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John Foulds
British classical music composer John Foulds
British classical music composer John Foulds
Background information
Birth name John Herbert Foulds
Born 2 November 1880(1880-11-02)
Hulme, Manchester, England, UK
Died April 25, 1939 (aged 58)
Calcutta, India
Genre(s) Classical music
Occupation(s) Composer
Years active 1890s–1939

John Herbert Foulds (November 2, 1880 – April 25, 1939), was a British composer of classical music from England. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Hulme is an Inner city area and electoral ward of the City of Manchester, in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

A successful composer of light music and theatre scores, his principal creative energies went into more ambitious and exploratory works that were particularly influenced by Indian music. Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music which originated in the 19th Century and had its heyday during The music of India' includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. Suffering a setback after the decline in popularity of his World Requiem (1919–1921), he left London for Paris in 1927, and eventually travelled to India in 1935 where, among other things, he collected folk music, composed pieces for traditional Indian instrument ensembles, and worked for a radio station. A World Requiem, Op 60 is a large-scale Symphonic work with soloists and Choirs by the British Composer Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Hindustani music. They are discussed in detail by Dr Lalmani Misra in his book Bharatiya Sangeet Vadkieraya.

Foulds was an adventurous figure of great innate musicality and superb technical skill. Among his best works are Three Mantras for orchestra and wordless chorus (1919–1930), Essays in the Modes for piano (1920–1927), the piano concerto Dynamic Triptych (1927–1929), and his ninth string quartet Quartetto Intimo (1931–1932).

Contents

Biography

The son of a bassoonist in the Hallé Orchestra, John Foulds was born in Hulme, Manchester, England, on 2 November 1880. The bassoon is a Woodwind instrument in the Double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and Tenor registers and occasionally The Hallé is a Symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England, it claims the status of "the oldest professional orchestra" in the Hulme is an Inner city area and electoral ward of the City of Manchester, in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Largely self-taught as a composer, he was one of the most remarkable and unjustly forgotten figures of the "British Musical Renaissance". Though prolific from childhood, Foulds himself joined the Hallé as a cellist in 1900, having already served an apprenticeship in theatre and promenade orchestras in England and abroad. The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ Apprenticeship is a system of Training a new generation of practitioners of a skill Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Although the term Promenade Concert is normally associated today with the series of concerts founded in 1895 by Robert Newman and the conductor Henry Wood An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Hans Richter gave him conducting experience; Henry Wood took up some of his works, starting with Epithalamium at the 1906 Queen's Hall Proms. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Hans Richter ( 4 April 1843 in Raab WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Henry Joseph Wood, CH ( 3 March 1869 Queen's Hall was a classical music Concert hall in Central London, England, opened in 1893 and was beloved by Londoners until its The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily Orchestral

In some respects ahead of his time (he started using quarter-tones as early as the 1890s, while some of his later works anticipate Messiaen and Minimalism) Foulds was in others an intensely-practical musician. A quarter tone is an interval about half as wide (aurally or logarithmically as a Semitone, which is half a Whole tone. Olivier Messiaen ( December 10 1908 &ndash April 27 1992 was a French Composer, organist and ornithologist. Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design especially Visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features He became a successful composer of light music – his Keltic Lament was once a popular favourite and in the 1920s the BBC scheduled his music on a daily basis. Light music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of "light" orchestral music which originated in the 19th Century and had its heyday during This was a source of irritation to Foulds; in 1933 he complained to Adrian Boult at the BBC that his serious music was not being performed: "[My light works] number a dozen or so, as compared with the total of 50 of my serious works. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Sir Adrian Cedric Boult CH ( 8 April 1889 This state of affairs is rather a galling one for a serious artist. "[1] Foulds also wrote many effective theatre scores, notably for his friends Lewis Casson and Sybil Thorndike. Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC ( 26 October 1875 &ndash 16 May 1969) was an English Actor and Theatre director Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike CH DBE ( 24 October 1882 &ndash 9 June 1976) was a British actress. Perhaps the best known was the music for the first production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan (Foulds conducted a Suite from it at the Queen's Hall Proms in 1925). George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. Saint Joan is a 1923 play by Irishman George Bernard Shaw written shortly after the Roman Catholic Church canonized Joan of Arc. However his principal creative energies went into more ambitious and exploratory works, often coloured by his interest in the music of the East, especially India. Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of Asian cultures The music of India' includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music.

