Ronald Stevenson, composer-pianist : an exegetical critique ...

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Ronald Stevenson, composer-pianist : an exegetical critique from Ronald Stevenson, composer-pianist : an exegetical critique from

a pianistic perspective a pianistic perspective

Mark Gasser Edith Cowan University

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RonaldStevenson,

Composer‐Pianist:

AnExegeticalCritique

fromaPianisticPerspective

SubmittedinpartialfulfilmentofDoctorofPhilosophy

PerformingArts(Music)

MarkGasser

HonBC,M.Mus(RAM),LRAM,BA(Hons),ABSM(prf),ABSM(tch)

WesternAustralianAcademyofPerformingArts

EdithCowanUniversity

2013

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RonaldStevenson,Composer‐Pianist:AnExegeticalCritiquefromaPianisticPerspective

PerformanceComponent(MarkGasser,solopiano):(i) 'PassacagliaonDSCH'JørnUtzonRoom,SydneyOperaHouse,20thJune,2012(ii) 'PassacagliaonDSCH'WesternAustralianAcademyofPerformingArts,26thJune,2012

iii

DECLARATION

Icertifythatthisthesisdoesnot,tothebestofmyknowledgeandbelief:

(i) incorporatewithoutacknowledgmentanymaterialpreviouslysubmittedfora

degreeordiplomainanyinstitutionofhigherdegreeordiplomainany

institutionofhighereducation;

(ii) containanymaterialpreviouslypublishedorwrittenbyanotherpersonexcept

whereduereferenceismadeinthetextofthisthesis;

(iii) containanydefamatorymaterial;or

(iv) containanydatathathavenotbeencollectedinamannerconsistentwithethics

approval.

21June2013

ThiscopyisthepropertyofEdithCowanUniversity.However,theliteraryrightsoftheauthormust also be respected. If any passage from this thesis is quoted or closelyparaphrased in a paper or written work prepared by the user, the source of thepassagemustbeacknowledgedinthework.Iftheuserdesirestopublishapaperorwritten work containing passages copied or closely paraphrased from this thesis,which passageswould in total constitute an infringing copy for the purpose of theCopyrightAct,heorshemustfirstobtainthewrittenpermissionoftheauthortodoso.

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ScoresofRonaldStevenson’sworks,andfurtherinformationaboutthem,areavailablefrom:

TheScottishMusicInformationCentreCityHalls,Candleriggs,Glasgow,G11NQT:+44(0)1415525222F:+44(0)01415532789E:[email protected]:http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com

http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/ronald_stevenson/and:

TheRonaldStevensonSociety3ChamberlainRoadEdinburgh,Scotland,UKEH104DLF:+44(0)1312299298E:[email protected]:http://www.ronaldstevensonsociety.org.uk/

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to thank Marjorie and Ronald Stevenson for their

tremendous help and encouragement with this project, as well as my Supervisors—Dr

Jonathan Paget and Dr Cat Hope at theWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts,

Martin Anderson of Toccata Press for his undying support and for kindly allowing me to

adapt his appendices, Archie McLellan of The Ronald Stevenson Society for painstakingly

typesettingandhelpingtodigitizethecompletepublishedpianoworks,ChrisRiceofAltarus

Records—withoutwhomtherewouldbeprecious littleofRonald’sownpianismpreserved

for posterity, Edith Cowan University for funding this exegetical project, and Yamaha

Australia for sending theirmagnificentnewCFXConcertGrandPiano to theSydneyOpera

House.AdditionalacknowledgmentsmustbegiventoDrUlrikeHogg,SeniorCuratorofthe

National Library of Scotland, the staff of The British Library, as well as the Britten‐Pears

archive. Thanks too to Glenn Riddle from the University of Melbourne for giving me

permissiontousesomeofhismaterialfromhissuperbworkonPercyGraingerandtoallmy

friends and colleagues at the Western Australian Academy of Arts for all their guidance,

inspiration,andencouragement.IwouldliketothankmyeditorWendySarkissianandlast,

but not least, many thanks to everyone who helped formulatemy own pianism over the

years: John Humphreys, Frank Wibaut, Peter Donohoe, Alfred Brendel and Ronald

Stevenson.

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ABSTRACT

RonaldStevenson,Composer‐Pianist:AnExegeticalCritiquefromaPianisticPerspectiveThisexegeticalcritiquemakesaconceptualsummationofRonaldStevenson’slife’sworkfor

the piano and his contributions as a composer‐pianist. Chapters one and two provide a

profileofStevensonasapianist,examiningtheaestheticandmusicalconcernsthatdefined

hislongcareer,aswellasprecedentsandantecedentsofhispianism.Ofparticularinterest

arethewaysthatStevensoncoalescesaspectsofthe‘grandmanner’andhisobsessionwith

apianisticbelcantostyle.ChapterthreeexaminesStevenson’sremarkableoutput interms

ofpianotranscriptions.Hisconceptualizationofthisas‘capturingtheessence’oftheoriginal

composer isusedtomountadefenseofthiserstwhileunfashionablegenre,examiningthe

waysthatStevenson’soutputblursthelinebetweentranscriptionandcomposition.Chapter

four offers a detailed examination of the art of pedalling in Stevenson’s own work,

particularly theuseof the sostenutopedal, and theways thatheexploitedmore complex

formsofcombinationpedallinginhiscompositionsandtranscriptions.

Chapter fiveexaminesthewaysthatStevenson’sworksaboundwithsocio‐political

referencingandhistoricalallusions,withparticularattentiontothePassacagliaonDSCH—a

workthatconstitutedsuchapoliticalprovocativeactthatitresultedinapoliceraid.Chapter

sixfurtherinterrogatesaspectsofthePassacaglia,itsembodimentoftheminiatureandthe

monumental,andthewaysthatitpersonifiestheculminationandsummationofStevenson

asbothapianistandcomposer.

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PàdraigMór‘scheòlagcaoinneadh Uilechlanna’chinnedoanna. Agusfeasgaraira’ghàrsbheinn Bhaceòleileannathàining, Maoldonnagusùrlarsàth‐ghaoil A’bristeadhcridhenamfonnàlainn. ~SomhairleMacGill‐eain,1939 (fromOChoilleguBearradh) OnSgurrDughoftheTwoHills avoicecametomyearsinging PatrickMorandhismusicmourning allthechildrenofmankind; andaneveningontheGarsven therewasanothermusicthatcame, ‘MaolDonn’anditsthemeoflove‐fullness breakingtheheartsoflovelytunes. ~SorleyMacLean,1939 (fromFromWoodtoRidge’)

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Contents

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................... iiiACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. vABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... vi

Préambule ................................................................................................................. 1

ChapterOne:StevensonasComposer‐PerformerandHistoricalPrecedents ................ 71.1Composer‐PerformersandtheMusicalEstablishment’sEndemicSuspicionofaPoly‐

FacetedDisposition.................................................................................................................. 71.2ParallelswithPastComposer‐Performers,theImportanceof‘ThinkinglikeaComposer,’

and‘CraftinganOrchestralSonority’ ..................................................................................... 11

ChapterTwo:ACriticalAppraisalofStevenson’sPianism.......................................... 182.1EarlyPianisticInfluencesfromthe‘SunsetoftheGreatRomanticSchoolofPianism’. ..... 182.2Stevenson’sPianism:a‘RadicalBreak’fromthePastorthePresent? .............................. 302.3TheSignificanceofInnerVoices,PerformanceasTranscription,andtheRationalizationof

theComposer‐PianistRefiguringtheWorkofOthersinPerformance.................................... 322.4MitigatingCriticismofStevenson’sUseoftheSostenutointheWorkofOthers.............. 452.5ChampioningofNeglectedRepertoireandtheUtilizationofPeriodInstruments............. 482.6StevensonasComposer‐Performer:ACriticalAppraisal................................................... 61

ChapterThree:StevensonandTranscription ............................................................. 643.1DefiningTranscription,HistoricalPrecedentsandtheFonsetOrigoofTranscriptionasan

ArtForm ................................................................................................................................ 64

3.2AnUnparalleledContributiontotheGenreofTranscription ............................................ 64

3.3TranscribingtheBaroque:AnUnfairPrejudice? ............................................................... 703.4TheFirstofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell:‘GroundinCMinor’(trans.1955)—aCross‐

FertilizationonArtisticIdeals,aPreferencefortheTenorRegisterandtheImportanceofFalse

Relations ................................................................................................................................ 713.5SecondofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭Minor(trans.1957):Auxiliary

MelodiesandTransposition ................................................................................................... 753.6ThirdofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell,‘GroundinCMinor’(trans.1957):‘AnOriginal

Respect’ ................................................................................................................................. 813.7 ..... L'ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988)andtheSignificanceof‘SingingwithyourFingers’ .................................................................................................................. 833.8TheArtofTranscription:TranscribingtheImpossible,PruningandGraftingofTexturesand

CapturingtheEssenceoftheOriginalComposer.................................................................... 93

ChapterFour:StevensonandthePedal .................................................................. 1074.1Stevensonand‘TheSoulofthePiano’ ........................................................................... 1074.2‘FingerPedalling’:fromSimpleExamplestothe‘GreatestFlightsofSonicFancy’ .......... 1094.3SenzaPedale:theSilentDepressioninPianism .............................................................. 1134.4SilentDepressionandtheSustainingPedal .................................................................... 115

ix

4.5FlutterPedallingandthe‘WindovertheGrave’............................................................. 1184.6AnUnparalleleduseoftheSostenutoPedal/PedIII ...................................................... 1204.7IntricateCombinationPedalling ..................................................................................... 1294.8An‘ImprecisePractice’andanOverallEvaluationofStevenson’sUseofthePedalsin

CompositionandTranscription ............................................................................................ 134

ChapterFive:Stevenson’sRelationshiptoSocialism,PoliticsandNationalism ......... 1365.1ProletarianRootsandUpholdingSteadfastPrinciples .................................................... 1365.2APacifistFightinganOppressiveRegimeinSouthAfrica ............................................... 1435.3Re‐ContextualizationoftheUltra‐RightWingDieStemvanSuid‐Afrika(1921)intheAfrican

