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University Microfilms International A Beil & Howell Intormaiion Company 300 North Z eeb R oad, Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313 761-4700 800 521-0600
Order Number 0130433
A survey and analysis of the published French and Irish songs for piano and voice of Sir Arnold Bax
Shockey, David Matthew, D.M.A. The Ohio State Univenity, 1001
UMI 300N.ZeebRd. Ann Aitoor, MI 48106
A SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE PUBLISHED FRENCH AND
IRISH SONGS FOR PIANO AND VOICE OF SIR ARNOLD BAX
DOCTORAL DOCUMENT
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the School
of Music in the Graduate School of The Ohio
State University
by
David Matthew Shockey, Diploma, B.S., M.M.
******
The Ohio State University
1991
Dissertation Committee: Approved by
Helen Swank
Marshall Barnes Lser Jerry Lowder School of Music
Robin Rice VITA
June 17, 1951 .... Born - Sandy Spring, Maryland
1969 ...... Diploma - Milford Mill Senior High School
1970-1974 ...... Voice Instructor - Dr. Robert Shewan, Roberts Wesleyan College
1974 ...... B.S., M. Ed., Roberts Wesleyan College
1974-1978 ...... Choral Director, E.J. Wilson High School, Spencerport, New York
1976-1977 Voice Instructor - Mr. John Maloy, Eastman School of Music
1978-1989 ...... Assistant Professor of Voice Philadelphia College of Bible, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1960 ...... M.M., Eastman School of Music
1980-1985 ...... Voice Instructor - Miss Florence Berggren, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1989-1991 ...... Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Music, Voice Area, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
FIELDS OF STUDY
Major Field: Music
ii TABLE OP CONTENTS
VITA ...... ii
RECITAL PROGRAMS ...... iv
LIST OP F I G U R E S ...... » ...... V
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1
II. BAX, THE M A N ...... 5
III. A CELTIC SONG CYCLE . . . i ...... 18 IV. ALBUM OF SEVEN SONGS . .[ ...... 35 V. FRENCH SONGS ...... 48
VI. FIVE IRISH SONGS AND THREE IRISH SONGS . 72
VII. THREE MORE IRISH SONGS ...... 96
APPENDICES S I I. CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF SONGS ...... 105 I I LIST OF REFERENCES ...... * ...... 110
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 115
ill Tuesday, October 16, 1991 8:00 p.m. Weigel Hall Auditorium
DAVID SHOCKEY, Tenor Eleanor Shockey, Piano
This recital is presented in partial fulfillment for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts for Mr. Shockey
PROGRAM
Harmonia Sacra Purcell We Sing to Him An Evening Hymn Lord, What is Man
Winterreise, Op. 89 Schubert Gute Nacht Die Wetterfahne Gefrorne Tranen Erstarrung
Fetes Galantes (1) Debussy En Sourdine Clair de lune Fantoches INTERMISSION-
A Milking Sian Bax Roundel Shelling Song The White Peace A Christmas Carol To Eire The Enchanted Fiddle
iv
« Tuesday, February 19, 1991 8:00 p.m. Weigel Hall Auditorium
DAVID SHOCKEY, tenor Eleanor Shockey, Piano
This recital is presented in partial fulfillment for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts for Mr. Shockey
PROGRAM
Winterreise, op. 87 ...... Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Gute Nacht Die Wetterfahne Gefrorne Tranen Erstarrung Der Lindenbaum Wasserflut Auf dem Flusse Rilckblick Irrlicht Rast FrQhlingstraum Einsamkeit Die Post Der greise Kopf Die Krahe Lenzte Hoffnung Im Dorfe Der stQrmische Morgen Tauschung Der Wegweiser Das Wirtshaus Mutl Die Nebensonnen Der Leiermann
v. Tuesday, May 29, 1991 8:00 p.m. Weigel Hall Auditorium
DAVID SHOCKEY, Tenor Eleanor Shockey, Piano
This recital is presented in partial fulfillment . for the degree Doctor of Musical Arts for Mr. Shockey
PROGRAM
Laa bonne chanson, op. 6 1 ...... Faure Une Sainte en son aureole (1845-1924) Puisgue l'aube grand!t La lune blanche luit dans les bois J'allais par des chemins perfides J'ai presgue peur, en verity Avante gue tu ne t'en allies Done, ce sera par un clair jour d'£te N'est-ce pas? L'hiver a cess£
-INTERMISSION-
Dichterliebe, op. 48 ...... Schumann Im wunderschbnen Monat Mai (1810-1856) Aus meinen Tr&nen spriessen Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube Wenn ich in deine Augen seh1 Ich will meine Seele tauchen Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome Ich grolle nicht Und wussten's die Blumen Das 1st ein Flbten und Geigen Hbr' ich das Liedchen klingen Ein Jiingling liebt ein Madchen Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen Ich hab1 im Traum geweinet Allnachtlich im traume Aus alten marchen Die alten, b6sen Lieder
vi LIST OP FIGURES
FIGURES PAGE
1. Eilidh My Fawn, nun. 1 0 - 1 7 ...... 20
2. Closing Doors, mm. 1 4 - 1 6 ...... 24
3. A Celtic Lullaby, mm. 1- 4 ...... 30
4. A Celtic Lullaby, mm. 5 - 1 1 ...... 30
5. The Shieling Song, mm. '5-11...... 42
6. Jean, P'tit Jean, mm. 1- 5 ...... 50
7. Jean, P'tit Jean, mm. 62-65 ...... 51
8 . Berceuse, mm. 20-23 ...... 53
9. Me Suis Mise En Danse, mm. 21-24 . . . 60
10. Langueo d'Amours, mm. 1- 1 1 ...... 67
11. Langueo d'Amours, mm. 58-59 ...... 69
12. As I Came Over the Grey, Grey Hills, mm. 24-26 82
13. The Pigeons, mm. 3-4 ...... 84
14. Cradle Song, mm. 1 - 7 ...... 88
15. Rann of Exile, mm. 1 - 3 ...... 91
16. Rann of Wanderings, mm. 1 - 4 ...... 93
17. Watching the Needleboats, mm. 1-4 . . . 102
vii CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, William Walton and
Ralph Vaughan Williams are but four of the reasons that Sir Arnold Bax is a virtually unknown composer in so many musical circles today. For now I will cite two other reasons. First, in spite of his appointment as Master of the King's Musick in 1941,
Arnold Bax was a very shy, retiring gentleman who did little to promote himself or his music. Second, he often composed in a very complex manner, whether for orchestra, for piano, or for voice and piano, and in so doing he no doubt frightened away many would- be performers. This is unfortunate, for his work is that of a skilled craftsman, as will be seen in the following pages.
Why look at Bax's songs? After all, he is noted primarily as a symphonist and as a pianist, when he is noticed at all. In addition, however, Sir Arnold
Bax composed approximately 100 songs for voice and 2 piano, of which about two-thirds were published. Those t are not inconsequential figures when one considers that neither Debussy, Duparc, Hahn or any number of other composers approached that figure in their songwriting. It has been my privilege to perform nearly half of the pieces discussed in this document and I can say unequivocally that they are quality works. Bax is particularly creative harmonically and is also blessed with a gift for melody. It is also my feeling that by considering his published songs, some benefit may be gained by future performers of them.
Anyone who has read much about Arnold Bax has become aware of his love affair with Ireland, including the people, the place and the land. It seems only fitting, then, to look closely at his Irish songs.
An Irish poet, or a poet using an Irish pseudonym, is probably one of the principal elements of an Irish song. Bax himself is one example of such a person.
Using the name "Dermot O'Byrne," he produced a considerable amount of first rate writing of both prose and poetry, in an Irish manner. William Sharp, alias "Fiona Macleod," is another example of one who regularly used a pseudonym. The poem itself may make plain the nationalistic bent of the work, its title serving to qualify the poem as being Irish. Finally, although Bax claims to have borrowed no folk-tunes in his compositions, the very nature of the tune, e.g. thevthrice-repeated notes, the modal inflections, and the pentatonic cell, could render a song Irish.
These considerations have guided me in the identification of Irish songs. By virtue of their use of French texts, the French songs are easily identified. My own interests in French song, as well as that of the composer in question, have prompted me to look carefully at those pieces. Unfortunately, Bax's song "Le chant d'Isabeau" was not available for this study.
The selections will be discussed in this document according to the chronology of their composition, even when dealing with collections such as the "Five
Irish Songs." Most of the 28 selections to be discussed fall readily into groups, with the exception of "When we are lost," "Parting," and "Watching the Needleboats."
These three will be assessed in the last chapter.
Eric Sams, Richard Capell, Gerald Moore and others have done brilliant work in analyzing the songs of
Schumann, Schubert and the other well-known writers 4
the quality of their efforts, it is nonetheless, with
their models in view that this project has been undertaken. CHAPTER II
Arnold Bax was born on 8 November 1883 at Streatham
in the county of Surrey, the first child of four to
be born to Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Ridley Bax. In his autobiography Bax speaks of having "a very eager and
inquiring young mother and a somewhat remote father with whom I never became really intimate . . . a timid and unobtrusive personality. . . In fact, Arnold
Bax's mother, formerly Charlotte Ellen Lea, was 17 years younger than her husband, and according to Francis
Colmer, the family's tutor, it was from her that Arnold and his brother Clifford had derived "an undeniable feminine streak in their character." At the same
time it was certainly from his father that he inherited that quiet, shy side of his personality. As a result,
Lewis Foreman describes Arnold Bax as having done
"little to promote his music" and as "intensely shy and retiring,"^ a feeling shared by others who knew
Bax. For instance, four years after his passing,
Norman Demuth, writing in Musical Opinion, also notes that Bax "did nothing to further his own cause,"4 while yet another author points out that "the faintest suggestion of limelight makes him shyer than ever."®
Bax was fortunate, as were his siblings (Clifford, an author of some note, Evelyn, and Aubrey, who died of meningitis at age 10) to have been raised in a home where nothing was lacking materially. In Farewell,
My Youth Bax says that family members
owned many lands, manors, cottages, farms, fiefs and messuages in the county (of Surrey) from the sixteenth to the eigh teenth centuries and in the late nine teenth century the Baxes had become a wealthy middle-class family.6 7 His childhood was an "almost continuously happy one."
This very secure position undoubtedly influenced his composition, for in Bax, A Composer and His Times we read that he "only wrote . . . while the passion Q for music was on him." "To him composition is his only occupation, whereas the others are all busy with 9 other occupations." Foreman writes that there was no need for Bax to compose "in order to eat" — no need to compose in order to get rich, no need to write
"for the masses." In a word, "he spent most of his life doing exactly what he wanted to do,"10 whether it was another in a series of pilgrimages to Ireland, a spur-of-the minute trip to Russia, or a trip to
Spain or to some other continental destination. Although Bax's earliest compositions for piano
date from 1897-98, he had no formal music education
until 1898 when he became a student of Cecil Sharpe
at the Hampstead Conservatoire. Here he studied piano,
theory and composition. Inasmuch as his father was
an amateur choir director (for whom Arnold Bax
accompanied for several years beginning in 1896),
and inasmuch as Ernest Bax, his uncle, was a music
critic, Arnold Bax was not without some early,
significant musical influences. Alfred R. Bax
religiously attended the Crystal Palace Saturday
Concerts, keeping all the programs in a most orderly
and permanent fashion, thereby enabling his son to
spend considerable time perusing them later on. In
1896, when the Bax clan moved to Hampstead, it was
Arnold's privilege to hear regular performances by
the Joachim and Bohemia (string) quartets and other
well-known musicians.
In 1900 he entered the renowned Royal Academy
of Music where he was to study composition under
Frederick Corder and piano with Tobias Matthay. Here
he would contact well-known musicians like Benjamin
Dale, Harry Farjeon and York Bowen, to name a few.
Bax spent five years at the Royal Academy, an institution much influenced at the time by Liszt, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. Following his stay there, during the
years 1906-07, Bax travelled to Dresden where he
frequented the opera house three to four times weekly, hearing works by Wagner, Strauss, Beethoven, Mahler
and Bruckner. Later Bax's phenomenal sight reading
skills at the piano enabled him to meet Debussy, d'Indy
Sibelius and Schonberg at "The Music Club." Though
he was not a member, he was often called upon to play
several of the composers' works at one of their
dressy concert-cum-supper affairs. . . It is particularly indicative of Bax's accom plishment at that time that a fairly well- known professional concert pianist (Stanley Hawley) should be asking Bax to undertake such tasks, rather than attempt it himself.11
It is not surprising to find in many sources cited
in this study that Bax's remarkable keyboard skills, especially his sightreading, are noted many, many
times. Needless to say, this afforded him many opportunities to greatly enrich his own music education
In 1921 Richard Church visited the Bax home and heard
Arnold Bax play. He notes, "His playing. . . was massive, a composer's utilisation of the pianoforte 12 . . . But it was also dextrous." Writing in a
1954 issue of Music and Letters, Patrick Hadley points out that "Most of (Bax's) output. . • was sketched 1 3 . . . with constant recourse to the keyboard."
In the same article, which contains memorial tributes to the composer, York Bowen says, "The other unmistakable sign of his growing creative gift was his power of extemporization, altogether beyond anything I have ever heard since at the keyboard."14 As a pianist,
Bax was unlike some of his more famous contemporaries.
Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Mackenzie were violinists primarily, while Holst and Walton were trombonists.
It is conceivable that this kind of keyboard prowess may have actually hindered him as a composer.
"His methods of expressing himself have. . . not tended toward simplicity."1^ That which was facile for him was not necessarily so for those who would encounter and attempt his music later on. A glance at one of his orchestral scores reveals string parts with large and unusual leaps (augmented and diminished intervals) at fast tempi. "The defect (in some of the early works) was due to an excess of skill, which it needed 16 a maturer mind to hold on the leash," Edwin Evans wrote in 1923. My own experience with performances of Bax's songs makes it clear that a fine pianist is needed to ensure a successful performance. Frank
Howes was a rather severe critic of Bax and noted, some 43 years after Evans, that "it is disappointing to contemplate so many beauties that gleam for a moment 10 and then are smothered in their own luxuriance 1 7 . . When one of his compositions for piano was at an early stage, Bax realized that an orchestra would be required to communicate all that he was wanting to say. His first symphony was the result. Even when writing for orchestra, though, Bax found himself stymied by its traditional size and often added parts for additional players. This tendency is perhaps another reason why his works infrequently reach the concert stage, for more players require more money.
