite different, that of the earlier symphony reminding me just a bit of Schubert's early string quartet in the same key, which I doubt was published until much much later. Not to say that the Schubert work itself doesn't have precedents, that's just what it reminds me of most closely.
Some (a lot of) terrific stuff in this folder, I do agree (if I haven't said)... the Fricker 3rd I'll have to download too as I've been curious about it for awhile (skimmed the score a bit some while back. Have heard the LP of his 2nd, coupled with RWL Simpson's 1st, a number of times...)

[gpdlt2010]

It would be nice if anyone could post Liza Lehmann's vocal cycle "In a Persian Garden".
I'm crossing my fingers...

[eschiss1]

also- listened very belatedly, finally, to one of Potter's symphonies, thanks to these uploads.  Came well-recommended, and now I hear why. Terrific stuff though unwise to say after only one listen... the F major  symphony, one of the earliest of the symphonies uploaded by him,'s slow movement especially has very many qualities I look for in a piece worth listening to many times again, if I make sense, and the rest of the work as much so.  The D minor (1st) Charles Wesley keyboard concerto also striking. If I may make a mild suggestion, the files are more "portable" if they have fewer "."s before the final ".mp3" because some computers- even Macintoshes under 10.7, unfortunately - get a little confused about what kind of file it is and what program should open them if there's a . in the wrong place, I think...likewise it seems that the fewer "nonstandard unicode" (nonASCII?) characters in the filename anyway, the easier on my computer, anyway -- odd things seem to happen with the files sometimes on my machine anyway otherwise (though I always happily add all the Unicode, diacritics of French and German and Czech and ... ... ... ... ... names e.g. ... into the information once I upload the file to iTunes and just leave it out of the sort keys. But that's me being terribly American English-centric probably. Sorry about the digression... )

Again though, (though I admit I am finding this true of much in these folders - but I also admit my interest in English music, and some of this stuff in this folder I used to have and no longer do so especially...!)- great and thanks!

Prout 4 in D (1886) movement headings according to a contemporary review of a performance- first two of 4 movements may be an Allegro and a Largo (unless those were being used, as sometimes, as generic terms for certain times of movement speeds/characters.)

[Dundonnell]

Wordsworth- all but one of the 8? I missed several and assumed 2 and 3 weren't posted because they're already recorded- must look again... listened to the first and fourth so far and enjoyed them very much, may have been my first exposure to his music instead of just articles about it and etc. ... (and no, not confusing him with the poet of the name...)

Re Sterndale Bennett- ah, I knew he wrote at least 2 symphonies in G minor, trying to remember if his opus 43 (1863-4) has been recorded at all, it's clearly not that one (the full score of opus 43 is at IMSLP- at least, the openings are quite different, that of the earlier symphony reminding me just a bit of Schubert's early string quartet in the same key, which I doubt was published until much much later. Not to say that the Schubert work itself doesn't have precedents, that's just what it reminds me of most closely.
Some (a lot of) terrific stuff in this folder, I do agree (if I haven't said)... the Fricker 3rd I'll have to download too as I've been curious about it for awhile (skimmed the score a bit some while back. Have heard the LP of his 2nd, coupled with RWL Simpson's 1st, a number of times...)

Sorry...what I meant about the Wordsworth symphonies was that seven out of the eight are now available for lovers of British music to enjoy. Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 as downloads here and Nos. 2 and 3 on the Lyrita disc.

Sad that we shall probably never hear Symphony No.6 "Elegiaca" composed in memory of the composer's son.

[Dundonnell]

I have reel-to-reel tapes containing the following British symphonic, orchestral and choral music-

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No.2
                                             Double Bass Concerto
                                             Concerto for Orchestra
                                             "Actaeon" for horn and orchestra

Sir Lennox Berkeley:   Nocturne for orchestra
                                   Windsor Variations for chamber orchestra
                                   "Signs in the Dark" for chorus and strings
                                   Four Ronsard Sonnets for tenor and orchestra
                                   Magnificat for chorus and orchestra, op.71
                                   Stabat Mater for voices and instruments

Derek Bourgeois:        Symphony No.2
                                   Tuba Concerto
                                   Symphonic Variations
                                   Dance Variations for orchestra
                                   "The Globe"-Orchestral Fantasy

Alan Bush:                 Symphony No.3 "Byron" for baritone, chorus and orchestra
                                  Variations, Nocturne and Finale on an English Sea Song for piano and orchestra
                                  Dance Overture

Arthur Butterworth:    Organ Concerto
                                   "Italian Journey" for orchestra

Francis Chagrin:          Symphony No.1

Arnold Cooke:           Symphony No.4
                                  Symphony No.5
                                  Violin Concerto
                                  Oboe Concerto

Gordon Crosse:         Symphony No.2
                                  Violin Concerto No.2
                                  Ceremony for cello and orchestra
                                 "Play Ground" for orchestra
                                 "For the unfallen" for tenor, horn and strings

Christian Darnton:     Concerto for Orchestra

Cedric Thorpe Davie: Symphony
                                 Cantata "By the River"

David Ellis:                Symphony No.1
                                 Elegy for orchestra

