Cyril Rootham (1875-1938)

[vandermolen]

Went on a little Rootham shopping spree:

Three wonderful discs - you won't be disappointed John. If you like Bliss, which you do ( ) you should like Rootham's First Symphony. Rootham was the teacher of Bliss and his first symphony shares something of the open-air quality and great slapping brass passages of Bliss's 'A Colour Symphony' they are both very genial works but not without depth. The Rootham Symphony 1 has a fine tune which suddenly appears like that at the end of Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony first movement - in the Rootham it's in the final movement. The Second Symphony is something quite different. Written when he was very ill at the end of his life. I find the final minutes, with a choral accompaniment, to be heart breakingly beautiful. The other disc is wonderful too - one of the last new LPs I bought in 1987.

[Mirror Image]

Three wonderful discs - you won't be disappointed John. If you like Bliss, which you do ( ) you should like Rootham's First Symphony. Rootham was the teacher of Bliss and his first symphony shares something of the open-air quality and great slapping brass passages of Bliss's 'A Colour Symphony' they are both very genial works but not without depth. The Rootham Symphony 1 has a fine tune which suddenly appears like that at the end of Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony first movement - in the Rootham it's in the final movement. The Second Symphony is something quite different. Written when he was very ill at the end of his life. I find the final minutes, with a choral accompaniment, to be heart breakingly beautiful. The other disc is wonderful too - one of the last new LPs I bought in 1987.

Great to hear, Jeffrey. I already listened to Symphony No. 1 earlier and found it quite enjoyable indeed. Looking forward to hearing the rest!

[DanielR]

While this chap is mostly regarded for his vocal music,  the total neglect of his chamber music in this day and age of releasing/recording-releasing just about anything under the sun is a bit bewildering:

String Quintet in D   (1908)
String Quartet in C   (1914)
Suite for Flute & Piano  (1921)
Sonata in G for violin & piano  (1925)
Septet for Viola, wind quintet & Harp  (1930)
Piano Trio  (1931)

an exception:
Violin Sonata in G minor

I agree with you.  Over the past few years and with help from friends, I have arranged the typesetting of several of Rootham's chamber works. These works are now typeset, and most have been proofread:

• op 8   (1900)  Impressions pour Violon et Piano 
• op 12  (1906)  Réminiscences des Alpes Bavaroises  (for violin and piano)
• op 20  (1905)  Capriccio for String Quartett in D minor 
• op 27  (1908)  String Quintet in D major
• op 49  (1914)  String Quartet in C major 
• op 61  (1920)  Miniature Suite  (for string quartet and piano)
• op 64  (1921)  Suite in three movements  (for flute and piano)
• op 83  (1930)  Septet for Viola, Flute, Hautboy, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn and Harp
• op 88  (1933)  Suite for Pianoforte (for solo piano) 

Furthermore I am planning a recording of these "strings only" works within the next few months:

• op 20  (1905)  Capriccio for String Quartett in D minor 
• op 27  (1908)  String Quintet in D major 
• op 49  (1914)  String Quartet in C major 

The op 27 Quintet in particular is a beautiful composition.

[Christo]

Great to hear, Jeffrey. I already listened to Symphony No. 1 earlier and found it quite enjoyable indeed. Looking forward to hearing the rest!

One of my very rare and very minor differences of opinion with Jeffrey - we're musical twins  - concerns this Rootham 1: I like it, but apparently somewhat less so than he.  Hope to find out soon if I like the Second better (guess so, from what I read about it).

[vandermolen]

One of my very rare and very minor differences of opinion with Jeffrey - we're musical twins  - concerns this Rootham 1: I like it, but apparently somewhat less so than he.  Hope to find out soon if I like the Second better (guess so, from what I read about it).

I forgive you.
Yes, look forward to hearing what you make of Symphony 2 - a completely different type of work with a wonderful closing section.