"It is more true of him than of most of his contemporaries that mere acquaintance is not enough 18 — appreciation comes with intimacy." In his autobiography Bax acknowledges that, "Lately I have been beginning to realize that my music is often difficult to understand at a first hearing, even to 19 experienced musicians. . .
For Bax, music was not the be-all and the end- all. "In every hour not devoted to music I read feverishly all the literature I could come upon, poetry 20 and prose, British and Continental." While his brother and others seldom seem to have caught him reading, Clifford Bax assures us that "Arnold has 21 read everything." Not surprisingly then, he dabbled more than a little in the field of writing. Under the pseudonym "Dermot O'Byrne” Arnold Bax successfully published a number of works in his beloved Ireland, gaining the praise and admiration of even noted authors such as A.E. (George Russell) and Padraig Colurn.
The publication of his autobiography, Farewell# My
Youth, in 1943, also proved to be a great success.
Howes feels that Bax's divided loyalties hurt him as a musician. In a 1949 broadcast Bax said that
"Yeats' poetry means more to me than all the music 22 of the centuries.” Upon the death of Yeats, Bax 23 declared that "the greatest of us all is no more.”
I came upon W.B. Yeats' The Wanderings of Usheen in 1902, and in a moment the Celt within me stood revealed. . . Renan declar ed that 'the Celt has ever worn himself out in mistaking dreams for reality,' but I believe that, on the contrary, the Celt knows more clearly than the men of most races the difference between the two and -4 deliberately chooses to follow the dream.
During the same year Bax made his maiden voyage to
Ireland, the first of many. He discovered the village of Glencolumcille and it became "his spiritual haven 25 . . . and the fountainhead of much of his music."
This "Irish influence. . . engendered a lifelong vision 26 of ecstasy." The west coast of this fascinating country was particularly dear to Bax. It was wild and "primeval," seemingly a century or so removed from the ordinary occurrences of his native land. 12
Bax delighted in acquainting himself with the people
of the island, with their culture, their customs and
generally everything he could learn about them. He
mastered the Gaelic language, so that he knew it much
better than the Irish themselves, thereby occasionally
finding himself to be a mild irritation to the natives.
Arnold, you have a completely Gaelicized mind' 27 said A.E. once, to my pride and delight."
The literature of the period when the Celtic genius was at its zenith is charac terized by exultant vitality, by its cour ageous affirmation of existence, and by the glow of sunlight with which it is flooded: it lives in a continual springtime, where the sap of life brims up, and where every aspect of actuality has something virginal about it... In this sense — the sense of its absorption in vivid sensations and impres sions — the music of Arnold Bax is spiritual ly Celtic to a degree.28
As Bernard Shore puts it, "Whatever was Celtic or 29 Irish was the spark that fired his creative thought."
In Farewell, My Youth Bax spends more time discussing his precious Ireland than most anything else, for it was sheer delight to him. He says,
Under this (Irish) domination my musical style became strengthened and purged of many alien elements. In part at last I rid myself of the sway of Wagner and Strauss and began to write Irishly, using figures and melodies of a definitely Celtic curve, an idiom which in the end 13
was so much second nature to me that many works of mine have been called Irish or Celtic when I supposed them to be purely personal to the British composer — Arnold Bax.30
It is probably in the orchestral sphere where this influence is most apparent. Consider, for example, such compositions as "Into the Twilight," "In the
Faery Hills," "The Garden of Fand," "November Woods," and "The Viola Phantasy" as well as any number of moments within his seven symphonies. Similar elements make their way into some of Bax's 100 or so songs, though, of which nearly one-fifth are clearly Irish.
Alfred Kalisch claims that "in most of (the songs) the Celtic element is even more prominent than in 31 his other works." These fine works constitute the principal subject of this document, and they will be discussed in succeeding pages.
Speaking of young British composers during the period of the First World War, Delius reportedly said
"Bax is by far the greatest, both poetically and 32 imaginatively." By Bax's own admission it took a while for him to make his mark in the musical world.
At a memorial service for Bax, Arthur Bliss remarked,
"I cannot think of any one of our own times with the exception of Richard Strauss whom the gods more generously helped to become a composer."33 "Complicated and daring harmonies are in his music to satisfy any
(modern) ear. . . There is also a sense of key and 34 some wonderful melodies. There is something for everyone in his music. While he leaned toward progressive music early in his career, "It is one of Bax'8 chief cares that there shall be some definite thematic material throughout the work."32* When Bax was 40 years old, Edwin Evans wrote,
One still finds sometimes a conservative who anathematizes him for the luxuriance of his harmonic invention, or a radical who dismisses him as out-of-date because he has the courage to revel openly in the making of a beautiful lyrical melody.36
For the record Bax says of himself, "I am quite a fossil, and my appreciation of widely accepted modern music (apart from Sibelius symphonies) stops at the 37 end of part one of 'Sacre du Printemps'." In the same article the composer laments the fact "that nearly all English composers are mightily afraid of not being 38 idiomatically up-to-date." Perhaps the most famous comment on Bax's style comes from the composer himself in July 1920. 15
I am a brazen romantic, and could never have been and never shall be anything else. By this I mean that my music is the expres sion of emotional states. I have no inter est whatever for sound for its own sake or in any modernist 'isms' or factions. I think the present war-cry 'Back to Bach1 must only lead its partisans to a cul- de-sac, for the conscious attempt to go back to anything is a, mere intellectual futility. We are modern people and must find modern methods of conveying our own aesthetic life to our audiences.-. . Those amongst my British contemporaries whom I most respect and for whose work (notably that of Vaughan Williams) I have the great est sympathy, have developed their own per sonal styles, regardless of any of the heady excitements emanating from Austria or Russia.39
Much more regarding the specifics of his musical style will be discussed at length as the songs are considered in-depth.
In 1941 Bax was appointed Master of the King's
Musick, a post he retained until his death and one of several honors bestowed on him later in life.
This was an appointment that drew criticism from some who felt that Bax's personality was not ideally suited to the public nature of the position. "Why was not
William Walton or Vaughan Williams so honored?" they argued. Although things are different now, this was not a job that required a lot of new compositions, 16 and Bax actually composed very little of consequence at this stage of his life. Writing less than a year before his passingr Bax says,
Nearly everyone has written their best work before reaching my age. I feel that I have said all I have to say and it iB of no use to repeat myself... I really have no im pulse to compose in these days and anyhow I have written a devil of a lot in my time.40
(It may be that at 69 years of age he had lost some confidence in his work.) The other honors he enjoyed included his knighthood of 1936, an honor he would have refused had he not been coerced by an Irish friend, and three honorary doctorates: Oxford (1932), Durham
(1933) and the National University of Ireland (1947).
In addition he was awarded the Gold Medal of the
Worshipful Company of Musicians. All of this fuss no doubt baffled and befuddled him, since he so enjoyed the freedom of simply being Mr. Bax, who could go anywhere and do anything he wished. Bliss writes that, "He never explained himself, partly because he could not, partly because he was too modest to believe we should be interested, partly because he 41 could not believe that explanation was needed."
On reading Farewell. Mv Youth one quickly learns that Bax was not without a sense of humor. "The greatest 17 compliment I ever received" he says was when 37 of his published works, including full scores and chamber 42 music, were stolen from Nottingham Public Library.
Another instance of his wit occurred when he wrote
"author unknown" at the head of the score of his
"Salzburg" sonata. Why Bax did this is unsure, because it was soon discovered that it was definitely his work.
It is altogether fitting that Arnold Bax, alias
"Dermot O'Byrne," should have died in Ireland. He had been known to have a heart condition, and it was coronary thrombosis and acute pulmonary oedema that ended his life 36 days prior to his seventieth birthday in the Village of Cork, Ireland. CHAPTER III
"A Celtic Song Cycle" was composed during July
and August of* 1904 when Bax was 20 years old and in
his fourth year at the Royal Academy of Music.
. Consisting of five songs on texts by Fiona Macleod
(William Sharp), it comes two years following the
composer's initial visit to Ireland. The cycle is
one of the first of Bax's published musical works
of any kind and is certainly his first significant
vocal work. The songs are characterized by beautiful
melodic writing, by sumptuous harmonies and by complex
piano accompaniments. The latter point is probably
one reason we seldom hear performances of these songs
today and "is probably the reason which deterred
publishers from issuing their successors."4'3 This
is unfortunate inasmuch as the contents of the cycle
are noteworthy.
In his autobiography Bax says of the collection,
By the way, my 'Celtic Song Cycle', written in 1904, was prdduced at an Academy chamber concert soon after (Debussy's) work was becoming known. One of the critics wrote, 'This young man should be sedulously kept
18 19
at present from further study of Debussy* of whom I had never even heard at the time of the writing of these songs.44
The critic's comment is not without some merit, but according to Alan Frank, "Not until (Bax's) student days ended did he (and England) become aware of
Debussy."4*’
The first song is entitled "Eilidh My Fawn" and is dedicated — along with its successors — to Miss
Gladys Lees. A violinist, and from a family closely associated with the Baxes while the latter were at
Ivy Bank, Miss Lees was closely involved with Arnold
Bax later on. "Eilidh" (pronounced [aeli]) is the name of the poet's love and can be found in each of the first four songs. Macleod's poem is composed of four four-line stanzas, the last of which reads as follows: "My hunting heart was glad indeed at the lighting of the dawn, for 0 it was the hunting then of my bonny, bonny fawn." Marked "Allegretto impetuoso", and written in 3/4 time, it begins with a 12-measure prelude in which the principal theme is clearly stated three successive times. Until the
V chord is sounded in measure 12 the texture is very thin, embodying a single line for each hand till the v i i ^ / V is played five times by the left hand in varying inversions in measures 8-11. Now the voice makes its initial appearance, echoing the first half of the theme outlined by the piano at the beginning.
The theme (Fig. 1) is a simple one and a very "singable," lovely one which fits neatly into E major, the key which begins and ends the song. Bax has written , sympatheticaly for the singer even though the piece is but a whole step shy of encompassing two octaves.
When the voice part is in the vicinity of "low b"
Figure 1. Eilidh Mv Fawn, mm. 10-17 he has scored very lightly and has only called for dynamic levels of piano or pianissimo, whereas those pitches at the upper end of the range, including "high a," are generally marked "mf" or louder. The cycle as a whole calls for a soprano or a tenor. Traditional harmonies are heard throughout, with considerable use of seventh chords, and especially of the half- diminished variety (mm. 8-11, 16, 20, 28, 36, 44, etc.). There is a definite tonal center readily identifiable. Enough variety to stimulate the listener combines with adequate repetition to maintain a sense of unity. Consider, for example, the different harmonic progressions employed to accompany the theme at measures
13-15 and at the interlude (mm. 30-32). It is characteristic of Bax to continually alter one element or another throughout his compositions in order to create diversity. The name "Eilidh" is sung three times in bars 36-39 and three more times in bars 44-
47, but while similar progressions are heard, the earlier passage is a half step lower than the later one. Rhythmically there is a figure introduced by the piano at measure 13 (and in part at measure 4) that can be seen no less than 32 times in the piece
(Fig. 1), often at the beginning of the measure, but occasionally overlapping, as in measures 28-29. However,
when the subject of "wind" arises at measure 36, the
sixteenth notes disappear entirely, and eighth-note
triplets are located everywhere, sometimes in groups
which involve neighboring tones, but just as often
in long chromatic scales which span in excess of two
octaves. This idea was briefly foreshadowed in measure
9 of the prelude. The music is passionate, like its
author, and reaches a wonderful climax at bar 58,
where piano and voice move briefly in thirds and then
for three measures in unison. At measure 64 the music
of bars 30-34 is reiterated almost precisely as the 7 postlude commences. It concludes vith a V - I
progression but, unlike the traditional chord used
in measure 12, "g-natural" is inserted instead of
"ffl" prior to the tonic chord. As with the voice,
the full range of the piano is employed consistently.
It is a lovely song and finishes with more than six
octaves separating the highest and lowest pitches of the ultimate chord.
"Closing Doors," the second piece in the work,
is in a key closely related to that of "Eilidh My
Pawn" (A major) but is in 6/8 time and marked "at 23
h slow swinging pace." The poet hears the sound of
Eilidh's "running feet" in his dream, but also detects
a wind that "moans low" within his heart. "Is that
the deep sea-heart I hear?. . . Come home," he calls
to her, "for closing doors are like the waves of the
sea; once closed they are closed forever, Eilidh."
Measures 1-19 comprise the dream sequence which is
characterized by a generally soothing, gently rocking
motion. The first four bars of the piano, which include
a two-measure introduction, are identical (with the
exception of the sixth beat to m. 4), and the first pitches of the vocal line are contained in the accompaniment. It is not a melody, however, that is as memorable as that of "Eilidh My Pawn." It is,
in fact, a melody derived from the harmonic structure and one which might be difficult to sing were it not cleverly incorporated into the harmonic scheme of things. See measures 14-15 as an example (Fig. 2).
Tasteful, impressionistic use of ninth chords can be found, in arpeggiated form, in bars 13-15. The phrasing of the vocal line from measures 8-15 will require careful attention and will be dependent in large part on the tempo selected at the outset. A breath after "whisper" in measure 9 is logical and necessary, but there is plenty of room for creativity thereafter. Breaths after "feet," "seahoofs" and "night" are but one possibility among many, depending on tempo and on the skill of the singer. An eight-bar interlude connects the first two sections and incorporates the descending triads of the introduction with the addition of a descending m3 in a new voice heard above the original material. After touching on F minor and
C minor chords, the music establishes an "E" pedal point in measures 25-30. It is above this pedal that the "moaning of the wind" is heard, i.e., chords alternately falling and rising along with the vocal line. The singer moves back-and-forth several times between "dT" and "a#" before ascending to "f1" at
Figure 2. Closing Doors, mm. 14-16. bar 31. Now, however, the singer drops an octave,
and the same motion or "moaning" Is heard again In
piano and voice, now a M6 lower than the first time.
