Rutland Boughton's 'The Immortal Hour' Author(S): Robert Lorenz Source: the Musical Times, Vol
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Rutland Boughton's 'The Immortal Hour' Author(s): Robert Lorenz Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 62, No. 940 (Jun. 1, 1921), pp. 412-414 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/908821 Accessed: 22-12-2015 01:39 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 138.38.44.95 on Tue, 22 Dec 2015 01:39:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 412 THE MUSICAL TIMES-JUNE I 192I Sundays, but with two provisos, namely, that the who give concerts, but claim that so far as we know L.C.C. should sanction them, and that any profits our committee is unique in possessing the equipment accruing should be handed over for a charitable for giving such concerts with no idea of profit or purpose. As we were only out to pay our way we personal gain. agreed. We were then informed that we would have to pay for the hire of the pianoforte in the hall-the pianoforte sacred to jazz-whether we used it or not RUTLAND BOUGHTON'S 'THE IMMORTAL However, after lengthy correspondence, the council waived this demand. Then we found that the local HOUR' cleaning staff not refused to work on unnaturally ROBERT LORENZ Sunday without extra pay, and even then Mr. BY Ashbrooke had to provide all the programme sellers, On June I8, 1821, Weber's ' Der Freischtitz' was booking-clerk, and the rest of the fersonnel of a performedfor the firsttime at Berlin and fell like a concert-hall. Would the authorities permit us to bomb-shell on a nation saturated with the imbecilities put up our bills on their notice board, place leaflets of current Italian opera. The moment was well on the counters of their offices,and would they be chosen: the ground was ready. OnAugust 14, 1876, responsible for the advance bookings? Yes, but (to the platformof Bayreuth station was baized to lighten put it mildly) little enthusiasm was displayed in any the footsteps of Kaisers, Kings, Tchaikovsky, and way-the minimum was done to help us. All looked Mr. Joseph Bennett, of the Daily Telegraph. The on with cold, and suspicious eyes, and the L.C.C. moment was well chosen: the ground was ready. hung up our arrangements while, presumably, On August 26, 1914, 'The Immortal Hour' was examining our dossiers at Scotland Yard. performed in the moth-eaten Assembly Rooms of a But we were determined to continue with our mediocre townlet, to the accompaniment of an the project, and realising the importance of starting well imperfect grand pianoforte. Needless to say, was not we decided to engage Mr. Mark Hambourg for moment was not well chosen: the ground our first concert, and for days beforehand huge ready, for on March 31 of the present year the representations of the great pianist's features ponti- same work was performed in the same townlet but fically presided over the pedestrians perambulating (increased in stature and football proficiency, not the pavements. As the hour approached the in understanding) to the accompaniment of a still advance bookings showed that no interest whatever more imperfectgrand pianoforte. was being taken. But this was nothing to go by, and Yet Rutland Boughton's 'Immortal Hour' is indeed on the night itself the audience was large and perhaps the most significant musico-dramatic work shriekinglyenthusiastic. But we charged very small produced anywhere since 'Parsifal,' and in England prices (Is., 2s., and 3s.), and the concert did not pay. for over two hundred years. The audience at the next concert was very much The purpose of the present article is not to smaller, but our overhead charges were not so high, provide a guide to the work nor to do more than as some of the artists generously gave their services touch the fringe of a masterpiece that sooner or later for the cause. Nevertheless, we lost money over will figureprominently in musical history; but to try the whole series. We have no cause for self- to communicate some, at least, of the writer's reproach from the technical point of view. Mr. enthusiasm for a score which has genius stamped on Ashbrooke's skill in using all advertising resources almost every page.* was as amazing as it was admirable. The hall was Rutland Boughton calls his work a Music-Drama: situated opposite an important station, on the main a complete misnomer to start with, for music-drama road, and the route of several omnibuses. Furthermore was a title coined by Wagner to distinguish his it was in a districtwithout any rival attraction. Yet the mighty synthetic brain-bursts from other peoples' public response was practically nil. Why then did operas, and conveys to most minds the picture of we fail? Not because we performed good music a huge stage, huge singers, a huge orchestra, and a instead of rubbish. There is plenty of good music huge conductor. Now from the beginning to the which is much more attractive even to the unsophisti- end of the 'Immortal Hour' there is much that is cated proletariat than bad music, as everybody strong, nothing that is huge; or rather, I should say, knows. No ; it was the lack of funds to carry on the that the few attempts at hugeness are the few enterprise and form the habit. The concerts would complete failures of the score. It is indeed not the have paid if we could have continued them, of that I least of Boughton's achievements (and a rare tribute am certain, but it was not for us private individuals to his commonsense) to have steered clear of to do so. At this point we decided the authorities, Wagnerian hugeness without at the same time should come in. They should make themselves becoming pettyand affected like Debussy in 'P6lleas responsible for a dozen concerts at least, so as to give and M61lisande.' I myselfhave crossed out the word matters a fair trial. We have circularised every music-drama in my score and written instead: 'A London Borough, and put our machinery at their lovely noise of myriad leaves '-for that is the secret disposal. The next move must come from them. of this music, if indeed its secret can be wrung from It would be better for all concerned if the powers- it in mere words. It is green, it is lovely, and its that-be would cease wasting money on grandiose greenness and loveliness are the greenness and schemes for child education, and spend about a loveliness, not of a highly civilized intellectual cosmos hundredth part on educating and uplifting their but of the very fairest parts of this fair country. parents. One simplycannot conceive the workbeing performed The above article may perhaps give the impression in any country except England or one rich in Anglo- that our energies were confined to these concerts Saxon traditions. I suppose 'Bells of Youth' ring only. This is not so. We have been as far afield as * The has the scheme of the Carnegie and if reasonable chances occur of work been published under Hertford, making United Kingdom Trust by Messrs. Stainer & Bell, to whom I am both ends meet we shall continue our activities. indebted for permission to select a few musical examples. The vocal We are quite aware that we are not the only people score costs I5s. This content downloaded from 138.38.44.95 on Tue, 22 Dec 2015 01:39:59 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES-JUNE 1 1921 413 in France and Germany, but they certainlydon't ring which is to the clear, limpid air of an English spring like this: day what Wagner's: Ex. i. f The bells of youth are ring - ing in the Ex.7. dolce. I --,I_ = "I - - _ . was to the heavy, elder-!aden fragrance of that midsummer's eve in Old Ntirnberg. of the South. gate-ways . But setting aside for a moment these paeans of disjointed praise, let us tryto arrive cooly at the true musical significance of the work; let us try to .: . analyse briefly the good and the bad in it. Its I suppose those countries too had 'old, old, far-off supreme technical achievement is the belated days,' but they were certainly quite differentfrom restoration of a genuine vocal line and the these : attainment in the best parts of the music of an Ex. 2. almost perfect balance between the vocal and TENOR. :40, orchestral portions. Except where the composer has resorted to frank, straightforwardtunes-set pieces f But this was in the old, old, far - off days, certainly, but tunes that are pure songs and part- songs instead of stagey arias and choruses--there BASS. are only a few pages where it can be said that the pedestal is either on the stage or in the orchestra. with this 'T'here is, of course, a certain amount of running Ex. 3. orchestral commentary, but it is usually of a very discreet order, and though there are some orchestral themes that must, I suppose, be dubbed 'motives,' f C.