[DanielR]

On the topic of Cyril Rootham's two symphonies, I shall be giving a talk about my grandfather's music at the Daventry weekend meeting (21-23 April) of the Federation of Recorded Music Societies.  The talk will include a historic 78 excerpt from each symphony, as well as selections from several more recent recordings of CBR's part-songs and choral works. 

Sorry, the talk is rather bright and early on the morning of Saturday 22 April: 09:30-10:45 at the Mercure Daventry Court Hotel.  Day tickets are available, and full details about the weekend will be posted on the FRMS website:  http://www.thefrms.co.uk/frmsevents/frmsevents.htm

Dan

[DanielR]

More information about Cyril Rootham's chamber music...

A recording of three CBR works (Op.20 and Op.49 quartets, Op.27 quintet) will go ahead in April.

And there is now a generated MP3 of CBR's Op.12 "Réminiscences des Alpes Bavaroises" (1906). The work is for violin and piano, and thanks to MuseScore's technology you can listen while following the score:
  Op.12 Réminiscences MP3

This charming piece lasts about 11 minutes and is dedicated "à son ami H. Haydn Inwards" - one of the violinists of the Gompertz Quartet. One puzzle: is the work's title a pure coinicidence, or is it intended as quiet homage to Elgar's 1895 songs (Op.27 "From the Bavarian Highlands")?

[vandermolen]

More information about Cyril Rootham's chamber music...

A recording of three CBR works (Op.20 and Op.49 quartets, Op.27 quintet) will go ahead in April.

And there is now a generated MP3 of CBR's Op.12 "Réminiscences des Alpes Bavaroises" (1906). The work is for violin and piano, and thanks to MuseScore's technology you can listen while following the score:
  Op.12 Réminiscences MP3

This charming piece lasts about 11 minutes and is dedicated "à son ami H. Haydn Inwards" - one of the violinists of the Gompertz Quartet. One puzzle: is the work's title a pure coinicidence, or is it intended as quiet homage to Elgar's 1895 songs (Op.27 "From the Bavarian Highlands")?

That's exciting news Daniel and very glad to hear it. I don't think I'll be able to get to Daventry for your talk about your grandfather's music but I hope it goes well and that you get a good sized audience. I'm very interested to hear about the 78rpm extracts from the symphonies.

[DanielR]

About CBR's symphonies: those extracts from 78s are embedded in the 100th anniversary talk given on Radio 3 by the late Arthur Hutchings, and you can hear the talk on the Rootham website here:
http://rootham.org/playlist/hutchings/listen_hutchings_talk.html

Two new events to mention...

On 19th March 2017, the London Military Band's concert included CBR's Op.89 "March for Military Band". The full story and the recording (with score) are now on the website:
http://rootham.org/playlist/opus_089/listen_opus089_perf_score.html

And over the past few days I have created a generated MP3 file with score for two of CBR's anthems from 1911:

• Op.24 "The Lord is the portion"
• Op.39 "Hear the voice and prayer"

Until I can get someone to record these works, a synthetic version is perhaps better than nothing? Just look for the player icon against each work on the website's "Works" page here:
http://rootham.org/works.html

[DanielR]

The Cyril Rootham project continues...

I am happy to tell you that part of our recording session in April 2017 is now available on YouTube - the first recording of Rootham's Op.20 "Capriccio for String Quartet in D minor": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eMP96C-Fvg

My thanks to the Crystal Palace String Quartet for this beautiful performance, and to project manager James Hall and recording engineer Joe Olney for their part on the technical aspects.

I am working hard towards getting this Op.20 published...

[vandermolen]

The Cyril Rootham project continues...

I am happy to tell you that part of our recording session in April 2017 is now available on YouTube - the first recording of Rootham's Op.20 "Capriccio for String Quartet in D minor": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eMP96C-Fvg

My thanks to the Crystal Palace String Quartet for this beautiful performance, and to project manager James Hall and recording engineer Joe Olney for their part on the technical aspects.