Throughout this passage the texture is quite thick,
and in measures 32-34 both hands of the pianist are
limited to the bass clef. A different line, emphasizing
the interval of a m3, is assigned to the singer at
bar 36. In measure 35 Bax shifts the "moaning" motif
to the accompaniment only, where it can be detected,
slightly altered for some time. The astute listener
has probably become aware of the fact, by now, that
the composer's first four bars have already subtly
introduced this motif. At measure 53, marked "Lento,"
the song comes to a kind of pause. The piano strikes a second-inversion F# major chord, moving to an £ minor chord in the next measure while the poet pleads
"Come home to the heart of mel" The following pair of bars echoes the previous two, minus the singer, a half step lower. Then the "a tempo" appears and
"the pain" of separation is depicted. The pace quickens four bars later as the singer cries out "Come home, come home, for closing doors are like the waves of the sea." The climax is approached by tremolos in i 2 measures 65-66 on "g# " and "g# ," and the singer climbs to a high g# in measure 67. Only in measure
69 does the tempo begin to return to normal, and it is in measures 68-69 that the word "lost" is seen, set apart and isolated from any other text. After five bars of relative quiet the singer finally manages to utter the last line of verse in its entirety.
At its conclusion the postlude commences with the introductory material sounding once more. The final three measures include an arpeggiated A major chord which stretches over six octaves.
While "Closing Doors" is hardly without its moments of high drama, it qualifies as being more or less restful when contrasted with the cycle's third song.
"Thy dark eyes to mine" begins "forte" in F# minor and is designated "Allegro appassionato." In 2/4 time, it is one of those pieces which might well scare off the timid musician. The score is covered with thirty-second notes from measure 1 to measure 64, with little let-up anywhere. Bax's critics often chided him for the difficult accompaniments to his songs but, in his defense, he is not the only Englishman of the twentieth century to write in such a fiery manner for piano. Benjamin Britten was hardly merciful
in several song accompaniments of his cycle, "The
Holy Sonnets of John Donne." This third poem finds
the singer imagining or predicting his response to
Eilidh should he "in heav'n (hear) but the faint whisper... of such a kiss" as hers. "I would leap afar, a falling star," he declares, hence, all the excitement of the musical setting. In spite of all his shyness and reservedness, Bax was ever a lady's man. Therefore, this kind of poetry compelled him to compose. As in the preceding piece, there is not a melody here which one could easily repeat after one or two hearings. Rather, it is built on several intervals which are found in the given harmonic scheme
— especially those of a fourth and of a fifth. The jumps of a P4 and P5 are well-suited to the poem and appear, as one might guess, rather frequently (in measures 2,3,13,25-27,29,32-34,36-37, etc.). The first skip of P4, in measure 6, is accompanied by a "portamento molto" marking in preparation for the singing of the name "Eilidh." The passion is emphasized in so doing and, for*the moment, the skip is de-emphasized. As in the earlier songs, Bax moves quickly and unexpectedly from one key center do another.
For instance, in measures 10-13 we are taken from
t . F# minor to C# major to C minor, and to A major in
measure 15. After the fury of the opening section
the dynamic level eases briefly while the poet supposes
what it might be like to be in heaven and hear "of
such a kiss." His rising emotions are captured by
an accompaniment figure in measures 35-38 which rises
equally rapidly (by half step) in the bass clef.
Then another interlude, this time four bars in length
(equal to that of the prelude and postlude), moves
the listener into the third stanza of Macleod*s poem.
Here the singer announces, "All of the soul of me
would leap afar if that called to me then. . ." When
a dynamic level of "forte" is reached in bar 49 there
is very little change to the end of the piece. Whereas
the word "leap" demands musical skips, usually rising,
and of various kinds, the "falling star" finds the
vocal line descending — first by a m7 and, lastly,
by a mlO. The last F# minor chord of the postlude
is colored by the addition of the sixth degree, which has appeared often in the song. 29
Bax's fourth song, "A Celtic Lullaby", seeks
to leave this present world, and reaches to the regions
beyond for its fulfillment:
Lennavanmo, who is it swinging you to and fro?. . . Who swingeth you and the Angel to and fro?. . . It is He, Lennavanmo, to whom you and I and all things must flow. . . So you are one with the Lord of Eternity. . .
It is a well-placed, well-written song that offers
some relief from all the excitement of the preceding
piece (although it is not also without some climatic u times). Written in E major, in 6/8 time, apd marked
"Andante con moto," it opens pianissimo with a duet
— a horn-call (Fig. 3). The rocking rhythm is that
which the vocal line repeats at the singing of the
name "Lennavanmo" and which is found in one form or
another on virtually every page of the score. As
with all but the second song, "A Celtic Lullaby" opens
and closes with significant material for piano only.
After stating the theme, the piano seems to wander
for a few measures (harmonically) before returning for a meaningful stay in the original key. This is all done at or below "g1," unlike the postlude which remains closer to home tonally, but which uses the 30
highest regions of the keyboard in a rather other
worldly manner. Melodically it is more akin to "Eilidh
My Fawn" than to any of the other companion pieces.
It is very tuneful and 'hummable' (Fig. 4) and, like
A i I m U m b m t o
•.(cm
Figure 3. A Celtic Lullaby, mm. 1-4.
.tar you to With *
w a
Figure 4. A Celtic Lullaby, mm. 5-11. 31
the first song, it is but a whole step short of covering
two full octaves vocally. Much of the piece lies
in the middle to lower portion of the singer's range
but, generally speaking, it is not unduly taxing
dynamically when it is so written. It has already been noted how Bax uses his chromaticism to move quickly
and easily to one key or another, however
In writing of Bax's chromaticism, Evans stated that while some composers think in chromatics, to Bax chromatics are an accessory, indeed Bax . . . remains in one key longer than most of his contemporaries.46
More than half of this piece is in and around Eb major, but when at bar 26 the singer says, "I think it is an Angel fair," we are transported to C major, B major and beyond, till at measure 44 it is plain that the original key is on the horizon. Only briefly do we remain in Eb major, for E major is soon established, only to be left at bar 57 for G major. At this juncture, the poet begins to surmise that God must be the one who rocks Lennavanmo and the Angel, and the shift of tonal center here is particularly beautiful and ethereal, concluding in A major at bar 67. Here the original motive is played again, with added decoration above it, until, four measures later, Eb major is 32 re-established and maintained to the work's conclusion.
There are many tender moments in this lovely song: the opening vocal line, the move to G major at measure
57, the "Lento" section at measure 71, and the last
20 bars in particular. "A Celtic Lullaby" deserves far more attention than it has received.
"At the last" is the final piece of this beautiful cycle and is noteworthy in several respects. The text begins with:
She cometh no more: Time too is dead. The last tide is led to the last shore. Eternity 1 What is Eternity, but the sea coming, The sea going for evermore?
First, it is the only piece where the vocal line is written in the bass clef. Perhaps this was done to match the appearance of the accompaniment, where both hands are again relegated to the bass clef for nearly half of the piece. Second, the voice is heard in less than half of the song's 40 measures. The vocal line does not begin till the upbeat to measure 12 and is silent in the middle and at the end of the piece. Third, it is the only song in "common" time and the only song marked "Lento" from beginning to end. Most striking of all, though, is the fact that, until the final note uttered by the singer, there is but one pitch (B*3) that is sung during the course of the song. It is reminiscent of Peter Cornelius'
"Ein Ton" or much of the last verse of Schubert's
"Der Wegweiser." This technique creates considerable dramatic intensity, as well as a nearly hypnotic effect.
In order to perform a song of this nature, great care must be taken to follow all of the composer's instructions regarding dynamics, since rarely is the text sung at an unchanging dynamic level. For example, eight times the singer enters and exits, and on only three of these occasions (measures 12,25,26) does the level not change, and these are among the shorter phrases. Also, the volume level is not always the same for the pianist and for the singer. At measure
16, for instance, the accompaniment drops suddenly to pianissimo, while the vocal line continues at or about "forte." The first two measures of the prelude are echoed precisely, though a P4 higher, in measures
3-4, while bar 6 is very similar to its predecessor with but a subtle harmonic change and some sixteenth notes on the last beat of measure 6. Bax begins in
G minor but leaves soon afterward before returning 34 to that key In bar 11 via an extended arpeggiatlon of the vii°^/V in measures 7-10. Fittingly, the initial entrance of the voice is unaccompanied, but not for long. One measure later the accompaniment continues.
Foreman notes that Bax is "stimulated by the seas and forestsand indeed we see added movement in the accompaniment when "The last tide is led to the last shore" is intoned. The triplets and sixteenth notes disappear for eight bars following this phrase, only reappearing when "the sea going" is heard in measures 30-31. Several keys are encountered when U "Eternity" is mentioned, but E major is established at the mention of "the sea." The last sung note ('d1 ') is heard over a strong G minor chord at measure 35 and clearly gives the feeling of having attained the regions beyond. "Fortissimo" is called for in measure
37 before a "diminuendo" transports us to the final pianissimo, a chord minus its third and delayed by a quarter note rest. It is a gripping finale to a powerful cycle. CHAPTER IV
The earliest of the Irish songs from the Album
of Seven Songs is "The White Peace," probably the
best-known as well. Dedicated to Arnold Bax's mother,
this song is one of three from the Album which is
based on the poetry of Fiona Macleod. The poem consists
of two stanzas and suggests that peace is not found
in nature as much as it is in "the Soul of Man, slow moving o'er his pain." It was composed in either
1906 or 1907 and is noteworthy from a number of perspectives. Whereas Bax is often cited for his
complex pianistic writing, "The White Peace" is really
quite simple pianistically. Measures 13-20 will require
some careful practicing, but the remainder of the piece could probably be read perfectly at sight by most pianists. In fact, 8 of the 28 bars contain an A*3 major chord only, with absolutely minimal movement within them.
In "common" time, the song is marked "Lento e sostenuto," thereby establishing the atmosphere for
35 the entire piece. The initial three bars of the
accompaniment contain but one chord each, the tonic,
and find both hands in the bass clef. The succeeding measures of the accompaniment, right through measure
12, are similarly unadorned and venture no higher
than "g*^." All this occurs beneath a lovely, slow- u moving melodic line which stretches only from "e 11 HI to "e ." This is not to say that the vocal line
is easily essayed. By virtue of the tempo marking
the singer must be prepared to spin out two and
threemeasure phrases which seem longer than they actually are. In measure 10, in the middle of the third beat,
Bax has written a quarter note which marks the beginning of a pattern of syncopation that continues subtly, but unabated, to measure 19. Macleod*s first verse begins, "It lies not on the sunlit hill. . ." "It" refers to "a perfect peace" but the listener is not
told that, until the penultimte line of verse two.
Bax's setting repeats the melodic material of measures
3-8 in measures 13-18 of verse two, with but subtle rhythmic differences distinguishing one stanza from another. With the beginning of the second verse "the accompaniment. . . is now in the form of a flowing 37 4 8 arabesque of slowly, dissolving harmonies." Most of this florid accompaniment is required of the right
hand, with nearly as much writing above the staff as there is within. The accompaniment must be smooth
throughout, of course, and this is emphasized by the composer's note beneath measures 17-18, "chords spread
as little as possible." At bar 19 new melodic material
is located for the first time which will eventually
lead the singer to a high "g " (m. 21). Simultaneously,
there is indication that the dynamic level should begin to approach the "forte" of bar 21, in contrast
to the "piano" and "pianissimo" of the first two thirds of the song. As the last line of verse two is heard again (mm. 21-24) the accompaniment once more begins
to resemble that of the first 12 bars. There is little question regarding the phrasing of verse one, but
in verse two some creative phrasing is conceivable.
For instance, in bars 16-24 one might breathe after
"peace" and "brain" each time, or, at the repetition, after "moonlight" and "heart." Either could work, but the latter choices provide more interest and some welcome alternatives to the string of two measure 38
phrases which precedes. It is not surprising that
this lovely, soothing song should perhaps be Bax's
most famous.
Written at nearly the same time as "The White
Peace" is "The Milking Sian," also based on a Fiona
Macleod poem. This work consists of four verses
of varying length (three lines in verses one, two
and four, and two lines in verse three) and concerns
the beauty and restfulness of the "hills of Heaven"
and the "meads of Paradise." "Give up thy milk to
her who calls across the low green hills of Heaven,
and stream-cool meads of Paradise," verse one states.
Its mood is not unlike that of the song just described,
and it is marked "Molto tranquillo," with additional
directions such as "semplice e lontano" and "leggiero" noted within the first seven bars. Opening with a gently rocking rhythmic figure for the piano, once more the dynamic level seldom surpasses "mp," save
for the "forte" of measures 35-36. The melody is very appealing and, at the same time, challenging.
It is very comfortable in terms of its range and tessitura, but the relaxed tempo means that phrasing will be a major issue yet again. Breathing at the end of each line of verse in the first stanza is 39
probably best/ but it will require some deep, full
breaths, while the second stanza probably necessitates
breaths after "Heaven" and "sweet" in order to sing
"to hear the milking call" (mm. 23-26) with a single
inhalation.
Edwin Evans, writing in 1923, says "Bax has
a temperamental dislike of repetition. . . always
there is a new sheen in the texture. . . always an
inflection of some kind, contrapuntal or rhythmic 49 . . ." This trait is surely in evidence here,
where the melodic and harmonic schemes of verses
one and two are virtually identical, while the rhythms
of the second verse are altered with the addition
of running triplet figures throughout. This was
begun in measure 20, the last bar of an interlude which is otherwise the same as the prelude. Bax
begins the song in F major, in 2/4 time, but at the
end of verse two a refreshing switch in tonality occurs as we move to D major. Now the music assumes a very pastoral nature, the "streamcool meads
. . ." and "low green hills" taking center stage.
