David Wordsworth blows the trumpet for Lennox
Berkeley, whose understated music disguises a surprisingly
tough and determined voice.
The last few years have seen us inundated with centenary celebrations
of British composers. Bush, Finzi, Rubbra, Walton, and we have a
bumper year of Tippett, Seiber, Rawsthorne and Lambert in 2005.
Sir Lennox Berkeley, born on May 12th 1903, sits in the middle of
these figures, to a large extent over-shadowed not only by some
of these composers, but also by his friend and younger contemporary,
Benjamin Britten. Part of the problem might be that Berkeley did
not write a “Belshazzar’s Feast”, “A Child
of our Time” or even a “War Requiem”. Big statements,
with or without religious and social/political undertones did not
come easily to Berkeley, but his beautifully crafted, elegant and,
at times, surprisingly tough and determined voice is ripe for reassessment.
Berkeley was half French and one of relatively few British composers
to have studied with Nadia Boulanger. This, together with the friendship
and influence of Ravel, Poulenc, Stravinsky and Milhaud amongst
others, brought about the clarity, understatement, refinement and
wit that became such a feature of his work.
Two of Berkeley’s best known works, the Serenade for Strings
Op.12 and the Divertimento Op.18, show Berkeley at his most characteristic,
full of harmonic twists and memorable melodies. They have become
classics in their own right, but seemed to have played lesser roles
in the repertoire since the composer’s death in 1989. Berkeley
always responded to religious texts with particular fervour and
his anthems, in particular The Lord is my Shepherd with its typically
haunting tune over a rocking accompaniment, are sung the world over.
The Four Poems of St.Teresa of Avila - first sung by Kathleen Ferrier
and the Stabat Mater are masterpieces of concentration and power
- these two works alone should once and for all banish the absurd
notion bandied around for some time that the composer was only a
miniaturist. Musicians of almost every kind have reason to be grateful
to Berkeley - his piano music, from the demanding Sonata to the
many varied and delightful shorter pieces is perfectly conceived
for the instrument. Songs with piano form a great part of Berkeley’s
output, setting a wide variety of texts - Auden, Appollinaire, Ronsard,
de la Mare and Herrick to name but a few. An extensive catalogue
of chamber music includes the masterly Horn Trio, a Sextet for Clarinet,
Horn and Strings, a String Trio and duos for various instruments
with piano.
On a larger scale, there are three chamber operas, eight full scale
concertos, engaging works for chamber orchestra and four Symphonies,
the third of which shows Berkeley making a very personal use of
the twelve tone system. Perhaps someone might revive the Grand Opera
Nelson to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar?
Centenaries come and go, but let’s hope that 2003 will provide
an opportunity to look and listen again to the work of this much
loved and underrated composer. |
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Lennox Berkeley
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