Fand IncWessex Press

During the 1920s, Peter Warlock (1894–1930) did much pioneering work in the field of transcribing and editing early music, and one of the manuscripts he scrutinised was an early 17th century part-book in the British Museum. From this manuscript he extracted six numbers which he then transcribed for string quintet, and they were published by Oxford University Press in 1926 as Six English Tunes. Although Warlock described them as ‘tunes’, each of them has a strong feel of a dance movement. Around the time they were published, Warlock went on to compose Capriol, his most popular composition, which is also in six movements, perhaps raising the question whether there might be a loose connection between the two works. Warlock’s having written Capriol as a piano duet was accordingly the cue to arrange the Six English Tunes for this medium by way of making it a companion piece.

George Butterworth (1885–1916) is best known as the composer of The Banks of Green Willow and the rhapsody A Shropshire Lad, but in the early years of the last century he also contributed significantly to our national musical heritage by noting down numerous folk songs that were in danger of dying out. One such was The Rambling Sailor, which he collected from a singer in Horsham, Sussex in 1909. The tune is this current piece is presented in all its moods, with varying harmonic treatments in each of the four episodes in which it is presented. To a certain extent these match up with the words of the song that Butterworth recorded, and the latter are reproduced on the inner cover.

In a lavishly presented FULL COLOUR edition, Gallery is a fascinating collection of piano miniatures by Gary Higginson, whose idea was to write a piece as a foil to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The difference with Gallery is that the images are so diverse that they would never be seen together in one place.

The work is a series of eleven exhibits interspersed, like Mussorgsky’s Pictures, by four Intradas, which act as occasional promenades around the gallery, plus a concluding Exit movement.

Each exhibition piece in the publication is accompanied by its related full-colour artwork, and the inspiration behind the music should therefore be readily apparent. Not only are the illustrations contrasting but the individual pieces are also very eclectic in style, ranging from jazz to minimalism to twelve-tone writing.

Written for Patrícia Bretas and Josiane Kevorkian (Duo Bretas–Kevorkian), this Brazilian Scherzo for two pianos would be ideally suited as either a concert opener or an encore: a rhythmic, fast-moving, playful piece requiring scintillating ensemble work.

Peter Warlock (1894–1930) is rightly famed for his 120 or so solo songs. They vary enormously in range, from the uproariously extrovert drinking songs, via those on pleasingly charming pastoral themes, and through tender love songs to the hauntingly sad and desolating songs of The Curlew. Another feature they share is that they are more often than not quite melodically distinguished and attractive.

The cue for arranging the nine songs of this volume as piano pieces came in the form of a piano transcription that Alec Rowley had made many years ago of Warlock’s song Milkmaids. Including the latter in a recent concert, it struck John Mitchell that a similar treatment might be extended to some of the other songs in Warlock’s output. The arrangements here may appeal especially to those pianists who greatly enjoy accompanying these songs, but may not always have a singer on hand to contribute the vocal line (the latter now being incorporated into the piano texture).

ALSO AVAILABLE: Volume 2.

Peter Warlock (1894–1930) is rightly famed for his 120 or so solo songs. They vary enormously in range, from the uproariously extrovert drinking songs, via those on pleasingly charming pastoral themes, and through tender love songs to the hauntingly sad and desolating songs of The Curlew. Another feature they share is that they are more often than not quite melodically distinguished and attractive.

The cue for arranging the nine songs of this volume as piano pieces came in the form of a piano transcription that Alec Rowley had made many years ago of Warlock’s song Milkmaids. Including the latter in a recent concert, it struck John Mitchell that a similar treatment might be extended to some of the other songs in Warlock’s output. The arrangements here may appeal especially to those pianists who greatly enjoy accompanying these songs, but may not always have a singer on hand to contribute the vocal line (the latter now being incorporated into the piano texture).

ALSO AVAILABLE: Volume 1.