It is within this section, measures 29-37, that the
climax of the song is reached. With triads moving in contrary motion, somewhat reminiscent of Vaughan Williams' style, the voice and piano accompaniment
together reach a high "g" in measure 35. This is
shortlived, however, as the "g" an octave lower is
sung two beats later. The next nine bars are for
piano only and comprise an interlude that makes use
of musical material heard in the opening two stanzas.
This section begins by temporarily coming to a halt
in measures 38-40, before returning to the original
key. Particularly beautiful is the D major chord
of bar 44, which briefly takes us away from F major.
The final verse incorporates the melody of verses
one and two for its first two lines, with the pianist's
hands separated by five full octaves. Then above
the V^/iii the singer utters the final line in a "quasi
recitative" style, culminating in F major on beat one of measure 38. The postlude then begins, including
that material used in the climatic section of the
song, as well as that of the prelude. It is an
interesting piece, in that the voice appears in only about half of the song, suggesting that Bax was obviously a pianist. "The Milking Sian" is challenging to sing,
though, but very worthwhile and "may be ranked with 50 'To Eire* as the finest of the set." "The Shieling Song" is the last of the works in this set to employ poetry of Macleod and this is dedicated to the poet's wife, Mrs. William Sharp.
"The Shieling Song" is also set in F major, as are
three of the four Irish songs from the Album ("A
Christmas Carol" is likewise in F major). Because of the similarities of key and mood, careful thought should be given to the order of their presentation within a recital program. This piece is marked
"Allegretto," in 3/4 time, and begins with a partial statement of the melody in the first half of the prelude.
The accompaniment to that melody creates rhythmic interest by delaying its entrance by three quarters of a beat in each of the first two measures, as well as at the initial entrance of the voice, (Fig. 5) and at the beginning of the postlude. In my opinion,
Bax's melodic freshness has not been adequately lauded, for once more there is a charming vocal line here, the same in both verses, except for the final two measures.
Bax is one of the great men of our time; he has a fine musical mind, an original personal style, a splendid independence and, thank God, he can write a melody and is not ashamed to do so.51 The climbing of the sheep is undoubtedly the inspiration for the sweeping nature of the melody. A ml 0 is negotiated in the span of four beats in measures
6-7 (Fig. 5), and an additional whole step is covered in measure 24, just prior to the conclusion of the voice part. Measure 24 finds an Eb major chord in first inversion in the accompaniment, with the vocal line soaring to a soft high Ma." "Ad lib." is the indication which further distinguishes this bar from all the others. It is certainly a magical moment in this brief gem of a song. From the "a" the singer descends more than an octave, to "eb ," before
4
fe rt_ I go vhmlkt Tkclr fenalk
Figure 5. The Shieling Song, mm. 5-11. re-establishing F major in the next bar — dubbed
"a tempo." The "ad lib." advances the improvisational
nature of the song as depicted by the right hand of
the accompanist, particularly in measures 8,19,20
and 25. It would be a shame to hear all of this rendered
in a metronomic manner. "The Shieling Song" needs
to be performed simply, effortlessly, while both
participants are fully aware of the possible pitfalls
contained within its 29 bars. Crash landings by the
pianist on the chords in measures 4,9 (beat one),
21 and 29 would ruin any performance, as would a similar
disembarkation by the singer on the top note of measure
24. The composer is most clear about dynamics throughout
this piece and the others. The phrasing for the singer
is relatively straightforward in verse one and nearly
so in the second verse, with the possible exception
of breaking after either "climb" or "go" in measures
21 and 22, respectively. In Musical Opinion Peterkin
aptly notes, in regard to "The Shieling Song," that
its "harmonic fertility. . . is both remarkable and 52 lovely." This is easily observed by a comparison
of the simplicity of the accompaniment to the opening
of verse one with that of the beginning of verse two, where a recurrence of some of the previously mentioned 44
"arabesque" is in evidence. The Irish and their land * certainly did spark great c'reativity in the heart and mind of this Englishman.
"To Eire" ("To Ireland"), by J.H. Cousins, is the last of the four Irish poems set by Bax in his
"Album of Seven Songs." It was composed in 1910 and is believed by some critics to be the finest of the seven songs in this group. Peterkin refers to it as "music full of emotion and deep yearning. Only
"A Milking Sian", of the Irish songs in the Album, rivals this piece in terms of its length. Considering the deep love Bax had for his adopted country, it only follows that a poem such as this would kindle such writing, as we have here. The poem speaks of those who "learned to love thy hidden name and the music of thy lips," of "some who. . . loved to sit around thy fire," and of
sons of thine who broke love's bands to seek a far off alien shore, (groping) through the world with aching hands. . * (hungering) for thee evermore. . . Thou hast a gift of peace, O Daughter of Divine Unrest.
For Bax, "the brazen romantic," these words compelled him to write. The first three pitches of the vocal line appear immediately in the prelude: first in F major, then a m3 lower, and still once more, slightly changed, a M3 lower still. In its original transposition then, the voice begins yet another beautiful melody atop simple, straightforward diatonic harmonies.
It should be noted that the "largamente" ought to be dutifully observed in any performance of the work.
Bax has written the vocal line moderately low and
"mezzo-forte," but he has helped the singer by directing the pianist to play softly at those places. The composer's predilection for variety is apparent here, too, where on beat one of measure 5, a IV chord appears, whereas at the same moment melodically in measure
9 a vi chord is sounded. Additionally, a "c" is sung on beat one of measure 6, while a "c#" is notated four bars later. As the first interlude commences the right hand of the accompaniment picks up on the theme, ascending noticeably, while the voice exits.
This prepares the hearer for a wonderful shift to the parallel minor and for a melody that is altogether different from that of the initial stanza. The rocking accompaniment is not unlike that of Britten's "Since she whom I loved" from "The Holy Sonnets of John Donne," while the melody consists mainly of leaps of a third, a fourth or a fifth. It is an appropriate musical 46 vehicle for the words "and count thy saddest songs their own" as well as for the message of warning regarding what has become of those who opted for foreign shores (verse 3).
In measure 31 the accompaniment takes on an Oriental flavor while the succeeding bar serves as a transition to A minor. The "groping" and "hungering" are portrayed most effectively by Bax here, with the ensuing interlude echoing the final two measures of the vocal line twice before returning to the motive introduced in measure
1, now transposed and re-harmonized. Melodically, the final stanza begins like the first, but with still another new harmonic progression (compare measures
5-6, 9-10, 41-42). The sounding of high "f" and "g" in measure 44 is quite different also, but opens the door for the last two lines of verse for which Bax has devised one more melodic/harmonic package. At the word "peace" the voice floats upward by an interval of a m7 to the tonic, in which vicinity the singer will remain even as the "Daughter of Divine unrest" is intoned in measures 49-51. After such chords as 47
7 iv , etc., the postlude becomes as simple and unaffected as the accompaniment to the first verse. While not the best-known song from this collection, "To Eire" may be its crowning jewel. CHAPTER V
In 1918 Bax was commissioned to write some French songs by J. and W. Chester Publications, who specialized in French and Russian repertoire at the time. "Trois
Enfantines," from "Repertoire Collignon No.3" (so- named because Mme. Collignon sang them first), was the result. Considering Bax's propensity for complexity, these "Three Songs for Children," which are actually nursery rhymes, seemed to have a calming effect on him. They are charming and relatively simple pieces.
The vocal line of the three songs spans a M9, with
"e" as the highest pitch, and the piano accompaniments are appropriately simple. Only the second song
"Berceuse," was given a title by Bax, so the first and last pieces may be referred to by the first few words of the text: "Jean, p'tit Jean" and "Une petite fille." Edward Agate, a composer in his own right, translated the songs so that they may also be sung in English. However, the performer who would sing the pieces in French must not make the mistake of 49 considering Agate's work as an accurate, word-for- word translation. At an early age Bax was introduced to the French language, and he is known to have made several trips to the continent, and to France in particular, during his lifetime.
The first piece is based on a rhyme consisting of eight verses, and it is the longest of the three.
The gist of the song, verse-by-verse, is as follows:
1) Jean must get to work, cutting wood, 2) On leaving, he tells his spouse to get up whenever she pleases,
3) "When you rise, bring breakfast to me," 4) By 8:30 a.m. breakfast has not arrived, 5) Finally she comes with soup and bacon, 6) While eating the soup, the cat carries off the bacon, 7) That's what women do when their husbands are away, 8) They eat sweet cream, saying the cat is the culprit. In D major and marked
"Allegro Grazioso," the four-bar prelude contains a phrase (Fig. 6) that will be used repeatedly.
Sometimes this phrase is quoted verbatim (i.e., mm.
15-18, mm. 79-82, and in the postlude) and on occasion it is slightly altered, or even shortened (i.e., mm.
29-30, 41,54,65, etc.). It is striking in a number of ways, not the least of which is the v chord of measure 2, followed by a chord In measure 4, and
finally, for the first time, the tonic chord. Few dynamic markings are indicated, and the tune never changes. (Singers ought to beware of the descending
M3 of measure 6 as contrasted with the descending
M2 two bars later). Verse one is accompanied primarily by chords, minus the third which stretch above the staff. The next verse begins exactly like its predecessor, but in measure 20 (its second bar) some subtly syncopated stepwise movement is found, also above the staff. At the verse's end, a third is now added in the accompaniment, where octaves only were heard in verse one. This, of course, is in keeping with Bax's urge to create and re-create without resorting to mere repetition. Not once is the accompaniment
AUfro Owi l m
Figure 6. Jean, p'tit Jean, mm. 1-5 the same for any of the eight verses. In verse three both hands of the pianist are now in the bass clef, where they remain till the second half of verse four.
Considerable evidence of Bax's experimental or modernist tendencies are apparent in this song. Any number of incidents might be noted at this point, but the tone clusters at bars 63,64 (Fig. 7) and 76 should suffice to make the point. Measure 76 is especially appropriate, as the initial appearance of the cat is accompanied by the piano's clusters. When the
"creme douce" is mentioned in the last verse, quarter notes and half notes dominate, coupled with traditional, diatonic harmony. It is a very charming piece, the language is well-set, and it could provide a good change of pace on a recital program. Evidently, Bax intended to place the lullaby
last at one time, but in the final compilation it
is the second number of the set. This song also appears
in D major, but it is in a lilting 6/8 time and is
marked "Moderato espressivo." This is the only song
that Bax renamed, entitling it "Berceuse," instead
of "Petit enfant, deja la brume." The poem contains
four verses and may be summarized as follows: 1)
Little child, already the fog stretches out around
the house, and one should sleep when the moon comes,
2) The sheep return bleating, and your eyelids cover your blue eyes, 3) Dream of the periwinkles that are found in the sea and of pretty birds in the branches,
4) Sleep without alarm, but if a dread seizes you, think of God who dries your tears.
The prelude is in two parts. The first four bars constitute the actual prelude, while measures
5-6 serve more as an introduction to the initial stanza.
The four-bar prelude, which is repeated in measures
15-18, consists of a number of seventh chords, both major and minor. The prelude is characterized by a traditional chord progression with effective use made of non-harmonic tones, both on and off the beat. It is very lovely and is followed by two measures of an arpeggiated D major triad, played by left hand only. When the voice enters to sing a melody hinted at in measure 1, the melody is sung a sixth lower.
The right hand counters with a melody of its own, while the occasional "e#" and "b^5" find their way into the left-hand arpeggios. One bar before verse two commences, a different pattern emerges in the bass staff of the accompaniment (Fig. 8), and it changes only once throughout the verse at measure 23. While the text mentions "sheep," the accompaniment assumes a pastoral nature, with the right hand introducing yet another melody well above the staff, while the left hand continues the pattern noted earlier, also
Figure 8. Berceuse, mm. 20-23. in the treble clef (Fig. 8). The succeeding interlude omits one bar of the prelude, then halts altogether for one half of a measure before embarking on another new pattern. The text of "Dream, little child," is accompanied by the piano's harplike succession of arpeggios, using both clefs and both hands, still managing to contain a counter-melody. Verse three's accompaniment ascends until a major chord is struck in measure 39 and all movement ceases. Now a church 1 bell seems to toll, as "d " is heard alone in the piano, following another brief silence. A iii chord
(D major) begins the final verse, followed by ii, iii, IV** and I® chords, respectively. This is significant since, until now, only major chords have served to begin each stanza. A series of secondary dominants is found in measure 47 as the verse moves to its conclusion, with the right hand constantly ascending, as if approaching heaven itself. The music of the prelude makes a final appearance in the opening bars of the postlude, with a descending bass line heard from measure 52 through measure 55. The tonic chord is played three times, in the bass clef only, to end "Berceuse." This lovely lullaby is probably 55 the highlight of the "Trois Enfantines" and deserves to be heard. While the analysis of these three songs hardly enables one to come to know the real Arnold
Bax, they do permit a person to see a side of him that is even less known than the composer himself.
"Une petite fille agee d'environ cin^ ans" is the last of the "Trois Enfantines" and is easily the shortest. In C major and in 2/4 time, it consists of only 31 measures and bears the tempo marking
"Allegretto." The rhyme can be summarized like this: a little girl of about five years of age flees her parents while at Vespers. Beware 1 Here's what happens when one leaves like that — the wolf will shortly eat her up! The girl's youthfulness is suggested by the sprightly tempo and by a bouncy accompaniment of broken triads through the song's first six measures.
As the child's departure is announced, the triads momentarily disappear, replaced by a succession of sixteenth notes which, with some interruption, proceed through the "Beware" section (mm. 12-17) and to the moral of the story. "Et voila. . ."is dubbed "piu lento" in order to properly set up the conclusion of the song and its moral. The broken triads recur for one bar here (m. 19), but will surface only once more hereafter, in the postlude. Measures 22-23 are not marked “a tempo," but in measure 22 "very light" could be easily interpreted to mean the same thing.
This, however, is shortlived, because "ad lib." is
suggested above the words "Bien-t3t le loup la mangera!
