1943

Jan-Feb At Gravel Hill working on Piano Rhapsody.
1st wk.Feb Completes Piano Rhapsody short score.
March-April Falls ill. First contact with Lionel Hill.
end March Full score of Piano Rhapsody completed at Kington.
May Further revisions to Piano Rhapsody.
May 26 Goes to Scotland - Glasgow, then Arran Islands.
June 10 Returns.
July 13 First rehearsal of Piano Rhapsody with Harriet Cohen and Boult at Bedford Corn Exchange.
July 19-21 Ill at Leominster.
late July goes into Radnor mountains. First sketches for the Sinfonietta.
August 15 In London.
August 19 First performance of the Piano Rhapsody at the Proms.
Returns to Seer Green as guest of the Hills until 21st.
August 21-30 In London.
September At Gravel Hill, Kington. First sketches for Seumas O’Sullivan songs.
October 9 Crosses to Dublin. Stays at the Shelbourne Hotel.
October 15 Makes first sketches for the Cello Concerto.
October 17 Leaves Dublin for Kenmare. Spends 2 nights on Valencia Island. Moves on to Caherciveen.
1st week Nov Returns to Kington. Works on Cello Prelude for Peers.
Nov 7-12 Stays with Hills at Seer Green.
Nov 18 Introduces Lionel Hill to Peers at lunch in London. Peers leaves for ENSA tour of Middle East.
Nov 28-30 In London. Visits Arthur Catterall.
December Back in Kington.
December 19 M’s father dies at Gravel Hill.
December 30 Finishes The Herdsman (Seumas O’Sullivan song)

January Works on Overture To A Masque.
January 26 First sketches made for the Cello Sonata.
February 1 In Glasgow.
Returns to Kington.
February 8 Works on Fanfare for Red Army Day.
February 12 Further work on the Cello Sonata.
February 17 Completes full score of Overture To A Masque.
February 22 Goes to stay with Hills for 4 days.
February 23 Fanfare for Red Army Day performed at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
February 24 First performance of Overture To A Masque at an ENSA Concert.
1st wk March Travels to Eire. In Dublin.
March 1 First Irish performance of the Violin Concerto at the Capitol Theatre, Dublin.
Travels on to Kenmare.
March/April Abandons work on the Cello Sonata. Re-commences work on the Cello Concerto.
Suffers from heart trouble.
April 30 At Oileam Ruash, Rockstown, Co.Cork
May 2-3 Examines for the Feis in Cork.
May 8 Visits Dublin.
1st wk June Stays at Mount Melleray Abbey, Co.Waterford.
June 5 Returns to Kenmare.
Works on 3rd movement of the Sinfonietta.
Works on Seumas O’Sullivan songs.
1st wk July Returns to Kington with 5 O’Sullivan Songs complete.
September Peers returns to England. Sinfonietta completed.
September 7 Piano Rhapsody performed in Manchester by Iris Loveridge.
1st wk October In Manchester, then Glasgow.
October 13-16 Stays with Hills at Seer Green. Plays through 7 Songs of Seumas O’Sullivan.
1st wk Nov. 4 day holiday in Norfolk.
Late Nov. Attends rehearsals of Overture To A Masque.
Conducts Songs of Springtime at Huddersfield Town Hall.
Visits Liverpool - hears Bax’s 3rd Symphony.
November 29 In Manchester for Halle concert.
November 30 Stays at The Old Bridge Hotel in Huntingdon.
1st wk Dec. In London
December 15 Back in Kington, working on the Cello Concerto.
Revised version of Second Rhapsody sent to Gibson of Chesters.

1st wk Jan. At Kington. Further work on the Cello Concerto and re-scoring the end of the Sinfonietta.
January 5-8 In London.
January 10 In Liverpool for rehearsals of the Violin Concerto with the RLPO, Max Rostal and Sargent.
January 16 Returns to Kington.
January 26 Returns to Liverpool for rehearsals of the Symphony in G minor with the RLPO and Sargent.
January 27-28 Hears performances, also Sammons play Elgar’s Violin Concerto.
Works with Albert Sammons on the Violin Concerto.
February 5 At Leominster. Taken ill.
February 7-8 Back in Kington. Works on the Cello Concerto.
Peers on tour in N.W. Wales.
February 18 Joins Peers in Harlech.
March 7 First performance and broadcast of the Sinfonietta at the Corn Exchange, Bedford.
Further work with Sammons on the Violin Concerto.
March 20 In Manchester for Iris Loveridge’s performance of the Piano Rhapsody.
March 22 Returns to Kington.
April/May? In Kington (?). Work done on the Cello Concerto.
June 18 Betty and Lionel Hill visit Kington, staying at the Oxford Arms.
June 19 Croquet game at Gravel Hill.
June 20 Outing to New Radnor to meet Dick Jobson.
June 21 Plays Cello Concerto to Lionel Hill in Gravel Hill studio.
June 23 Expedition with Lionel Hill to Bradnor and Hergest Ridge.
June 26 Hills leave Kington.
July 25 Spends the night with Dick Jobson.
July 26 Marries Peers Coetmore at Kington Church. Honeymoon at Bala, North Wales.
August Settles in London at 55 Belsize Lane NW3.
August 23 Visits the Hills at Seer Green with Peers.
August 28 Albert Sammons performs the Violin Concerto at the Royal Albert Hall.
Sept-Oct. Further work on the Cello Concerto at Ledbury, and with Peers at Belsize Lane.
1st wk Nov In Southsea with Peers.
November 19 Leaves for Dublin with Peers.
November 25 First performance of the Cello Concerto, Peers as soloist, at the Capitol Theatre in London.
1st/2nd wk Dec Tours Eire with Peers.
December 15 In Kenmare on own.