The Music of Reginald Smith Brindle

Author(s): Gerald Larner

Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 112, No. 1540 (Jun., 1971), pp. 543-545
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
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The music of Reginald SmithBrindle
GeraldLarner This month'sMusic
Supplementis by
ReginaldSmithBrindle

ReginaldSmithBrindle'smusicis as difficult to an architect's office.He had beenplaying jazz from

categorize as it is to evaluate.The difficulties arise theage of 13,however, and witha suddenchangeof
mainlyfromitsindividuality-a qualityundeniably hearthe latertookup theorganfora different sort
presentin many,if not all, his works-and partly of music. The war interrupted his careeras an
fromthe uncommonrapidityof its development architect but he did findtimeto devoteto music,
sincethemid1950s. If I add thatthedevelopment takinga correspondence course in counterpoint
has followeda courseroughlyparallelwiththe (along withotherson agriculture and astronomy)
mainstream trendsof Europeanmusicduringthat and, aftertheinvasionof Sicilyhad takenhimto
time,and if thisseemsto contradict theclaimfor Italy,he wona prizeina composers' competition in
individuality, thatis partof theparadoxof Smith Rome.
Brindle'scareer. AfterleavingtheArmyand unsuccessfully apply-
He is no morea fashionable, trendycomposer ing to entera courseon architecture at Liverpool
than he is an innovator.He does not, however, University, he becamethe firstpost-warB Mus
believein standing still,and thetendency has been studentat theUniversity Collegeof NorthWales.
to advancehis stylefromworkto work,always He returned to Italy,studying firstwithPizzettiat
under the influenceof some other composer's theAccademiaSantaCeciliain Florenceand then,
innovation. On the otherhand, as this survey privately(until 1952), with Luigi Dallapiccola,
mightdemonstrate, it has beena genuinedevelop- whoseII Prigionero, whichhe saw in 1949,had been
ment,resulting froma probablyunconscious search a revelation to him-'thekindof soundI had been
fornewwaysofdoingthosethings whichhe can do lookingfor,a complexsoundwhichcould not be
best.It is perhapsuntruethathe has insufficient obtainedby normaltonal usages'. So he was
technique andimagination towritea variety ofworks converted to the12-notemethod,at leastas some-
in one style,but it is certainly truethatwhenhe what compromisingly practisedby Dallapiccola,
adoptsa trendhe quiterecognizably personalizesit. and became attachedto a group of mutually
One exampleof those thingswhichReginald criticizingFlorentinedodecaphonists,including
SmithBrindledoes best is writing forpercussion Bussottiand Bartolozzi.
(his book, ContemporaryPercussion,1is only one The influence of bothPizzettiand Dallapiccola
indication of his sensitivity in thatrespect).So for as teacherswas less important to himthanthatof
a shorttimein his career-no doubtunderthein- his fellowyoungdodecaphonists, thoughDalla-
fluenceof Stockhausen-heconcentrated solelyon piccola'smusicaffected himas fundamentally as did
thatactivity, writing in 1967hisOrionM 42 forsolo Berg's.He paid due tribute tothosetwoseniorcom-
percussion and hisAurigaforfourpercussionists, as posersin twoearlyorchestral works,the Variations
well as the unpublishedCrux Australis. But a on a Theme by Dallapiccola for chamber orchestra
Stockhausen disciplewouldblushat thecharacter- and the Epitaph for Alban Berg for strings,both
isticSmithBrindlemelodywhichemerges fromthe written in 1955. These,however, are precededby
vibraphone in themiddleof OrionM 42, and the one otherworkin theacknowledged canon(which
closedratherthanopen-ended formof theseworks excludes50 or so earlierpieces),theSymphony of
is not in theStockhausen mannereither.Besides, 1954. Thoughit has not been performed-and
SmithBrindlehas rejectedtheimprovisation trend probablyneverwillbe,sincethecomposeris under-
(exceptin a fewstrictly controlledinstances), just standably reluctant to let it represent him-it is an
as hehad rejected thetotal-serializationtrendbefore interesting work.It isseriousintoneandpassionate,
it. notto sayvehement, in expression but,lesscharac-
There are more examplesof theseperiodsof teristically, it is completely analysablein strictly
concentration on one aspect or anotherof his conventional12-noteterms. The Dallapiccola
creative personality. Atfirst sight,infact,hisscores Variations on a themewhichis not itself12-note
seemto represent a bewildering variety of attitudes (fromthe Divertimento in 4 Esercizi) and the Epitaph
and influences. Regularvisitors to theCheltenham for AlbanBerg (containing a quotationfromthe
Festivalwillno doubtreceive something likethesame LyricSuite) represent an immediate relaxationof
impression whentheyhearthefirst performance of dodecaphonic principles,thoroughlyserialized
Apocalypse on July7, forit has littlein common thoughtheyare.
with Cosmos,firstperformed therein 1960,and However,even withinthe confinesof what
neitherof thosetwoorchestral workshas anything amountsto theLeibowitzinterpretation of Schoen-
muchincommon withAmalgam (formezzo-soprano, berg'smethod-which excludesliteralrecapitulation
electronic organand percussion) first
performed at and so makesan atonalsymphony likethisexcess-
the1968festival. ivelydifficult to hearas a structure-certain lasting
During this rapid development SmithBrindle SmithBrindlecharacteristics areto be found.Above
has been makingup forthe timelost to himby all, thereis a strongmelodiccontent, whichis more
comingto composing so latein life.He wasbornin than the necessarily linearpreoccupation of the
Prestonin 1917and wentstraight fromschoolinto serialist.
Another prominent feature isthereiteration
1Oxford, 1970 ofchordsinrhythmic patterns which,likeMessiaen's
543

