Arnold Bax
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, KCVO (November 8, 1883 — October 3, 1953), was an English composer and poet. His musical style blended elements of Romanticism and Impressionism, always with a strong Celtic influence. His orchestral scores are noted for their complexity and colorful instrumentation. Bax’s poetry and stories, which he wrote under the pseudonym of Dermot O’Byrne, reflect his profound affinity with Irish poet William Butler Yeats, and are largely written in the tradition of the Irish Literary Revival.
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[edit] Life
[edit] Early years
Bax was born in Pendennis Road, Streatham, London, into a Victorian upper-middle-class family, of Dutch descent. In Bax, A Composer and His Times (2007) Lewis Foreman clarifies that because of the family affluence, Bax never had to take a paid position, and was free to pursue most of his interests; a sharp contrast to the life of too many Britons, who suffered abject poverty in the infamous slums. Bax displayed early that he was fitted with a powerful intellect and a great musical talent, especially at the keyboard. Playing the Wagner operas at the piano were amongst Bax’s favorite activities – one of Bax’s first intimate meetings with art music was Tristan und Isolde and its influence is seen in many of Bax’s later works (e.g. Tintagel). Bax was taught at home, but received his first formal musical education at age 16 from Cecil Sharp and others at the Hampstead Conservatory. Bax was accepted to the Royal Academy of Music in 1900 where he remained until 1905. At the Academy, Bax was taught composition by Frederick Corder, the Piano by Tobias Matthay, and the Clarinet by Egerton. In his composition classes, Corder emphasized the examples of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner, and pointed to their liberal approach to classical form, which led Bax to develop a similar attitude. Bax also had an exceptional ability to sight-read and play complex orchestral scores at the piano, which won him several medals at the Academy. He also won prizes for best musical composition, including the Battison-Haynes prize and the competitive Charles Lucas medal.
[edit] Bax discovers Ireland
Bax had a sensitive and searching soul and drew inspiration from a wide range of sources. He was a voracious reader of literature, and in this way he happened upon William Butler Yeats's The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems in 1902. Bax proved highly receptive to the soft, melancholy moods of the Irish Literary Revival, and found in Yeats a powerful muse, from which he derived a life-time of inspiration. He developed an infatuation with Ireland, and began travelling extensively there. Bax visited the most isolated and secluded places, eventually discovering the little Donegal village Glencolumbkille, to which he returned annually for almost 30 years. Here, Bax drew inspiration from the landscape and the sea, and from the culture and life of the local Irish peasants – many of whom Bax regarded as close friends. Bax’s encounter with the poetry of Yeats and the landscapes of Ireland, resulted in many new works both musical and literary. The String Quartet in E (1903), which later was worked into the orchestral tone-poem Cathaleen-Ni-Houlihan (1905) are fine examples of how Bax began to reflect Ireland in his music. Not only did Bax emerge as a surprisingly mature composer with these works, he also developed in them floating and undulating 'impressionistic' musical textures, using orchestral techniques not yet heard – not even from Claude Debussy. Many of the works Bax wrote in the period from 1903 to 1916 can be seen as musical counterparts to the Irish Literary Revival. The tone-poems Into The Twilight (1908), In The Faery Hills (1909), and Rosc-catha [Battle hymn] (1910) echo the themes of the Revival and especially the soft, dreamy mood of many poems and stories.
[edit] Conglomerate of influences
The Irish influence is only one of many found in Bax's music. An early affinity with Norway and the literature of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson brought themes and moods from the Nordic countries into his music. From 1905 to 1911 Bax constantly alternated between using Nordic and Celtic themes in his compositions. Bax even attempted to teach himself some Norwegian, and in the song The Flute (1907) for voice and piano, Bax set an original poem by Bjørnson successfully to music. Later and fine examples of Bax’s Nordic affinity are Hardanger for two pianos (1927) and the orchestral tone-poem The Tale the Pine-Trees Knew (1931).
