UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF LAW, ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES School of Humanities Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji: an Oral Biography By Sean V. Owen Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2006 UMI Number: 3287855 Copyright 2008 by Owen, Sean V. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 3287855 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON ABSTRACT FACULTY OF LAW, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES Doctor of Philosophy KAIKHOSRU SHAPURJI SORABJI: AN ORAL BIOGRAPHY by Sean Vaughn Owen Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) was one of the twentieth century’s most prolific composers, a major contributor to the piano repertoire, a fiercely witty writer of essays and musical criticism, and an unarguably fascinating personality. Although he composed roughly 16,000 pages of music his legacy has been largely neglected, the causation for which is three-fold: one, his self-imposed ban on all public performances of his music; two, the majority of his compositions were never published, existing only in manuscript form, the calligraphy of which is not legible for performance purposes and is even difficult to decipher for casual analysis; and three, in the absence of a thorough biography, enquirers of Sorabji’s life have been fed more myth than reality, resulting in a general perception that is somewhat akin to the mad scientist. Fortunately, the constraints of these barriers are being transcended: Sorabji took the impetus to relax his ban in the 1970s and after his death numerous musicians of exceptional talent have arisen who exist as a kind of new vanguard for the proliferation of his compositions; the titanic task of editing his manuscripts into functional performance editions has been carried out at a surprisingly rapid rate by various contributors around the world; and finally, the present work lays the foundation for the writing of a more complete and accurate biography of Sorabji the man, not the myth. This latter task was accomplished using a 2 combination of archival research and, more predominantly, the interviewing techniques of oral history. More specifically, after briefly outlining the biography of Sorabji that has, until now, generally been accepted, an immediate argument is posed questioning the authenticity of basic assertions that have previously been stated as fact. In particular, the identification of his mother’s birth certificate initiated a series of new formulations; she was not Sicilian-Spanish and by extension, neither was Sorabji; rather she was English. Further genealogical research demonstrated a pattern of deception on the part of his mother, a habit that was passed to her son who in turn developed throughout his life a complex sense of otherness - that is to say he represented himself to others in a manner that was not in keeping with reality. The technique of oral history, which in the case of the current dissertation focused on those who knew Sorabji during the last 40 years of his life while he was living in Corfe Castle, provides further examples of Sorabji’s contradictory posturing of otherness; and finally, most importantly, the interviews, correlated with archival research, demonstrate that there were often hidden circumstances that necessitated both his intense reclusive behaviour and his fabrications. The various interviews provide perspective on this much misunderstood composer and show that when one dispels the myths, the realities that we are left with are often just as fascinating. 3 CHAPTER OUTLINE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS……………………………………………………………...6 LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………...8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………….…………9 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………….10 SECTION ONE CHAPTER ONE – BIOGRAPHICAL AND ARTISTIC SURVEY…………….19 CHAPTER TWO – GENEALOGY AND ETHNICITY………………………...30 CHAPTER THREE – REGINALD NORMAN BEST………………………….46 SECTION TWO CHAPTER FOUR – CORFE CASTLE AND THE EYE ………………………51 Vic Bennett Ken Miller Andrew Wilson CHAPTER FIVE – THE NEIGHBOURS……………………………………….78 Albert Dodd Brenda Chappell David and Jean King CHAPTER SIX – VILLAGERS, LOCAL ACQUAINTANCES & HELPERS.102 Cecil and John Stockley Dorothy Fooks Graham White and Annette Brown Molly Moss Bernard and Kathy Williams Bert and Ann Johnson Jill Nice Robin Longman Daniel Macrae Liz Agnew Pete Frost 4 Mrs. V. M. Ford William Brown CHAPTER SEVEN – JOHN DEAN…………………………………………...154 Valerie Lloyd CHAPTER EIGHT – THE SWANAGE TIMES……………………………….165 George Willey CHAPTER NINE – MARLEY HOUSE………………………………………..196 Gerald and Judith Squarey Peter and Frances Hardman SECTION THREE CHAPTER TEN – GOLA MARTIN-SMITH………………………………….209 Margaret Hubicki Mary Jakobson