About the Arnold Bax Music Blog

This is a website entirely devoted to advocating, and increasing awareness and understanding of the twentieth century British composer Sir Arnold Bax, who I sometimes refer to as the “forgotten genius”. For me, and for many who listen to his music, he is something special.

I see Sir Arnold Bax as one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century and easily the most important figure in all British music. No composer before him has attempted the extraordinary orchestrations he has. No composer before him has ever exposed us to a wider range of moods and emotions. No composer before him has used his thematic material in the extraordinary way that he has. Every day to me he still remains a revelation.

Sir Arnold Bax

Sir Arnold Bax was born on the 8th of November, 1883 in Streatham, London, into an upper-class family. He was largely an impressionist composer, but often included elements of romanticism in his compositions, particularly in his earlier works. Bax was recognised early on as a great musical talent, especially on the keyboard where he was said to be a brilliant sight-reader, often playing Wagner operas in his spare time. He studied music when he was 16 at the Hampstead Conservatory and was accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in 1900 where he stayed up until 1905. He won the Battison-Haynes prize and the Charles Lucas medal, both highly competitive awards in composition.

Bax quickly connected with Ireland and its culture and his compositions often show a strong Celtic influence. He used the works of William Butler Yeats as a basis for many of his early evocative tone poems. In the 1920s to 1930s his main works became symphonies, writing seven contrasting symphonies from 1922 to 1939. In the last ten years of his life, Bax felt that his compositions were becoming out of fashion as he had distanced himself from modernist composers such as Arnold Schoenberg and serialism, which was becoming increasingly popular world wide. He stated that he was musically tired and his creativity was dimming. Sir Arnold Bax died on the 3rd of October, 1953 at 69 years of age. He still wrote some wonderful movie music in his last ten years and continued to write expressively for his lover Harriet Cohen.

Bax’s output includes some 250 works, which are listed at the following address:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Arnold_Bax

Tone Poems of Arnold Bax (sorted by date, more additions to come)

Into the twilight (1908)

The title of this tone poem is derived from a writing of the Celtic poet William Butler Yeats, a significant inspiration for many of his tone poems. It opens with a bass drum roll and the music gradually unleashes into a mood of pale, wintry light where the enchantment of twilight is evoked. The strings introduce the first main themes, and the second theme is introduced by the cellos with woodwind and harp creating a checkered atmosphere of the Celtic landscape. The piece closes with the last light, beautifully resolved.

Spring Fire (1912)

Effectively a one-movement symphony, Spring Fire is a work of immense passion which Bax never heard! It is quite possibly his most unlucky score, having been scheduled three separate performances which were all cancelled for different reasons. What was thought to be the only copy in the 1960s was destroyed in a fire and for many years the score was assumed to be lost and therefore unplayable. It was many years before another copy was finally discovered.

It is in five distinctive sections, opening with one titled “In the forest before dawn” where a warm and melodic line is introduced by the cellos under a quick, mysterious flute ostinato which is stated near the beginning of the work. The melody is further developed in the second section, titled “morning and daybreak” where the peace of the morning is wonderfully evoked and a build-up begins to the magnificent, blustery third section titled “full day” which is thoroughly exciting and lively. The fourth section is titled “woodland love”, where a warmly romantic melody is introduced on top of gorgeously chosen chords. The final section, titled “maenads” is a quick paced, unexpected and somewhat march-like section, making a perfect end to an extraordinary work.

Nympholept (1915)

Nympholept is a quiet, enchanted, and somewhat frighteningly evocative tone poem. The orchestration is often very subtle and the mood related to the title is captured wonderfully by the composer, with some completely unsentimental, gorgeously beautiful sections that make this piece very mesmerising for the listener.

The Garden of Fand (1916)

This comparatively well known and popular work of Bax was an important one in the career of the composer. It improved his popularity and it is perhaps the directness of the emotions expressed in this piece and the fragrant beauty of the various sections in the arch form of this piece that make it more appealing to the ordinary listener.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Borodin Symphony No. 2

Well, I went into borders the other day and thought I would purchase a recording of the piece I would be playing at the end of the year at the MYM annual Summer School. I was very curious, as I had never heard any works by this composer but had read about him a couple of times. So, now the verdict.

The first movement opens with a very strong, rhythmic, and somewhat dark motive from the strings and horns. It is repeat several times and interrupted on several occasions by an allegro, exciting passage. The second subject is very nice, introduced by the cellos and not dragging on for too long. Occasionally oppressive listening because of some hollow repeats, but nevertheless a highly involving movement of around seven minutes.

The second movement is a presto scherzo and has an entirely different mood from the first movement. It is quite cheerful, very melodic and energetic. Quite a bit of fun to play, but not that exciting for trumpeters.

The third movement is warmly romantic and very beautiful. It is of course the slow movement, and there is one particularly glorious movement about two minutes from its conclusion where the whole orchestra states the main theme before it fades into tranquility. There's a trumpet solo in this movement too.

The finale is very exciting and energetic, more trumpet and very blustery. A dramatic contrast to the preceding movement as well which makes it so involving. It is very fast, and the main section has a 5/4 feel. Alongside the third movement as my favourite(s).

Overall a very enjoyable piece, but without the same involvement as the trumpets got when I played Shostakovitch's 1st Symphony last year. Recommended listening. All those in favour of music from the romantic era, Dvorak and Mahler will love this work very much. A bit too dissonant for 4'33'' fans.
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