Twi‐Tune(1964)andAestheticParallelswithBeethoven’sSymphonyNo.9inDminor,Op.125

(1824) .................................................................................................................................. 1475.4Nationalism:aMcBartókorMacDvořákandtheMovetowardsaGàidhligAestheticinthe

FootstepsofGrainger .......................................................................................................... 1545.5BeyondNationalism:TowardsaWorldMusic ................................................................ 166

ChapterSix:StevensonandArchitectonicForms:fromtheMiniaturetothe

Monumental .......................................................................................................... 1696.1FromtheMiniaturetotheMonumental:Background .................................................... 1696.2MotivicDevelopment,theRe‐evaluationofExistingWorksthatUtilizetheDSCHMotifand

AestheticMemes ................................................................................................................. 1726.3CombiningAmalgamatedForms,ConceptualDesigns,andGoldenSectionsinthe

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963) ................................................................................................. 1926.4TheAbsorptionofMiniatureFundamentalsfromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübunginZehn

Büchern(1818–1925)intoStevenson’sMonumentalPassacagliaonDSCH(1963)............... 1986.5ArchitectonicForms:ComparisonswiththeOpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930)of

KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)andVisualizingtheIntelligentDesignofthe

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963) ................................................................................................. 203

ChapterSeven:CONCLUSIONS:EvaluationofExegesis ............................................ 2097.1RonaldStevensonandthePiano—anEight‐DecadeRelationship ................................... 210

AppendixOne:CatalogueofCompletePianoWorks,Transcriptions,and

RecordingsofRonaldStevenson ............................................................................. 217I.OriginalMusicforSoloPiano ............................................................................................ 217II.Transcriptions,ArrangementsandRealizationsforSoloPiano ......................................... 227III.OriginalWorksfortwoPianos......................................................................................... 239IV.TranscriptionsfortwoPianos ......................................................................................... 240V.FolksongArrangementsforSoloPiano............................................................................. 240VI.FolksongArrangementsforPianoDuet(4Hands) ........................................................... 242VII.FolksongArrangementsforTwoPianos ......................................................................... 242VIII.Cadenzas....................................................................................................................... 243IX.PerformingEditions ........................................................................................................ 243X.WorksforPianoandOrchestra ........................................................................................ 245XI.TranscriptionsforOrchestraandInstrumentalEnsemble................................................ 245

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XII.CommercialRecordingsbyRonaldStevenson ................................................................ 248

AppendixTwo: ....................................................................................................... 253

CopyoftheCatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonald

StevensonintheNationalLibraryofScotland,NationalLibraryofScotland

ManuscriptsDivision .............................................................................................. 253

1.BenjaminBritten,PeterPears,RosamundStrode1965‐1982 ........................................... 2542.AlanDudleyBush(1900–1995)lettersandrelatedpapers,1961‐1995 ............................ 254

FerruccioBusoni(1855–1924) ............................................................................................. 255

3.FerruccioBusoni,letters,1896–1924 ................................................................................ 2554.GerdaBusoni(1862–1956)andrelatedpersons,letters,1949‐1965 ................................ 2565.LettersbyvariouscorrespondentsconcerningRonaldStevenson’sresearchonFerruccio

Busoni .................................................................................................................................. 257

EdwardGordonCraig(1872–1966)...................................................................................... 2576.EdwardGordonCraig,letters,1953‐1955 ........................................................................ 2577.EdwardGordonCraig,letters,1956‐1958 ........................................................................ 2588.EdwardGordonCraig,letters,1959‐1964 ........................................................................ 2589.LetterstoEdwardGordonCraig,1953‐1954..................................................................... 25910.LetterstoEdwardGordonCraig,1955‐1964................................................................... 259

11.FamilyofMauriceEmmanuel(1862–1938) .................................................................... 259

LawrenceGlover(1931–1988) ............................................................................................. 26012.LettersofandtoLawrenceGlover ................................................................................. 26013.PapersrelatingtothecorrespondenceofLawrenceGloverandRonaldStevenson........ 261

14.ManfredGordon(1917–2000)........................................................................................ 26115.PercyGrainger(1882–1961)andEllaGrainger(1889–1979) .......................................... 26216.RobinLorimer(1918–1996)............................................................................................ 26217.OttoLuening(1900–1996).............................................................................................. 26318.CzesławMarek(1891–1985) .......................................................................................... 26419.YehudiMenuhin(1916–1999) ........................................................................................ 26420.JohnOgdon(1937–1989) ............................................................................................... 265

IgnacyPaderewski(1860–1941) .......................................................................................... 26621.IgnacyPaderewski .......................................................................................................... 26622.IgnacyPaderewski .......................................................................................................... 267

23.NormanScwires(?–1960) ............................................................................................... 26724.KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892‐1988).......................................................................... 26725.BernardStevens(1916–1983) ........................................................................................ 268

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26.JosephSzigeti(1892–1973) ............................................................................................ 269

Miscellaneouscorrespondence ........................................................................................... 26927.Scottishcomposers,artists,musicologists,etc. .............................................................. 27028.Scottishpoets,writersandothers.................................................................................. 27029.Britishcomposers,conductorsandradioproducers....................................................... 27230.Britishpianists,singersandothermusicians .................................................................. 27331.MiscellaneousBritishMusicians ..................................................................................... 27432.Worldwidecomposersandmusicians ............................................................................ 27533.Writers ........................................................................................................................... 27734.Miscellaneousletters ..................................................................................................... 277IndexofPeople .................................................................................................................... 279

BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 285PublicationsbyRonaldStevenson ........................................................................................ 286BooksbyRonaldStevenson.................................................................................................. 286PeriodicalArticlesbyRonaldStevenson............................................................................... 286WorksaboutRonaldStevenson ........................................................................................... 288RecordingsbyRonaldStevenson.......................................................................................... 291GeneralWorks ..................................................................................................................... 292DigitalResources.................................................................................................................. 297

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ListofFigures

Figure1.RonaldStevenson’sSchumannesqueinscriptiontotheauthor,1992onthetitlepageoftheSonatinaSerenissima:InMemoriamBenjaminBritten(1913–1976),composed1973–77

(Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSociety). ............................................................................................1

Figure2.RonaldStevensoninthelate1950sinWestLinton.PhotographerHelmutPetzsch,reprinted

withkindpermission,TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh. .............................................................2

Figure3.PercyGrainger(1882–1961)‘IntheRound,’Silvergelatinprint(photographerunknown),

GraingerMuseumCollection,UniversityofMelbourne,1933. .................................................................9

Figure4.AnExcerptfromChopin’sNocturneinCminorOp.48,No.1(1841),withanAnalysisof

StylisticIdiosyncrasiesinStevenson’sPianism.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1923),AIR‐CD‐9043,#3,0:00‐0:23,bars1‐5. .........................................................................................................................24

Figure5.Currentauthor’sdiagram:TheMechanicsofAchievingaGoodPianoTone. .....................................27

Figure6.RonaldStevensonvoicinginhisrecordingofFredericChopin’sPreludeinCMinor(complete)

Op.28,No.18(1835–39)(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1923),AltarusAIRCD9043,#2(1992)bars1–13,0:00‐1:25. ...................................................................................................................................34

Figure7.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723)(Leipzig:

Breitkopf&Härtel),bars41‐46. ............................................................................................................37

Figure8.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’s‘re‐writing’(unpublished,dated1989)ofKIVB45,

transcribedFerruccioBusoni(1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDMinorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723),AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,2:19‐2:28,bars41‐

46. .......................................................................................................................................................37

Figure9.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’sTranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s

(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(Composedc.1717–1723)(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,3:49‐3:51,bars73‐74. ...............................................................39

Figure10.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(Composedc.1717–1723)(Leipzig:

Breitkopf&Härtel),bars110‐113..........................................................................................................39

Figure11.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sreworkingofFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(1893)KIV

B45,ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(Composedc.1717–1723),AIRCD9043,#12,5:34‐5:48,bars110‐115. .................................................40

Figure12.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723).(Leipzig:

Breitkopf&Härtel),bars1‐15. ..............................................................................................................46

Figure13.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s

(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),AIRCD9043,#12,8:07‐8:59,bars156‐180. ............................................................47

Figure14.JohnOgdon(left),HughMacDiarmid(centre)andRonaldStevenson(right)picturedin1959atJohnOgdon’sprivatereadingofSorabji’sOpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930),takenatTownfootHouse,WestLinton,Scotland.PhotographerHelmutPetzsch.Reprintedwithkind

permissionTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh............................................................................53

Figure15.RonaldStevenson’sSpinetandPianoRecital*fortheKintyreMusicClub,Tuesday20th

September,1965. .................................................................................................................................57

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Figure16.AnExcerptfromtheFirstGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinCMinor(1955),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars17‐18. .................................................................72



Figure19.AnExcerptfromtheSecondGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭Minor(1957)published

byTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars1‐4. ................................................................77

Figure20.ComparativeHandPosition:G♭Major,hasamorefluidshape(Left)whilstinGMajor,the

fingersaremoreangular(Right)............................................................................................................77

Figure21.AnExcerptfromtheSecondGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭Minor(1957)published

byTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars7‐10. ..............................................................78

Figure22.AnExcerptfromtheSecondGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭Minor(1957),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars15‐18. ............................................................79

Figure23.AnExcerptfromtheThirdGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinCMinor,(1957),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars13‐15. ............................................................83

Figure24.RonaldStevenson’sPencilAdditionstotheCurrentAuthor’s‘WorkingCopy’ofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars36‐39. ..........86

Figure25.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sCarlyleSuite:IAubade—‘HereisDawning,AnotherBlueDay’(1995),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐3. ...............................88

Figure26.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’stranscriptionofJeaniewiththeLightBrownHairbyStephenFoster(1826–1864,comp.1854trans.Stevenson1980),publishedbyTheRonald

StevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars5‐8. ................................................................................................89

Figure27.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’stranscriptionofJeaniewiththeLightBrownHairby

StephenFoster(1826–1864,comp.1854trans.Stevenson1980),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars16‐18. ............................................................................................90

Figure28.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’stranscriptionofJeaniewiththeLightBrownHairbyStephenFoster(1826–1864,comp.1854trans.Stevenson1980),withanallusiontoMozart

PianoConcertoNo.26inDMajorKV537(1788),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars19‐22...........................................................................................................................91

