Page 102 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
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konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
during her time at the Royal College was performed, mostly in public.36 In
fact, Allen was very much mistaken in his assessment of Lutyens’s ability
as she developed into a respected composer of some considerable standing.
Lutyens was the first British composer to implement any of the principles
of Schoenberg and his pupils, albeit in her own way, and for this, she gained
a notorious reputation. Her first important composition that set her on the
serial road was the Chamber Concerto No. 1, which was written in the years
1939–1940. After her compositions became better known, she commented:
“One was hardly ever performed; one was jeered at by the players, if silent-
ly; one was considered ‘dotty’ [mad] and, the chief thing, one was considered
un-English.” Later she said: “The critics can no longer ignore it [serial mu-
sic] or treat it as a mental aberration.” “Critics always lag behind composers,
even behind the public at large.”37
The other composer who also adopted some of Schoenberg’s tech-
niques was the younger Humphrey Searle (1915–1982). He studied at the
Royal College of Music with John Ireland, who was very complimentary
about him:
Humphrey Searle was also very clever and individual. He wasn’t
with me for very long though. He went and studied with Webern in
Vienna and that influenced him a lot.38
Although Searle did not specifically study twelve-note music with Webern,
but rather Schoenberg’s Harmonielehre, his contact with Webern’s music at
first hand was really important, with works that he mentioned include the
Variations for piano op. 27, for which Webern provided a detailed analy
sis. Searle’s music, however, is not at all like Webern’s; it has bold roman-
tic textures perhaps more like those of Alban Berg. This can be explained
by the fact that in addition to his interest in twelve-note techniques, Searle
was also enthusiastic about the music of Franz Liszt. One can also note
that Searle wanted to make known the music of Webern by translating into
English books on Webern by Walter Kolneder and Friedrich Wildgans39
very clearly and concisely, a book on Schoenberg by H. H. Stuckenschmidt
36 Harries, A Pilgrim Soul, 54.
37 Schafer, British Composers in Interview, 105.
38 Ibid., 30.
39 Humphrey Searle’s translations into English of books on Webern are Walter Kolne-
der, Anton Webern: an Introduction to his Works (London: Faber, 1968) and (with
Edith Temple Roberts) Friedrich Wildgans, Anton Webern (London: Calder &
Boyars, 1966).
100
during her time at the Royal College was performed, mostly in public.36 In
fact, Allen was very much mistaken in his assessment of Lutyens’s ability
as she developed into a respected composer of some considerable standing.
Lutyens was the first British composer to implement any of the principles
of Schoenberg and his pupils, albeit in her own way, and for this, she gained
a notorious reputation. Her first important composition that set her on the
serial road was the Chamber Concerto No. 1, which was written in the years
1939–1940. After her compositions became better known, she commented:
“One was hardly ever performed; one was jeered at by the players, if silent-
ly; one was considered ‘dotty’ [mad] and, the chief thing, one was considered
un-English.” Later she said: “The critics can no longer ignore it [serial mu-
sic] or treat it as a mental aberration.” “Critics always lag behind composers,
even behind the public at large.”37
The other composer who also adopted some of Schoenberg’s tech-
niques was the younger Humphrey Searle (1915–1982). He studied at the
Royal College of Music with John Ireland, who was very complimentary
about him:
Humphrey Searle was also very clever and individual. He wasn’t
with me for very long though. He went and studied with Webern in
Vienna and that influenced him a lot.38
Although Searle did not specifically study twelve-note music with Webern,
but rather Schoenberg’s Harmonielehre, his contact with Webern’s music at
first hand was really important, with works that he mentioned include the
Variations for piano op. 27, for which Webern provided a detailed analy
sis. Searle’s music, however, is not at all like Webern’s; it has bold roman-
tic textures perhaps more like those of Alban Berg. This can be explained
by the fact that in addition to his interest in twelve-note techniques, Searle
was also enthusiastic about the music of Franz Liszt. One can also note
that Searle wanted to make known the music of Webern by translating into
English books on Webern by Walter Kolneder and Friedrich Wildgans39
very clearly and concisely, a book on Schoenberg by H. H. Stuckenschmidt
36 Harries, A Pilgrim Soul, 54.
37 Schafer, British Composers in Interview, 105.
38 Ibid., 30.
39 Humphrey Searle’s translations into English of books on Webern are Walter Kolne-
der, Anton Webern: an Introduction to his Works (London: Faber, 1968) and (with
Edith Temple Roberts) Friedrich Wildgans, Anton Webern (London: Calder &
Boyars, 1966).
100