In 1910, a youthful fling with a Ukrainian girl, Natalia Skarginska, brought Bax to St Petersburg, Moscow and Lubny near Kiev, which led to a fascination for Russian and Slavonic themes. The relationship with Skarginska resulted in an emotional agony from which Bax never completely recovered. His conflicted feelings are perhaps reflected in the First Piano Sonata in F sharp (1910, revised 1917-20). The influence from Russia and the Ukraine can also be seen in two works for solo piano from 1912; Nocturne–May Night in the Ukraine, and Gopak (Russian dance). In 1915 appeared In a Vodka Shop also for solo piano. In 1919 Bax was one of four British composers to be commissioned to write orchestral music, which was to serve as interludes at Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in London this season. For the commission Bax incorporated the three above-mentioned piano works of Russian themes into Russian Suite for orchestra. In 1920 Bax wrote his final score of a clearly Russian theme. It was incidental music to J. M. Barrie’s whimsical play The Truth About the Russian Dancers. The Russian influence is found in many of Bax's further scores, and especially predominant in Symphonies No. 1 to 3.
[edit] Rathgar circle
Not long after Bax returned to Britain, Bax married Elsita Sobrino – a childhood friend – in January 1911. They settled in Bushy Park Road, Rathgar, Dublin. Here, Bax’s brother Clifford introduced them to the intellectual circle which met at the house of the poet, painter and mystic George William Russell. Bax had already had some of his poems and short stories published in Dublin, and to the circle he was simply known by his pseudonym Dermot O’Byrne (the name was possibly inspired by a renowned family of traditional musicians in Donegal). As Dermot O’Byrne, Bax was specifically noted for Seafoam and Firelight, published in London by the Orpheus Press in 1909 and numerous short stories and poems published in different media in Dublin. It was at Russell’s house where Bax one night met Irish Republican Patrick Pearse. According to Bax they got on very well, and although they met only once the execution of Pearse following the Easter Rebellion in 1916, prompted Bax to compose several laments. The most noted of these are In Memorian Patric Pearse (1916), which Bax dedicated ‘I gcuimhne ar bPadraig mac Piarais’.
[edit] Alienation, conflict and success
The threat of war lead to the dissolution of the Rathgar Circle, as many members fled Ireland and Europe. Bax and his family returned to London - it was the loss of a blissful life. Bax avoided conscription because of a heart-condition, and spent the war years composing profusely. Although World War I unleashed previously unimagined horrors upon the world, it was the Easter Rebellion and the destruction of Dublin that greatly disturbed Bax. As Bax’s Ireland – a haven and a retreat – was lost to bitter conflict and war, he sought refuge in a liaison with the younger pianist Harriet Cohen. What had started out as a purely professional relationship – Cohen playing and championing Bax's piano music – developed into a passionate relationship. Yet, their love could not be sanctioned by the contemporary social code, which brought Bax and Cohen considerable emotional suffering. Ironically, but perhaps not unexpectedly, this difficult period in Bax’s life led to the composition of several attractive tone-poems, including Summer Music (1916), Tintagel (1917) and November Woods (1914-1917). In Tintagel, Bax reached back to legends and dreams and specifically that of the doomed lovers Tristan and Isolde. Tintagel is undoubtedly the most well-known of Bax’s tone-poems, and especially for its colorful evocation of the sea. Bax's relationship with Cohen led some commentators to assume a Freudian link between Bax’s alleged sexual passion and the sea-theme in Tintagel. However, the opening of Harriet Cohen's private papers and the research into them by scholars – such as the Norwegian musicologist Thomas Elnaes – indicates that such a link is at its best speculative. Bax's works from this time reflect deep psychological conflicts that point forward to the passionate yet deeply troubled First Symphony in E flat, completed in 1922. After the war British music was in demand as never before in England, and Bax won considerable fame with his works, which were widely performed.
