MUSIC APPRECIATION SEPTEMBER Report by Kathleen Howcroft ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ One of our members gave an excellent talk for our September Meeting entitled Nostalgic Pieces by English Composers. The first tune was a tone poem composed in 1912 by Frederick Delius and first performed in Leipzig in 1913. Delius had studied music at the Leipzig Conservatory. He was born in Bradford of German parentage 1862-1934. Wikipedia describes a tone poem as a symphonic poem, a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape or other non-musical source. We also heard an earlier tone poem (1890) for orchestra alone by Delius Winter Night Sleigh Ride. The next piece we listened to was a recording of an English folk tune by the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yehudi Menuhin composed by Gustav Holst. St Paul's Suite Finale: Dargason. It is named after St Paul's Girls' School where Holst was Director of Music for 29 years. George Butterworth (1885-1916) was the next composer in the programme. We listened to The Banks of Green Willow a short orchestral piece (6 minutes). Butter was born in Paddington but moved to York and Aysgarth. He was fatally shot in WW1. We moved onto Eric Coates 1886-1957. Initially a Viola Player he turned his attention to light music. We heard 3 of his very nostalgic pieces. By the Sleepy Lagoon, a light orchestral vaise serenade composed in 1930. In 1940 lyrics were added and 1942 Coates's original orchestral version was chosen, with added seagulls, to introduce the BBC Radio Service series Desert Island Discs. Calling All Workers, the theme tune for Music While you Work from 1940-1967, initially in the Forces Programme and after the War BBC Light Programme. The third piece was the Dambusters March written for the film. The Hymn Jerusalem, a poem by William Blake, could not be left out of nostalgic pieces. The music was by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Perry 1848-1918, 1 st Baronet, an English composer, teacher and historian of music Hazel played it beautifully for us on the piano and expected us to sing!? After our coffee break we listened to 4 compositions by Edward Elgar 1887-1934. Pomp and Circumstance March composed in 1901 and dedicated to a friend and members of the Liverpool Orchestral Society. Chanson de Matin Op.15, a musical work for violin and piano and later orchestrated by Elgar. Nimrod from Enigma Variations Op. 36 composed 1898/99. It is an orchestral work comprising 14 variations on an original theme. The enigma is widely believed to involve a hidden melody. Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4. This is as upbeat and ceremonial as No. 1, containing another big tune in the central Trio section, and again dedicated to a friend and first performed in 1907. Gerald Raphael Finzi (1901-1956) was a British composer of Italian Jewish ancestry and is best known as a choral composer but also wrote in other genres. We listened to 2 pieces from his Clarinet Concerto. ll Romance: Andante tranquillo and IV Forlana: Allegretto grazioso. Hazel played the last piece of the morning on the piano Dusk by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, a slow waltz for orchestra and piano. Thank you, Hazel, for all the work you put into preparing the presentation for us. You gave us much more information than I could include in this report and provided us with a very enjoyable morning. Thank you to everyone else who contributed to the proceedings.
NOVEMBER IS THE LAST MEETING OF 2018 NO MEETING IN DECEMBER FRIDAY 16TH NOVEMBER THE DALESIDERS with NEVILLE KIRBY Songs of the 1 st World War Meeting at 10 am Millennium Room Cotherstone Village Hall CONTACT: KATHLEEN HOWCROFT 01833 695223 EMAIL: kmhinbc@gmail.com
FUTURE MEETING Friday 18 th MAY Friday 15 th JUNE Friday 20 th JULY All meetings at 10 am in the Millennium Room Cotherstone Village Hall Contact: Kathleen Howcroft 01833 695223 email: kmhinbc@gmail.com