|
Entry from A Dictionary
of Modern Music and Musicians - 1924
MOERAN, Ernest John. English compr. b. Osterley, near London,
31 Dec. 1894. Comes of an Irish family, but has lived much in Norfolk
since his childhood. Educated at Uppingham where he began to compose
at age of 17. Practically self-taught as regards music, but spent
18 months at the R.C.M. London, 1913-14. Served in the army, 1914-19.
Has collected a large number of folk-songs in Norfolk, some of which
were publ. in the Folk-Song Society's journal, 1922. Gave a concert
of his works at Wigmore Hall, London, 1923.
Rhapsody for orch. (Hallé concert, Manchester, by
Hamilton Harty, 1924) (Chester); str.
4tet (id.); sonata, vn.
and pf. (id.); Toccata
and Stalham River, pf. (id.); songs
v. and pf. (id.); Variations,
pf. (Schott); 3 books
of pf. pieces (id.); 6 folk-songs
from Norfolk, arr. for v. and pf. (Augener). In ms.: 4 str.
4tets; 2 vn. sonatas; 2 trios for pf. vn and cello; Serenade-Trio
for str.; Cushinsheean,
symph. impression for orch.; Lonely
Waters, for small orch.; a large number of songs and pf. pieces.*E.-H.
(From A. Eaglefield-Hull, A Dictionary of Modern Music
and Musicians, London and Toronto, J.M. Dent & Sons. Ltd., 1924,
p. 333.)
Note: There has been some discussion about this
early reference to Moeran on the Forum. Some of this discussion
is reproduced here:
...The second trio is perhaps the one referred to
by Hubert Foss in his Compositions of E.J. Moeran (1948) for which
Self (p. 31) can trace no other reference...
...'Cushinsheean' was the original title for 'In
the Mountain Country' - the word can be seen lightly pencilled
in at the top of the mss.score. The 'Foss' reference remains puzzling,
but EJM was apt to mislay scores, rewrite pieces, only to have the
originals turn up! (Lonely
Waters, the Cello
Concerto) Possibly he gave Foss his personal 'opus list' but
later, for official catalogues, forgot to cross-reference what was
probably one and the same work, albeit with revisions...
It would appear that at least some of the other unpublished
works listed here were juvenalia, much of which was destroyed.
As can be deduced, this book entry does throw
up a few questions with regard to unpublished works. Moeran was
not known for being particularly efficient in keeping track of his
works - a letter written to Lionel Hill in the early 1940's in which
Moeran lists his compositions manages to completely ignore major
works such as the Symphony
and the Violin Concerto!
A complete list of known unpublished works is available here.
|