[edit] Morar period
From 1928 onwards Bax ceased to travel to Glencolumbkille and instead began his annual migration to Morar, west Scottish Highlands, to work. Bax would sketch his compositions in London, and take them to the Station Hotel at Morar for the winter to orchestrate them. At this time, Bax found a new love in Mary Gleaves, and she accompanied him to Scotland. In the Morar period, which lasts until the outbreak of World War II, Bax rediscovered his interest for Norway and the Nordic countries, and found a new muse in the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Bax orchestrated Symphonies Nos. 3 to 7 at Morar but also several of his finest orchestral works including the three Northern Ballads. Bax’s seven symphonies were composed within a relatively short span of time, and are perhaps the most coherent cycle of symphonies by any composer. The symphonies are distinguished by their three-movement structure, as opposed to the 'usual' classical four. They reflect Bax’s many influences, and are profound works of art, with a deep psychological dimension tied up to evocations of scenery. The symphonies earned Bax a reputation as the successor of Sir Edward Elgar, as Ralph Vaughan Williams, for instance, only had completed four symphonies by the time Bax completed his seventh.
[edit] Peter Pan of composers
Bax received a knighthood in 1937 (knight bachelor), but Bax was not entirely prepared to enjoy this honour. He contended that there was a conflict between the knighthood and his profound affinity with Ireland, but accepted nonetheless. Also, a feeling that his creative energies were drained, became manifest; Bax explained to his friends that he felt tired, restless and lonely. He contended that he had a hard time ‘growing up’ - increasing age depressed him and he gradually succumbed to alcoholism. Bax also felt alienated by the new developments in Modernistic composition, and realized and lamented that his style was falling out of fashion.
In 1942 Bax was appointed Master of the King's Music, a decision the British musical establishment was not altogether happy with. By many, Bax was considered an untypical English composer, some especially pointing to the 'Irishness' of his music. Of Bax's later works, only the film scores for Malta and Oliver Twist were really successful. Although they earned Bax a renewed public acclaim, the works could not compensate for him being regarded as somewhat of a musical fossil by contemporary composers and critics. Bax retreated from the public scene and lived quietly at The White Horse Hotel in Storrington, Sussex.
[edit] Ireland reaches out
In 1929 the Father Mathew Feis – a competitive music festival organized by the Capuchin Fathers – invited Bax to become adjudicator to the festival. It was Irish pianist Tilly Fleischmann who suggested him, knowing that Bax was familiar with Ireland and Irish conditions. This was also the first time Bax met Irish musicians in Ireland — other than folk musicians. In Cork, Bax was introduced to outstanding musicians such as the pianist Charles Lynch and the singer Maura O’Connor, both to give many performances of Bax’s music. Bax’s first visit to Cork was the beginning of a 25 year long friendship between Bax and the Fleischmann family. As performances of Bax’s music grew increasingly rare in Britain, Tilly Fleischmann demonstrated to Bax that his music had wide appeal in Ireland. Bax, however, did little to act on this and to support further efforts, and Bax’s music was not heard nationwide in Ireland until Aloys Fleischmann Jr. began conducting Bax’s orchestral works with the Irish Radio Orchestra in Dublin, just after the end of the war. In 1946 Bax became external examiner with both University College Cork and University College Dublin, and he also gave individual tuition to young aspiring Irish composers. Bax received an honorary doctorate degree from the National University of Ireland in 1947.
In 1953 Bax was further honoured by appointment as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), an honour within the Queen's personal gift. Bax passed away during a visit to the Fleischmann’s later that year – possibly from a complication of his heart-condition. One of his last compositions was Coronation March for Queen Elizabeth II. Bax is buried at St. Finbarr’s Cemetery in Cork City.
Not long before he died, Bax was asked by the editor of the The World of Music which were his own preferred works. Bax provided the following selection:
- The Garden of Fand (1916)
- Symphony No. 3 (1929)
- Winter Legends (1930)
- The Tale the Pine Trees Knew (1931)
- Symphony No. 6 (1936)
[edit] Research and Scholarship
The first biography on Bax was Colin Scott-Sutherland’s Arnold Bax published in 1973. It offers a description of Bax's life and some insightful analysis of his music, especially of the large-scale works. Scott-Sutherland also published on the works of Dermot O'Byrne (Bax's literary pseudonym): Ideala: Poems and Some Early Love Letters of Arnold Bax including the Collected Poems of Dermot O'Byrne (2001). Bax’s principal biographer, however, is the English writer Lewis Foreman. Foreman's first major contribution to Bax scholarship was the biography on Bax entitled Bax, A Composer and His Times from 1983. A second edition appeared in 1988 and a third edition appeared in February 2007. Some would argue that this volume, together with the many publications on Bax by Foreman, represents the status quo on Bax research.