I am working hard towards getting this Op.20 published...

Great news Daniel! Thanks for letting us know.

[DanielR]

More news about Cyril Rootham's chamber music...

I have just uploaded to YouTube the first recording of Rootham's String Quintet in D major (Op.27), performed on 11 April 2017 by the augmented London City Quartet:
https://youtu.be/UxukpAxWErs

It's not a lightweight piece: duration over 31 minutes....

I was recently given access to an amusing extract from the diaries of Thomas Dunhill (my thanks to Paul Vincent):

July 1909
... to an "At Home" at Dr Champney's. R.C.M. Union affair. They did a dull quintet by Rootham ...

Perhaps the length of the quintet triggered that remark?  In the interests of historical completeness, I felt bound to share it!

[vandermolen]

More news about Cyril Rootham's chamber music...

I have just uploaded to YouTube the first recording of Rootham's String Quintet in D major (Op.27), performed on 11 April 2017 by the augmented London City Quartet:
https://youtu.be/UxukpAxWErs

It's not a lightweight piece: duration over 31 minutes....

I was recently given access to an amusing extract from the diaries of Thomas Dunhill (my thanks to Paul Vincent):
Perhaps the length of the quintet triggered that remark?  In the interests of historical completeness, I felt bound to share it!

It is a very lyrical and enjoyable work - not dull at all. Maybe Dunhill was referring to his own music! 

[DanielR]

Another lost work retrieved: I have just finished typesetting Cyril Rootham's Op.10 String Quartet in G minor from a scan of the original manuscript in the Cambridge University Library.  Most poignantly, this work from 1902 is dedicated to Cyril Rootham's father - my great-grandfather and namesake Daniel Rootham (1837-1922), who was musical director of the Bristol Madrigal Society for 50 years.

There's no performance recording of this quartet yet, but you can follow the score with a synthesized sound track generated by MuseScore.  This link should take you to the Op.10 Quartet entry on the Works page on the CBR website:  http://rootham.org/works.html#op010

The quartet runs to about 21 minutes and consists of four movements:

• Allegro moderato
• Adagio (starts at 7'20")
• Allegro giocoso e marcato (starts at 12'05")
• Allegro non troppo e misterioso (starts at 15'45")

[vandermolen]

Another lost work retrieved: I have just finished typesetting Cyril Rootham's Op.10 String Quartet in G minor from a scan of the original manuscript in the Cambridge University Library.  Most poignantly, this work from 1902 is dedicated to Cyril Rootham's father - my great-grandfather and namesake Daniel Rootham (1837-1922), who was musical director of the Bristol Madrigal Society for 50 years.

There's no performance recording of this quartet yet, but you can follow the score with a synthesized sound track generated by MuseScore.  This link should take you to the Op.10 Quartet entry on the Works page on the CBR website:  http://rootham.org/works.html#op010

The quartet runs to about 21 minutes and consists of four movements:

• Allegro moderato
• Adagio (starts at 7'20")
• Allegro giocoso e marcato (starts at 12'05")
• Allegro non troppo e misterioso (starts at 15'45")

Very interesting news Daniel - any chance of new recordings of CR's music?

Incidentally I used your grandfather's image (complete with pipe) as one of my questions on our 'Guess the composer' quiz; it didn't take long for someone to reveal his identity!

[DanielR]

"... any chance of new recordings of CR's music?"

Yes, there is a CD of music for flute and piano planned for Spring 2018 by flautist James Dutton and pianist Oliver Davies.  I heard part of the content at a concert in The Guards' Chapel on 31st October (http://rootham.org/downloads/Guards_Chapel_Concert_2017-10-31.pdf), and that was a great experience. I especially enjoyed the CBR Op.64 "Suite in Three Movements" (of course) - but also the "Sonata for Flute & Piano" by Stanley Bate.

More details about this CD on James Dutton's website: https://www.jamesduttonflute.com/recording/

"...  I used your grandfather's image (complete with pipe) as one of my questions on our 'Guess the composer' quiz..."