Figure29.AbsorptionofRachmaninoff’sLilacs,Op.21,No.5(1902)intoStevenson’sIvorNovelloTranscriptionofWe’llGatherLilacs(IvorNovello1945,trans.Stevenson1980),publishedbyThe

RonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2......................................................................................92

Figure30.Comparisonbetweenexcerpt(s)fromBusoni’sandStevenson’stranscriptionsofMozart’s

FantasiainFMinorforMechanicalClockKV608(trans.Busoni1922,[top](Leipzig,Breitkopf&Härtel,1923),reprinted:Wiesbaden,1949),trans.Stevenson1952(bottom),publishedbyThe

RonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5......................................................................................95

Figure31.VladimirHorowitzCarmenFantasy(1947,revised1968)basedonthemesfromBizet’s

OperaCarmen(1875),trans.ArnoldSchalker. .......................................................................................96

Figure32.SharedMaterialbetweenBusoni’sandStevenson’stranscriptionsofMozart’sFantasiainF

MinorforMechanicalClockKV6081790,trans.Busoni1922.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),No.

xiv

5220,1923,reprinted:Wiesbaden,1949,trans.Stevenson1952,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars41‐42. ............................................................................................97

Figure33.Stevenson'sSoloTranscriptionofMozart'sPianoConcertoNo.20inDMinorKV466(1785,trans.Stevenson1961),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars154‐155...............98

Figure34.SecondMovementofWolfgangAmadeusMozart'sPianoConcertoNo.20inDMinorKV466(1785).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1878),bars1‐5...............................................................................99

Figure35.AnExcerptfromStevenson’sKadenzenfürMozartsKlavierKonzertinDmoll,KV466,1785,composed1952,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars40‐43. ..........................100

Figure36.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sFugueonaFragmentofChopin—originalsoloversion(1949)andhisowntwopianoversion(1953),bothversionspublishedbyTheRonaldStevenson

Society,Edinburgh,bars92‐93(bothexamples). .................................................................................100

Figure37.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sFugueonaFragmentofChopin—originalsoloversion

(1949)andhisowntwopianoversion(1953),bothversionspublishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars41‐42(bothexamples). .................................................................................102

Figure38.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sFugueonafragmentofChopin(TwoPianoVersion,1953)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars43–44. ..........................................102

Figure39.PianoConcertoNo.1inDMinor,byJohannesBrahms(1833–1897)Op.15(1858)FirstMovement.(NewYork:G.Schirmer,1921),Vol.429,bar110. .............................................................103

Figure40.Stevenson’sÉtudetted’aprèsKarsakovetChopin(Spectred’Alkan),1987,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐3....................................................................................104

Figure41.ComparisonofÉtudesbyFredericChopin(Op.25No.2,1837,bars1‐2),CarlCzerny(Op.365,No.19,1836,bars1‐2)andRonaldStevensonÉtudetted’aprèsKarsakovetChopin(Spectre

d’Alkan),1987,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars53‐55. ............................105

Figure42.TheOpeningbarsofMozart’sSonatainCMajorKV545‘SonataFacile,’(1788)bars1‐2. ..............110

Figure43.RonaldStevenson’sPencilAdditionstotheCurrentAuthor’s‘WorkingCopy’ofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar479. .............111

Figure44.AnExcerptfromtheThirdMovementofStevenson’sLeFestind’Alkan(1988–97),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars182‐184..................................................................112

Figure45.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sHeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5. ............................................................................113

Figure46.PercyGrainger’sConcertTranscriptionofMainThemesfromSergeiRachmaninoff’sPianoConcertoNo.2inCMinorOp.18(1900‐1901,trans.Grainger1946). ...................................................114

Figure47.AnExcerptfromHenryCowell'sExultation,‘PentatonicForearm‐Clusters’(1919),fromPianoMusicbyHenryCowell(NewYork:AssociatedMusicPublishers,1960),bars1‐4.........................114

Figure48.GroundPlanofPedallinginthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963):‘QuasiChitarra’(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars846‐856................................................................................................116

Figure49.ConcludingbarsofLiszt’sSonatainBMinorS.178(1854)(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1854),Plate8877,bars755‐760. ...................................................................................................................117

Figure50.Comparisonbetweenexcerpt(s)fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963)OxfordUniversityPressedition(top)(1964)andtheComposer’sFacsimileEdition(bottom),

publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars393‐395. ................................................118

xv

Figure51.Flutter‐PedallingintheFourthMovementofChopin’sPianoSonataNo.2inB♭Minor,Op.

35(1837–1839).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,ca.1840),Plate6329,bars1‐3........................................120

Figure52.FerruccioBusoni’s‘PedalIIIStudy,’Klavierübung(1818–1925,Breitkopf&Härtel),Book9:

SevenShortPiecesfortheCultivationofPolyphonicPlaying,No.7,MitAnwendungdesIII.Pedals(Steinway&SonsSostenutoPedal)Andantetranquillo,bars1‐4..........................................................121

Figure53.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPeterGrimesFantasy(1971)basedonthemesfromtheOpera,PeterGrimes(1945),byBenjaminBritten(1913–1976).(London:Booseyand

Hawkes),bars22‐28. ..........................................................................................................................124

Figure54.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPeterGrimesFantasy(1971)basedonthemesfrom

theOpera,PeterGrimes(1945),byBenjaminBritten(1913–1976).(London:BooseyandHawkes),bars96‐98. .........................................................................................................................125


Hawkes),bars99‐101. ........................................................................................................................126

Figure56.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPeterGrimesFantasy(1971)basedonthemesfrom

theOpera,PeterGrimes(1945),byBenjaminBritten(1913–1976).(London:BooseyandHawkes),bars109‐110. ......................................................................................................................127


Hawkes),bars113‐118. ......................................................................................................................127

Figure58.TranscriptionofIntheSilenceoftheSecretNight,Op.4,No.3,bySergeiRachmaninoff

(1873–1943),trans.Stevenson1982,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars3‐5. .............................................................................................................................................129

Figure59.Grainger’sLeft‐footStudy,IntroductiontoH.BalfourGardiner'sPrelude(DeProfundis),laterpublishedbyG.Schirmer,1923asaGuidetoVirtuosity.* ............................................................130

Figure60.RonaldStevenson’sTranscriptionofIvorNovello’sFlyHomeLittleHeart(fromKing’sRhapsody1949,trans.Stevenson,1980),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,

bars17‐19. .........................................................................................................................................130

Figure61.Stevenson’stranscriptionofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750arr.LeopoldStokowski,1882–1977)Komm,süßerTod,BWV478(trans.Stevenson,1981).PublishedbyTheRonald

StevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2. ..............................................................................................132

Figure62.OutliningofPedallinginStevenson’sTranscriptionofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750

arr.LeopoldStokowski,1882–1977)Komm,süßerTod,BWV478(trans.Stevenson,1981)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2. ........................................................133

Figure63.AnExcerptfromHerma:MusiqueSymboliquePourPiano,1961,byIannisXenakis(1922–2001).(London:Boosey&Hawkes),page10,bars1‐2. ........................................................................134

Figure64.AnExcerptfromPercyGrainger’sOneMoreDay,MyJohn(1911).(London:SchottandCompany,1921),bars12‐14. ..............................................................................................................134

Figure65.Stevenson’sTranscriptionofThePloughboyfromtheopera,TheFarmer(1787)byWilliamShield(1748–1829),for‘BenBrittenandPeterPears,’bars1‐5(1787,trans.Stevenson1948),

publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5. ........................................................135

Figure66.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sTwoCambrianCantosforSoloHarp(1965),published

byTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐4.........................................................................137

xvi

Figure67.‘GlimpseofaWar‐Vision’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars920‐925................................................................................................138

Figure68.FinalFugueexpresslymarked‘Inmemoriamthesixmillion’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,904‐1,915. ........................................140

Figure69.ConclusionofGlimpseOfAWarVision:Мир(Peace),fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars961‐975. ......................................................141

Figure70.PabloPicasso’sGuernica(1937),PermanentCollection,MuseoNacionalCentrodeArteReinaSofía,Madrid,Spain. .................................................................................................................141

Figure71.Variationson‘Мир,хлебиземля’(‘Peace,BreadandtheLand’)fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars976‐982. ....................................145

Figure72.‘ToemergentAfrica’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,191‐1,197. .........................................................................................145

Figure73.‘LamentfortheChildren’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars723‐727. ..........................................................................................................146

Figure74.RonaldStevenson’sAfricanTwi–Tune(1964)dedicatedto‘A.M.[AlexMoses]inthePresent;S.A.[SouthAfrica]intheFuture,’unpublishedmanuscript,reproducedcourtesyof

RonaldStevenson,bars1‐2. ................................................................................................................149

Figure75.CompleteManuscriptofRonaldStevenson’sAfricanTwiTune(1964)writteninSouth

Africa,unpublishedmanuscript.ReproducedcourtesyofRonaldStevenson,bars1‐49. .......................151

Figure76.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sARosaryofVariations(1980),basedonthemesfrom

onanIrishFolkMassbySeánÓRiada(1831–1971),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐7. ...........................................................................................................................160

Figure77.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sKeeningSangforaMaker(1958–1959),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars143‐145......................................................................161

Figure78.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sARosaryofVariations(1980),basedonthemesfromonanIrishFolkMassbySeánÓRiada(1831–1971),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,

Edinburgh,bars175–185. ...................................................................................................................161

Figure79.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sKeeningSangforaMaker(1958–59)publishedbyThe

RonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars110–115. ..........................................................................162

Figure80.StevensonpresentingascoreofthePassacagliaonDSCHtoDmitriShostakovichatthe

1962EdinburghFestival.RonaldStevenson(left),DmitriShostakovich(1906–1975)(centre),HughMacDiarmid(1892–1978)(Right).Photographer:PaulSchilabeer,Reprintedwithkind

permission,TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh.........................................................................164

Figure81.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963)‘conunsensodispazio

quasiGagarinesco’.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars2,178‐2,179. .............................................. 171

Figure82.ASingleStrandofDNA(Deoxyribonucleicacid,C232N92O139P22)andthe‘dodecaphonictone‐

row’fromRonaldStevenson’sMotusPerpetuus(?)TemporibusFatalibus(1988),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar1..................................................................................173