The principal edited primary source to Bax’s life and philosophy is the anecdotal autobiography Farewell My Youth (1943). For personal reasons, Bax ended his autobiography on the year 1914. In it, however, Bax produced several myths about himself, also contradicting many of his own statements. Lewis Foreman's 1992 edition of Bax's autobiography, is the most recent currently available. Entitled Farewell My Youth, and Other Writings by Arnold Bax, it also includes photographs and some letters. Another compendium of Bax primary source material is Cuchullan Among the Guns (1998) - a selection of letters from Bax's correspondence with the British conductor Christopher Whelen, and edited by Dennis Andrews.
A significant event in Bax musicology was the publication of Graham Parlett's exhaustive list of Bax's works titled, A Catalogue of the Works of Sir Arnold Bax. (1999) Recognising Parlett's achievement and contribution, Bax musicologists have now started to use his chronological numbering system as a universal system of reference (e.g. Bax's celebrated Third Symphony would be "Parlett #297" or simply P. 297). The doctoral dissertation of Dr. Paul R. Ludden and the M. Litt dissertation of Thomas Elnaes (University of Dublin, Trinity College, 2006) use the succinct Parlett Numbers exclusively. As a composer Graham Parlett has also edited and orchestrated several Bax scores - including the Russian Suite and the film music to Oliver Twist.
[edit] Recordings
After his death, Bax's music fell into decline. There are several reasons for this: Bax maintained that his was a Romantic outlook and he distanced himself from musical modernism and especially Arnold Schoenberg's Serialism, which was embraced by institutions world wide. Bax was increasingly pigeon-holed as a 'musical pastoralist' together with Vaughan-Williams and others, and this style fell out of fashion with orchestras. Also, Bax never did much to champion his own music. As a result, Bax's music was slow to reach recording. As late as the mid-sixties, there were only two recordings of his symphonies, one long deleted and the other on an obscure label. But from 1966 onwards, a revival of his music was begun by a series of recordings on Richard Itter's Lyrita Label, and by the centenary of his birth in 1983 much of his music was available in modern recordings. The Naxos label have released a complete cycle of Bax’s symphonies and tone poems, and also much of his chamber music. Chandos records have also provided two complete symphony cycles. The first, released throughout the 1980s and 1990s with Bryden Thomson and the London Philharmonic Orchestra for all except Symphony 4, there played by the Ulster Orchestra and the second, released in 2003, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with Vernon Handley. However, even today Bax’s music is not frequently performed in concerts. Although Bax was an able pianist, his appearances as a performer were few and far between. There are recordings of him partnering with May Harrison and Lionel Tertis in sonatas by Frederick Delius and himself. He made a rare concert appearance at the memorial concert for Peter Warlock in 1930.
As of March 2007, five discs are waiting to be issued, though a release date has not yet been announced:
- (1) A second disc of Tone-Poems from Vernon Handley and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (Chandos). The Happy Forest still to be added.
- (2) Violin Sonatas in G minor, F, and No.2 from Laurence Jackson and Ashley Wass (Naxos).
- (3) Works for two pianos (including a first recording of the Festival Overture in that form) from Ashley Wass and Martin Roscoe (Naxos).
