An Australian Composer Abroad: Malcolm Williamson And
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An Australian Composer Abroad: Malcolm Williamson and the projection of an Australian Identity by Carolyn Philpott B.Mus. (Hons.) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Conservatorium of Music University of Tasmania October 2010 Declaration of Originality This dissertation contains no material that has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University of Tasmania or any other institution, except by way of background information that is duly acknowledged in the text. I declare that this dissertation is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no material previously published or written by another person except where clear acknowledgement or reference is made in the text, nor does it contain any material that infringes copyright. This dissertation may be made available for loan and limited copying in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Carolyn Philpott Date ii Abstract Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003) was one of the most successful Australian composers of the latter half of the twentieth century and the depth, breadth and diversity of his achievements are largely related to his decision to leave Australia for Britain in the early 1950s. By the 1960s, he was commonly referred to as the “most commissioned composer in Britain” and in 1975 he was appointed to the esteemed post of Master of the Queen’s Music. While his service to music in Britain is generally acknowledged in the literature, the extent of his contribution to Australian music is not widely recognised and this is the first research to be undertaken with a strong focus on the identification and examination of the many works he composed for his homeland and his projection of an Australian identity through his music and persona. This study draws on previously-unexplored primary source material, including correspondence and manuscript scores, to support the assertion that Williamson projected an Australian identity and to provide insight into the construction and manifestations of that persona and the effect that these elements had on the reception of his works. Major works examined in this study include Symphony for Voices (1960-62), The Display (1964), the Sixth (1982) and Seventh (1984) symphonies, The True Endeavour (1988) and The Dawn is at Hand (1989). To place the discussion of Williamson’s expressions of national identity in context, the composer’s expatriate experience and views of his homeland are examined and compared to the journeys and opinions of numerous other high-profile Australian expatriate creative artists. Significantly, many parallels are discovered that can be interpreted as characteristics of the reverse-migration experience and are indicative of the prevailing cultural attitudes towards Australian expatriates during the twentieth century; confirming that Williamson’s situation was not particularly unique. This research has permitted a reassessment of Williamson’s creative life and work and as a result, his contribution to Australian music can now be contextualised and more comprehensively understood and acknowledged. iii Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the following people in the preparation of this thesis: My supervisors, Dr Anne-Marie Forbes and Dr Heather Monkhouse, for their valuable insights, guidance, support and encouragement, and for making the Ph.D. experience an enjoyable one. Malcolm Williamson’s partner and publisher Simon Campion, for sharing his memories, thoughts and views on the composer’s life and work and for kindly making available numerous scores, recordings, articles and other materials that have helped to inform the ideas presented in this dissertation. The family of Malcolm Williamson: his sisters, Marion Foote and Diane Williamson; his daughter, Tammy Jones; and his ex-wife, the late Dolly Williamson, for providing information of a biographical and anecdotal nature and for granting access to the composer’s personal papers. Staff of the Australian Music Centre, Sydney; the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney; the National Library of Australia, Canberra; the State Library of Victoria; the University of Sydney Conservatorium Library; the University of Tasmania Library; the National Archives of Australia; the National Film and Sound Archive, Australia; the British Library; the British Broadcasting Corporation; the British Music Information Centre; Lewis Mitchell at Josef Weinberger, London; and Colin Dunn at Boosey & Hawkes, London, for supplying scores, recordings, books, articles and other items that have helped to inform and support the arguments made in this dissertation. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Don Kay, Kevin Power, David Bollard, Dr Shirley Trembath, Professor Carey Denholm and Matthew Dewey to this thesis and thank each of them sincerely for their professional advice and encouragement. Additionally, I would like to extend my thanks to my family, especially to my parents, for their love and support, and to Les and June Hay, for their help with the care of our babies during the final stages of editing this dissertation. Finally, I would like express my deep appreciation to my husband, David, for his support, encouragement and patience, especially following the birth of our sons, Lucas and Marcus, in June 2009. iv To David, Lucas and Marcus v Contents Page Declaration of Originality ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures vii Chapter 1. Introduction, Overview of Malcolm Williamson’s Life and Music and Review of Literature 1 2. Artistic Australians Abroad 42 3. Williamson’s Expatriate Experience 93 4. The “Australian” Compositions, 1960-1963 134 5. Williamson’s Australian Display 185 6. The “Australian” Compositions, 1970-1985 239 7. Bicentennial and Indigenous Australian Compositions of the late 1980s and early 1990s 294 8. Conclusion 344 Appendix A Williamson’s “Australian” Compositions 369 Appendix B Complete List of Musical Works by Malcolm Williamson 371 Appendix C Relevant Publications by the Author of this Dissertation 381 Bibliography 382 Discography 412 Recordings of Williamson performing his own compositions 413 vi List of Figures Page Figure 1.1 Photograph of Malcolm Williamson at age fifty. 11 Figure 3.1 Photograph from The Australian , 11 December 1973. 105 Figure 3.2 Caricature from The Sunday Times (London), December 1977. 113 Figure 3.3 Caricature from The Age , 31 December 1977. 114 Figure 3.4 Cartoon from The Times , December 1977. 117 Figure 3.5 Cartoon from Independent on Sunday , 5 May 1991. 119 Figure 3.6 Williamson’s “Royal” Compositions. 123 Figure 4.1 Illustration of Sydney Harbour Bridge from Travel Diaries, Sydney . 137 Figure 4.2 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “North Head,” bb. 1-4. 140 Figure 4.3 “The College Hornpipe” from Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855-59), published by W. Chappell. 141 Figure 4.4 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “Pyrmont Dockside,” bb. 1-3. 141 Figure 4.5 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “Harbour Bridge.” 142 Figure 4.6 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “The Botanical Gardens,” bb. 1-4. 143 Figure 4.7 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “At Central Railway,” bb. 1-8. 143 Figure 4.8 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “Harbour Ferry,” bb. 1-7. 144 Figure 4.9 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “Lane Cove,” bb. 13-22. 145 Figure 4.10 Bartók “Waves,” No. 51 from Mikrokosmos , bb. 1-12. 145 Figure 4.11 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “King’s Cross,” bb. 1-3. 146 Figure 4.12 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “A Morning Swim,” bb. 1-5. 147 Figure 4.13 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “Kirribilli,” bb. 1-5. 147 Figure 4.14 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “The Southern Cross.” 149 Figure 4.15 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “In Hyde Park.” 150 Figure 4.16 Williamson, Travel Diaries , Sydney , “South Head,” bb. 8-20. 150 Figure 4.17 John Olsen’s sketch of James McAuley as a jazz pianist. 155 Figure 4.18 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Invocation,” bb. 1-9. 159 Figure 4.19 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Invocation,” bb. 14-31. 161 Figure 4.20 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Terra Australis,” bb. 1-3. 163 Figure 4.21 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Terra Australis,” bb. 4-9. 164 Figure 4.22 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Terra Australis,” bb. 13-22. 165 Figure 4.23 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Terra Australis,” bb. 31-33. 167 Figure 4.24 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Terra Australis,” bb. 42-43. 168 Figure 4.25 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Jesus,” bb. 1-4. 169 Figure 4.26 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Jesus,” bb. 10-13. 169 Figure 4.27 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Envoi,” bb. 1-3. 172 Figure 4.28 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Envoi,” bb. 33-42. 173 Figure 4.29 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Envoi,” bb. 43-47. 174 Figure 4.30 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “Envoi,” bb. 62-64. 175 Figure 4.31 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “New Guinea,” bb. 1-4. 176 Figure 4.32 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “New Guinea,” bb. 46-56. 177 Figure 4.33 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “New Guinea,” bb. 57-60. 178 Figure 4.34 Williamson, Symphony for Voices , “New Guinea,” bb. 75-84. 179 vii Figure 5.1 The “Display” of a lyrebird ( Menura superba ). 186 Figure 5.2 Sidney Nolan, Leda and the Swan (c.1960, Polyvinyl acetate on hardboard, 91.5 x 122.0 cm). 192 Figure 5.3 Nolan, Leda and the Swan (c.1960, Ripolin and dyes on paper, 25.0 x 23.0 cm). 193 Figure 5.4 Nolan with costume for The Male during the 1987 revival of The Display . 200 Figure 5.5 The Male in The Display . 201 Figure 5.6 Williamson, The Display , first movement, bb. 1-6 (piano reduction). 202 Figure 5.7 Williamson, The Display , first movement, bb. 12-13. 203 Figure 5.8 Williamson, The Display , first movement, bb. 31-34. 204 Figure 5.9 Williamson, The Display , first movement, bb. 38-41. 205 Figure 5.10 The Anhemitonic pentatonic scale on G-flat.