Figure83.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1‐19.................................................................................................................175

Figure84.C.Escher’s(1898–1972)lithographprintWaterfall(firstpublishedinOctober1961)....................176

xvii

Figure85.TheodorosPelecanos’AlchemicalManuscript,SerpienteAlquimica(c.1478).ReprintedfromH.J.Sheppard,TheOuroborosandtheUnityofMatterinAlchemy:AStudyinOrigins(1962) .......177

Figure86.CurrentAuthor’sAlgorithmicFormulaeofAllPossiblePermutationsof‘D,E♭C,B’(DSCH) ...........181

Figure87.TheCurrentAuthor’sTreeDiagramofallPossiblePermutationsofDSCH(D,E♭,C,B). .................182

Figure88.ThefirstpageoftheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974),publishedbyTheRonaldStevenson

Society,Edinburgh,bars1‐9................................................................................................................183

Figure89.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sSinfoniaElegiaca,SecondMovement(2010),‘Lament

fortheChildren,’bars1‐7.OriginallytranscribedfromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars723‐757. ................................................................184

Figure90.AnExcerptfromToccataandFugueinDMinorBWV565,spuriouslyattributedtoJohannSebastianBach(1685–1750),bars1‐3. ...............................................................................................185

Figure91.‘TributetoBach’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,460‐1,464. ....................................................................................................186

Figure92.‘TributetoBach’fromthecurrentauthor’s‘working‐copy’ofRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1,460‐

1,494..................................................................................................................................................186

Figure93.MichelangeloBuonarroti’s(1475–1564)Pietà(1498–99),SistineChapel,StPeter’sBasilica,

VaticanCity. .......................................................................................................................................187

Figure94.TheFourthMovementofStevenson’sSinfoniaElegiaca:‘AdagissimoBarocco’(2010),

publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar44,originallyfromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)Bar2,203........................................................................................................................189

Figure95.Grainger’sFantasieüberdasschluss‐duett(‘IsteinTraum/Spür'nurdich,’)ausderOperaDerRosenkavalier,Op.59(1911)vonRichardStrauss(1864–1949),re‐composedGrainger(1920–

1927),bars1‐3. ..................................................................................................................................191

Figure96.‘PlanofWork’:ThePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)*fromthetitlepageoftheOxford

UniversityPressEdition,London,1964,ii. ...........................................................................................194

Figure97.‘DodecaphonicSubject’ofthe‘FirstFugue’fromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:

OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,494‐1,506. .........................................................................................195

Figure98.GoldenSectionsContainedWithintheArchitectonicStructureofthePassacagliaonDSCH .........197

Figure99.ExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)ZweitesBuch:VonTonleiternabgeleiteteFormen,bars5‐10.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925),andRonaldStevenson’s

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,144‐1,151. .............................199

Figure100.ExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925):SiebentesBuch.AchtEtüden

nachCramer,No.5.Répétition:Allegrissimo,bar23(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925)andRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,795‐

1,798.................................................................................................................................................200

Figure101.Excerpt(s)fromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)FünftesBuch:Triller,Nach

Gounod,Andanteconmoto,bars2‐3.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925)andRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars400‐402. ....................................201

Figure102.Excerpt(s)fromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)ZehntesBuch:EtüdennachPaganini‐Liszt,ÉtudeNo.1‘Tremolo’(inGminor),NontroppoLento,bar6.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&

xviii

Härtel,1925)andRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars113‐114 ...........................................................................................................................201

Figure103.Excerpt(s)fromFrédéricChopin’sÉtudeOp.25No.5(1829–32).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1879),bars1‐3,RonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:Oxford

UniversityPress),bars428‐431. ..........................................................................................................202

Figure104.FaçadeofthePalaisNeuf,PalaisdesPapes,Avignon,France(constructedc.1232‐1364)

inspirationalsourceofFerruccioBusoni’sArchitecturalDiagramArchitektonischer:ZeichnungintheFormeinerGebäudefassade/ArchitecturalDrawinginFormofaBuildingFront,ofthe

FantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22),below.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1922). .....................205

Figure105.FerruccioBusoni’sArchitecturalDiagramArchitektonischer:ZeichnungintheFormeiner

Gebäudefassade[ArchitecturalDrawinginformofabuildingfront]oftheFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1921),inspiredbytheFaçadeof

thePalaisNeuf,PalaisdesPapes,Avignon,France(above). .................................................................205

Figure106.CurrentAuthor’sDiagramofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)andBusoni’s

Architektonischer:ZeichnunginFormeinerGebäudefassade[ArchitecturalDrawingintheFormofaBuildingFront]oftheFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&

Härtel,1922). .....................................................................................................................................207

ListofTables

Table1.InstancesOfArpeggiationandAsynchronizationintheRecordingsofRonaldStevenson ...................22

Table2.Contentsof‘CathedralsinSound,’RonaldStevenson,SoloPiano,AIR‐CD‐9043,AltarusRecords(1992) ............................................................................................................................................ 33

Table3.PerformingEditionsbyRonaldStevenson ............................................................................................. 43

Table4.RonaldStevenson’sPerformances(1981‐2004):KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji,(1892–1988),

Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell’egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM’Diarmid(1961) ......................................................................................................................................................... .55

Table5.L’ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988) ................................................................. 83

1

Préambule1

InthewordsofPatrickStanford:

He[RonaldStevenson,b.1928]isnotsomuch'largerthanlife'astheincarnationofmusicallifeitself.Hiscreativityseemstoknownobounds;hisrangeofinterestsaroundandbeyondmusic itselfnotonlyaninspirationbut—asitshouldbe—anexampletoallnarrowmindedcomposersandacademics,thoughhemaywellbelostonmanyofthem.Hisknowledgeofmusicisencyclopaedicandhehasthroughouthislonglife—hewasbornin1928—shunnedcelebrityandmaintainedaparticular interest insimilarlyhighlygiftedmusicianswhohavedonelikewise.2

Figure1.RonaldStevenson’sSchumannesqueinscriptiontotheauthor,1992onthetitlepageoftheSonatina Serenissima: InMemoriamBenjaminBritten (1913–1976), composed1973–77 (Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSociety).

I first became acquainted with Ronald Stevenson when I was an undergraduate piano

studentattheBirminghamConservatoireintheearly1990’s.Iwasintroducedbymypianoteacher

andhiswife,JohnandJoanHumphreys.JoanwasthededicateeofStevenson’stranscriptionofthe

‘Adagio’ from Gustav Mahler’s (1860–1911) unfinished Tenth Symphony (1910, trans. Stevenson

1AppropriatedfromtheopeningworkofRobertSchumann’sCarnival:ScènesMignonnessurQuatre

Notes,Op.9(i):Préambule,A♭major(1834‐35,Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),1879.2PatricStandford,ReviewofColinScott‐Sutherland(ed.),RonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,

ASymposium(London:ToccataPress,2005).http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2008/03/stevenson1.htm(Wakefield,6March2008).

2

2002).3DuringmyinitialmeetingwithStevenson,hekindlyinscribedoneofhisworks,‘spelling’out

my own name by means of musical cryptography4 (as shown in Figure 1). I found this

Schumannesque5wayofthinkingtobefascinating.Inconversation,hewouldleapwithlightning‐like

infectious enthusiasm from art to poetry, composition, languages, politics—both old and new—

pianism, architecture, economics, and philosophy. Ateş Orga (b. 1944) highlights that many

characteristicsofStevenson’spersonalityseemincongruoustothemodernage(seeFigure2):

Figure2.RonaldStevensoninthelate1950sinWestLinton.PhotographerHelmutPetzsch,reprintedwithkindpermission,TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.

3Stevenson’stranscriptionoftheAdagiofromGustavMahler’s(1860–1911)TenthSymphony(1910)

isdedicatedtoJoanHumphreys.Sherecounts,‘IalwayslovedMahler'smusic—when[Simon]Rattle(b.1955)tookovertheCBSO[CityofBirminghamSymphonyOrchestra:founded1920]IheardevenmoremusicbyhimandIthinkmyenthusiasmmayhaveaffectedRonald.

HewrotethesewordsonmycopyofthetranscriptionoftheAdagio:'FordearestJoan,whoseloveofMahlerwas the fonsetorigo ofmyworkon this transcription.Ronald,West Linton,27thMarch2002. . . .’‘Hereisaletterhesentadaylater:‘DearJoan,itwasabigpleasuretopresenttoyoumyMahlertranscription.Itisseldomthatadedicationconvincesthatitisapposite:inthiscaseIamsureitis.Idon'tknowanyoneelsewhohastakenthismusicsomuchtoheart’(JoanHumphreys,pers.comm.,26February2012).

4Stevensonutilizesthealtoclef( )tosubstitutethe‘shape’oftheletter‘K,’whilstthenoted‘C♮’couldbeanalternativespellingofMark(i.e.,Marc).

5Schumann’sCarnivalOp.9:Scènesmignonnessurquatrenotes(1834‐35)isbasedonthemusicallettersthatformtheGermanpronunciationofthetown‘Asch,’nowknownasAš,situatedintheKarlovyVaryRegion(moderndayCzechRepublic).InstandardGermannomenclatureA,S,C,H(A,E♭,C,B)aretheonly‘musical’lettersinSchumann’sownname(i.e.,Schumann).