- (4) Overture to Adventure, Rogue's Comedy Overture, Work in Progress from Vernon Handley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (recorded 1994). (Lyrita)
- (5) Reissue of the Second Symphony from the LPO and Myer Fredman, and the Fifth Symphony from the LPO and Raymond Leppard. (Lyrita)
[edit] Works
[edit] Ballets
- Tamara (1911)
- From Dusk till Dawn (1917)
- The Truth about the Russian Dancers (1920)
[edit] Orchestral
[edit] Symphonies
- Symphony No. 1 (1921)
- Symphony No. 2 (1926)
- Symphony No. 3 (1929)
- Symphony No. 4 (1931)
- Symphony No. 5 (1932)
- Symphony No. 6 (1935)
- Symphony No. 7 (1939)
[edit] Tone Poems
- Cathaleen-ni-Hoolihan (1905)
- Into The Twilight (1908)
- In The Faery Hills (1909)
- Rosc-catha (1910)
- Spring Fire (1912)
- Christmas Eve (1912, revised c.1921)
- Nympholept (1915, revised 1935)
- The Garden of Fand (1916)
- In Memoriam (1916)
- November Woods (1917)
- Tintagel (1919)
- Summer Music (1921, revised 1932)
- The Happy Forest (1922)
- The Tale the Pine Trees Knew (1931)
- Northern Ballad No. 1 (1931)
- Northern Ballad No. 2 (1934)
- A Legend (1944)
[edit] Other Orchestral Works
- Variations for Orchestra (Improvisations) (1904)
- A Song of War & Victory (1905)
- On the Sea Shore (1908, orch. 1984)
- Festival Overture (1911, revised 1918)
- Dance of Wild Irravel (1912)
- Four Orchestral Pieces (1912-13)
- Three Pieces for Small Orchestra (1913, revised 1928)
- Symphonic Scherzo (1917, revised 1933)
- Russian Suite (1919)
- Mediterranean (1922)
- Cortège (1925)
- Romantic Overture (1926)
- Overture, Elegy and Rondo (1927)
- Three Pieces (1928)
- Overture to a Picaresque Comedy (1930)
- Sinfonietta (1932)
- Saga Fragment (1932)
- Prelude for a Solemn Occasion (1933)
- Rogue's Comedy Overture (1936)
- Overture to Adventure (1936)
- Paean (1938)
- Salute to Sydney (Fanfare) (1943)
- Work in Progress (Overture) (1943)
- Victory March (1945)
- The Golden Eagle (Incidental Music) (1945)
- Two Royal Wedding Fanfares (1947)
- Coronation March (1952)
[edit] Concertante
- Symphonic Variations, for piano and orchestra (1918)
- Phantasy for Viola and Orchestra (1920)
- Winter Legends, for piano and orchestra (1930)
- Cello Concerto (1932)
- Violin Concerto (1938)
- Piano Concertino (1939)
- Morning Song, for piano and orchestra (1946)
- Concertante for Three Solo Instruments and Orchestra (1949)
- Concertante for Orchestra with Piano (Left Hand) (1949)
- Variations on the name Gabriel Fauré for Harp & String Orchestra (1949)
[edit] Chamber
[edit] One Player
- Valse, for harp (1931)
- Rhapsodic Ballad, for cello (1939)
[edit] Two Players
- Violin
- Violin Sonata No. 1 (1910)
- Legend, for violin and piano, in one movement (1915)
- Violin Sonata No. 2 (1915, revised 1922)
- Ballad, for violin and piano (1916)
- Violin Sonata No. 3 (1927)
- Ballad, for violin and piano (1929)
- Violin Sonata in F (1928)
- Viola
- Viola Sonata (1922)
- Legend, for viola and piano (1929)
- Cello
- Folk-Tale, for cello & piano (1918)
- Cello Sonata (1923)
- Cello Sonatina (1933)
- Legend-Sonata, for cello & piano (1943)
- Four Pieces for Flute and Piano (1912, revised 1915 & 1945)
- Clarinet Sonata (1934)
- Fantasy Sonata, for viola & harp (1927)
- Sonata for Flute and Harp (1928)
[edit] Three Players
- Trio in One Movement for Piano, Violin, and Viola (1906)
- Elegiac Trio, for flute, viola, and harp (1916)
- Piano Trio in Bb (1946)
[edit] Four Players
- String Quartet No. 1 in G major (1918)
- Piano Quartet, in one movement (1922)