A postcard of the Royal Albert Hall (c.1903) (with an inset of the Albert Memorial), where Foulds' World Requiem (1919–1921) was performed in 1923 and 1926; in 1924 and 1925 it was performed at the Queen's Hall.
A postcard of the Royal Albert Hall (c. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known 1903) (with an inset of the Albert Memorial), where Foulds' World Requiem (1919–1921) was performed in 1923 and 1926; in 1924 and 1925 it was performed at the Queen's Hall. The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. A World Requiem, Op 60 is a large-scale Symphonic work with soloists and Choirs by the British Composer

Foulds moved to London before World War I, and in 1915 during the war he met and married the violinist Maud MacCarthy, one of the leading Western authorities on Indian music. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The following lists of violinists are available List of classical violinists, names of great violinist from baroque era till 20th century Maud MacCarthy ( 4 July 1882 &ndash1967 was an Irish-born violinist singer writer poet esoteric teacher and authority on Indian music The music of India' includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. His gigantic World Requiem (1919–1921), in memory of the dead of all nations, was performed at the Royal Albert Hall, conducted by Foulds, under the auspices of The Royal British Legion on Armistice Night, November 11, in 1923 by up to 1,250 instrumentalists and singers; the latter were called the Cenotaph choir. A World Requiem, Op 60 is a large-scale Symphonic work with soloists and Choirs by the British Composer Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere Performances in 1924 and 1925 took place at the Queen's Hall. In 1926 it returned to the Albert Hall, but this was to be the last performance until 2007, again at the Albert Hall. The performances in 1923-6 constituted the first Festivals of Remembrance. While some critics were not impressed by the work, it was nonetheless popular. One newspaper wrote: "The scope of the work is beyond what anyone has dared to attempt hitherto. It is no less than to find expression for the deepest and most widespread unhappiness this generation has ever known. As such it was received by a very large number of listeners, who evidently felt that music alone could do this for them. "[1] However, the work ceased to be performed after 1926. Some commentators have suggested a conspiracy against Foulds – his biographer Malcolm MacDonald has, for instance, implied some sort of "intrigue". Malcolm MacDonald (also known by the alias Calum MacDonald) is a British author mainly writing about music It appears Foulds was regarded as an inappropriate composer for the occasion because he had not fought in the war, or because of his suspected Left-wing views. [1]

When interest in A World Requiem lapsed Foulds suffered a grave setback and in 1927 left for Paris, working there as an accompanist for silent films. In 1934 he published an immensely-stimulating book on contemporary musical developments, Music To-day. In 1935 he travelled to India, where he collected folk music, became Director of European Music for All-India Radio in Delhi, created an orchestra from scratch, and began to work towards his dream of a musical synthesis of East and West, actually composing pieces for ensembles of traditional Indian instruments. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population Hindustani music. They are discussed in detail by Dr Lalmani Misra in his book Bharatiya Sangeet Vadkieraya. He was so successful that he was asked to open a branch of the station in Calcutta. Tragically, within a week of arriving there, he died suddenly of cholera on 25 April 1939. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Foulds' most substantial compositions include string quartets, symphonic poems, concertos, piano pieces and a huge "concert opera" on Dante's The Divine Comedy (1905–1908), as well as a series of "Music-Pictures" exploring the affinities between music and styles of painting. A string quartet is a Musical ensemble of four String instruments &mdash usually two Violins a Viola and Cello &mdash or a piece A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of Orchestral Music in one movement in which some extramusical program provides a narrative or illustrative element The term Concerto (plural concertos or concerti) usually refers to a three part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an Orchestra The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The Divine Comedy Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e [2] (Henry Wood introduced one of them at the 1913 Proms. ) Few of these works were performed and fewer published in his lifetime, and several, especially from his last period in India, are lost. (The missing scores included a Symphony of East and West for Oriental instruments and Western symphony orchestra. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well ) Foulds' daughter deposited some of the surviving manuscripts by her father in the British Library. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. [3]

Revival

Foulds became a footnote to English music after his death, but from 1974 Malcolm MacDonald, editor of the music journal Tempo under the alias Calum MacDonald, conducted an often lonely campaign for Foulds after he came across the Foulds scores deposited in the British Library. Tempo is a quarterly Music Journal published in the UK and specialising in music of the 20th century and Contemporary music. MacDonald tracked down Foulds' daughter, who took him to a garage and showed him two coffin-sized boxes full of sketches and manuscripts she had been left by her mother. Unfortunately, many of the manuscripts were damaged: apparently, rats and ants had got at them while they were in India, where Foulds' wife stayed after his death. [3]