Peter Racine Fricker:  Symphony No.4
                                  Symphony No.5 for organ and orchestra
                                  Piano Concerto
                                  Viola Concerto
                                  Toccata for piano and orchestra
                                  "Laudi contertante" for organ and orchestra
                                  Concertante No.1 for cor anglais and strings
                                  Concertante No.4 for flute, oboe, violin and strings
                                  Three Scenes for orchestra
                                  Prelude, Elegy and Finale for strings
                                  Introitus for orchestra
                                 Oratorio "The Vision of Judgment"
                                 "Musick's Empire" for chorus and small orchestra
                                 "O longs desirs" for soprano and orchestra

John Maxwell Geddes: Symphony

Iain Hamilton:           Symphonic Variations
                                 Scottish Dances
                                 Overture "Bartholomew Fair"
                                 Overture "1912"

Anthony Hedges:     Symphony
                                Variations on a theme of Rameau for orchestra

Alun Hoddinott:         Piano Concerto No. 3
                                  Organ Concerto
                                  Folk Song Suite
                                  Night Music for orchestra
                                  "The Hawk is set free" for orchestra

Donald Hunt:             Te Deum

Maurice Jacobson:     Cantata "The Hound of Heaven"

Daniel Jones:             Symphony No.3
                                  Symphony No.10
                                  Violin Concerto
                                  Tone Poem "Cloud Messenger"
                                  Suite "Salute to Dylan Thomas"
                                  Dance Fantasy for orchestra
                                  Concert Overture
                                  Overture "Ieunctid"
                                  Oratorio "St. Peter"
                                  Cantata "Hear the Voice of the Ancient Bard"

Wilfred Josephs:        Symphony No.1
                                  Symphony No.3
                                  Symphony No.5 "Pastoral Symphony"
                                  Symphony No.7 "Winter"
                                  Aelian Dances for orchestra

Kenneth Leighton:    Piano Concerto No.1
                                 Piano Concerto No.2
                                 Concerto for viola, harp, timpani and strings
                                 Passacaglia, Chorale and Fugue for orchestra
                                 Dance Overture

Malcolm Lipkin:          Violin Concerto No.2
                                  Mosaics for chamber orchestra

Elizabeth Maconchy:  "Genesis" for orchestra
                                  "Ariadne" for soprano and orchestra
                                  Three settings of Gerard Manley Hopkins for soprano and chamber orchestra

William Mathias:         Piano Concerto No.2
                                   Concerto for harpsichord, strings and percussion
                                   Serenade for small orchestra

Nicholas Maw:           Sinfonia fopr small orchestra

John McCabe:            Violin Concerto No.2
                                  Variations on a theme of K.A. Hartmann for orchestra
                                  Harpsichord Concertante

George McIlwham:  Symphonic Poem "Cir Mhor"

Anthony Milner:       Symphony No.2
                                Oratorio "The Water and the Fire"
                                Cantata "Midway"

David Morgan:           Sinfonia da Requiem

Robin Orr:                  Symphony No.2
                                  Symphony No.3

Ian Parrott:               Cello Concerto

Alan Rawsthorne:      "Carmen Vitali" for soprano, chorus and orchestra

Franz Reizenstein:     Piano Concerto No.2
                                  Cantata "Voices of the Night"

Francis Routh:            Cello Concerto

Gerard Schurmann:    Piano Concerto

Phyllis Tate:               Secular Requiem "The Phoenix and the Turtle"

Ian Whyte:                 Tone Poem "Edinburgh"

Thomas Wilson:         Symphony No.2
                                  Concerto for orchestra
                                  Variations for orchestra
                                  Threnody for orchestra
                                  "Touchstone" for orchestra
                                  "Sequentiae Passionis" for choir and ensemble
                                  Carmina Sacra for voice, harp and strings

Ralph W. Wood:        Symphony No.3

William Wordsworth: Overture "Conflicts"
                                 

I very much hope over the next few months to be able to digitise as much as possible of this music

If/when I can I shall certainly add it to the archive here

[eschiss1]

Re William B Wordsworth's symphony no.6, is there a reason why not? Scottish Music Centre doesn't seem to provide a clue why ?!?...

[Dundonnell]

Re William B Wordsworth's symphony no.6, is there a reason why not? Scottish Music Centre doesn't seem to provide a clue why ?!?...

There is no reason why Wordsworth's 6th could not be performed but it strikes me as unlikely now that with apparently interest in Wordsworth's music that a choral work of this kind that has lain unperformed for 34 years will be given an airing now.

I would love to be proved wrong.

[semloh]

Dundonnell - what an amazing treasure trove, and thank you for that detailed listing. I'm in a similar position, but have a far less impressive selection (ex-BBC Radio3). Digitizing will be a problem for me, but one day.....

[Latvian]

I have reel-to-reel tapes containing the following British symphonic, orchestral and choral music... I very much hope over the next few months to be able to digitise as much as possible of this music. If/when I can I shall certainly add it to the archive here

Bless you! There are many enticing items on your list and I eagerly await whatever you are able to do.

[Arbuckle]

Amazing, Duddonell, I have been enjoying all the other countries' lists of offered works very much, but have to say the British list has a big part of my heart, so I hope there will be more, and good luck on the huge task you have set for yourself, wish I could do it for you!

[Dundonnell]

Just in case anyone thinks that I came on here and disappeared again my "Guest" status appears to be because I had to re-register for some reason.

[Mark Thomas]

Sincere apologies, Dundonnell, mea culpa. I shall now go and sit in a corner covered in ashes for a few hours...

[Dundonnell]

Sincere apologies, Dundonnell, mea culpa. I shall now go and sit in a corner covered in ashes for a few hours...

All is forgiven