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'personnages rythmiques', have an important part 14 shortsectionsto correspond withtheStationsof
to playin marking theshapeof thework. Thereis the Cross. It demonstrates, in comparisonwith
a pronouncedinterest in percussioncolourevenat Cosmos, how much more convincinglySmith
thisstageand, equallysignificantly, in
less interest Brindleworksin smallinterlinked sectionsthanin
harmony as a positivefunction. largeconstructions-mainly becauseof thelack of
As well as being more tonallyorientated, the harmonictensionin his music. In Via Crucishe
Dallapiccola Variationsdo not exclude repetition bringsout theunderlying unityof his freelyserial
and theworkis consequently moreclearlydefined textureby meansof an effective Berg-likedevice,
in shapethantheSymphony. TheEpitaph, thougha presenting thebasicrowtowardstheendas a purely
continuousmelodicdevelopment in a singlemove- instrumental but vocal-feelingduetand choraleto
ment,is also clearerin thatthemelodicderivations thewordsof the 'De Profundis'.A similarevent
are deliberatelymademoreobviousto theear,and takesplace in thelastmovement of Cosmos,where
thereis furtheruse of 'rhythmiccharacters'to mark variousinstruments 'sing'a Kyrie,thoughwithless
theimportant structural pointsin the(in thiscase) effect sincetheunifying taskis so muchgreater and
three-partform.It is also worthnotingtheexternal thedevicelessthoroughly applied.
stimulus of the Dallapiccola Variations,each one Cosmos,whichfallsso farshortof itsexpressive
inspiredby theworkof a modernpainter:Picasso, ideals,is not a success,in spiteof its lyricalsaxo-
Kandinsky,Klee, Nicholson,Mirb, and Ernst. phoneand thestriking use of rhythmic characters
With the notable exceptionsof the Symphonic (thisdegenerating, unfortunately, intoa simplified
Variations(1957) and the Concerto(1960) forfive versionofthe'Danse Sacrale'inthethirdmovement,
instruments and percussion-andeven thesemay 'Macrocosmos').Whichintroduces a pointthathas
havesomeundisclosed 'programme'-he has written to be made-thedisingenuousness ofsomeofSmith
littlemusicwithouta poeticor some otherextra- Brindle'smusic,hisfailureto foreseetheabsenceof
musicalinspiration. physicalor intellectual
interestevenin quitesophis-
ticated-lookingtextures.This, too, is wherethe
influencestend to show through-notonly the
rhythms ofStravinsky,butalso thesoundsofBoulez,
the gamelan and the monolithicstatementsof
Messiaen,whohas a similarfaithin theinfinite as
a musicalinspiration.In thosepassageswherea
fragmentarilyactive foreground is set againsta
staticand sustainedbackgroundthereis also a
similarityto CharlesIves, as epitomizedby The
UnansweredQuestion, though a direct influenceis
in thiscase.
unlikely
However, the Homage to H. G. Wells contains
farmoreofSmithBrindle'spositivequalities.It has
eightshortmovements, consistingof fivewhich
are headedSinfoniaand threeheadedIntermezzo.
The Sinfonierepresent the'musicof thefuture', to
correspondwiththepropheticH. G. Wells,while
theIntermezzi areanequivalent ofthemoredomestic
side of Wells'swriting.In a way,theselatterare
moresignificant, sinceSmithBrindlerarelysupplies
evidenceof his abilityto writemusic which is
unpretentious enoughmerely tocharm.His melodic
giftfindsperhapsitsmostcharacteristic formin the
firstof theIntermezzi, Cantilena,wheretheviolins
or a solo flutepursuea supplelinewhichis florid
withwideleaps and complexrhythms, but no less
expressive for that. The otherIntermezzi are an
entertaining Scherzino(Messiaenpiccolo) and an
attractive Serenata(imitation guitar). As forthe
The Concertowas an earlyhintof theprimarily Sinfonie, thefirstis 12-noteexposition;thesecond
rhythmic-percussive SmithBrindle'smusic
direction is a fascinating and propheticexperiment in the
was to takea fewyearslater. The rhythmic charac- organization of rhythmic charactersand silences;
ters assume a thematicimportancehereand are the thirdis one of SmithBrindle'sfewdeliberate
stagein thecomposer's
treatedserially.Butthefirst and successfulessays in harmony,whereas the
development was notcompleteuntilhe had finished fourthis moreinteresting forits melody;the last
work,Homageto H. G.
the large-scaleorchestral combineselementsfromearlierSinfonie,thefinal