An unusual postlude, very chromatic and quite dissonant incorporates the rhythms of the prelude, bringing
the last song to its final resounding C major chord.
The trio of songs is undoubtedly one of Bax's more
successful efforts at reaching a considerable audience via this genre.
Foreman reports that:
1920 was a year of many triumphs including, at last, the secure establishment of Bax as a figure of national stature on the musical scene. Not only did he have publishers pressing him for works for publication, but new works were being performed or commissioned.54
Among the pieces he produced at this time are:
The Truth about the Russian Dancers Phantasy (for viola and orchestra) Of a Rose I Sing (a chamber piece for tenor, chorus and instrumental ensemble) Traditional Songs of France.
The manuscripts to these songs are lost, but Murdoch,
Murdoch and Co. published them as a set a year after 57
their creation. The songs were written in the space
of a few days in late July and August of 1920 and
are listed in order of their composition: 1) La Targo,
2) Me suis mise en danse, 3) Sarabande, 4) Langueo
d 1amours and 5) Femmes, battez vos marys. The first
four were completed in six days1 time while the last
one did not appear till 21 August. The order in which
they should be performed certainly need not coincide
with their dates of origin or the order in which they
appear in the Murdoch publication. So that the keys
and tempi may be varied in performance, perhaps "Me
suis mise. . ." could be sung first, followed by
"Sarabande," "Femmes. . .," "Langueo. . ." and "La
Targo". The songs will be discussed in this study, however, in the order in which Bax wrote them.
"Bold and Defiant" are the composer's instructions to performers of "La Targo." "To the fight (joust), brave men of Martigues" the poem begins. "If we fall in the water, we'll be fine." The piece is in 2/4 throughout and flirts with both E major and its relative minor at various times. The prelude begins with a single line in the treble, outlining C# minor, and the initial chord to be sounded is a C# minor chord; however, at the entrance of the voice in measure 5
we are immediately in E major. This key center is
shortlived, since before the first interlude appears,
G# minor is present (m. 12). At the interlude,
"Roughly," the key centers in and around C# minor.
The piece is to be rendered in a spirited and even
mocking manner with considerable abandon. Each verse
is set in exactly eight measures, separated by interludes
of either two or four measures. The vocal line is
contained in the space of a P5 (e-b) and remains constant
throughout. In fact, the melody in each of the five
songs is unchanged from verse to verse, resulting
in a set of themes and variations, or very modifed
strophic form. This may be one of the songs' drawbacks,
too, since it lends too much sameness to these otherwise
creative songs. The accompaniment to verse one of
"La Targo" is characterized by strong playing on and off the beat. All is "forte" and "fortissimo" as
the call to the contest is sounded, until the stage
is set for the second verse, at the halfway point ■>4 of the first interlude. Suddenly "piano" is called
for and staccato chords sound on every eighth note, with little change until the stanza's conclusion. 59
Verse two begins with "Pour plaire a nos fillettes
. . . il faut de pampillettes" ("to please our little ladles. . . we must don our spangles"). "Spangles" were small plates of shiny, decorative metal used until the late nineteenth century. This, of course, is what has prompted Bax to alter the style of the piano part so significantly that "leggiero" now appears in the score at bar 17, and the oom-pah is gone.
A I-vi-lJ -V progression serves as an accompaniment £ to the opening of the first verse, while a I-IV-I -
(flat VI+) progression begins the next verse, and 6 6 6 a vi - v - IV progression marks the beginning of the third stanza. Bax may well be guilty of undue complexity at times, but he cannot be charged with a lack of creativity. The second Interlude finds a grace note figure in the bass of the accompaniment, off the beat, ornamenting the melody first heard in the prelude. It is continued in the treble of the accompaniment in each of the measures of the third verse. "If there are those who would challenge us, we'll quickly knock them down," the bold jousters brag. What melody there is in the next and shortest interlude is written for the left hand, and it continues through the first four bars of the fourth stanza.
"When men fall without being touched, they'll be called jousters of the good King Rene." The link between verses four and five sees the initial theme once again before the accompaniment finally breaks into rolling arpeggios distributed between both hands throughout the verse. Inasmuch as the text speaks of "falling into the water," the piano accurately depicts its presence. A rollicking postlude of eight measures brings "La Targo" to its conclusion.
"Me suis mise en danse," the second of the five pieces to be finished, is dated 27 July 1920. It is interesting in a number of ways: 1} the first 12 bars consist of only one chord (F major) except for the F minor chord of m. 11 and 2) it is the only song
Figure 9. Me suis mise en danse, mm. 21-24. 61 of the group to employ simultaneous, multiple meters
(verse four). It is marked "Allegro moderato" and is in 6/8 time. "I am dancing between two gentlemen, my darling, and he who loves me most squeezed my hand."
Each of the two phrases of the verse is repeated once, using very similar melodic material but not until
"C'lui qui m'aimait le plus" do we leave the tonic harmony. Measure 13 ("C'lui. . .") begins with a vii /ii, becomes fully diminished on the second pulse of the bar and is followed by the ii chord (middle
"c" is suspended in the midst of the ii). The second half of the verse continues until it cadences on the tonic in measure 20. Two bars before the second verse commences, the eighth note movement, which had been restricted to the first half of the bar in the preceding material, now occupies the full measure. It is shared by the left and right hands of the pianist, alternating from one clef to the other (Pig. 9). Relatively little harmonic change occurs before the second half of the verse begins, so it is much like the first verse.
At bar 32 the piano offers a rising chromatic line as a counter-melody, while simultaneously varying the rhythmic structure through the use of syncopation. 62
In addition, at measure 37 the piano introduces even more rhythmic variation with some three against two.
This counter-melody is repeated at measure 36, an octave lower and in an inner voice of the accompaniment.
A two-bar interlude separates verse two from verse three, and contains an ostinato bass forming the background for the vocal line which has been heard twice previously. Chords on the strong beats played by the right hand embellish the accompaniment as well.
"I offer you red, green and white ribbons which you should wear three times a year," the young lady says.
The effect created here is lovely, although it is questionable whether one could say that it has any critical relation to the text. The final 10-measure interlude is the longest of the lot, and is noteworthy because of its shift from 6/8 to 2/4. The first six bars are in 6/8, but with chords being played only on the strong beats, with the exception of measures
61-62, the way is nicely paved for the introduction of the new meter for the piano at measure 64. Now the two hands remain in the lower half of the keyboard, with the left hand playing octaves on the beat while the right hand performs F major triads off the beat. 63
The true nature of the piece is now fully revealed for perhaps the first time. A teasing mood is suggested by the text, "Wear one ribbon at Whitsuntide, one on St. John's Day, and the other on our wedding day."
At measure 78 the 2/4 meter is interrupted for two bars, but at measure 82 the 6/8 returns permanently.
During these meter changes, the vocal line has been true to the original time signature. The 12-bar postlude consists of thick chords moving in opposite directions, accelerating to the ultimate cadence, marked "Riotously" by Bax.
The first song to appear in the Murdoch publication is "Sarabande." Based on an old French melody, in
B minor, it is in 3/4 time and marked at a "Sarabande tempo." The prelude is four measures long and is repeated as an interlude between each of the song1s three stanzas. Melodically, the prelude is composed of a descending motive which is outlined in measure
1, echoed diatonically in the second bar, and altered somewhat in its last two measures. The descent encompasses an octave and a fifth. If "La Targo" is robust, "Sarabande" is characterized by a sense of wistfulness. Julian Herbage, writing in 1953, 64 says that the robust element Is "largely responsible for the element of structure and inventiveness, while 55 (Bax's wistfulness) provided the chromatic accessory."
This chromaticism is present to a degree in most of this piece, but it is developed extensively with each succeeding verse. Verse one begins with "Love, you cause me pain, unwittingly, night and day. I have gone in 100,000 circles trying to find the middle, if possible, to hold my darling for but one hour."
The vocal line rises and falls above and below the tonic for the 16 measures of its duration, using the first six measures as the last six. At the conclusion of each verse the piano adds a one-bar coda to the vocal line by playing a B minor chord only, lying below middle "c." The accompaniment to verse one usually involves .three or four voices and can be described as being in chorale style, with a moderate amount of chromatic movement. In the second verse, however, four or more voices are most always in evidence, with a great proliferation of the chromatic element.
The text says, "When I see her pass so softly before me. . . I tell her 'Friend, I greatly desire to love you faithfully'." By way of briefly contrasting the harmonic schemes of the initial stanzas, one need
look no further than the first two bars. In verse
one, on beat two, a ii^g is used, followed by a V^, whereas in verse two the tonic chord is succeeded by the V^/V and the I V ^ . This is characteristic of much of the rest of this lush accompaniment and
serves to emphasize the decidedly strong sense of longing in this stanza. A significant portion of
the middle verse is to be done "mf" or "f," and this prepares the listener for the elegant setting of the
final verse. "Little nightingale, who sings in the green bush, go to my darling and sing her a joyous, amourous song." More than once Bax has shown a propensity to move suddenly to a key that is in a relationship of a third to the original key, and that happens at bar 49. Without any preparation we are immediately taken to D major. A ninth chord begins 2 4 this tender phrase, followed by V and vij, the left hand providing the accompaniment as the right hand freely imitates the song of the nightingale. "My friend, the day is coming when my heart will delight in pleasing you alone." As this line is sung the dynamic level begins to increase, extending, for all 66 intents and purposesr to the ultimate bar of the postlude. "Trionfale," Bax writes at the outset of the postlude which finishes in B major.
Along with "Sarabande," "Langueo d'amours, ma douce fillette" provides the stylistic and atmospheric contrasts that the other three songs of the set demand.
It is the only one marked "Lento" but, like "Me suis mise en danse" is also in F major {2/4 time). The prelude is 10 bars long and is in two parts: the first four measures consist of a single line "sung" by the left hand, which introduces the four-measure melody that begins each of the work's three verses, and the next six bars comprise a passage somewhat improvisational in nature, culminating at the I chord with an added sixth. Bars 5-8 amount to a rhythmically augmented version of measures 2-3, complete with chordal accompaniment and some decoration (Fig. 10). "Language of love, my sweet darling," the poem begins, to a very simple piano accompaniment, but one which subtly echoes snatches of the vocal line within its framework
(i.e., mm. 13-14). Just as the prelude begins to develop following the statement of the theme, so the vocal accompaniment begins to flourish in measure 67
16. Until the serenity of the final sung phrase there is a steady succession of eighth notes, sixteenth notes and dotted eighths supporting a vocal line which, while drawing on some of the material of the first phrase, now seems to be as extemporaneous as the accompaniment. One of the most unusual traits of this song is the juxtaposition of Old French and
Latin within the poem, unlike any of the other French pieces discussed in this document or any other French
L*nlo. twiika dtlietlt nHlt uU fu i Figure 10. Lanqueo d*amours, mm. 1-11. 66 songs of which I am aware. "L'herbette" ("lawn") is the last word of the first verse and is spun out over four bars, with the piano temporarily cadencing in D major at measure 28. One beat after the D major chord is struck, a variation of the original theme is played, without the presence of an F major chord until measure 31. In the following bar a new pattern of accompaniment begins above which the principal theme will be sung two bars later. This pattern is curious in that it recalls the middle segment of the main theme in a rhythmically diminished form and is similar to the accompaniment of the first two verses of "Me suis mise en danse." This section is marked "languido" and begins, textually, "I was in your little chamber today. . ." The whole of the verse is very sensual and its setting is very appropriate, characterized by fluid stepwise movement, often very chromatic, but not straying far from F major. As the words "Love is a very sweet thing" are sung, the verse closes, for an instant, in G major, in contrast with the D major chord at the corresponding spot in the previous verse. The interlude might revert to F major at any number of places, but wanders instead for several bars before finally re-estabishing the original key at measure 56. Now, still another accompaniment pattern is set forth, one in which the rhythm is more important than its melody (Fig. 11). Demuth notes that "Bax is not dissimilar from 56 (Debussy)," and in a song like this, that relationship is strengthened. As "Verno tempore florissant rosette" is sung, the accompanist, very quietly and tenderly, strokes the designated pitches at the upper end of the keyboard in preparation for a slow, delicious descent. The procedure is repeated several bars later, although with a different harmonic scheme. Among Bax's other directions to the pianist are the words "carezzando" and "dreamily" in measures 65 and 62, respectively. "Langueo d'amours" is a very inventive piece harmonically and one in which Bax the pianist Figure 11. Langueo d1Amours, mm. 58-59 70 is much in evidence* The singer is absent in nearly half of the song's 87 bars. "Femmes, battez. . begins with "Ladies, beat your husbands, who are full of jealosy. But don't beat mine, I beg you, with love and a song. My darling treats me like no one else." So goes the last of the five "Traditional Songs of France." In the same key (E major) and meter (2/4) as "La Targo," and in a similar style, "Femmes, battez vos marys" is marked "Allegro risoluto." The vocal line is outlined in the seven-bar prelude, as has been the case in several other songs. The melody begins "forte," on a high "e," and cadences briefly in measure 17, an octave lower. In his typical style