- String Quartet No. 2 (1925)
- String Quartet No. 3 in F (1936)
[edit] Five Players
- Quintet in G (1908)
- Piano Quintet in G minor (1915)
- Quintet for Harp and Strings, in one movement (1919)
- Oboe Quintet (1922)
- String Quintet (1933)
- String Quintet, in one movement (1933)
[edit] Six or More Players
- In Memoriam, sextet for cor anglais, harp & string quartet (1916)
- Nonet (1930)
- Octet (1934)
- Threnody and Scherzo, octet in two movements (1936)
- Concerto for Flute, Oboe, Harp and String Quartet (1936)
[edit] Piano
[edit] One Piano
- Clavierstücke (Juvenilia) (1897-8)
- Piano Sonata, Op. 1 (1898)
- Piano Sonata in D minor (1900)
- Marcia Trionfale (1900)
- White Peace (Arranged by Ronald Stevenson 1907)
- Concert Valse in Eb (1910)
- Piano Sonata No. 1 (1910, revised 1917-20)
- Piano Sonata in F# minor (1910, revised, 1911, 1919 & 1921)
- Two Russian Tone-Pictures (1912)
- Nympholept (1912)
- Scherzo for Piano (1913)
- Toccata for Piano (1913)
- From the Mountains of Home (Arranged by Peter warlock) (1913)
- The Happy Forest (1914)
- In the Night (1914)
- Apple-Blossom-Time (1915)
- In a Vodka Shop (1915)
- The Maiden with the Daffodil (1915) )
- A Mountain Mood (1915)
- The Princess’s Rose Garden (1915)
- Sleepy-Head (1915)
- Winter Waters (1915)
- Dream in Exile (1916)
- Nereid (1916)
- On a May Evening (1918)
- A Romance (1918)
- The Slave Girl (1919)
- What the Minstrel told us (1919)
- Whirligig (1919)
- Piano Sonata No. 2 (1919, revised 1920)
- Burlesque (1920)
- Ceremonial Dance (1920)
- A Country-Tune (1920)
- A Hill Tune (1920)
- Lullaby (1920)
- Mediterranean (1920)
- Serpent Dance (1920)
- Water Music (1920)
- Piano Sonata in E flat (1921)
- Piano Sonata No. 3 (1926)
- Pæan (c.1928)
- Piano Sonata No. 4 (1932)
- A Legend (1935)
- Piano Sonata in B flat Salzburg (1937)
- O Dame get up and bake your pies (1945)
- Suite on the Name Gabriel Fauré (1945)
- Four Pieces for Piano (1947)
- Two Lyrical Pieces for Piano (1948)
[edit] Two Pianos
- Fantasia for Two Pianos (1900)
- Festival Overture (Arrangement of orchestral work 1911)
- Moy Mell (1916)
- Mediterranean (Arranged for three hands by H. Rich 1920)
- Hardanger (1927)
- The Poisoned Fountain (1928)
- The Devil that tempted St Anthony (1928)
- Sonata for Two Pianos (1929)
- Red Autumn (1931)
[edit] Film music
- Malta, G. C. (1942)
- Oliver Twist (1948)
- Journey into History (1951)
[edit] Vocal
[edit] Choral
- Fatherland (Runeberg, tr. C. Bax) [tenor solo] (1907, revised 1934)
- A Christmas Carol (Anon.) [arranged for SATB by Hubert Dawkes] (1909)
- Enchanted Summer (Shelley) [two soprano solos] (1910)
- Variations sur ‘Cadet Rousselle’ (French trad.) [arranged by Max Saunders] (1918)
- Of a rose I sing a song (Anon.) [SATB, harp, cello, double bass] (1920)
- Now is the Time of Christymas (Anon.) [TB, flute, piano] (1921)
- Mater, ora Filium (Anon.) [SSAATTBB] (1921)
- This Worldes Joie (Anon.) [SATB] (1922)
- The Boar’s Head (Anon.) [TTBB] (1923)
- I sing of a maiden that is makeless (Anon.) [SAATB] (1923)
- To the Name above every Name (Crashaw) [soprano solo] (1924)
- St Patrick’s Breastplate (Anon.) [SATB] (1924)
- Lord, Thou hast told us (Washbourne) [hymn for SATB] (1930)
- The Morning Watch (Vaughan) [SATB] (1935)
- 5 Fantasies on Polish Christmas Carols (trans. Śliwiński) [unison trebles] (1942)
- 5 Greek Folksongs (trans. Michel-Dmitri Calvocoressi) [SATB] (1942)
- To Russia (Masefield) [baritone solo] (1944)
- Gloria [SATB] (1945)
- Nunc Dimittis [SATB] (1945)
