A Note from the Chairman – July 2023
On June 19th, members of the Stanford and Herbert Howells Societies enjoyed a Zoom Talk from Paul Spicer on his new book on Sir Arthur Bliss. This is entitled “ Sir Arthur Bliss – Standing Out from the Crowd”.
Paul, who studied composition at the Royal College of Music, is a distinguished teacher, conductor, choir trainer, composer and author. He has recorded many CDs of English music, particularly with the Finzi Singers and the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir, including a recording of Stanford part songs on the SOMM label.
This is the third book that Paul has written on one of Stanford’s students. His previous volumes have been on Herbert Howells and Sir George Dyson.
Bliss (1891-1975) wrote in his autobiography that anyone who wanted to know and understand him should do this through his music. Paul told us that he had known very little of Bliss’s music before he started writing this book so getting to know and understand the music was a voyage of discovery for him.
Bliss grew up in London in a close-knit wealthy family with two brothers. His father was American and his mother English. The family encouraged his cultural interests and all the brothers were musical. Before the First World War he attended Cambridge University, where he studied Classics and Music, and the Royal College of Music. He did not enjoy his time studying composition with Stanford, who he found to be unsympathetic to his interest in some of the newer music from the Continent, including that of Stravinsky. During the War he served with distinction and was wounded. His talented younger brother Kennard was killed during the War and this had a profound effect on him.
After the War Bliss returned to the RCM, where he did some teaching and developed his conducting skills. He continued composing and “experimenting with sound “ and modern musical styles. He had somewhat of a breakthrough with his Colour Symphony premiered at the 1922 Three Choirs Festival at Gloucester. This was a commission encouraged by Elgar. Bliss went on to compose concert music as well as for the ballet and films, including the music for “Things to Come”. For a time he was regarded as something of an “Enfant Terrible”, but his musical language then evolved to be more in the English musical tradition.
Bliss spent two years teaching and composing in California during the early 1920s and he met his wife, Trudy, there. He returned to the UK and established a successful career as a composer, teacher and conductor. During the 1930s he composed much chamber music including a Clarinet Quintet and Viola Sonata.
In 1939 Bliss composed a Piano Concerto that was premiered by Solomon at the World’s Fair in New York. Bliss and his family were stranded in the US at the outbreak of the Second World War. He returned to the UK in 1942, eventually taking over the position of the BBC’s Director of Music from Sir Adrian Boult.
Bliss was appointed Master of the Queen’s Music in 1952 and composed many memorable works for Royal Occasions.
Paul Spicer has produced a very interesting and readable study of Bliss’s life and music through the study and analysis of a number of the key works. One minor criticism is that he does not include a list of Bliss’s compositions, which would have been helpful.*
*A comprehensive list of the compositions of Sir Arthur Bliss has been prepared by Lewis Foreman. Much of this may be found on Wikipedia.