Bax suddenly changes the dynamic level at measure 12, where the singer pleads, "but don't beat mine." This phrase crescendos to "forte" again, but is followed by "p" at measure 17 in what amounts to a phrase extension which takes the singer to the song's highest pitch, "f#." Once the interlude commences the theme is re-stated and re-harmonized. Three times in the song a 3/4 bar is inserted, in the prelude and in each of the interludes. At measure 29 another melodic idea is put forth in the vocal line, but at measure 42 the principal theme is heard in the voice again, to an accompaniment identical to that of measures 7-11. Measure 47 finds the continuation of the melody of measures 12-21, but with another chord progression beneath it. It is a catchy tune, with an accompaniment that is not overly difficult. This set of songs, from a mature Bax, merits an occasional hearing. Although these songs may fail to offer adequate challenge to the singer, their successful performance requires an able, sensitive accompanist. CHAPTER VI Foreman discusses how Bax was influenced by the current political climate of Ireland: Bax as a man had grown away from those with a first-hand involvement in the politics of Ireland, and all he could do was demonstrate his emotional ambi valence (to the recent tragedies) in some of his greatest music. Between 18 February and 1 March 1921, Bax set verses by favorite Irish authors — Joseph Campbell, J.M. Synge and his friend Padraic Colum — and these were quickly published by Murdoch as 'Five Irish Songs.1 becoming comparatively popular.57 Like much of his earlier output for piano and voice, these pieces call for an accomplished pianist and a medium-high voice. The songs reach as low as low "Bb ," but tend to have a moderately high tessitura. "Across the Door," dated 18 February 1921, is the first of the "Five Irish Songs" to have been completed. It is based on a poem by Colum whom Bax described as "the friendliest soul on earth. . . and the purest and most generous nature I have ever 58 (encountered)." The poem, three verses of four 72 lines each, describes a couple involved in a dance, but who at one point leave the crowd in order to be alone outside, with each other in the company of nature. The "Vivace" marking is in sharp contrast to the preceding song in the Murdoch publication, but it is shortlived. Nonetheless, the playful nature of the prelude and of the first verse, characterized by the constant movement of sixteenth notes in the treble clef of the accompaniment, is much in keeping with the idea of "fiddlers. . . playing and playing" and with "the couples . . . out on the floor." A "ritard." of one and one half measures beginning in the middle of measure 10 leads very naturally from the concluding line of verse one, ". . .across the door," to the succeeding stanza. The final word of verse one and the departure of the two dancers signal the change of tempo to "Lento" which is followed by "Molto lento" three bars later. In a word, the first 10 bars fly by, while the remaining 28 float by. More of Bax the impressionist is in evidence at bar 15, where a gentle, rocking accompaniment drifts along with the vocal line. Leigh Henry said, 71 years ago that "the most pronounced characteristic of all known types of Celtic art is the sense of decoration and 59 sharply defined imagery which they evince." The strangeness of the "dim wide meadows," "the cloud- strewn sky. . . the corncrakes (a short-billed, Eurasian rail found in grain fields). . . (and) the white hawthorn" are aptly depicted in an accompaniment which relies nearly as much on the whole-tone scale as on the three flats of the key signature. The pastoral element is also emphasized by the flute-like nature of other portions of the piano part. Colum's (or Colm's) final verse Bax has set similarly, but with an arpeggiated left-hand passage which distinguishes it from the second. However, "molto legato" and "molto teneramente" indicate that the brokenness of the chords is not at all to be brought out. Of particular note is Bax's treatment of the words, "His kiss on my mouth." In the prior measure little movement has been decreed, and a Db major chord is sounded. "Kiss" though, prompts the simultaneous sounding of a complete whole-tone scale, followed one beat later, and in the space of one beat, by its appearance in scalar form - with the addition of three more pitches! "Mouth" calls forth a chordal accompaniment for the left hand, with a melody In octaves for the other hand utilizing three against two. It is the beginning of an extended postlude g which ends with the playing of a c chord and which in some respects is reminiscent of the final bars of Schumann's "Im wunderschonen Monat Mai." It is a sophisticated, descriptive musical painting of an evening Bax himself may have experienced during his lifetime. Bacharach writes that "Bax once confessed that for him the problem of composition consisted in the translation of ideas and impressions into the language of music. . . (and that) the result should be listened to as pure music. "Beg-Innish," on a poem by J.M. Synge, is more different stylistically than any of the companion pieces in the set. The directions for performance are outlined by Bax: "Allegro moderato. Fierce and reckless (to be played throughout with a harsh and crude accentuation)". Bring Kateenbeug and Maurya Jude to dance in Beg-Innish, And when the lads (they're in Dunquin), Have sold their crabs and fish, Wave fawny shawls and call them in, And call the little girls who spin, And seven weavers from Dunquin, To dance in Beg-Innish. 76 The music is somewhat in the manner of an Irish jig with most beats divided in half to give an oom-pah effect throughout. This piece is not nearly as sustained as "Across the Door," but goes higher and has a broader range than any of the other songs. A baritone might have some difficulty negotiating this one. As one might expect of Bax, even in the oom-pah accompaniment there are subtle, constantly changing chords in evidence underneath the vocal line, and there are several meter changes as well. With the beginning of the second verse, as in "Me suis mise en danse," Bax employs multiple meters. However, in this instance the singer and the pianist's left hand are in "common" time, while the right hand is in 6/6. The text reads ". . .I've silken strings would draw a dance, From girls are lame or shy. . ." The left hand is still in an oompah mode while the other takes off on a melody all its own. All the while the voice repeats its own melody as first heard in measures 7-15. By the time the second interlude of seven measures arrives, both hands of the pianist are in 4/4 again, although 2/4 bars are interjected twice. The final stanza begins in a tempo that differs from the rest of the song, "Piu lento (Heavy and Emphatic)." "We'll have no priest nor peeler in to dance in Beg-Innish, but we'll have drink. . ." the poet says. As if to make plain the fact that such intruders would surely spoil the fun, the accompaniment is now almost devoid of eighth notes. Half notes and quarter notes dominate, while the voice repeats the same melody heard in the earlier verses, marked by strategically placed accents. This interruption lasts for only four measures, before the original tempo resumes and the party is on again. It is a rollicking, free-wheeling song that should "be sung with plenty of abandon and more than a spice of wickedness.The postlude is seven measures long, marked "Feroce," and incorporates ideas previously encountered in the accompaniment until measure 51. Here, each hand moves in contrary motion, playing octaves and fifths, till the chords thicken in measure 52. The importance of this piece will be seen even more clearly as the ensuing songs are discussed. The only undated composition of this group is "I heard a piper'piping" on a poem by Joseph Campbell. This song offers an interesting contrast to the one just described, and it is also curious in several ways. First, it begins with an unaccompanied, un measured pipe solo beginning on fff^. This is performed on the piano in a fashion that might suggest a melancholic piper aimlessly wandering among the hills of Ireland. This unusual prelude lasts approximtely 30 seconds, ending with three soft, dense chords. At this moment 4/4 meter is inserted, along with a tempo marking of "Lento." As if in response to the pipe, the singer now proceeds, without accompaniment, with a seven-measure solo, "I heard a piper piping the blue hills among, and never have I heard so plaintive a song." As "song" is released the pianist gently strikes a chord which is followed by another pipe solo, the first half of which is identical to the same portion of the prelude. After this second un measured passage (not quite as drawn out as the first one) the voice and piano join forces (m. 12) for the first time. The vocal line remains constant throughout, but for some insignificant changes made necessary by the text in a few spots. The song is made more interesting and plaintive by its use of the Dorian mode, as well as by the addition of tone clusters. The chords which accompany the voice and pipe solos (mm. 12-18) last for a full measure or more, with the exception of the two chords of bar 16. Brief and relatively measured, the following Interlude concludes with four consecutive half-note chords. At the upbeat to measure 24 the voice Is heard singing once more, above those same chords, "And still the piper piped the blue hills among." As the phrase "And all the birds were quiet" is sung, the only pitch emanating from the piano is "FF#." With the release of the word "quiet" a brief chord is played by the pianist, succeeded by a full beat of silence. Finally the singer re-enters with the last phrase to the accompaniment of four soft low tones in the piano. A "piercing" pipe solo, identical to that of the prelude, is now played for the last time by the pianist. The "forte" at measure 31 is perhaps as important for the sake of the chord's longevity as for anything else, for most of the postlude is dubbed "p" to "ppp." It is an uncommon piece, but an elegant one, by virtue of its simplicity, its haunting unaccompanied solos, and in it "the real lyrical quality stands out 62 convincingly." 80 Joseph Campbell also penned "As I came over the grey, grey hills," and its musical setting was completed by Bax on the last day of February 1921. This song is marked "Slow March time" and is in "common" time almost exclusively, with the exception of bar 22 and the first half of verse three. The poem is replete with images of Ireland (and Scotland), from the "grey hills," to the "grey water," "the gilly," "Ore," "Eirinn," the "awny corn" and so on. Bax was obviously familiar with these places, and dearly loved the sights and sounds they afforded him. While he claims never to have used a folk-song in his writing, it is likely that Bax was inspired by the tunes native to these places in this composition, for the melodies belong to the "folk-song family."®'* The Celtic influence is very apparent in this descriptive song. In E major, the introduction is rather "fanfarish" in mood through the fourth bar, following which the "walking" octaves appear in the bass clef. Four bars later the voice enters with the first verse, "As I came over . . . I saw the gilly leading on, And the White Christ following after." (A 'gilly1 is a Scottish term for the servant of a Highland chieftain). Quarter notes and eighth notes prevail until the "White Christ" is mentioned, at which time a G*5 major chord is heard for three beats. Bax cleverly depicts the "following after" by echoing the vocal line in the piano in measures 15 and 17, two beats removed in the first instance and one in the second. This song is only a M3 shy of encompassing two full octaves, stretching from h H low B to high G and the lower pitches are very important. They must be produced at or near "forte" more than once. Measures 21-27, consist of 12 repetitions of a three-eighth-note pattern by the left hand, beneath the melody heard in verse one (Fig. 12). "Where does the gilly lead?" it asks, and the melodic line crescendoes to "forte" on the high G*3 as the "four grey seas of Eirinn" are mentioned. As with the initial stanza, at the repetition of the last line of verse the dynamic level decreases dramatically, setting the stage for the next stanza. Here, open fifths typify the accompaniment with five octaves between the lowest and the highest pitches. The distance prepares the way for lines such as "The moon is set and the wind's away. . ." As noted above, this stanza is in 3/4 time, with the exception of 82 measure 40. (The Murdoch edition has mistakenly omitted the 3/4 meter signature at m. 41). The high point U of this verse occurs in bar 45 on an E , a m3 lower than that of the other verses. Connecting the final stanzas is an interlude of three bars, but measure 47 is "senza tempo" and may be as long as three or four measures. The piano is "ff" when the singer begins verse four, which suggests that the travelers will continue their journey "Till the ring in the East is showing, And the awny corn is red on the hills, and the golden light is glowing." As happens with verses one &nd two, the music softens dynamically at the repetition of the ultimate line where, in measure 57, all four chords are rolled. The postlude then builds steadily to "ff,", marked "Pesante." Six octaves vfcna feUaWttte atecMlf Figure 12. As I came over the grey, grey hills, mm. 24-26. and at least 14 pitches are heard ringing in the final bar of what is probably the longest of the "Five Irish Songs." Richard Church met the composer in his home during the year 1921, and heard Bax play the piano. He notes, "His playing . . . was massive, a composer's utilisation of the pianoforte. . . But it was also 64 dextrous." One can well imagine hearing Bax at the keyboard in this work. "Beauty is our one aim: purely scientific compositions — the Fugue, Canon, the Motet and the 65 Madrigal — no longer appeal to the modern mind." "A work of art is good in inverse ratio to its 66 intellectuality." The above quotes are attributed to Arnold Bax, but may give pause to someone considering his song, "The Pigeons." "I cannot make much of 'The Pigeons'"67 Lee said in his 1930 article in Musical Opinion. Indeed, it is strikingly different from any of the pieces discussed heretofore. Based on another Colum poem, it speaks of one who, on hearing some pigeons tenderly "stirring within the nest," is reminded of a "child's hand at the breast. I cried, '0 stir no more'. . . A childless woman hears 1" The "stirring" or rustling of the birds is portrayed 84 by the simultaneous sounding of three consecutive half steps on the beat and their resolution to a M3 on the second half of the same beat. The three pitches U (e, f and g ) are transposed throughout the song but are heard in more than half of its measures, usually three times per measure. It seems unlike Bax who claimed that "As manifestations of neurosis in art, such works as Schonberg's 'Erwartung' and 'Pierrot Lunaire,1 and Berg's 'Wozzeck' and 'Lulu' are unsurpassed."68 In addition to the consecutive half steps noted above are the sixteenth notes and sixteenth note triplets begun just off the beat on A in the second bar (Fig. 13). In combination with the vocal line, which enters on a "d," and in light of "As I • X hwnthnvi la (fee alffelalftl ta* fl-pou __ Figure 13. The Pigeons, mm. 3-4 came over the grey, grey hills," "The Pigeons" hardly sounds like anything Bax could have written. The voice moves about somewhat, dipping to a low "b" in measure 17, but