Thank you for promoting CBR in a music quiz!  That photo with pipe was almost certainly taken by my father Jasper when he and CBR were on a walking holiday.  Probably the last vigorous outdoor excursion they had together before CBR suffered a stroke in 1936...

[vandermolen]

"... any chance of new recordings of CR's music?"

Yes, there is a CD of music for flute and piano planned for Spring 2018 by flautist James Dutton and pianist Oliver Davies.  I heard part of the content at a concert in The Guards' Chapel on 31st October (http://rootham.org/downloads/Guards_Chapel_Concert_2017-10-31.pdf), and that was a great experience. I especially enjoyed the CBR Op.64 "Suite in Three Movements" (of course) - but also the "Sonata for Flute & Piano" by Stanley Bate.

More details about this CD on James Dutton's website: https://www.jamesduttonflute.com/recording/

"...  I used your grandfather's image (complete with pipe) as one of my questions on our 'Guess the composer' quiz..."

Thank you for promoting CBR in a music quiz!  That photo with pipe was almost certainly taken by my father Jasper when he and CBR were on a walking holiday.  Probably the last vigorous outdoor excursion they had together before CBR suffered a stroke in 1936...

Thanks Daniel - I think that it's a great photo of your grandfather.
Best wishes
Jeffrey

[DanielR]

News about the launch of a CD titled "Idyll: The English Flute Unheard": James Dutton (flute) and Oliver Davies (piano) have recorded music by composers connected with the Royal College of Music - and yes, that includes Cyril Bradley Rootham. The CD features works by CBR, Armstrong Gibbs (CBR's student at Cambridge), George Henschel, Norman Demuth, Richard Walthew, Stanley Bate, Robin Milford, Leonard Salzedo and John White.  I attended the concert in The Guards' Chapel last October when James and Oliver played several of these works, and I was particularly struck by the "Sonata for Flute" by Stanley Bate.

The launch event for the CD (free entry, free refreshments, informal recital and chat) will take place on 2nd March 2018 at Christ Church, Kensington: full details are on James Dutton's website https://www.jamesduttonflute.com/recording/.

[vandermolen]

News about the launch of a CD titled "Idyll: The English Flute Unheard": James Dutton (flute) and Oliver Davies (piano) have recorded music by composers connected with the Royal College of Music - and yes, that includes Cyril Bradley Rootham. The CD features works by CBR, Armstrong Gibbs (CBR's student at Cambridge), George Henschel, Norman Demuth, Richard Walthew, Stanley Bate, Robin Milford, Leonard Salzedo and John White.  I attended the concert in The Guards' Chapel last October when James and Oliver played several of these works, and I was particularly struck by the "Sonata for Flute" by Stanley Bate.

The launch event for the CD (free entry, free refreshments, informal recital and chat) will take place on 2nd March 2018 at Christ Church, Kensington: full details are on James Dutton's website https://www.jamesduttonflute.com/recording/.

That CD looks a must Daniel! I'm also a great admirer of Stanley Bate, especially symphonies 3 and 4 and the Piano Concerto and Viola Concerto released by Dutton. Apart from CBR I also really like the music of Robin Milford whose music reminds me of Finzi and also Armstrong Gibb, whose 'Westmorland' Symphony in memory of his son killed in World War Two is very moving.

[DanielR]

Bad news: the weather has tripped us up!  James Dutton has had to postpone the CD Launch until Friday 20 April at 19:30 (doors open at 19:00). Other details are unchanged: the venue is still Christ Church Kensington, Victoria Road, London W8 5RQ.  And some good news: the CD is indeed now on sale and available on the MPR label: http://www.mikepurtonrecording.com/cd-shop/idyll-the-english-flute-unheard.
[Update: the CD launch went well, and shortly after that James Dutton gave three similar launch recitals: one in Norway and two in the USA.]