3

From what he composes and how he plays, his manner and appearance (down to eaglependantandquillpen),onemightbeforgivenforthinkingofRonaldasamanbornoutofhistime, fifty years, even a century, too late. If a handsome, clean‐shaven, right‐profile from1945,darkhairsweptback,hashimcuttingaSamuelBarber(1910–1981)pose,photographstakenbyAnneFischer in SouthAfrica in1963, soulfullypenetrating, languideyed, repletewith broad‐brimmedhat,winged collar, pencilmoustache and goatee, remind strongly of[IgnacyJan]Paderewski(1860–1941)theyoung[Ferruccio]Busoni(1866–1924).6

Stevensonisbothadeeplymodestmanandanauthentic,multi‐facetedartist—likePercy

Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961) and Ferruccio Busoni before him—composer, writer, pianist,

educatorandacademic.Hehasanatural intellectualenquiryofmindandcuriosity inallmatters

creative.He isparticularlywell‐informedacrossamultiplicityofdisciplinesand isoneof themost

eruditepeopleIknow.HarryWinstanleyoncehumorouslyremarkedthatStevenson‘isasreadyto

quoteHarpoMarx(1888–1964)asKarl[Marx](1818–1883)’.7Similarly,ChrisWaldonrecognizeshis

magnetismtocreativeindividualsandhisuntiringgenerosityofspiritinencouragingothers:

Ihavemetfewmoderncomposerswhoaresoadoredandadmiredbytheirfriends;andyetRonald never quite seems to notice. It remindsmemuch of reports of Busoni, who waslionized, idolized, indeed‐ized ineverywhichway,yet—to judgebyhis letters—retainedacertainobjectivityabouthisownexploits,andremainedgenuinely,evenattimesintenselyinterestedinwhatothersweredoing:slowtochideandswifttobless.8In the twentieth century, Stevenson’s pianomusic is unparalleled in its breadth, volume,

diversityofsubjectmatter,andartisticscope.Becausethecomposer,thepianist,andeventhevery

instrument itselfaresouniquely intertwined, theprincipalpurposeof this thesis is toexaminehis

bodyofwork for thepiano fromapianisticperspective.Twosubstantialworkshavebeenwritten

about Stevenson: Ronald Stevenson: AMusical Biography byMalcolmMacDonald (b. 1948)9 and

RonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ASymposium,editedbyStevensonscholar,ColinScott‐

6AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir(originallypublishedinMusicandVision)(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.7HarryWinstanley,‘EightPortraits’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),233.8ChrisWalton,TheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety9,No.3(March2003),1.9MalcolmMacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography(Edinburgh:NationalLibraryof

Scotland,1989).

4

Sutherland(b.1930).10WhilstthereisanabundanceofpublishedreviewsonStevenson’srecordings

andperformances,additionalacademic literatureonStevenson isscant, relyingprimarilyonthese

twoworks.

Forthisreason, IstronglybelievethatanewstudyofStevenson’sworks iswarranted,and

particularlyastudyofhispianoworks—whichconstituteatleastfortypercentofhisentireoutput.11

ThisprojecthastheexplicitsupportofTheRonaldStevensonSociety(foundedEdinburgh,1995),as

well as the composer’s wife, Marjorie Stevenson (née Spedding, b. 1932), whom Stevenson

constantly acknowledges as his ‘greatest supporter’.12 Married since 1952, the Stevensons have

recentlyhadthegoodfortunetocelebratetheirDiamondweddinganniversary(August2012).13

Thisstudycanneitherstrivetobeexhaustivenorall‐inclusive.Rather, itaimstoprovidea

critical summaryofhis life’sbodyofworkasacomposer‐pianistandhiseight‐decaderelationship

with the instrument.ThethesisexploresStevenson’scoreartistic ideal thathumanitycantangibly

bereflectedinart.Ambitiously,thisexegeticalexpeditionaspirestowardsthenobleaestheticofSir

Richard Attenborough (b.1923), who stated, whilst making his career‐defining biopic, Gandhi

(1983),14thatsuchasignificantoverviewofalifetimecanneverbecompletelyincontrovertible:

No man's life can be encompassed in one telling. There is no way to give each year itsallottedweight, to includeeachevent,eachpersonwhohelped to shapea lifetime.Whatcanbedoneistobefaithfulinspirittotherecordandtotrytofindone'swaytotheheartoftheman....15

This thesis is an in‐depth evaluation of how Stevenson strove not simply to reflect the

artistic,social,andpoliticalcurrentsoftheage,butalso,paradoxically,totranscendandtransform

10ColinScott‐Sutherland,ed.,RonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic:ASymposium(London:

ToccataPress,2005).11AteşOrga,‘IIThePianoMusic’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic:ASymposium,ed.Colin

Scott‐Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),101.12Stevenson,pers.comm.,9December2011.13RonaldandMarjorieStevenson(néeSpeddingb.1932),pers.comm.,8January2012.14ThelifeofMohandasKaramchand[‘Mahatma’]Gandhi(1869–1948).

15JohnBriley,Ghandi:TheScreenplay(NewYork:GrovePress,1983),15.

5

them.Itexplorestheparallelsbetweentheinitialactofcomposition(‘scription’)anditsrelationship

totranscription,paraphraseandthe‘twilightrealm’ofre‐composition,andthecomplexconnection

betweentheminiatureandthemonumental,aswellasStevenson’sdesire toemulate thehuman

voiceinallcreativeoutput.

TheperformancecomponentofthisstudycomprisestworarerecitalsofthePassacagliaon

DSCH (1963). The firstwas theNew SouthWales première of thework at the JørnUtzonRoom,

Sydney Opera House, 20th June, 2012. The second was a week later on 26 June at theWestern

AustralianAcademyofPerformingArts,andthisperformanceisavailableonline.16Thelatterwasthe

firstWestern Australian performance in three decades, with this monumental work having been

heardonlyoncebefore inAustralia,withStevensonhimselfas soloist in1982at theUniversityof

Western Australia.17 This seemed an extremely apt choice of repertoire, as understanding

Stevenson’sMagnumOpusprovedofpivotalimportancethroughoutthefascinatingjourneyofthis

exegeticalinvestigation.ThisisprincipallybecausethePassacagliaonDSCHbothcontextualizesand

encapsulates—more than any other singular work of Stevenson’s—his unique ‘larger‐than‐life’

contributiontotheinstrument.Itcannotbeunderestimatedthatuponcompletionoftheworkand

presenting it to Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975), Stevenson pronounced, ‘I have put into it

everything Iknowabout thepiano’.18Asa result,anyperformanceof thiselementaltourde force

defineswhoever attempts to traverse its courseon the concert platform,not least becauseof its

16WesternAustralianAcademyofPerformingArts(WAAPA),26June2012.Thisperformanceis

availableonYoutubeathttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jFuKZTqnjY.17AustralianPremièreofPassacagliaonDSCH(1963):RonaldStevenson[solopiano],Octagon

Theatre,UniversityofWesternAustralia,9September1982.

Stevensonalsogavealecture‐recital[solopiano],fortheUniversityofWesternAustraliaMusicSocietyentitled,‘FourGreatPianistsofthePastandHowTheyPlayed?,’OctagonTheatre,6September1982,aswellasarecitalwithfellowcomposer‐pianist,RogerSmalley[twopianos],OctagonTheatre,23September1982.

UniversityofWesternAustralia/StateLibraryofWesternAustralia[ConcertProgrammeArchive]http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/pdf/ephemera/pr8065the.pdf.

18PaulRapoport,LinerNotes,StevensonplaysStevenson,RonaldStevenson(piano),AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2),1999,compactdisc.FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

6

verynature—anelementalworkofthemostastonishingtranscendentalscope.

MarkGasser,Perth,WesternAustralia,21June2013

7

ChapterOne:StevensonasComposer‐PerformerandHistoricalPrecedents

1.1Composer‐PerformersandtheMusicalEstablishment’sEndemicSuspicionofaPoly‐FacetedDisposition

In early 2008,Ronald Stevenson: TheMan and hisMusic, was released by Toccata Press,

coincidingwith thecomposer’s80thbirthdayyear. Ina reviewof the symposium,PatricStandford

distinguished Stevenson’s extraordinary skills as a pianist as being on par with his compositional

prowess:

I cannot help describing Ronald Stevenson as a monumental musical personality…. he iswithout doubt among the greatest British pianists of our time . . . and, as LordMenuhin(1916–1999) writes in his succinct foreword to this superb symposium—one of themostoriginalmindsintheworldofthecompositionofmusic.19

In conjunctionwith Stevenson’s commercial recordings,20Ronald Stevenson: TheManand

his Music is a crucial point of departure, acting as a catalyst for this exegetical investigation of

Stevenson’sabilitiesasapianist.ItsmanyandvariouscontributorspersistentlyassertStevensonasa

complex,multifarious, poly‐faceted, eclectic composer‐pianist, who has been influenced bymany

musical and literary antecedents. These include John Ruskin (1819–1900), William Blake (1757–

1827),HughMacDiarmid(1892–1978),and,mostnotably,FerruccioBusoni(1866–1924)andPercy

Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961). All contributors acknowledge these influences, stating that he

metamorphicaly‘coalesces’and‘absorbs’methodologiesandtechniquesasbothconcertpianistand

composer, utilizing such hybrid‐terminology as Graingeresque, Busonian and even, on occasion,

Stevensonian.21 However, there is astonishingly little research as to how he did so with tangible

19PatricStandford,reviewofColinScott‐Sutherland(ed.),RonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,

ASymposium(London:ToccataPress),2005.http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2008/03/stevenson1.htmWakefield,UnitedKingdom,6March2008.

20FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

21HaroldTaylor,‘Stevenson’sPianism’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ASymposium,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),213.

8

illustration. Stevenson’s biographer, In the only other significant body of work on Stevenson,

Malcolm MacDonald (b.1948) wrote that he did not have enough specialist insight to make a

thoroughassessmentofhispianism.Hesaid,‘Ihavehadneitherthespacenorexpertknowledgeto

includeany thoroughconsiderationof Stevensonasapianist, thoughhisperformingactivitiesare

secondonlyinimportancetohiscomposing’.22

Performing his ownwork and giving thosewhomhe chooses to champion awider public

awareness,areStevenson’sprimarygoals.Furthermore,beyondthediscretespheresofperforming

andcomposing,StevensonisperceivablyatrueRenaissanceman,beingalsoaninsightfulscholarly

author across many fields, an educationalist and even, on occasion, a philosopher. According to

GlennRiddle,PercyGraingercansimilarlybecelebratedasananalogouspolymathwho‘alongside

performing,conducting,andcomposingcareers,’ likeStevenson, ‘pursuedakeen interest inmusic

education,’23not tomention that theybothwereardentethnomusicologistsandcollectorsof folk

songs. InGrainger’scase,themultifacetedingredientsofhisnatureweresomethinghediscernibly

relished, imaginativelygivingsomeexplanationtohis ‘fiveselves’ inauniquepublicityphotograph

from 1933 (Figure 3). In the same way, one has only to explore the extent of Stevenson’s own

writings on music and other subjects,24 as well as his prolific correspondence, to appreciate the

eclecticism of his interests, tastes and friendships. The correspondence consists of thousands of

letterstomanyplaywrights,musicians,actors,artists,politicalfigures,aswellastoreligiousleaders,

poets,radioproducers,anddancers:fromindividualsasdiverseasCosmeMcMoon(1901–1980)—

the long‐suffering accompanist of the infamous amateur soprano, Florence Foster Jenkins (1868–

‘Whenonealsoconsidershispassionateinterestintheartoftranscription–muchderidedbyculturalmandarins and thereforeneglectedby career‐minded concert pianists – it is not surprising that heproducesatypeofmixedrecitalprogrammewhichcanonlybedescribedas‘Stevensonian’.22MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,3.23‘[Graingerwas]...publishingnumerousarticles,essaysandbroadcastingonarangeofmusical

subjectsrelatedtomusiceducation’.GlennRiddle‘PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,’paperpresentedforthe‘FifthSingaporeInternationalPianoPedagogySymposium,’YongSiewTohConservatoryofMusic(NationalUniversityofSingapore,22June,2011),2.

