THE WALTON VIOLA CONCERTO: A SYNTHESIS by James F. Dunham by the Dean who recognized his Serge Diaghilev were felt by the talent. He continued at Oxford young Walton. When I was first approached to from 1918-1920 but never fin- write an article on the Walton ished. Why? I could find no Therefore, when Edith Sitwell Viola Concerto, a work I know answer: even the scholars remain wrote her Façade Poems it is no well and love, I jumped at the mystified! While there, however, he surprise that her ”adoptive” broth- chance. I always want to know made his most important and er, the quiet “in residence” com- more, and have been curious about long-lasting friends: the poet poser was approached to provide several things: What were Walton’s Siegfried Sassoon and the Sitwell the music. Although the first inti- real reasons for creating a second family with whom he later lived as mate performance was given in orchestration? Was he always revis- ‘adoptive, or elected, brother’ to January 1922, many revisions were ing, or only in this piece? Why are Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell made even before the first of many there discrepancies between several Sitwell.1 Thanks to the Sitwells, he “final versions”, which I find telling versions of the solo viola part? Is also met young Constant Lambert, when considering the future revisions there a “correct” version? an excellent composer who later in the viola concerto. In fact, it became conductor, critic, close was not until 1951 that the “defin- It has been an enlightening search friend and Walton’s favorite narra- itive” score for Façade was released. that has drawn me further into tor of his first great success: Façade.2 Walton’s world, to be charmed and In 1925 Walton’s overture Portsmouth amused by William Walton the Always concerned with money, it Point brought him to the attention man, and fascinated by William was the Sitwells and their friends of Hubert Foss who had recently Walton, the composer. The sources who generously arranged to guar- founded Oxford University Press. I drew from proved to be numer- antee an annual income for the Their initial five-year contract soon ous, varied, and excellent, so I have young Walton that enabled him to turned into a lifelong partnership, included an annotated bibliogra- concentrate solely on composing. and OUP remains Walton’s pub- phy in the hope that you will They took him on family vacations lisher to this day. explore them further. I have cho- to Spain and Italy (where he would sen to synthesize information from later live), introduced him to cen- His Personality: all of them into a kind of mini- tral figures of the day and made it A disciplined worker, Walton often biography in order to offer a possible for him to hear the works seemed overly quiet to others, glimpse into Walton’s life and of the current masters: Stravinsky’s spending long hours alone working working style, and to present a few Petrushka and Rite of Spring, at his upright piano.4 Yet in private specifics about the two orchestra- Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, works by he could be very clever with words tions and the solo viola parts to the Prokofiev, Debussy, and even Jazz. and even a bit saucy! His affection- Viola Concerto. In August of 1923, the 21-year old ate, long lasting (but evidently pla- Walton participated in the first fes- tonic) relationship with Christabel A Brief Background: tival of the International Society Aberconway, dedicatee of the Viola Born to a musical family in March for Contemporary Music (ISCM), Concerto, is a case in point: 1902, Walton sang in his father’s in which his String Quartet was “Dearest Christabel” he wrote, “I church choir until age 10 when he performed alongside music by really might have written you won a scholarship to attend school Bartók, Janácek, Bliss and before, but I have no news to tell at Christ Church, Oxford. He was Hindemith!3 Even the influences of you, nothing except what you there for six years, well looked after the great Russian dance impresario already know, & what is supposed VOLUME 22 NUMBER 1 13 to be unwise to commit to For all the wit and glibness evident does come off, it should make a rous- paper...”5 in his correspondence, though, ing & diverting finish to the work. It Walton was demanding of himself is meant to divert, & also to annoy, In person he tended to be more throughout his life, constantly & I shall be intensely disappointed if circumspect, but there is a telling making revisions and sincerely ask- I get a kind word from either Peter anecdote about his first meeting ing the opinions of his trusted Heyworth or Donald Mitchell or many years later with his future friends. In a strange kind of