Page 19 - Frittenden Parish Mag - July - 2021

Music Notes Villagers’ View

Brian Hardy As possibly the least well known, here is something about
Alan Rawsthorne:
Born in 1905 Rawsthorne’s parents discouraged his aims
The expected relief for amateur musicians did not come to be a professional musician and he tried and failed
in May. As I write local choirs of more than six still as a dentist and then as an architect. In 1925 he finally
cannot meet, and all the plans for starting rehearsals and enrolled at the Royal Manchester College of Music.
the possibilities of major Maidstone concerts in July have After graduating he spent two years pursuing his piano
come to naught. Maidstone United Reformed Church, training with Egon Petri at Zakopane in Poland, and
however, are taking advantage of the “six persons” then briefly also in Berlin. On his return to England
concession and will be holding their Summer lunchtime in 1932, he took up a post as pianist and teacher at
concerts on Wednesdays in July, 1.00pm at URC Week Dartington Hall in Devon, where he became composer-
Street, admission free, coffee available, retiring collection. in-residence for the School of Dance and Mime. In
Professionals on the other hand have been reprieved and 1934,he left for London to try his fortune as a freelance
things are moving on the national scale. The Leeds Castle composer. His first real public success arrived four years
annual concert is scheduled for 10th July and the proms later with a performance of his Theme and Variations
start on 30th July with audience (they hope); you can buy for Two Violins at the 1938 International Society for
proms programmes from the large booksellers, including Contemporary Music Festival in London. The next year,
that one on the internet. Around 20 of this year’s Proms his large-scale Symphonic Studies for orchestra was
will be filmed and made available on BBCiplayer, performed in Warsaw. The first in a line of completely
including the first two (30th and 31st). assured orchestral scores, the Symphonic Studies, which
Meanwhile I continue to search out anniversaries; here can be heard as a concerto for orchestra in all but name,
they are for July: rapidly helped Rawsthorne establish himself.
13th July – 70th anniversary of the death of Arnold Other acclaimed works include a viola sonata (1937),
Schoenberg, Austrian-American composer (1874-1951) two piano concertos (1939, 1951), an oboe concerto
(1947), two violin concertos (1948, 1956), a concerto for
24th July – 50th anniversary of the death of Alan string orchestra (1949), and the Elegy for Guitar (1971),
Rawsthorne, British composer a piece written for and completed by Julian Bream after
the composer’s death. He also wrote many film scores
26th July – 230th anniversary of the birth of Franz including The cruel sea (2002) and The man who never
Xavier Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer, teacher was (1956).
and performer; youngest son of Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart And here is another music definition:
Orchestra– The result of musicians having discovered
28th July – 280th anniversary of the death of Antonio that there is safety in numbers +1
Vivaldi, Italian composer and violinist

GABY CLARKE

curtains, cushions & blinds
Photography by Julie Smith

Hand weeding the wheat
at Brissenden Farm

hand-crafted soft furnishings , free quotations
phone: 01580 852698 email: gaby_clarke@icloud.com We welcome monthly photography submissions accompanied by a caption to
frittendenparishmagazine@gmail.com

18 Frittenden Parish Magazine July/August 2021 Frittenden Parish Magazine July/August 2021 19