24SeetheBibliography:BooksbyRonaldStevensonandPeriodicalsbyRonaldStevenson.

9

1944)—toWilliamTemple (1881–1944), theArchbishopofCanterbury,andeven thegreatFinnish

master,JeanSibelius(1865–1957).25

Figure 3. Percy Grainger (1882–1961) ‘In the Round,’ Silver gelatin print (photographer unknown),GraingerMuseumCollection,UniversityofMelbourne,1933,Exception toCopyright, Section ss40,103C,ResearchorStudy26

Correspondingly, KennethHamilton notes that Stevenson’s predecessor, Ferruccio Busoni,

alsoaprolific letterwriter,was‘almostaseloquentverballyasmusically’.27Lookingtowardsdirect

opinions of Stevenson from contemporary equivalents, the reclusive English composer‐pianist—of

Parsee, Spanish, and Sicilian origin—Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892–1988) commented on

Stevenson’swritingability,that‘heisasintelligentandperceptiveastheyaremade…extraordinary

inaprofessionalwriteronmusic!’28Similarly,PercyGraingerwassotakenwithStevenson’sflairfor

thewrittenword that he asked for their lengthy correspondence that it be sent to the Grainger

25SeeAppendixTwo:CatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson.26Reprintedwithkindpermission,GraingerMuseum(founded1938)UniversityofMelbourne.27KennethHamilton,AftertheGoldenAge:RomanticPianismandModernPerformance(NewYork:

OxfordUniversityPress,2008),163.28GlennDavidColton,TheArtofPianoTranscriptionasCriticalCommentary,

http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/opendissertations/6483.87.134(1992).(OriginalletterquotedwiththekindpermissionoftheMcMasterUniversityArchives/HollidaySorabjiCollection),1992.

10

Museum in Melbourne for the permanent archive. In 1959, Grainger requested that all of

Stevenson’sarticlesbesenttotheGraingerMuseuminMelbourne:‘Youareamagnificentworder—

your complete articles (now or in a near future) ought to make an impressive collection’.29 This

statementprovedprophetic:thecorrespondencebetweenthetwomen(1957–1961)wasrecently

publishedbyToccataPressasComradesinArt:TheCorrespondenceofRonaldStevensonandPercy

Grainger(2011).30

Stevenson,pontificatingonthelargelyforgottenworksofMauriceEmmanuel(1862–1938),

whose students included two giants of the twentieth century, Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013) and

OlivierMessiaen(1908–1992),notestheproblemsofincreasingspecialization:‘WhyisEmmanuel’s

musicalmostunknown?Surelybecausehegainedeminenceasamusicologistandtherefore,inthis

ageofspecialization,couldnotpossiblybeconsideredasacomposer.Busoni’swasasimilarfate:he

wasagreatpianist,ergohecouldnotbeacomposer’.31Stevenson,sawhisraisond'être inwriting

this article as aiming tomake others aware of Emmanuel’smusic and, with any luck, rejuvenate

performancesandrecordings:

Inwritingthisarticle,Ihavenottakendownsomebooksandmusicfromtheshelf,blownoffthedustandreplacedthem.WhatIhavewrittenwillserveausefulpurposeifitencouragessomebodytoperformEmmanuel’smusic.IsittoomuchtohopethatwemaytranslatehimfromLimbo?32

Inthesameway,heseeshisownwidevarietyofinterestsasbeingacrucialpartofhisindividualism

andseeshiseclecticismasaugmentingallaspectsofhisrespectivecareer(s).33

Nonetheless,Stevenson isall tooaware today’sartisticenvironment increasinglydemands

specialism,both inperformanceaswellas incomposition.The ‘musicalestablishment’ isnotonly

29TheopeningparagraphofTeresaBalough(ed.)introductiontoComradesinArt:The

CorrespondenceofRonaldStevensonandPercyGrainger(1957‐61)(London:ToccataPress,2011).30TeresaBalough,ed.IntroductiontoComradesinArt.31RonaldStevenson,MauriceEmanuel:ABelatedApology,MusicandLetters40,No.2,April1959,

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions:RonaldStevensononMusic(Stellenbosch:SunMedia,2009),107.

32Stevenson,MauriceEmanuel,1959,116.33Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2004.

11

apprehensive but ‘downright mistrustful of all rounders’.34 Concerning those who may perhaps

criticizehisownpoly‐facetedcareer(s),heterselyreferstotheadageoflegendaryconductorBruno

Walter (1876–1962): ‘a musician who is only a musician is only half a musician’.35 Stevenson’s

aptitudeisessentialtoascertaininunderstandingbothhisaestheticstanceandhiscomplexmodus

operandi: notmerely as a pianist and a composerwho is part of an extensive tradition, but as a

unique,multi‐facetedartisticpersonality.

1.2ParallelswithPastComposer‐Performers,theImportanceof‘ThinkinglikeaComposer,’and‘CraftinganOrchestralSonority’

Dedicating time to both performance and composition is inherently demanding—

augmented especially in Stevenson’s case, as one has to consider his immense output.36Nearly a

quarterofacenturyago,MacDonaldcommentedthatStevenson’sœuvrewaseventhenbecoming

unparalleledinitsmagnitude,surpassingtheoutputofsomeofthemostprolificcomposersofthe

twentiethcentury—manyofwhomhadsteeredclearofactiveconcertcareers:

Indeed, he [Stevenson]must count by now as one of themost prolific composers of ourcentury, rapidly approaching the unquantifiable work‐totals of such comparably inventivefigures asHeitorVilla‐Lobos andDariusMilhaud.Neither ofwhomhadpursued a parallelcareerasaninstrumentalvirtuoso,asStevensonhaddone.37

Stevensonoftenremarkeduponthephenomenonthatnumerousvirtuosocomposercompatriotsof

precedinggenerationsshiedawayfromtheconcertplatformmid‐waythroughtheircareers.38Thisis

oftenbecause, toexplorenewpossibilities to themaximum,acomposermusthavea respectable

workingknowledgeoftheinstrumentforwhichheiswriting.Inevaluatingtherespectivecareersof

34Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2004.35LuciaMauro,CareersfortheStagestruck&OtherDramaticTypes(NewYork:McGraw‐Hill,2004),

89(originallyfromBrunoWalter,VonderMusikundvomMusizieren(FrankfurtAmMain,Germany:S.Fischer,1957)trans.English,Ofmusicandmusic‐making(NewYork:W.W.Norton,1961).(Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1995.)

36SeeAppendixOne:CatalogueofCompleteWorks,TranscriptionsandRecordingsforPiano.37MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,74.38Stevenson,pers.comm.,August2011–June2012.

12

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) and Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943), Stevenson takes the

argumentastepfurther,claimingthatthereisadirectcorrelationbetweentherelativeamountof

timeeachcomposerspentontheconcertplatformandhowidiomatictheirwritingis:

CoulditbethatBrahms’notoriouslyawkwardpianowritingmighthavebeenmoregratefulif he’d had to play it in public? Might he have realised that the added tension andexcitementofpublicperformancedemandedsomepruningoftextures?ComparethepianowritingofRachmaninoffbeforeandafterheembarkedonhisvirtuosocareer(whichhedidlate, in his forties): the earlier work is sprawling; the later, pianistically organised.RachmaninoffhimselfadmittedthisinaninterviewhegavetotheAmericanmusicmagazineÉtudein1923.39

StevensonnotesthatbothCharles‐ValentinAlkan(1813–1888)—oneofthemostcelebrated

virtuosi of his age—and Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji surprisingly relinquished their concert careers

prematurely:‘Sorabji’spublicperformancesandonesinglebroadcastrecital—nowlegendary—were

abandonedveryearly.SorabjiandAlkancouldboiltheiralchemicalcauldronsofdiabolicalpianistic

improbabilities insolitude’.40However,unlikeSorabji—whoneverplayed inpublicafter1936until

hisdeathattheageofninety‐eight(1988)—Stevensonseesperformanceasacriticalcomponentin

the ‘hard wiring of the psyche of the composer‐pianist’.41 This view is reiterated by Australian

composer‐pianist,LarrySitsky(b.1934).Sitskybelievesthatifacomposerdoesnotperform,itwill

haveaninverseeffectuponthespontaneityofthecomposition:‘withoutthiscommunionwithalive

audience, music‐making all too easily becomes over‐intellectualized, sterile and arid’.42 This

standpoint seems logical, as music is not a dry cerebral exercise, but is meant to be heard: the

written score is an artistic conduit: a means of expression to channel and communicate the

composer‐pianist’sauralintenttoanother.

Oneofthepreeminentpianistsofourtime,Marc‐AndréHamelin(b.1961),whopremièred

Stevenson’s monumental Festin D’ Alkan (1988–97) at the Blackheath Concert Hall’s Pianofest in

39RonaldStevenson,StevensonontheContinentalTraditions:SzymanowskiatthePiano,Godowsky

SocietyNewsletter,Vol.3,No.1(1983),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,102.40RonaldStevenson,StevensonontheContinentalTraditions:SzymanowskiatthePiano,102.41Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1997.42JimCotter,LarrySitskyandtheAustralianMusicalTradition,News,XIVNo.12(NationalLibraryof

Australia,September2004),3–6.