generally hovering chromatically between "b " and "d ." Bax's use of consonance is most unconventional, too, as seen by the sounding of the major chord in measure 4 and in its reappearance, a m3 lower, two bars later. Writing in 1925, Joseph Holbrooke says that with Bax "We here now begin to 69 tread on the new style of modern music." While the song defies any attempt at traditional analysis, some noteworthy observations regarding the treatment of the text ought to be pointed out. For instance, at measure 9 the dissonances disappear at the mention of the "child's hand," to be resumed soon thereafter. At measure 16, when the pigeons are asked for the second time to "stir no more," the extreme dissonances are gone again. Then, at bar 19, a two-measure "rocking" section manifests itself. Whereas the rest of this song is in a slow 3/4, this two-bar segment is in 6/8. Finally, having resumed the original meter in measure 21, at measure 23 following almost two beats t of silence the voice sings "A childless woman hears 1" 86 unaccompanied. The five-bar postlude overlaps the vocal line for one beat, and then repeats measures 1-2 verbatim in measures 26-27. A bass line which descends more than two and one half octaves leads j. to the last chord on E major. More than most Bax songs, "The Pigeons" will take some time for the performer to adjust to. In view of his other works for piano and voice, it is a fascinating composition, perhaps foreshadowed some years earlier by a work such as "Roundel" on a text by Chaucer and appearing in Bax's "Album of Seven Songs." Another set of songs, the 'Three Irish Songs' to words by Padraic Colum, was written the following February (1922). These three haunting settings — 'Cradle Song,' 'Rann of Exile,' and 'Rann of Wandering' — underline Bax's concern for Ireland. They also remind us of what a considerable songwriter Bax was, though only a few of his marvelous songs have established any sort of niche in the repertoire. . . Through his music, with its strongly neo-folksong melodic line, Bax creates powerful and emotional images that far transcend their purely Irish origins.70 Lee noted in 1930 that "Much of his music is very difficult . . . that is why I am now calling attention to the ('Three Irish Songs')."71 It will be made clear within the next few pages that even here there 87 are challenges to be met, but that these three pieces afford the performer some relief from the complexity of other Bax songs. "Cradle Song" is the first of the set and is U cast in E major, as is the concluding piece. One of the features that immediately catches the eye is the use of multiple meters: the accompaniment is in 9/8, and the vocal line is in 3/4. This treatment is not new for Bax, and it creates some added rhythmic interest with the three against two that results. The song begins with a left-hand piano solo ("rocking") that immediately establishes the key. This is joined two bars later by a right-hand melody (Fig. 14) which becomes a kind of motif, recurring in the first interlude (an octave higher initially), in part in the second interlude, and in the postlude. With the upbeat to measure 9, the voice appears, "Sotto voce." "0, men from the fields 1 come gently within, tread softly . . ." The composer's dislike of repetition is illustrated in measure 10 as the "rocking" accompaniment figure is altered chromatically so that a 'g*5' in the piano clashes fleetingly with "f-natural" in the vocal line. The harmony is changed structurally in such a way that by measure 13 "softly" Is heard above a C15 major chord. However, a il**7, with a Bb pedal In the next bar permits a cadence In the original key. The beautiful motif of measures 3-4 Is first replayed an octave higher than It sounded Initially, then In the original transposition. In verse two the vocal line is almost the same as that of verse one, with the exception of the drop of a M6 from measure Molto tnnqnlUo, PIANO,1 Ktcking Figure 14. Cradle Song, mm. 107. 23 to measure 24. This compares with the descent by a P5 at the corresponding point in the first verse. "Mavoureen is going from me and from you. Where Mary will fold him, with mantle of blue." This stanza u cadences in E major also, but via a different harmonic route. Whereas C major is encountered in verse one, A major is met with in this instance. Quickly, the succeeding interlude moves to G*5 major where verse three begins the dynamic climax of the song. At the words "... cold of the floor" the only true "forte" of the piece is heard. While the song's several verses share similar musical material, it is here that Bax includes some new musical thoughts. This is all very brief, however, (especially the "forte") for the next three bars, "And the peering of things across the half door," are marked "pianissimo" and "sotto voce." Here begins the third interlude, which flirts with E minor, and uses augmented triads before finally returning to the original key in measure 39. With the entrance of the voice at measure 40 the first half of the original vocal line appears with increased, but subtle, harmonic changes underneath it. Where the text reads "Mary put round him. . ." the singer 90 L L softly floats up to a high g atop a C major chord. In measure 45, after the singer has descended to the lower g the piano descends chromatically in a way that is reminiscent of the musical style of Gershwin. At bar 47 the final return of E^ major occurs, followed by a brief postlude. "Cradle Song" is a lovely piece which makes considerable use of multiple meters. Skillful vocal technique will be needed to successfully spin out the soft, high tones of the last stanza. From the "Cradle Song" Colum and Bax take the listener to the loneliness and despair of "Rann of Exile." "In the manner of a Caoin," or lament, another pipe-figure (Fig. 15) appears, playing freely in and around the treble clef. "Bitterly" the voice begins, Nor right, nor left, nor any road I see a comrade face, Nor word to lift the heart in me I hear in any place, They leave me, who pass by me, To my loneliness and care, Without a house to draw my steps nor a hearth that I might share! The melody is modal in character and begs to be delivered in a rhythmically free manner, disguising the frequent 7 meter changes inherent in the score. The F chord of measure 10 begins the first of a string of seventh and ninth chords that dot the score (see also mm. 13,14,15,17', etc.). Bar 20 is the primary bar of an Interlude that seems to cry out to someone or to something and It climaxes at measure 23. Now the singer loudly and precisely reiterates the opening "lament" of the piece. By including the ornament over the high "g," it can be determined that the vocal line spans a twelfth in this woeful piece. The accompaniment is not particularly taxing from a technical standpoint, but, with the vocal line, will necessitate some careful attention to ensemble if it is to be done well. Following the singer's lament of measure 24, a new verse commences in which the piano makes continued use of seventh and ninth chords, in addition to frequent use of quarter note triplets and triads Moderate. in Ik* mmnntr *f • Cm*im. Figure 15. Rann of Exile, mm. 1-3. which move, first in parallel motion and then in contrary motion. Lee notes that the singer must "enter into the bitterness of the Celt who sees his potatoes rotting and his people being scattered to the ends of the 72 globe," and surely that is the case at this juncture. Fittingly, when the "rotting" is mentioned in bar 30, Bax spices the accompaniment with appropriate dissonances. Only once does the singer reach "fortissimo" and that is at measure 33 where he shamelessly grieves "I might have stood in Connacht, on top of Cruachmaelinn, And all around me I would see the hundreds of my kin." Bax cadences at "kin" (m. 40) in D major, as he does at the same spot in the preceding verse (m. 19). Except for a few rhythmic changes to accommodate the text, the melody employed from measures 25-40 is exactly the same as that found in measures 4-19. The postlude of this mournful song begins with a precise restatement of the first half of the interlude, but follows it with the chord of measure 24 and an abbreviated recounting of the motif heard at the outset of the work. It ends very softly with an A minor chord, with both hands in the bass clef. 93 The tempo of "Rann of Wandering" is similar, "moderato," to its predecessor, but the mood is entirely different. While song number two is all doom and gloom, the protagonist is in high spirits in the finale of the "Three Irish Songs." On Saint Bride's Day, when it comes, I will throw a sail on the lake, And in Cahir of my kindred on a fine day I'll awake, There the.hounds will go before us, and make the music of delight. . . Characterized by a melody that is very "folklike," this piece never strays from E major,- also the key of "Cradle Song." The first half of the four-measure prelude is spirited and strong, putting forth an idea in a single voice which is repeated immediately. The repetition is an octave higher, soft, and minus Trnpo nodertto. Figure 16. Rann of Wandering, mm. 1-4. 94 the final two beats of the motif (Fig. 16). At the 4 7 repetition, a vi^ - ii - iii progression is also included. After two beats of silence the voice enters alone, using the same three pitches with which the prelude begins, to be rejoined by the piano two beats hence. It is a carefree melody for the singer, with an accompaniment that appears and disappears time and again. The vocal line stretches from low b*3 to high f, but leans toward the middle and lower pitches, requiring strength in the lower octave if the piece is to be successful in this key. Bax has treated a very catchy melody interestingly and economically throughout. Measures 5-8 are roughly the same as measures 17-20, measures 9-12 are similar to measures 30-32, and measures 13-16 are likewise akin to measures 33-36. Within this framework Bax has some effective word-painting. For instance, when the phrase, "O my courage will be mounting up. . ."is sung, the accompaniment, beginning on a unison E (bass clef), climbs an octave and a third, first anticipating then mirroring the movement of the vocal line. Varying the harmony somewhat, as is typical of Bax, a very similar idea textually, "and my heart was always lifted," is handled in an analogous manner in measures 37-38. Finally, "the scattering of the mist" finds the pianist with both hands well above middle "c," accentuating the mist's height and movement. A piece of this nature, 73 according to Lee, "is a joy to sing." For those performers not equipped to perform some of the more difficult songs of this fine British composer, this set of songs is well worth their consideration. CHAPTER VII Not quite six months after the completion of "A Celtic Song Cycle," Bax's next published song, "When we are lost," appeared. It was finished on 27 January 1905 during the composer's final year at the Royal Academy of Music. Although Bax did not regularly use the pseudonym "Dermot O'Bryne" until 1909, this song is based on a text by the composer and bears the name, Dermot O'Byrne. Interestingly, more than 78 years passed before it received its initial performance by tenor Jeff Weaver and pianist David Norris at the British Music Information Centre in London, England. Bax seemed to prefer higher voices in his song- writing. Perusal of the score reveals a vocal line with a range of a twelfth, with a sustained high "a" and a relatively high tessitura. Also revealed is a typically complex and technically difficult piano accompaniment, but Bernard Shore points out that " . . .none of the technical problems are there for 96 97 display — they are inherent in the thought he is 74 expressing." Bax's own text provides ample opportunity for musical dramatics. Consider the following excerpts as an example: When we are lost within the dust and sand of desert years, Who then shall count the cost...? The shadow of fear, Our wandering path has crossed, The cloudy waves surge onward to the land. Time's thundering storms sweep down with ice and frost, To chill the songs of love. . . Beginning "pianissimo" at measure 20, with the words "The shadow of fear" and both hands of the pianist in the bass clef, the music pours forth until a climax is achieved at bar 28. The accompaniment has climbed nearly three full octaves and the singer sustains a high "a." The inspiration of the sea is plain through this dramatic segment, as it is in many of Bax's compositions. Beginning with a five-bar prelude, J u the song is apparently in A major. However, after considerable wandering, and not until the final bar (m. 47), is there a clear tonic chord. Indeed, "tonal 75 ambiguity is a major feature of Bax's style," even early on, as in this example. The extremities of the piano are used extensively, with perhaps slightly more use made of the lower pitches than of the treble range. Rhythmically, there is a great deal of complexity, while new melodic material is found on every page. With the words of the song's title, a motif, which first falls and then ascends, can be found three times in the piece (at nun. 6,15 and 40) with each appearance being altered slightly. As has been shown in earlier chapters, Bax's accompaniments clearly indicate that he was an accomplished pianist. While there is no postlude in "When we are lost," the prelude and interludes account for a significant portion of the song. In a review of the British Broadcasting Corporation's airings of much of the music of Arnold Bax during 1983, the centenary of his birth, Anthony Payne insightfully wrote, "A major discovery. . . was the generally high quality of his early music. . . precise, brilliant and absolutely personal -- even earlier in his career than. . . 76 previously thought." Pour lines, from the first and third verses of A.E.'s poem "Parting," are the inspiration — perhaps with that of Harriet Cohen — for Bax's song of the same title, written in 1916: 99 As from our dream we died away, Far off I felt the outer things; . . . We lived and then we rose to part, Because her ways are infinite. It is a song characterized by a ravishing and moderately difficult accompaniment, which opens and closes in E major. The outer verses are in 3/4 meter, while the remainder of the song is in common time. A British writer "Colin Scott-Sutherland has demonstrated that the 'Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra1 is linked thematically with the song 'Parting,' written at the same time . . . Quotations from the piano accompaniment to the song appear with the statement of the theme and at the end of the first variation. The first eight bars of the final variation 'Triumph' are a literal quotation from the song.72 The eight-bar prelude to the song is clearly in E major, but it wanders frequently from that tonal center, often in alternating measures. Each stanza has a different melody, with the outer ones exhibiting a rather high tessitura. The first seven measures of the 3/4 section (mm. 7-13), like the prelude, move in and around E major, but as the second line of verse is treated, "Far off I felt the outer things," markedly greater harmonic variety is shown. Subtly, Bax has paid particular attention to the words "wind-blown tresses," with sweeping passages by the right hand at the upper end of the keyboard. Only the last line of the first verse finds the singer in a noticeably different range. "Your bosom's gentle murmurings" is set an octave lower than most of the preceding lines, and with this line Bax wends his way back to the key of E major. This repose is shortlived, as the second stanza begins "And far away our faces met, As on the verge of the spheres," with C major established as the tonal center (without changing the key signature). Seventh and ninth chords are frequently used through this passage with both voice and piano markedly lower than in verse one. As with much of his writing there is a great deal of chromaticism present. Holbrooke says, therefore that "His style I should give the title of Romantic Chromatics. He is another of the Impressionistic School."7® This is vividly illustrated in "Parting," as the interludes, combined with the introduction and postlude, comprise very nearly one half of the song. Beginning at measure 43 the second interlude commences a 10-bar climb culminating in E major, with the pianist's hands separated by six octaves. The reason for using the extremities of the keyboard is textual, referring to "As one within the Mother's heart, In that hushed dream upon the height." Vocally the song returns now to the high tessitura of the initial verse, only descending briefly to speak of "parting." The accompaniment moves briefly toward the middle of the piano at this juncture also, but as the final line is intoned both instrument and voice rise again, until the piano finishes with three consecutive bars of E major chords, between e1 and b . "Parting" is a "characteristic example of harmonic 79 subtlety" and a worthy grasp for the infinite. 