An acclaimed recording of Foulds' string quartet music, including the previously-unperformed Quartetto Intimo, by the Endellion Quartet in the early 1980s began to reawaken interest in him, and this was sustained in the early 1990s by Lyrita Recorded Edition's decision to issue some of Foulds' works including Three Mantras and Dynamic Triptych on CD. The Endellion String Quartet is a British String quartet. The quartet was formed in 1979 and has been 'Quartet in Residence' at Cambridge University A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A Proms performance of Three Mantras in 1998 was well received, and soon after the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo began to champion Foulds' work in concerts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), to huge critical acclaim. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures Sakari Markus Oramo (born October 26, 1965 Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish conductor. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. [4][5] In November 2005, the CBSO, with Peter Donohoe, gave the first live performance for more than 70 years of Foulds' piano concerto, the Dynamic Triptych (1927–1929). Peter Donohoe (born 18 June, 1953) is an English Pianist. Born in Manchester, he studied with Derek Wyndham at the A piano concerto is a work written for Piano and Orchestra.See also Harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano The orchestra has issued two well-received CDs of Foulds' music. On Armistice Night, 11 November 2007, the Royal Albert Hall staged the first performance for 81 years of the World Requiem under the auspices of the BBC, with Leon Botstein as conductor. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Leon Botstein (born 1946 in Switzerland) is an American [6] The performance was recorded live and released in Super Audio CD format by Chandos Records in January 2008. Super Audio CD ( SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc format that can provide higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the Red Chandos Records is an independent classical music label based in the United Kingdom, founded by Brian Couzens.

Foulds' Keltic Lament has once again become popular due to its regular playing on Classic FM, and BBC Radio 3 plans to revive a tradition of performing A World Requiem on Armistice Day. Classic FM is one of the United Kingdom 's three Independent National Radio stations broadcasting classical music in a popular and accessible style [1]

Legacy

It is difficult to assess Foulds' achievement, or even to classify a composer who was master of a bewildering variety of styles. But he was clearly an adventurous figure of great innate musicality and superb technical skill. Such pieces as the Three Mantras for orchestra and wordless chorus (1919–1930), the Essays in the Modes for piano (1920–1927), the piano concerto Dynamic Triptych (1927–1929), and his ninth string quartet Quartetto Intimo (1931–1932) represent a powerful and individual contribution to the music of their time.

Personal life

Before marrying Maud MacCarthy in 1915, Foulds was previously married in 1909 to Maud Woodcock. They had a son, Raymond, in 1911. Foulds later had a son, Patrick, and a daughter, Marybride, with Maud MacCarthy, who had a daughter, Joan, by her previous marriage.

Selected works

Music for soloists, chorus and orchestra

Music for voice and orchestra

Music for solo instrument and orchestra

Orchestral music

Light orchestral music

Chamber music

Piano music

 I.  Exotic (Mode II A) 
 II.  Ingenuous (Mode V K) 
 III.  Introversive (Mode II C) 
 IV.  Military (Mode V E)
 V.  Strophic (Mode V L) 
 VI.  Prismic (Mode II P)

 I.  The Dream of Morven 
 II.  Deirdre Crooning 
 III.  Merry Macdoon 

 I.  Moonrise: Sorrento (after Morelli)
 II.  Nightfall: Luxor (after Cameron)

Songs

Choral works without orchestra

Theatre scores

Arrangements

Discography

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Wright, Roger. "John Foulds' Indian summer [print version: A composer's Indian summer]", The Daily Telegraph (Review), 2007-09-15. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy.  
  2. ^ See Norris, Geoffrey. "The Sound of Illumination (review of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 11 January 2006)", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-01-12. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople  
  3. ^ a b Culshaw, Peter. "Visionary Genius of the Spirit World", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-04-26. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy.  
  4. ^ Fanning, David. "Feast for Musical Connoisseurs", The Daily Telegraph, 2005-11-10. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw  
  5. ^ Heffer, Simon. "Composition for 1,250 Musicians", The Daily Telegraph (Review), 2007-03-31. For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor  
  6. ^ BBC Symphony Orchestra press release dated 25 July 2007; see also John Foulds : A World Requiem. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. bbc.co.uk (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.

References

Further reading

Articles

Books


Persondata
NAME Foulds, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Foulds, John Herbert
SHORT DESCRIPTION British composer
DATE OF BIRTH 2 November 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH Hulme, Manchester, England, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH 25 April 1939
PLACE OF DEATH Calcutta, India
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Hulme is an Inner city area and electoral ward of the City of Manchester, in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
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