Is there a specific character which makes British piano works sound British?

The rich and diverse folksong and dance tradition usually colours the ‘classical’ compositions of a nation at least to some extent, and this is most certainly the case with regard to our collective group of nations, the ’United Kingdom’. Quite often the folk influence in British Music is subtle, sometimes in all likelihood even unconscious. It is often not especially easy to define, but we all know and love Gerald Finzi’s ravishing, quintessentially ‘English’ Eclogue for Piano and strings, for example. At other times it is possible to immediately identify the ‘British’ starting point: As a Scot I feel quite emotionally charged, sometimes even close to tears when I listen to the opening of Erik Chisholm’s First Piano Concerto (it begins with solo oboe simply and literally quoting a most moving traditional Pibroch melody). But it is vital to remember that we are a United Kingdom, perhaps a modest collection of isles in terms of space on the globe, but a massive quasi-continent in terms of contrasted climates, ancestry and so on. My goodness, when you think that some ’Brits’ in the Shetlands have Viking ancestry, whilst others in the Channel Islands have close associations with France, it is hardly surprising that commentators may see a wide range of styles! Think too of all the fantastically talented individuals who have grandparents born originally in former British Empire nations, including India and Jamaica. And of course it is all too easy to sound flippantly racist when talking about the ’sound’ of a nation’s compositions. Another interesting ’British’ quality is that we as a nation tend to love eccentrics, and to love ’underdogs’. There are certainly plenty of ‘characters’ in our rich musical heritage, and off the top of my head I would mention Lord Berners, Sorabji and Peter Warlock as belonging to the first category, with Alan Bush, Benjamin Britten, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Havergal Brian as belonging to the second. Perhaps Dame Ethel Smyth (and many others, including some of the names already mentioned) belonged to both!

And there are many other issues raised by this question, one in particular which is controversial, but which must be considered here, even at the risk of inevitably sounding over-simplistic. One could argue that the British Public has had a love of the exotic, the ‘foreign’ for centuries. This can of course readily be seen in our cuisine, so dependent as it is on basic ingredients, which were brought in by explorers and trends. Since Handel’s time at least (and the love of Italian Opera), the British music-loving public have adored, understandably, art and artists from further afield than our own islands. Without wanting to get into whether or not this has led to discrimination against British Music, ’exoto-filia’ must have had an enormous effect on indigenous musical creators, and it is fascinating to consider each composer against this important on-going condition. Perhaps it has made some stronger and more individual than they would have been had they had no such ‘barriers’ (if indeed this is what they were) to contend with, whereas others may have drowned in Teutonic waves, or become self-conscious, or reserved, or academic, or merely bitter and stopped writing altogether. Yet others will have formed ‘cliques’, whilst those unfortunate enough to be left in isolation will be dismissed as mavericks by unkind critics. But as I write all this I immediately think that every nation on earth has similar composers in their heritage. And I certainly do not wish to give names for British composers in each classification (even though I could, and probably would do so after a glass or two of Scotch!)

Which works or composers seem particularly important?

Important for whom? The Establishment (whatever that is?) for University Degrees, entries in Dictionaries, Concert Promoters? Perhaps there are too few British compositions which have been considered ‘important’by institutions and publications over the generations. This can only be to our loss. I am not a ’nationalist’, but believe that humanity is made richer by understanding the culture and achievements of past generations. In that sense, everything composed by British composers is important especially to those born and/or raised on these islands. I prefer to take a Jungian stance and look at the collective whole. Of course there are magnificent compositions which will appear to tower over all else for particular individuals in particular generations. But who knows what our descendants will make of them? And which- ever hand-picked elite crop of pieces one chooses, it will feel less lonely by co-existing as part of the bigger picture which is the important collective whole of British Music. I would say the most ‘important’ on-going music in Britain today is our folksong heritage. For piano, as I am only human, I have my preferences. John Ireland’s output is especially beautiful (NB Sarnia especially). Ronald Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH is a magnificent encyclopaedic achievement. Stevenson’s and York Bowen’s piano music has a unique inner-understanding of the instrument. Tippett’s Sonatas do not, but they are still significant, albeit in a completely different way. Michael Finnissey’s achievements are different yet again, but breathtakingly impressive. Arnold Bax wrote wonderful Sonatas. There are many isolated works and outstanding, under-rated achievements. Let us not forget the huge contribution by John McCabe.

One thing usually leads to another. The piano repertoire is enormous, and surely it is good policy to play music you love. Thereafter, follow the pathways which open-up as a result of music you already are steeped in. . In fact, there are so many connections from one composer to another that it becomes the most natural thing to immediately want to learn more music as soon as you have performed one particular work for the first time. In a British context this has meant for me personally that Ronald Stevenson’s compositions have been given many public outings over the years. His close associate Erik Chisholm has been a more recent ‘cause’, and others orbiting round the Stevensonian planet, to a greater or lesser extent, have included Ronald Center, John McLeod, Britten (especially ‘Young Apollo’ for piano and strings, strangely enough), and Alan Rawsthorne. When I perform in recital abroad, it is normally felt to be perfectly natural by promoters that I should play some British, or more specifically some Scottish music on the programme. Recently personal favourites have included Sir John Blackwood McEwan’s ’On Southern Hills’, John McLeod’s Piano Sonata no.1 and Hamish MacCunn’s ‘In the Glen’.

Which concertos seem the most significant?

I don’t like the word significant, but I do love the Britten, Tippett, Rawsthorne, Delius and Ireland Concertos. The Sterndale Bennett and John Field crops certainly deserve to be heard a bit more often too

In a recital context, I’ve found it perfectly natural to be asked to play British Music. On tour in Poland in December 2003 I was amazed in the town of Bialystok to be presented with a copy of my Ronald Stevenson Concerto CD for autographing! Certainly the world is a smaller place than it used to be, and people are curious the world over to be introduced to new experiences. If you present British Music you believe in with integrity, there is nothing to be afraid of. Music is music, and national classifications, and all other kinds of barriers, mercifully begin to break down when art empowers performers and audiences.

Why do you think many major British composers wrote so little for the piano (e.g. Elgar, Holst, VW, Walton, Britten)?

Perhaps the struggle for recognition meant that composers had to concentrate on big blockbuster forces and genres. Symphonies, oratorios and operas take a long time to realise. But we should not forget how beautiful and entrancing the piano parts in Britten’s wonderful song cycles are.

Are teachers sufficiently aware of British repertoire - how do/can students encounter it?

There is always the fear of being different, and the comfort of the familiar to fight against in pedagogy and in students. Surely it is the courage to do what you believe in, allied to the courage to make new headway, which should be emphasised. But it would be wrong to force students to play British music if they did not passionately want to. There is the other issue of patiently planting new seeds, patiently encouraging the awareness of the unfamiliar.

Should competitions and curriculums (curriculae?) put more emphasis on British repertoire (cf. examples from Russia and France)?

I don’t think official lists are necessarily the best way forward, though of course it is vital for musicians living and working in the UK to be aware of the vast and diverse musical riches which lie in their midst. It is our wonderful heritage, and as such comparisons with Russian, German and French music seems irrelevant.

Questions by Jeremy Siepmann, answers by Murray McLachlan, February 2004