Holden Street Theatres

THE COMPOSER AND THE FOLK SONG

Music from folk traditions has long been a source of interest and inspiration to composers. This concert features music by composers who used folk music as the basis for new compositions or arrangements of existing tunes.

The composers featured in this concert are, to say the least, a varied lot. One led a life so orderly and dedicated to music that the Larousse Encyclopedia of Music describes it as “without incident.” Another is alleged to have ridden a motor-cycle through his town, naked. One had a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1956 and wrote jazz, opera, film scores and two operettas. Of the two expatriate Australians, one achieved international fame as an innovative and adventurous composer, and the other went on to establish State-based orchestras and public broadcasting in Australia. Can you guess which is which?

Brahms

Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1833. He dedicated his life to music so exclusively that the Larousse Encyclopedia of Music describes his life as “without incident.” Brahms wrote about 300 choral pieces, including this suite of songs, entitled Zigeunerlieder, based on a collection of Hungarian songs he was given by a friend after a winter holiday in Budapest. He set the texts to music in 1887, writing completely new melodies. Clara Schumann, wife of the composer Robert Schumann, wrote that she considered these better than Liszt’s attempt at the same theme, as Brahms’ gypsies were “better trained musicians …without having sacrificed any of the fiery verve.”

Grainger

2011 being the 50th anniversary of the death of a composer who did so much to promote the use of folk tradition in music, we had to include Percy Grainger! Born in Melbourne in 1882, Percy Grainger left Australia while still in his teens, but always regarded himself as Australian. He became greatly influenced by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, who was using Norwegian folk traditions as inspirations for his own music. Grainger’s experiments with the use of British and Australian folk traditions in classical music are displayed in the selection of songs performed in this concert. He was also interested in Asian forms of music and non-traditional instruments, making him far ahead of his time in many ways.

Grainger said of his Australian Up-Country Song, an original composition, that he wished to “voice Australian up-country feeling as Stephen Foster had voiced American country-side feelings in his songs.” Grainger also actively collected existing folk songs. Unlike Brahms, he simply arranged existing melodies, resulting in this beautiful arrangement of the familiar Irish Tune from County Derry and the lively and delightful There was a Pig went out to Dig. Irish Tune was first published as an untitled melody in a The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland in 1855 and was said to be “very old.”

Seiber

Less well-known as a composer, but with a substantial reputation as an inspiring teacher of music and composition, is Matyas Seiber. Seiber was born in Hungary in 1905 to a musical family and was composing by the age of 19. Like Grainger, he explored a wide range of influences in his music, including jazz and oriental music as well as Hungarian folk music. He wrote for John Dankworth (jazz) and his song “By the Fountains of Rome” was awarded the Ivor Novello Prize as well as becoming a Top Twenty single hit. He moved to Britain in 1935.

We are performing two sets of his work: Yugoslav Folk song, published in 1949, and three Hungarian Folk-Song, published in 1955. These pieces are original melodies, which are nevertheless drawn from folk traditions.

Warlock

Anglo-Welsh composer Peter Warlock (1894-1930) had a varied career as a composer of songs and music critic. He was largely self-taught. He had a strong interest in Celtic culture as well as Elizabethan and contemporary music. He led a short, but colourful, life, and is said to have been the inspiration for several literary characters. He was the alleged motor-cyclist. His most creative period was in the 1920s. Most of his compositions were songs for either solo voice or choirs. Yarmouth Fair is reported to have been collected “from the singing of Mr John Drinkwater, at Cley in Norfolk,” so is likely to be an original folk tune, but the arrangement, at least, is Warlock’s.

James

Born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1892, William G. James moved to London after graduating from the Melbourne Conservatorium in 1912. While there he composed Six Australian Bush Songs, which he dedicated to Nellie Melba. Bush Night-Song is one of this set.

Returning to Australia in 1923 he became a pioneer and leader in Australian broadcasting as well as a teacher and composer. He served on the board of the body which developed into the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and established State-based orchestras in this capacity. He also brought many international musicians to Australia. One of his best-known compositions is the Christmas carol The Three Drovers.

Location

Postal