A journey into Scotland’s musical heritage.
FREDERICK LAMOND (1868 – 1948)
SONATA IN D MAJOR
Allegro ma non troppo e vivace
Andante – Scherzo
ISOBEL DUNLOP (1901 – 1975)
SUITE
Prelude:Conversation
Dance
Elegy
MARIE DARE (1902 – 1976)
HEBRIDEAN SUITE
Isle Of Jura (Two Impressions)
Summer Sea & The Paps of Jura
The Blue Lochan
A Day Dream
Shieling Song
A Fisherman’s Song
A couple of years ago a ‘lost’ work for cello and piano by Scottish composer, Neil McKay, resurfaced amongst my music scores. After including it in a few concerts, it inspired cellist Veronica Henderson and myself on a quest to explore Scotland’s musical heritage – after all, we were both born and raised in Edinburgh, and this seemed a wonderful opportunity to explore these connections! Some of these works are still in manuscript; others have been typeset but are rarely performed. However, they all deserve to be heard.
We open our programme with the first two movements from the Sonata in D Major by composer/pianist Frederick Lamond. He is probably best known to piano cognoscenti as the editor of the complete Beethoven sonatas as well as for his interpretations of the music of Liszt and Beethoven. But who knows him as a composer? Born in Glasgow in poor circumstances, his family did everything they could to support the development of what was obviously a child prodigy: his brother raised funds to help him travel to Germany to continue his studies with various teachers including Franz Liszt, and his sisters travelled with him and set up a guesthouse in Frankfurt to make ends meet. Although he spent most of his adult life in Germany, he and his wife, the renowned Austrian actress, Irene Triesch, were forced to flee during WW2, partly due to her part-Jewish background, and partly due to Lamond’s open contempt for the Nazis. He died in Stirling in 1948. His most famous pupil was Victor Borge.
His compositional output was small, comprising of some orchestral and piano works, as well as a piano trio and the cello sonata in D major which is yet to be published. All these works were composed before he was 21, after which he dedicated his life to performing. The cello sonata was premiered at St James’ Hall, London, in 1899, by Alfredo Piatti together with the composer. It owes much to the influence of Beethoven and Brahms.
Unlike Lamond whose life is well documented, there is little known about composer and violinist Isobel Dunlop. Born in Edinburgh in 1901, she studied at Edinburgh University and then went on to work at the Scottish Arts Council (1943 - 1948). She set up the Saltire Music Group under the umbrella of the Saltire Society, which, to this day, promotes understanding of Scottish culture and heritage. Her compositions were performed in 1949 and 1987 at the Edinburgh International Festival but are less heard these days. Her Suite for cello and piano demonstrates a distinctive voice - embracing contemporary directions while staying rooted in tonal language with a tinge of Scottish influences.
The last work in our programme is by the Scottish composer and cellist, Marie Dare. Born in Newport-on-Tay in Fife, she studied at the Guildhall School of Music and later in Paris. Between the wars she was active on the music scene in London and in 1938 formed the Marie Dare String Quartet. After serving in the Women’s Royal Navy Service in WWII, she became principal cellist of the Reid Orchestra in Edinburgh and was, for many years, a member of the Scottish Trio with Wight Henderson and Horace Fellows. She also taught cello at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music. Most of her compositions are for small chamber ensembles, many featuring the cello.
The “Hebridean Suite” is made up of six short pieces. The first two “Summer Sea’ and “The Paps of Jura” were composed in 1947 after a summer holiday on the Isle of Jura. She later added a further four compositions to the set which continue the theme of musically depicting aspects of highland life and landscape