Page 134 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2024. Glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes ▪︎ Music Criticism – Yesterday and Today. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 7
P. 134
glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes | music criticism – yesterday and today
in the Royal Air Force. He was stationed in the East Midlands in England
from where he was able to report on the local musical events, particularly in
Leicester (January 1944)6 and Nottingham (May 1945)7. His reports on the
truncated 1939 and 1940 seasons of the Proms make somewhat depressing
reading, but at the same time also give a clue to the motivation which pow-
ered his later activities in rejuvenating BBC music broadcasts and the Lon-
don Proms season. He also reported enthusiastically on contemporary mu-
sic, especially that of Michael Tippett (1943)8 and Bartók on 30 September
19459. The unapproved obituary that he wrote on Bartók, a feared figure in
the British musical establishment, led amazingly to his dismissal from the
post on The Observer.
Developments
After leaving The Observer, he embarked on a varied programme of musi-
cal activities arising directly from his critical work with the newspapers.
For the first significant activity, for the newly established BBC Third Pro-
gramme, he was invited to undertake a wide-ranging survey of new de-
velopments in broadcast music in a number of important musical centres
in mainland Europe which included Munich, Prague, Vienna and Berlin.
It became quickly obvious to Glock, with his critical attention, that much
of the more advanced music performed in Europe was almost completely
unknown in England or indeed in any of the United Kingdom. Moreover,
there was no desire in the British musical establishment to become familiar
with contemporary developments. This encouraged him to think of ways
that he could change this situation.
One way that this could be effective was to undertake something sim-
ilar to the specialist continental summer ‘schools’ which combined perfor-
mance of a very high quality with support from an education programme
which enlightened the performance. There were a number of centres which
specialised in contemporary music, such as Darmstadt, which attracted
both composers and performers. This idea was to bear fruit in the Summer
Schools which Glock was invited operate. The first, in 1947, at Bryanston in
Dorset, attracted a number of composers and performers to perform and to
give lectures on music. Among the visiting musicians were Hindemith, Bo-
6 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, January 16, 1944, 2.
7 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, May 27, 1945, 2.
8 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, April 25, 1943, 2.
9 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, September 30, 1945, 2.
134
in the Royal Air Force. He was stationed in the East Midlands in England
from where he was able to report on the local musical events, particularly in
Leicester (January 1944)6 and Nottingham (May 1945)7. His reports on the
truncated 1939 and 1940 seasons of the Proms make somewhat depressing
reading, but at the same time also give a clue to the motivation which pow-
ered his later activities in rejuvenating BBC music broadcasts and the Lon-
don Proms season. He also reported enthusiastically on contemporary mu-
sic, especially that of Michael Tippett (1943)8 and Bartók on 30 September
19459. The unapproved obituary that he wrote on Bartók, a feared figure in
the British musical establishment, led amazingly to his dismissal from the
post on The Observer.
Developments
After leaving The Observer, he embarked on a varied programme of musi-
cal activities arising directly from his critical work with the newspapers.
For the first significant activity, for the newly established BBC Third Pro-
gramme, he was invited to undertake a wide-ranging survey of new de-
velopments in broadcast music in a number of important musical centres
in mainland Europe which included Munich, Prague, Vienna and Berlin.
It became quickly obvious to Glock, with his critical attention, that much
of the more advanced music performed in Europe was almost completely
unknown in England or indeed in any of the United Kingdom. Moreover,
there was no desire in the British musical establishment to become familiar
with contemporary developments. This encouraged him to think of ways
that he could change this situation.
One way that this could be effective was to undertake something sim-
ilar to the specialist continental summer ‘schools’ which combined perfor-
mance of a very high quality with support from an education programme
which enlightened the performance. There were a number of centres which
specialised in contemporary music, such as Darmstadt, which attracted
both composers and performers. This idea was to bear fruit in the Summer
Schools which Glock was invited operate. The first, in 1947, at Bryanston in
Dorset, attracted a number of composers and performers to perform and to
give lectures on music. Among the visiting musicians were Hindemith, Bo-
6 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, January 16, 1944, 2.
7 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, May 27, 1945, 2.
8 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, April 25, 1943, 2.
9 William Glock, “Music,” The Observer, September 30, 1945, 2.
134