13

1998,43 identifies the importance of ‘thinking as a composer’ whilst performing. He steadfastly

believes that all pianists should at least attempt composing, as it can only purify and facilitate a

betterappreciationoftheirartform:

I don't understand how anybody who is onstage interpreting a piece ofmusic can do sowithouthavingatleasttriedtheirhandatcomposition.Tomymind,onlybyhavingtriedtothinkasacomposercanyousuccessfully re‐create thecomposer's thoughtwhenstudyingthe work. The mechanics of putting one's abstract thought into a system of absoluteproportionsisactuallyquitescientific.Forexample,rhythmisallnotatedmathematics.Onealsohastobecognitiveoftheywayeachcomposerhasusedandunderstoodthesystemofproportionsthatismusicalnotation.Itallhastobetakenintoconsideration.44

Ina similar fashion,Stevenson is steadfast inhisbelief that ‘the specialist,non‐composing

pianist plays with immense skill, but he plays the music ‘from the outside’.45 He highlights this

phenomenonwhilstappraisingthesubstantialabilitiesofDanishcomposer‐pianistGunnarJohansen

(1906–1991),who, like Sitsky,was a fellow ‘Busonian,’ academic, educationalist, and formerEgon

Petri (1881–1962) student: ‘Johansen plays as a composer in music other than his own. Many

pianists, who do not compose, often play brilliantly though without conveying the music’s

structure’.46 But precisely what is it that is so extraordinary in the creativemind of a composer‐

pianist? Ateş Orga once astutely wrote concerning Stevenson’s predecessors that essentially the

‘creative instinct,’ i.e., the composition, and the ‘re‐creative act,’ i.e., the performance, are

essentiallysymbiotic,andthatStevensonhasusedthisartisticstandpointasaparadigmforhisown

lifelongcreativity:

43Marc‐AndréHamelin(b.1961)premièredStevenson’smonumental‘FestinD’Alkan’(1988–97)at

theBlackheathConcertHallsPianofestin1998,RonaldSmith,TheAlkanSocietyNewsletter,BulletinNo.54:November1997/August1998,http://www.alkansociety.org/htmlobj‐206/bulletin54.pdf.

44PeterBurwasser,Marc‐AndréHamelin:“Don’tCallMeAVirtuoso!,”FanfareMagazine(4March1997),62.

45RonaldStevenson,ThePaderewskiParadox(Switzerland:LaSociétéPaderewski,1992),6.46FrankCooper,Arrau,Bolet&Johansen—APersonalView(AmericanLisztSociety,2011)

http://www.marstonrecords.com/liszt/liszt_liner.htm.

14

TheGoldenAgeromanticsinwhomthecreativeinstinctandre‐creativeactwereasone—the Rachmaninoffs, Medtners and Godowskys of this world, successors to thetranscendentalism of Liszt, Thalberg and Alkan—are the composer‐pianists whose vision,spiritualaspirationandhumanitarian,altruisticexamplehavebeenhislife‐model.47

Stevenson discloses that hearing a performance byMark Hambourg (1879–1960) was an

epiphany in his own development as a pianist‐composer, making him aware of the orchestral

sonorities ofwhich the instrument is potentially capable. This new sound‐worldwould become a

lifelong fascination. However, like the young Ferruccio Busoni hearing the ageing Franz Liszt

perform,48 when Stevenson heard Mark Hambourg, he noted that Hambourg was well past his

prime:

Hewasoldandpast it.Heplayed fistfulsofwrongnotes.Buthealsoproducedanalmostorchestral sonority which I heard from no other pianist and which reminded me ofdescriptions of Anton Rubinstein’s playing—I mean Anton, not Artur [Rubinstein 1887–1982].Markwasaneasytargetforcritics.YetBusonideclaredhim‘themostnaturallygiftedpianist’hehadeverheard.49

Stevenson’s description of summoning an ‘orchestral sonority’ bears an arresting similarity to the

expressionsoffellowcomposer‐pianist,LeopoldGodowsky(1870–1938).Godowskyseesthisasan

importantkey to thoseaspiring toperformhisownwork,withparallels to JohannSebastianBach

(1685‐1750)andFrédéricChopin (1810–1849): ‘Mypianomusic is likeanorchestra,withdifferent

independentvoicesplayedbydifferentinstruments.Itrequirestonaldiscrimination...manyvoices

likeJohannSebastianBachand...genuinepianoquality(likeChopin).Ifyoubearthisinmind,you

havethekeytotheirinterpretation’.50

Stevenson reiterates this belief, acknowledging that hehas alwayshad ‘a fascinationwith

47AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.48‘BusoniheardLisztplayandplayedprivatelyforLisztattheageofsevenbutwasnevera‘pupil’(c.

1873).GerardCarter,PianoMannerisms,TraditionandtheGoldenRatioinChopinandLiszt(Ashfield,NSW:WensleydalePress,2007),8.http://www.rodoni.ch/testi‐per‐portale/piano‐mannerisms‐tradition.pdf.

49RonaldStevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH,’TheListener82,No.2115(9October1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,3.

50AteşOrga,LinerNotes,LeopoldGodowskyPianoMusicVol.1,RonaldStevenson(piano),AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2),compactdisc,http://www.naxos.com/pdf/inlay/223793.pdf,1996.

15

‘makingthepianosoundasunlikeapianoaspossible’.51AsforMarkHambourg’s‘fistfulsofwrong

notes,’ if one is to consider parallels with preceding composer‐pianists, Hamilton observes that,

whenIrishcomposerCharlesStanford(1852–1924)heardaperformanceofBrahms’PianoConcerto

No.2inB♭majorOp.83(1878–1881)—withJohannesBrahms(1833–1897)himselfassoloist—the

accuracyoftheplayingcertainlyseemedtobeofsecondaryimportance:

When Charles Stanford heard Brahms smash his way through his own Second PianoConcerto,heremarkedthatBrahms‘tookitforgrantedthatthepublicknewhehadwrittentherightnotes,anddidnotworryhimselfoversuchlittletriflesashittingthewrongones.’‘Thewrongnotesdidnotreallymatter’,claimedStanford,‘theydidnotdisturbhishearersanymorethanhimself’.52

ThisrelatescloselytoananecdotequotedbyHamiltonthat‘hasbeenpasseddownthroughpupils

of Busoni pupils’. 53 Hamilton heard the story himself from his piano teacher—none other than

Ronald Stevenson: ‘Facedwith grumbling from the young EgonPetri [1881–1962] about [Eugène]

d’Albert’s [1864–1932] unacceptable splashiness, Busoni retorted, ‘If you put asmuch conviction

intoyourrightnotesasd’Albertdoesintohiswrongones,thenyou’dhavecausetocriticize’.54

Egon Petri is best remembered as one of the greatest pianists and pedagogues of the

twentieth century. Nonetheless, although Petri trained in composition in his formative years—

studyingwithHermannKretzschmar (1848–1924)andFelixDraeseke (1835–1913)at theDresdner

Hochschule fürMusik—he by nomeans considered himself a composer akin to his piano teacher

FerruccioBusoniorEugèned’Albertbeforehim.55DavidMurraycommentsuponthephenomenon

51Stevenson,pers.comm.,WestLinton,Scotland,c.1996.52Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,99.(HamiltonfootnotesAmyFay,‘MusicStudyinGermany’

(London,Macmillan,1893),222‐23.53Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,99.(Hamiltonfootnotes,‘Thisstoryhasbeenpasseddownby

pupilsofBusoniandwastoldtomebyRonaldStevenson’).ThecurrentauthorinconversationalsoverifiesthissamestorywithbothKenHamiltonandRonaldStevenson,AdrianBoultHall,Birmingham,1998,whilstperformingthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963).Hamiltonalsodedicatedhis1996‘CambridgeMusicHandbook:‘Liszt,SonatainBMinor,’‘FormyPianoTeachersAlexaMaxwellandRonaldStevensonandinMemoryofLawrenceGlover,’TheauthorhasalsoheardStevensonrepeatthisanecdoteonmanyoccasions,mostrecentlyinatelephoneconversation13September2011.

54Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,99.55InternationaleFelixDraesekeGesellschaft[InternationalFelixDraeseke(1835–1913)Society],

Hambourg,Germany.http://www.draeseke.org/essays/students.htm#petri.

16

that, whilst not all great pianists can compose, those who have pursued both paths have been

laudedasthefinest,almostwithoutexception:

Almost every composer since Mozart has played the piano, but not many pianists cancompose. From those who could, nearly all the great piano‐music has come: WolfgangAmadeusMozart (1756–1791),LudwigvanBeethoven,RobertSchumann,FrédéricChopin,Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Béla Bartók were allexcellentpianists.56

Naturally,therewillalwaysbeexceptionstoanyrule.ItmaycomeasasurprisethatHector

Berlioz (1803–1869) had no formal instruction as a pianist.57 Evenmore unusual, Joaquín Rodrigo

(1901–1999),despiteneverhavingplayed theguitarandalmostwhollydevoidof sight sinceearly

childhood,somehowmanagedtowritehishauntinglyevocativeConciertodeAranjuez(1939)thatis

justifiably hailed asoneof the crowningpinnaclesof the Spanish guitar repertoire.However, it is

frequently overlooked that Rodrigo was nevertheless a virtuoso pianist of an exceedingly high

calibre.58

Murray also surveys the understandable correlation between composer‐pianists and

composer‐violinists, singling out Niccole Paganini (1782–1840), Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931), Jens

Hubay(1858–1937)andWolfgangAmadeusMozart,asbeingparticularlynoteworthy,ascertaining

thattheyallhad‘adeeppracticalknowledgeoftheir instrument’.59Notsurprisingly,Mozart isthe

only composer to make both the list of composer‐pianists and composer‐violinists. Murray also

proposesthatacomposer‐pianist ‘cantrythingsonthatnon‐pianistcomposerswouldn'tdare,nor

couldimagine’.60

56DavidMurray,TheComposer‐Pianists,Marc‐Andre,Hamelin(London:FinancialTimes,finaledition,

17July1999),6.57‘He[HectorBerlioz(1803–1869)]wasnovirtuoso,butplayedguitarandflute;exceptionallyforhis

time,hewasnotapianist’.JulianRushton,Louis‐HectorBerlioz(OxfordBibliographiesOnline)http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo‐9780199757824/obo‐9780199757824‐0032.xml.