- Te Deum [SATB] (1945)
- Epithalamium (Spenser) [SATB in unison] (1947)
- Magnificat [SATB] (1948)
- Happy Birthday to you (Hill) [arr. SATB] (1951)
- What is it like to be young and fair? (C. Bax) [SSAAT] (1953)
[edit] Songs with Orchestra
- 2 Nocturnes [soprano] (1911)
- 3 Songs [high voice] (1914)
- Song of the Dagger (Strettell and Sylva) [bass] (1914)
- The Bard of the Dimbovitza (Strettel and Sylva) [mezzo-soprano] (1914, revised 1946)
- Glamour (O’Byrne) [high voice] (1921, orchestrated by Rodney Newton 1987)
- A Lyke-Wake (Anon.) [high voice] (1908, orchestrated 1934)
- Wild Almond (Trench) [high voice] (1924, orchestrated 1934)
- Eternity (Herrick) [high voice] (1934)
- O Dear! What can the matter be? (trad. arr. Bax)
[edit] Songs with Chamber Ensemble
- Aspiration (Dehmel) [arranged for high voice w/violin, cello, & piano] (1909)
- My eyes for beauty pine (Bridges) [high voice with string quartet] (c.1921)
- O Mistress mine (Shakespeare) [high voice with string quartet] (c.1921)
[edit] Songs with Piano
[edit] Bibliography
- Cohen, Harriet, A Bundle of Time: The Memoirs of Harriet Cohen (London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1969).
- Corder, Frederick, A History of The Royal Academy of Music from 1822 to 1922 (London: Fredrick Corder, 1922).
- Dermot O’Byrne, Poems by Arnold Bax, collected, selected and edited by Lewis Foreman, together with two previously unpublished songs by Bax to his own words, Lewis Foreman (ed.), (London: Thames Publishing, 1979).
- De Barra, Séamas, ‘Arnold Bax, The Fleischmanns and Cork,’ The Journal of Music in Ireland 5/1 (January–February 2005): 24–30.
- De Barra, Séamas, ‘Into the Twilight: Arnold Bax and Ireland,’ The Journal of Music in Ireland 4/3 (March–April 2004): 25–29.
- Elnaes, Thomas, ‘An Anglo-Irish Composer: New Perspectives on the Creative Achievements of Sir Arnold Bax,’ Master's Dissertation, University of Dublin, Trinity College, 2006.
- Fleischmann, Tilly, ‘Some reminiscences of Arnold Bax’ (http://www.musicweb-international.com/bax/tilly.htm, 12 May 2005).
- Foreman, Lewis, Bax, A composer and his times (1st edn, Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1983; 2nd edn, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 1987; 3rd edn, Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2007).
- Foreman, Lewis (ed.), Farewell, My Youth and other writings by Arnold Bax (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1992; now Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.).
- Foreman, Lewis and Susan Foreman, London–A Musical Gazetteer (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2005).
- Parlett, Graham, A Catalogue Of The Works Of Sir Arnold Bax (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999).
- Scott-Sutherland, Colin, Arnold Bax (London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1973).
- Scott-Sutherland, Colin (ed.), Ideala – Love Letters and Poems of Arnold Bax (Petersfield, Hampshire: Fand Music Press, 2001).
- White, Harry, The Keeper’s Recital: Music and Cultural History in Ireland, 1770–1970 (Cork: Cork University Press, 1998).
- British Broadcasting Radio 3, ‘Arnold Bax,’ Composer of the Week, 29 July 2003.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Sir Arnold Bax (musicweb-international.com)
- National Portrait Gallery (18 portraits, 8 on display)
- Review of Collected Poems of Dermot O'Byrne
| Preceded by Henry Walford Davies |
Master of the King's Music 1942–1952 |
Succeeded by Arthur Bliss |