80 Bax "gave up songwriting after 1926," Howes asserts in The English Musical Renaissance. "Watching the Needleboats" is one of two songs published after that-year, with only two more songs to follow it. Although the manuscript has been lost, the piece, published in 1932, is based on a two-verse poem of James Joyce, "Watching the Needleboats at San Sabba," dated approximately 20 years earlier. Marked "Lento," the work is clearly in A minor, with frequently alternating 3/4 and 4/4 meters. Bax has been cited often for his very difficult accompaniments, but while 102 many pieces may suffer from too many notes, that is not the case here, for restraint is apparent. Vocally, an octave plus a minor third is covered, and a moderately high tessitura prevails, so that a soprano or tenor will once again be required. The song opens with a one-bar introduction, repeated exactly in measure 2, that outlines an A minor chord. Beats two through four, however, define the melodic minor form of the key (Fig. 17). Whereas the piano's theme descends, the counter-melody of the singer rises steadily. Four times the vocal line begins a phrase on a low "e," w ill b| m Figure 17. Watching the Needleboats. mm. 1-4 each time ascending an octave or more, with the phrases that conclude the respective stanzas remaining on the high "e.M "I heard their young hearts crying, Loveward above the glancing oar. . On the sixth word Bax reaches a d# in the voice, while all the pitches of a melodic minor scale (Key of A minor), minus f#, are played in the piano accompaniment. As the next line of verse begins, the dft resolves upward to the dominant, while a series of major triads descends chromatically. At measure 5 the motive introduced four bars earlier recurs, recalling that which Barber uses at the beginning of "Solitary Hotel," also on a text by Joyce. Having begun pianissimo, in measures 1 and 5, the vocal line reaches a dynamic level of "forte" on the high "f" of measure 7. The only interlude is very short, but maintains the "forte" until the singer reenters in bar 12. Predictably, while the vocal line is constant from one verse to the next, with the needed rhythmic adaptations for textual reasons, the accompaniment is subtly enhanced. At measure 14 "forte" is again expected, matching the text "Vainly your love-blown bannerets mourni" Softly and without accompaniment the voice sings, "No more will the wild wind that passes return. No more return." These last three words find the singer at the highest pitch of the song before the postlude is heard. During the postlude the chromatic movement of measure 4 returns as the triads ascend to a G# minor chord — over an A minor chord marked as "Niente" (nothing). These three songs, from three different decades in Bax's life, present a variety of style and mood to the performer. "Parting" is particularly beautiful and should be performed regularly. CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OP SONGS Butterflies all white (1890s) Wanting is - what? (March 1900) To daffodils (April 1900) A serenade of spring-time (April 1900) I love theel (May 1900) Cytherea's day A widow bird (August 1900) To the moon (August 1900) To the cuckoo (August 1900) An Indian serenade (August 1900) To Phyllis (August 1900) Phillida and Corydon (August 1900) Why we love and why we hate (August 1900) I will dream, I will dream, in my boat (1900) Music, when soft voices die (1900) Say, Myra, why is gentle love a stranger (1900) The soldier's dream (1900) In summer-time (November 1901) It was a lover (1901) Six Songs Roundel: When we are lost (January 1905) Green branches (June 1905) In the silences of the woods/The multitudes of the wind (June 1905) Leaves, shadows, and dreams (May 1905) The grand match (June 1903) The fairies (October 1905, 1907) To my homeland (July 1904) A Celtic Song-Cycle (1904) Eilidh my fawn Closing doors Thy dark eyes to mine A Celtic lullaby At the last From the uplands to the sea (February 1905) 105 Six Songs The song in the twilight (August 1905) Golden Guendolen: a Pre-Raphaelite song (November 1905) The fiddler of Dooney A hushing song (March 1906) I fear thy kisses (June 1906) Echo (1906) Two Songs (1905) The rune of age Viking battle-song (Mircath) Two Recitations The blessed damozel (1906) The two corbies (September 1906) Magnificat (after a picture by D.G. Rossetti) December 1906) Seven Selected Songs (1919) The white peace (September 1907) A Christmas carol ('There is no rose') (February 1914) Shelling song (July 1908) To Eire (1910) The enchanted fiddle (The magic fiddler) (March 1907) A milking Sian (September 1907) Roundel (August 1914) Longing (May 1907) The flute (Ideala) (July 1907) Du blomst i dug ('0 dewy flower') (September 1907) From the hills of dream (September 1907) Heart o' beauty (September 1907) The kingdom (1907) A lyke-wake (dirgel) (January 1908) Landskab (July 1908) The wood-lake (Der Waldsee) (1908) Isla (1908) Marguerite (June 1909) The garden by the sea (October 1909) Aspiration (1909) Beloved, even in dreams (1909) The dance-ring (1909) 107 Enlightenment (1909) Home (1909) Das Ideal (1909) Lullaby (March 1910) Slumber-song Fruhlingsregen (Spring rain) (December 1910) Treue Liebe (Volkslied) (December 1910) Das tote Kind (January 1911) Three Nocturnes Aufblick (April 1911) Liebesode (1909) Nachtgebet der Braut (1911) Vertrauen (1911) Im Fluge (1911) Freimund (1911) Die Reise (1911) Three Rondels Roundel (*Your eyen two') Welcome somer (1914) Of her mercy (December 1914) Cycle: The Bard of the Dimbovitza (March 1949) The well of tears Gipsy song (December 1914) My girdle I hung on a tree-top tall Spinning song (October 1914) Misconception The song of the dagger I know myself no more, my child (1916) A leader (1916) 0 mistress mine (1916) Parting (1916) The splendour falls (January 1917) Go, lovely rose (1917) Green grow the rashes 01: character sketch (1918) 1 have house and land in Kent (1918) Jack and Jone (1918) The maid and the miller (1918) Midsummer (1918) 0 dear! What can the matter be? (1918) Three Songs (1920) Par In a western brookland (1919) Lullaby When 1 was one-and-twenty (1918) Trols enfantines: Three Songs for Children 91918) Jean, p'tit Jean Berceuse ('Petit enfant, deja la brume') Une petite fille Variations sur Cadet-Rousselle (April 1918) Youth (1918) Lechant d'Isabeau (July 1920) Traditional Songs of France (1920) Sarabande (July 1920) Langueo d'amours (July 1920) Me suis mise en danse (July 1920) Femtnes, battez vos marys (August 1920) La Targo (July 1920) A Rabelaisian catechism ('La foi d'la loi') August 1920) My eyes for beauty pine Five Irish Songs (1921) The pigeons (March 1921) As I came over the grey, grey hills (February 1921) I heard a piper piping Across the door (February 1921) Beg-Innish (February 1921) Glamour (March 1921) Three Irish Songs (February 1922) Cradle song Rann of exile Rann of wandering Dermot Donn McMorna (March 1922) The market-girl (1922) Morfydd (pre-1924) To an isle in the water (pre-1924) I heard a soldier (March 1924) Wild almond: scherzo (April 1924) Carrey Clavel (August 1925) Eternity (September 1925) In the morning (1926) On the bridge (1926) Out and away (1926) Blow, northern wind (1926) Three Songs from the Norse Irmelin rose (April 1927) Lad vaaren komme (April 1927) Venevil (June 1927) Watching the needleboats (March 1932) Two Songs My faithful fair one ('Mo run dileas') Rizzio's song (1945) Dream child (1957) A patriot LIST OP REFERENCES 1. Arnold Bax, Farewell, My Youth (London, England: Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., 1943), p. 10. 2. Lewis Foreman, Bax A Composer and His Times. 2nd ed. (Aldershot: Gower Publishing Co., Ltd., 1988), p. 5. 3. Ibid., p. v. 4. Norman Demuth, "Sir Arnold Bax", Musical Opinion. 955 (1957), p. 401. 5. Alan Frank, Modern British Composers (London, England: Dennis Dobson, Ltd., 1953), p. 21. 6. Foreman, p. 1. 7. Ibid., p. 9. 8 . Ibid., p. 17. 9. Alfred Kalisch, "Arnold Bax - A British Musical Genius," Bax Society Bulletin. 1 (1968), pp. 8. 10. Foreman, p. 142. 11. Ibid., pp. 65-66. 12. Richard Church, The Voyage Home (London, England: Wm. Heinemann Ltd., 1964), p. 52. 13. Parkick Hadley, "Arnold Bax:1883-1953", Music and Letters. 35 (1954), 8. 110 111 LIST OF REFERENCES (Cont.) 14. York Bowen, "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953", Music and Letters, 35 (1954), 8. 15. Norman Peterkin, "The Songs of Arnold Bax", Musical Opinion# 47 (1920), 958. 16. Edwin Evans, "Arnold Bax", The Musical Quarterly. 9 (1923), 168. 17. Frank Howes, The English Musical Renaissance (London, England: Seeker and Warburg, 1966), p. 215. 18. Bernard Shore, Sixteen Symphonies (London, England: Longmans, Green and Co., 1949), p. 349. 19. Bax, p. 81. 20. Ibid., p. 23. 21. Clifford Bax, "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953", Music and Letters. 35 (1954), 8. 22. Howes, p. 216. 23. Foreman, p. 320. 24. Bax, p. 41. 25. Foreman, p. 25. 26. Ibid., p. 21. 27. Bax, p. 47. 28. Leigh Henry, "Contemporaries: Arnold Bax," Musical Opinion. 43 (1920), 629. 29. Shore, p. 345. 30. Bax, p. 47. 112 LIST OF REFERENCES (Cont.) 31. Kalisch, p. 9. 32. Foreman, p. 129. 33. Arthur Bliss, "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953", Music and Letters, 35 (1954), 1. 34. Ibid., p. 6. 35. Norman Demuth, Musical Trends in the Twentieth Century (London, England: Rockliff Publ. Corp., Ltd., 1952), p. 157. 36. Evans, p. 168. 37. Arnold Bax, "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953", Music and Letters. 35 (1954), 4. 38. Ibid., p. 3. 39. R.H. Wollstein, "Bax defines his music," Musical America. 48 (July 1928), 9. 40. Foreman, p. 355. 41. Bliss, p. 12. 42. Foreman, p. 304. 43. Evans, p. 175. 44. Bax, p. 22. 45. Frank, p. 21. 46. Julian Herbage, "The Music of Arnold Bax", The Musical Times. 94 (1953), 555. 47. Foreman, p. 150. 113 LIST OP REFERENCES (Cont.) 48. Norman Peterkin, "The Songs of Arnold Bax", Musical Opinion, 47 (1920), 958. 49. Edwin Evans, "Arnold Bax", The Musical Quarterly. 9 (1923) 169. 50. Peterkin, p. 959. 51. Scott-Sutherland, Colin, "Bax and Melody", Bax Society Bulletin. 4 (1969), p. 54. 52. Peterkin, p. 958. 53. Ibid., p. 958. 54. Foreman, pp. 175-176. 55. Julian Herbage, "The Music of Arnold Bax", The Musical Times. 94 (1953) 555. 56. Norman Demuth, Musical Trends in the Twentieth Century (London, England: Rockliff Publ. Corp., Ltd., 1952), p. 157. 57. Foreman, p. 178. 58. Bax, p. 96. 59. Henry, p. 630. 60. A.L. Bacharach, British Music of Our Time (Harmondsworth and Middlesex, Eng.: Penguin Books, 1946), p. 115. 61. E.M. Lee, "The Amateur's Repertoire", Musical Opinion. 53 (1930), 47. 62. Evans, p. 178. 63. Lee, p. 48. 114 LIST OP REFERENCES (Cont.) 64. Church, p. 52. 65. Foreman, p. 15. 66. Clifford Bax, Ideas and People (London, Eng.: Lovat Dickson Ltd., Publ., 1936), p. 202. 67. Lee, p. 49. 68. A. Bax, p. 63. 69. Joseph Holbrooke, Contemporary British Composers (London, Eng.: Cecil Palmer, 1925), p. 53. 70. Foreman, p. 179. 71. Lee, p. 49. 72. Ibid., p. 50. 73. Ibid., p. 51. 74. Bernard Shore, "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953," Music and Letters. 35 (1954), 13. 75. Foreman, p. 202. 76. Ibid., p. 376. 77. Ibid., p. 143. 78. Holbrooke, p. 56. 79. Evans, p. 178. 80. Howes, p. 221. BIBLIOGRAPHY "Arnold Bax: 1883-1953". Music and Letters. 35 (Jan. 1954), pp. 1-14. Bax, Arnold. Farewell, Mv Youth. London: Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., 1943. Bax, Clifford. Ideas and People. London: Lovat Dickson Ltd., Publ., 1936. Bax, Clifford. Inland Far. London: Wm. Heinemann Ltd., 1925. Church, Richard. The Voyage Home. London: Vim. Heinemann Ltd., 1964. Cronin, Kathleen. "Bax in the Modern Media". Bax Society Bulletin, Feb. 1969, pp. 57-60. Demuth, Norman. "Sir Arnold Bax". Musical Opinion, 955 (Apr. 1957), 401-403. Demuth, Norman. Musical Trends in the Twentieth Century. London: Rockliff Publ. Corp. Ltd., 1952. Evans, Edwin. "Arnold Bax". The Musical Quarterly, Apr. 1922, pp. 167-180. Foreman, Lewis. Bax; A Composer and His Times. Aldershot: Gower Publ. Co. Ltd., 1988. Foreman, Lewis. "The Unperformed Works of Sir Arnold Bax". Musical Opinion, 89 (July 1966), 598-99. Frank, Alan. Modern British Composers. London: Dennis Dobson Ltd., 1953. 115 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY (Cont.) Handley, Vernon. "Conducting Bax's Music". Bax Society Bulletin. May 1969, 74-76. Henry, Leigh. "Contemporaries: Arnold Bax". Musical Opinion, 43 (May 1920), 629-631. Herbage, Julian. British Music of Our Time. Harmondsworth and Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1946. Hill, Ralph. "Music of Sir Arnold Bax". Radio Times. 7 May 1943, p. 4. Hinrichsen, Max. Hlnrichsen's Musical Year Book. London: Hinrichsen Edition Ltd., 1949-50. Holbrooke, Joseph. Contemporary British Composers. London: Cecil Palmer, 1925. Howes, Frank. The English Musical Renaissance. London: Seeker and Warburg, 1966. Kalisch, Alfred. "Arnold Bax: a British Musical Genius. Bax Society Bulletin. Feb. 1968, pp. 8-9. Lee, E.M. "The Amateur's Repertoire". Musical Opinion. 53 (Feb. 1930), 430-431. Longmire, John. "Bax and John Ireland". Bax Society Bulletin, Aug. 1969, pp. 99-101. Payne, Anthony. "Problems of a Lyric Composer". Music and Musicians. Jan. 1965, p. 17. Payne, Anthony. "Arnold Bax". New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1980 ed. Peterkin, Norman. "The Songs of Arnold Bax". Musical Opinion. 47 (Sep. 1920), 958-959. Sack, Joseph. "Musical Surprise". Bax Society Bulletin. Oct. 1968, pp. 41-43. Sandved, K.B. The World of Music. New York: Abradale Press, 1963. 117 BIBLIOGRAPHY (Cont.) Shore, Bernard. Sixteen Symphonies. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1949. Scott-Sutherland, Colin. "Bax and Melody". Bax Society Bulletin# Feb. 1969, pp. 54-57. Stevenson, Patric. "Some Anecdotes About Arnold Bax". Bax Society Bulletin, May 1969, 77-80. Walker, Richard. "A Reminiscence of Bax". Bax Society Bulletin# Oct. 1968, pp. 49-50. Wilson, Colin. "Arnold Bax: A Music Lover's Musician". Bax Society Bulletin# Nov. 1969, pp. 113-114. Wollstein, R.H. "Bax Defines His Music". Musical America# 7 July 1928, p. 9. Young, Percy. A History of British Music. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1967.