Patrick Douglas-Hamilton James Kirby CHAPTER ELEVEN – THE VICARS FAMILY……………………………...229 Denise Vicars CHAPTER TWELVE – ANTHONY BURTON-PAGE……………………….246 CHAPTER THIRTEEN – ALISTAIR HINTON………………………………273 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………310 APPENDIX A – ILLUSTRATIONS…………………………………………………...320 APPENDIX B – ORIGINAL MASS-MAILING LETTER……………………………336 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………338 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figures Page 1. Portrait photograph of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, 1977………………………….320 2. Photograph of Sorabji and Yonty Solomon, 1977………………………………….321 3. Photograph of Sorabji sharing a manuscript with Solomon, 1977 4. Photograph of Sorabji performing for Solomon, 1977……………………………..322 5. Photograph of a sitting and communicative Sorabji, 1977 6. Photograph of Sorabji’s admonishing signage on his front gate, 1977…………….323 7. Photograph of Sorabji’s other front gate signage, 1977 8. Photograph of Corfe Castle and the Bankes Arms Hotel, 2002……………………324 9. Photograph of Corfe Castle and the New Cemetery, 2002 10. Photograph of Sorabji’s tombstone, 2002…………………………………………..325 11. Photograph of East Street in Corfe Castle, 2002 12. Photograph of Corfe Castle village from the view of the castle, 2002……………..326 13. Photograph of Sorabji sitting amongst the ruins of Corfe Castle, c. 1934 14. Early photograph of Madeline Matilda Worthy, unknown date……………………327 15. Portrait photograph of Madeline Matilda Worthy, unknown date 16. Profile photograph of Madeline Matilda Worthy, unknown date…………………..328 17. Early portrait photograph of Shapurji Sorabji, unknown date 18. Portrait photograph of Reginald Norman Best, c. 1945…………………………….329 19. Photograph of Sorabji and Madeline Matilda’s home in London 20. United Kingdom birth certificate for Leon Dudley Sorabji, 1892………………….330 21. United Kingdom birth certificate for Madeline Matilda Worthy, 1866 22. United Kingdom death certificate for Madeline Matilda Sorabji, 1959……………331 23. United Kingdom marriage certificate for Madeline Matilda Worthy and Shapurji Sorabji, 1892 24. United Kingdom marriage certificate for Francis John Worthy and Sarah Matilda..332 Wood, 1856 25. Frank Holliday’s petition for Sorabji to record some of his music…………………333 6 26. Sorabji’s declaration of authenticity for his Parsi name……………………………334 27. Letter from Sorabji to John Dean…………………………………………………...335 7 LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. The Children of Francis John and Sarah Matilda Worthy…………………………...35 2. Residences of the Worthy Family……………………………………………………36 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It goes without saying that when I began contemplating writing a dissertation on an individual who was considered absolutely esoteric and obscure, I was rewarded with very little support and encouragement from academic institutions. For this reason I would like to express my appreciation immediately to my advisor, Nicholas Cook, for being the sole individual in all of England and the United States who seemed to have the vision and courage to sponsor a dissertation on Sorabji. Nicholas Cook did more than simply sponsor my ideas; he enriched them, enhanced them, and aided their fruition with unwavering support, constructive and highly detailed criticism, helpful intimation, and general kindness. I would also like to extend my appreciation toward the University of Southampton, and the staff of the music department and library who provided the congenial atmosphere for the staging of my research. Although the dissertation is formally an oral biography, the earlier chapters draw heavily upon archival research, which was not always straightforward and often required deductive questioning, and I would like to acknowledge the various informational depositories and their helpful archivists, librarians, and specialists: The British Library, the Newspaper Branch of the British Library in Colindale, the Dorchester Reference Library, Guildhall Library, The Family Records Centre, James Peters (archivist at the University of Manchester), Keith Moore (archivist at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers), Beth McNeice (archivist at the Institution of Civil Engineers), the Probate Service at the Principal Registry of the Family Division, Richard Edgcumbe of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Anabel York of Sotheby’s London, the London Metropolitan Archives, the Family Health Services Agency of Dorset, the Public Record Office in Kew, and of course a very special note of recognition to Alistair Hinton, who is not only the curator of the Sorabji Archive in Bath, but also a tireless promoter of Sorabji’s legacy. Alistair Hinton’s assistance with my research was concrete at so many different levels that it is impossible to