Wells(1962),thetrueturning point.It is a summary pagebeinga particularly powerful agglomeration of
of whathe had achievedso farand an indication, previously independent strands.
liketheConcerto,of whathe was to do next. It is perhapsunfairto add that,as 'musicof the
It was precededby Cosmos,the1960Cheltenham future', the Sinfonie of Homage to H. G. Wells
work,and Via Crucis(1960),a pieceforthesame hisowndevelopment
provednotto foresee beyonda
stringorchestra mediumas theEpitaphbutcast in fewyears:Apocalypseis advancedwellbeyondtheir
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vision. But beforediscussingApocalypse,some Andyethecomplainsthatelectronic
factelectronic.
mentionmustbe made of SmithBrindle'svocal musicis'thecomplete negationofeveryconventional
music-notso muchto drawattention to thecon- musicalvalue'. The latestdevelopments, whichhe
ventionalbut intermittently
atmosphericchoral nevertheless
feelscompelledto follow,'havebrought
writingof Graficode la Petenera (the flamenco-like musicto theedge of theabyss'. Obvously,thisis
guitarpieceEl Polifemo de Orois a bettertribute to a crucialtimeforSmithBrindle,forhe mustsurely
Lorca), nor for the sake of the up-to-datebut makean effort to resolvehisparadox.
unilluminating in GenesisDream
vocalattitudinizing
(DylanThomas). Amalgamis farmoreinteresting SMITH BRINDLE'S PRINCIPAL WORKS
than either,partlybecause it represents such a ORCHESTRA
generousreactionto thefiningdownof resources Variations
Symphony(1954)
on a Theme of Dallapiccola (1955)
in the astronomically titledpercussionworksand An Epitaph for Alban Berg, strings (1955)
thatotherresourcefully writtennebula, Andromeda Symphonic
Cosmos (1959)
Variations (1957)
M 31 (forsolo flute, withsomedebtto Bartolozzi). Via Crucis, strings(1960)
Amalgamis basicallypercussion musicbutthistime Homage to H. G. Wells (1960)
Clarinet Concerto (1962)
withthepop-sound additionoftheHammondorgan, Creation Epic (1964)
a preparedpiano, and a vocal part that moves Apocalypse (1970)
betweensuggestions of everystylefromGregorian CHORAL WORKS WITH ORCHESTRA
chantto thelastword. Grifico de la Petenera (1956)
Extremum Carmen (1961)
As forApocalypse, it representsthepenultimate
stagein thetransition describedby SmithBrindle Vivo UNACCOMPANIED
sin Vivir* (1968)
CHORUS
himselfas being'fromtonallyorientated serialism Discoveries* (1970)
to thewhitesoundofelectronic music'. It is scored Windhovert (1971)
for orchestrawithoutelectronicaid of any sort VOICE AND INSTRUMENTS
(exceptfortheamplification of thecelesta)and the Genesis Dream (1962)
Three Japanese Lyrics (1966)
'white sound' is achieved by means of chord Amalgam (1968)
clusterswhichobliterateall harmonicsense, of OPERA
course,thoughtheydo not preventtheexposition Antigone, chamber opera (1969)
of rhythmic ideas by thewindin theintroductory CHAMBER MUSIC
pages. Thecluster glissandosfamiliar fromcontem- String Quartet Music (1958)
Concerto for five instrumentsand perc (1960)
poraryPolishstring writing maketheirappearance, Tre Dimensioni, hp, vibraphone and harpsichord (1965)
together withkeyboardand percussion equivalents Segments andsolo Variants, wind quintet (1965)
fl (1966)
on the piano, vibraphoneand marimba,but the Andromeda,
Auriga, perc (1967)
rhythmic characterscontinue to play their part in Orion, solo perc (1967)
In Memoriam Jan Palach, electronic organ (1969)
thedevelopment towardsa fullorchestral climax-
the longestpassage of improvisation yet to have GUITAR MUSIC
Polifemo de Oro (1956)t
occurred inSmithBrindle's music.After thattumult ElVariants, guitar (1970)
of whitishsound,thereis a slow epiloguewhich Trio, three guitars (1970)?
makes a rathersurprising but no less welcome Concerto breve 'Omnis Terra', eight guitars and perc (1970)1
reassertion of SmithBrindlemelody. ELECTRONIC MUSIC
Run (1971) (tape)
The paradoxof thisdevelopment is thatin order February
Three Pieces (1971) (tape)
finallyto achievetruewhitesound,SmithBrindle * published by Oxford
has had to resortto the electronicstudiowhich t published by Novello
(as Professor of Musicat theUniversity of Surrey) * MSS
published by Bruzzichelli
?
he has setup at Guildford.His latestworksare in all other works published by Hinrichsen

