Edward German

[Derek Hughes]

The ranking of Victorian composers in the Frederic Cowen thread made me think of Edward German. Although his operettas date from the reign of Edward VII, the greater part of his oeuvre was produced in the reign of Victoria.

Twenty years ago, when my daughter started piano lessons, I recommenced them myself, in order to get Grade 8. Our teacher was Mrs Winifred German, niece-in-law of Sir Edward. Since Sir Edward's real name was Edward German Jones, I think her late husband had changed his name as an act of piety.

Mrs German and her husband had received half the great man's possessions, including some manuscripts, which she had recently sold to the Pforzheimer. The other half--including more manuscripts--had gone to another relative and, she said, been destroyed in a house fire.

Although the MSS had gone, there were many physical mementoes of Sir Edward's career: most impressively, a large silver bowl presented to him by (I think) the Lyceum in appreciation of the music he provided for their productions. Another relic was Sir Alexander Mackenzie's autobiography, dedicated in to Sir Edward in Mackenzie's hand. There was also oral tradition. On one occasion, Mrs German started animatedly to tell me how beastly W. S. Gilbert had been to Sir Edward, but the phone rang and the story was never finished.

I of course became interested in German's music. There wasn't at that stage much available on CD, but she had private recordings which I borrowed. The music is uneven. The 6/8 pastoral mode can become a bit mechanical, though there are good pieces. At his best, however, he seems to me to be very good indeed. I particularly admire the incidental music to Romeo and Juliet. There's a real musical sense of the unfulfillable in the Prelude , and this piece, in particular, reveals him to be a man who can create a large musical structure out of long-evolving and beautiful melodies, with a capacity for symphonic thought that one would not have expected from the better known works. The Pastorale is an outstanding example of German in his melancholy pastoral mode. Haunting modulations, and a breathtaking melodic surprise about 90 seconds into the piece. This, for me, is a benchmark of music that is unjustly neglected (as opposed to merely neglected). How stupid that one has to buy two different CD anthologies in order to get all the Romeo and Juliet music.

Although it marks a retreat from German's best work, Merrie England seems to me worthy of more attention than it currently receives, and I'm pleased to see that there were some revivals in Jubilee year. Tom and Ben are an embarrassment, but there is some very strong music. It's not quite Gloriana but, despite her great aria, the portrayal of Elizabeth I is not quite as idealized as one would expect.

One thing which Mrs German didn't have was a recording of the Norwich symphony. I realize that I have never heard this, and have ordered it from Amazon.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

A fascinating post, Derek. Thank you for it. I always think German's orchestral music is interesting, and of a higher quality than he is given credit for. (After all, Elgar rated him, and the two became friends.) The two symphonies are really rather good - I guess you've ordered the Dutton version. It is a good performance - but then so is its rival on Marco Polo conducted by Andrew Penny. If you have a particular admiration for the incidental music to Romeo & Juliet, then the piece I much admire is Hamlet.

I never realised German started life in Whitchurch in Shropshire - until when revisiting places in which I had gone to school and had spent my teens I suddenly and quite unexpectedly walked into an Edward German festival. That was 7 or so years ago.

I often wonder what might have happened had German concentrated more on 'serious' music? But then he wouldn't have been German, the immensely versatile composer of light opera and songs, and wouldn't have achieved the popularity (and the honours) that came his way. His own instrument of course was the violin - and there are some rather good transcriptions for violin and piano of some of the popular pieces for the theatre (nothing I think available on recordings, and in spite of being fun to hear maybe they aren't really worthy of a recording.)

Wonder what went up in flames? How awful. And I wonder what the spat with Gilbert was about? I thought the two collaborated after Sullivan's death.

And you never told us whether you were successful in achieving Grade 8. I hope so!

[Derek Hughes]

And you never told us whether you were successful in achieving Grade 8. I hope so!

Thank you. Mrs German was a good teacher, and I got Grade 8.

[scottevan]

The only piece of German's I knew for quite some time was his Welsh Rhapsody, which I suppose counts as serious music (apart from his usual light opera fare.) Later on I discovered the dances for Henry VIII and Nell Gwyn, which are wonderful. Merrie England and Tom Jones are also very enjoyable, and show his quite distinctive, and utterly English, voice.

[Jimfin]

I'd say his Theme and Six Diversions is probably his best orchestral work, though the Norwich Symphony is very fine, as are the Leeds Suite and The Seasons. I wish the operas could be given more attention. The Naxos Tom Jones was very fine, but Merrie England could with a more complete and professional recording, and The Emerald Isle even more so. As for A Princess of Kensington and Fallen Fairies, I would so love to hear them, but playing through the vocal scores seems to be as far as I am ever likely to get. Their libretti are pretty bad, but the music is surely well worth hearing (as is the case for most of Sullivan's later operas)

[semloh]

I think many of us will have become aware of German's music through the coupling of his Welsh Rhapsody with McCunn's Land of the Mountain and the Flood, etc, on the SNO/Gibson LP. I was always keen to hear more, and was so pleased when the lovely Norwich symphony became available, and subsequently other orchestral works on several Marco Polo discs. The more recent Dutton disc, featuring the first symphony (which I hadn't heard before) and other orchestral pieces, is a delight - serious classical music but with that familiar hint of wistful charm. Obviously, I agree totally that it's time for a new Merrie England recording!