Henry Walford Davies (1869-1941)

Started by Albion, December 11, 2022, 08:38:00 AM

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Albion

Walford Davies' cantata "Everyman" was the hit of the 1904 Leeds Festival. It's a very strong work and has been recorded by Dutton, although not an ideal performance. There is much more to his music, especially the 1912 "Song of St Francis". Here is his Symphony No.2 in G, Op.32 (1911) performed under Martin Yates at the 2013 English Music Festival. Unfortunately, no commercial release resulted...

https://www.mediafire.com/file/uanqlrqwbsbeh9i/Davies%252C_Walford_-_Symphony_No.2_in_G%252C_Op.32_%25281911%2529.mp3/file

 :)

A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

foxandpeng

Quote from: Albion on December 11, 2022, 08:38:00 AMWalford Davies' cantata "Everyman" was the hit of the 1904 Leeds Festival. It's a very strong work and has been recorded by Dutton, although not an ideal performance. There is much more to his music, especially the 1912 "Song of St Francis". Here is his Symphony No.2 in G, Op.32 (1911) performed under Martin Yates at the 2013 English Music Festival. Unfortunately, no commercial release resulted...

https://www.mediafire.com/file/uanqlrqwbsbeh9i/Davies%252C_Walford_-_Symphony_No.2_in_G%252C_Op.32_%25281911%2529.mp3/file

 :)



Cheers!
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Scion7

So many pieces we'll probably never hear:

Chamber:  String Quartet No. 1 in D minor (1891–92)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 1 in E flat (1892)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor (1893)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 1 in E flat major (1893–95)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major (1893–95)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 3 in E minor, Op. 5 (1894)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major (1895–96)
   •   String Quartet No. 2 in C minor (1895–97)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 4 in D minor, Op. 7 (1896)
   •   Piano Trio in C major (1897)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major (1899)
   •   Peter Pan, miniature suite for string quartet, Op. 30 (1909)
   •   Piano Quintet in G major, Op. 54 (1927, revised 1940)

Orchestral:  A Dedication Overture (1893)
   •   Overture in G major (1893)
   •   Symphony in D major (1894)
   •   Overture, A Welshman in London (1899)
   •   Overture to Everyman, Op. 17 (1905)
   •   Suite, Holiday Tunes, Op. 21 (1907)
   •   Prelude, Solemn Melody for organ and orchestra (1909)
   •   Festal Overture, Op. 31 (1909)
   •   Symphony [No. 2] in G, Op. 32 (1911)
   •   Suite, Parthenia, Op. 34 (1911)
   •   Suite in C after Wordsworth, Op. 37 (1912)
   •   Conversations for piano and orchestra, Op. 43 (1914)
   •   Royal Air Force March Past (1918, jointly with George Dyson)
   •   Memorial Melody (1919)
   •   A Memorial Suite, Op. 50 (1923)
   •   A Children's Symphony, for small orchestra, Op. 53 (1927)
   •   Memorial Melody in C (1936)
   •   Big Ben Looks On, orchestral fantasy (1937)

Piano:  Solemn Melody for Organ (1908)

Even if none of it rises above excellent craftsmanship, it should be recorded!  :(    :-\
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Roasted Swan

#3
Quote from: Scion7 on December 12, 2022, 06:07:35 AMSo many pieces we'll probably never hear:

Chamber:  String Quartet No. 1 in D minor (1891–92)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 1 in E flat (1892)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor (1893)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 1 in E flat major (1893–95)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major (1893–95)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 3 in E minor, Op. 5 (1894)
   •   Piano Quartet No. 3 in C major (1895–96)
   •   String Quartet No. 2 in C minor (1895–97)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 4 in D minor, Op. 7 (1896)
   •   Piano Trio in C major (1897)
   •   Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major (1899)
   •   Peter Pan, miniature suite for string quartet, Op. 30 (1909)
   •   Piano Quintet in G major, Op. 54 (1927, revised 1940)

Orchestral:  A Dedication Overture (1893)
   •   Overture in G major (1893)
   •   Symphony in D major (1894)
   •   Overture, A Welshman in London (1899)
   •   Overture to Everyman, Op. 17 (1905)
   •   Suite, Holiday Tunes, Op. 21 (1907)
   •   Prelude, Solemn Melody for organ and orchestra (1909)
   •   Festal Overture, Op. 31 (1909)
   •   Symphony [No. 2] in G, Op. 32 (1911)
   •   Suite, Parthenia, Op. 34 (1911)
   •   Suite in C after Wordsworth, Op. 37 (1912)
   •   Conversations for piano and orchestra, Op. 43 (1914)
   •   Royal Air Force March Past (1918, jointly with George Dyson)
   •   Memorial Melody (1919)
   •   A Memorial Suite, Op. 50 (1923)
   •   A Children's Symphony, for small orchestra, Op. 53 (1927)
   •   Memorial Melody in C (1936)
   •   Big Ben Looks On, orchestral fantasy (1937)

Piano:  Solemn Melody for Organ (1908)

Even if none of it rises above excellent craftsmanship, it should be recorded!  :(    :-\

I have photocopies of the score of the Peter Pan suite for string quartet.  The originals - very bizzarely! - are held in the archive of the Royal College of Organists.  I tracked it down because Eric Coates mentions it in his autobiography as being a very good piece.  Curiously it is mentioned on the back of various Novello publications where they list "other works that may be of interest" but as far as I can tell there are no published parts so I've never been able to acquire even an authorised set of archive parts.  I have got partially through transcribing it onto Sibelius and it is an intriguing and well-crafted work which certainly deserves revival.  But there is a LOT of similar British Chamber music that is similarly neglected - Think Harry Farjeon's quartets for starters.......

Albion

Walford Davies was a bloody fine composer of choral music, although the only work that we can access is "Everyman" (1904) on Dutton. Years ago (when I had the technical ability and wasn't completely gaga) I uploaded all my vocal scores to IMSLP and there is some great stuff here:

Christ in the Universe (1929)
Everyman (1904)
Fantasy (1914)
High Heaven's King (1926)
Lift Up Your Hearts (1906)
Men and Angels (1925)
Noble Numbers (1909)
Ode on Time (1908)
Five Sayings of Jesus (1911)
Song of Saint Francis (1912)


https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Davies,_Walford

 :)
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)