symbi- anybody else. ‘Vulgar without being wife. Walton was in Buenos Aires otic relationship, he even became a funny’ (in the words of the late Sir at a press conference when music close personal friend of the music B. Sitwell in reply to some inane publisher Leslie Boosey tactlessly critic Peter Heyworth who regular- remark of Osbert’s) is the best I can announced in front of Walton that ly wrote unkind reviews of hope for.10 Benjamin Britten (represented by Walton’s music! Yet they would Boosey’s firm, of course) was the stay at each others’ homes, either The Viola Concerto UK’s leading composer! “Happily on the Italian island of Ischia or in It was Thomas Beecham who sug- there was instant compensation for London, and share both humor gested to Walton that he write a the wounded Walton: he caught and a musical challenge. concerto for the great English vio- the eye of the British Council’s sec- Heyworth’s criticism notwithstand- list Lionel Tertis, who had for retary, a vivacious girl of 22: “We ing, Walton could also respond many years led a campaign cham- met, went off to lunch and I pro- with tongue-in-cheek needling, so pioning the viola as the neglected posed to her the next day. As far as it was an unusual yet compatible “Cinderella of the string family.” I remember, she said ‘Don’t be relation. For instance in a 1962 Following the success of both ridiculous, Dr. Walton’, but we got letter, Walton wrote in part: Façade and Portsmouth Point, engaged three weeks after that.”6 Walton was gaining confidence in My dear Peter, (or tormentor-in- his composing, though still pro- Generally self-deprecating, Walton chief), I did as a matter of fact tele- fessing difficulty in the actual writ- insisted that he only conducted phone you but with no success. Once ing. In February 1929 Walton because he was asked to. Of course on Sun morn. April 1st pointing out wrote to his friend Siegfried he then added: “I certainly could you had split an infinitive & hoping Sassoon “I finished yesterday the conduct my music better than you would have to bore yourself blue second movement of my Viola most ...because it was, to me, by reading through your contribution Concerto. At the moment, I think child’s play and still is.”7 His piano to find it... Blessings, and don’t pull it will be my best work, better playing, on the other hand, seems your punches! 9 than the Sinfonia, if only the third to have left much to be desired. and last movement works out Composing at the keyboard was While otherwise sensitive to most well.”11 At the same time, he wrote laborious, and trying to play from public criticism, especially as his his good friend, pianist Angus score nearly disastrous. Once music began to fall out of favor as Morrison, relating his progress Walton called his friend, the critic old-fashioned in the 1950s and with the concerto, and implying Basil Maine, and offered to come 1960s, he was nevertheless still that his style was “maturing.” over to play some of his newly willing to take risks on his own Morrison was amused to hear this completed viola concerto for him. terms. Walton wrote of his Partita from such a young composer, but Maine recalled: “He arrived soon for Orchestra (1957) : changed his mind when Walton after, and, in the indescribable played the concerto for him later idiom of his pianoforte playing, ...I think you will agree with me (I that spring: “‘In this work’, declared gave some idea of the orchestral refer to movement III) that I have Morrison, ‘he had, in fact, reached score, and occasionally a sketchy been sailing far too near to the wind complete maturity of style and vocalise of the viola part.”8 in fact one could say, perhaps, that given full rein, for the first time, to one has gone too far. However, if it his entirely personal lyrical gift.’”12 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY 14 Yet life is never simple. Having Later, Walton would comment to Tertis perform Walton’s Concerto completed the concerto, Walton Hindemith’s biographer that he had in September 1932. It was the only forwarded it immediately to Lionel been “much influenced by Hindemith’s time Walton and Elgar met, and Tertis who sent it back abruptly by own viola concerto, Kammermusik both Tertis and Basil Maine confirm return post. The oft-quoted passage No. 5. ‘I was surprised he played that Elgar did not like the piece. from Tertis’ autobiography reads: (my concerto)... One or two bars are “Elgar paced up and down behind almost identical.’”16 the orchestral gallery during the One work of which I did not give performance of the concerto, deploring the first performance was Walton’s While the Concerto itself was hap- that such music should be thought masterly concerto.