APPOINTMENTS,
Stanley Black is appointed associate conductor of the Osaka
Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan.
Brian Dennis is appointed lecturer in composition at Royal
Holloway College, London University.
Eric Mason has joined the LPO administrative staffas Publicity
and Public Relations Manager.
Denis Matthews is appointed professor of music at the Uni-
versityof Newcastle.
David Angel, Susan Henderson, Ian Little, J. Lennox Mac-
Kenzie, Raphael Wallfisch, Lorna Washington, and Marshall
Willox have been awarded Associated Board Scholarships for
study at the RAM and RCM.
Janet Baker is to receive thehVS Foundation of Hamburg
Shakespeare Prize for 1971; the award is made annually to a
British citizen for outstanding achievement in the arts.
Sandra Browne has been awarded the 1971 Kathleen Ferrier
Memorial Scholarship.
Linda Gray (mezzo-sop), Rosalind Porter (cello) and Howard
Shelley (piano) have been given Boise Foundation awards for
advanced musical studies.
AWARDS
Thomas Igloi won the 1970 Gaspar Cassado International Cello
Competition.
AntonyPeebles was awarded firstprize in the BBC Piano Com-
petition at Lancaster University; second and third prizes were
awarded to Dennis Lee and John Bingham respectively.
Judith Quine (mezzo-soprano) and Michael Follis (bass) have
been awarded Peter Stuyvesant Foundation Scholarships for
study at the London Opera Centre.
Gulbenkian Music Fellowships have been awarded to Paul
Crossley (piano), Wendy Eathorne (soprano), Moray Welsh
(cello); third year extensions have been awarded to Jenny Hill,
Dennis Lee, Terence Sharpe.
The Performing Right Society has won a Queen's Award to
Industry for its services to export; the provisional figure for
earnings remitted in respect of overseas broadcasting and
public performance during 1970 is ?3,728,882.
Maurice Handford is to be released a year early fromhis contract
with the Hall6 Orchestra, in order to devote more time to his
appointments as conductor of the CBSO and musical director
of the Calgary PO (Alberta).

545

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