58GrahamWade,LinerNotes,Rodrigo:ConciertoSerenata/ConciertodeAranjuez(CompleteOrchestralWorks,VolumeNine),JoaquínRodrigo(1901‐1999):Conciertoserenata,SonesenlaGiralda(Fantasíasevillana),ConciertodeAranjuez,8.555843http://www.naxos.com.

59GrahamWade,LinerNotes,Rodrigo.60DavidMurray,TheComposer‐Pianists,6.

17

Stevensondescribesthepianoasbeinghis‘voiceinmusic’.61Forhim,theinstrumentisthe

personificationofRomanticismitself:‘ThepianoistheRomanticInstrumentparexcellence.Itstillis.

Art isRomanticwhen it suggestsa reality larger than itself.That iswhy thepiano is theRomantic

instrument:itsuggeststheorchestra.Itistheonlyinstrumentthatcan’.62

Stevenson’scareerasapianistiscertainlynotof‘secondaryimportance,’63assuggestedby

MacDonaldattheopeningofthischapter.Tounderstandhimasanartist,onemustascertainand

understandhispianisticmotives,aswellasthedistinguishedlineageinwhichheisembedded.The

symbiotic facets of his artistic consciousness, as both composer and pianist, are fused on an

elemental level: sharing the same creative heart. Similarly, his programming and championing of

neglected repertoire (often supporting the work of fellow composer‐pianists) are equally as

extraordinary and warrant supplementary examination. Also merited is a direct survey of his

pianism,whichtracesitsfootprintsbackmuchfurtherthanwemightimagine.

61Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1998.62RonaldStevenson,WesternMusic:AnIntroduction(London,Kahn&Averill,1971),143.63MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,3.

18

ChapterTwo:ACriticalAppraisalofStevenson’sPianism

2.1EarlyPianisticInfluencesfromthe‘SunsetoftheGreatRomanticSchoolofPianism’.64

Stevensonoftenspeaksofa‘reservoiroftechnique’65thathehasconstantlydrawnfromthroughout

his longpianistic career. The reservoir grewexponentiallywith copiousamountsofpractice inhis

formativeyears:

InmyyouthonafreedayIdidasmuchasfourteenhoursadayofpianopractice.Thatistoomuch.Fourdailyhoursareenough.Butallthatworkstoodmeingoodsteadandhashelpedmetopreservemypianotechniqueintact,eventhroughvicissitudesofill‐health.Ratherlikelearningtorideabicycle:doitwhenyoungandtheabilitylastsalifetime,andmaybepickedupevenafterperiodsofinactivity.66

He says that hewas ‘always an avid collector, compiler and inventor of piano exercises basedon

actualmusic,notabstract ‘gymnastic’exercises suchasHanon’s’.67He felt thathe learnt ‘virtually

nothing’68 fromhis composition teacher,RichardHall (1903–1982),who,according toMacDonald,

was ‘the éminence grise for the ‘Manchester School’, with protégés such as Alexander Goehr (b.

1963),HarrisonBirtwistle(b.1934),andPeterMaxwellDavies(b.1934),amongsthismostpromising

students. Richard Hall was strongly influenced by the concurrence of ‘slabs of sound’ frequently

compared to those used by Edgard Varèse (1883–1965), Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992), and Igor

Stravinsky(1882–1971).

In Stevenson’s view, these were ‘desolate and severe’.69 Additionally, unlike Goehr,

Birtwistle,andMaxwellDavies,Stevensonwastheonlystudentwhowasalsoaperformerofahigh

64Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.65Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.66FromtheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety,Spring1996,reproducedinWalton(ed.)Song

inGoldPavilions,9.6767FromtheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety,Spring1996.68MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,6.69Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2004.

19

calibre andwas ‘naturally attracted to composer‐performers of the past’.70 Accordingly, Ferruccio

Busonibecameforhim‘ineffect,amusicalself‐educationmoreprofoundandfar‐reachingthanany

educationhisformalteacherscouldprovide’.71Byhisownadmission,themostinfluentialauthority

on his pianism was Busoni’s monumental Klavierübung in Zehn Büchern (1818–1925)—which is

essentially a single volumepianoand composition tutorial in tenbooks.72 Stevensoncopied itout

‘meticulouslybyhand’.73HeregardsBusoni’sKlavierübunginZehnBüchernasthebestexercises—

that alongwith Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias BWV 772–801 (c. 1723) andDasWohltemperierte

Klavier, BWV 846–893 (1722 and 1742)—helped him refine his skills and technical prowess as a

composeraswellasapianist:

TheBusoniKlavierübung I regardas thebestexercises [sic]. Iwrote themout frompubliclibrarycopieswhentheywereout‐of‐printjustafterWorldWarII.IalsopractisedtheBachInventionsandthe‘forty‐eight’inmyyouth(andlater).AteighteenIcouldplaythetwo‐partInventions and Book One of the ‘fourty‐eight’ [sic.], transposing each one into all thetonalities.Can’tdoitnow!74

Absorbing the InventionsandSinfoniasBWV772–801 (c.1723) seemedvalid for theyoung

Stevenson, as Bach had personally highlighted their intrinsic worth not simply for developing a

soundkeyboardfoundationbutalsotosupportaninterestinwritingfortheinstrument:

[An] honestmethod, bywhich the amateurs of the keyboard—especially, however, thosedesirousoflearning—areshownaclearwaynotonly(i)tolearntoplaycleanlyintwoparts,but also, after further progress, (ii) to handle three obligate parts correctly andwell; andalongwith this not only to obtain good inventions [ideas] but to develop the samewell;aboveall,however, toachieveacantabile style inplayingandat thesame timeacquireastrongforetasteofcomposition.75

70Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2004.71MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,21.72Sitsky,BusoniandthePiano:TheWorks,theWritings,andtheRecordings.NewYork:Hillsdale,PendragonPress,2008.PublishedposthumouslyshortlyafterBusoni’sdeath(27July1924)asBook8oftheBach‐Busoniedition,Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925.73HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,209.74RonaldStevenson,OnePianist’sCredentialsandCredo,NewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety

(Spring1996),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,8.75JohannSebastianBach’sPrefacetothefirsteditionoftheInventionsandSinfoniasBWV.772–801

(composedc.1723).

20

IncombinationwiththeBusoniKlavierübung(1818–1925),thismaterialwastheidealanvil

upon which Stevenson forged his pianistic identity. The Klavierübung consists of a multitude of

exercises showing how exhaustively to master every plausible incarnation of piano figuration. It

contains études by Cramer, Liszt‐Paganini, Schubert, Mendelssohn‐Liszt, Auber‐Liszt, Schubert‐

Liszt—aswellasmanyofBusoniowntranscriptionsandexercises.76Stevenson’smeticulouscopying

ofalltenvolumesoftheKlavierübungmayseemsomewhatfutile,especiallybytoday’sstandards—

not least because of the gargantuan volume of material replicated—which today could be

downloaded from the Petrucci: InternationalMusic Score Library Project (IMSLP)77 in amatter of

seconds.Nonetheless, Stevenson sees this youthful diligence as being ‘immeasurably fruitful’ and

recalls that Bach duplicated complete bodies of the works of others by hand to assimilate

compositionaltechniques,figuration,andidiosyncraticinstrumentation.LikeBach,hehaddonethis

‘to learn his craft’.78Quintessentially, Stevenson absorbed particles of pianistic and compositional

dexterityintheinitialcopying,inevitablyenhancinghisprowessandunderstandingofthekeyboard

throughthecorporalpracticeofthematerial.

Surprisingly,Stevenson’sprimepianisticinspiration(towhomhehassteadfastlyremaineda

devotee)isneitherFerruccioBusoninorPercyGrainger,butthePolishpianist,composer,diplomat,

politician(andonetimePrimeMinisteroftheSecondRepublicofPoland[January–December1919]),

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941). Stevenson has constantly championed Paderewski’s

compositionsthroughouthisperformingcareer,often inunmitigated isolation.Heoffersthesame

homagetotheworksofBusoni.ThisisevidentinhisselectionbytheSociétéPaderewskitoperform

76Bach,PrefacetothefirsteditionoftheInventionsandSinfonias.77TheKlavierübungisavailablefreelyatthe’Petrucci:InternationalMusicScoreLibraryProject’

(IMSLP)seeFerruccioBusoni‘KlavierübunginZehnBüchern’http://imslp.org/wiki/Klavierübung_in_10_Büchern_(Busoni,_Ferruccio).

78StevensonalsospentmanyhoursasastudentintheHenryWatsonmusiclibrary(founded.1902)‘tolearnhiscraft’copyingoutotherworksbyBach,GodowskyandBusonibyhandincludingthelatter’smonumentalPianoConcertoinCmajor,Op.39,BV.247(1904).(Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1998.)

21

atthefortiethanniversaryofthePolishmaster’sdeathatVeveyinSwitzerland(1981).79Stevenson

hasalsowrittenmanyarticlesaboutPaderewski, themostnotablebeingThePaderewskiParadox

fortheKlavar/SociétéPaderewski(1992),whichisregularlycitedinscholarlydiscourse.

StevensonstudiedpianoattheRoyalManchesterCollegeofMusic(founded1893)withIso

Elinson(1907–1964),who,accordingtoSutherland,hadbeenastudentofFelixBlumenfeld(1863–

1931) in Moscow, as later was Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989) in Kiev,80 Stevenson claims that

PaderewskihadagreaterinfluenceuponhimthanElinsondid.Inrecollectingwhytheinfluenceof

Paderewski has been so enduring, he contends: ‘My first love in recordings of pianists was

Paderewski;andIamconstanttothatlove.Thefirstandlasttenetofpianisticfaithmustbebeliefin

beautiful tone. Paderewski had that more than anybody, whatever criticisms may be leveled at

him’.81 Currently, Paderewski is the focus of considerable criticism because his playing had,

accordingtoHamilton,an‘astonishingamountofarpeggiationandasynchronization’.82Commenting

on the asynchronization in particular—where the left and right‐hand are, by design, not always

played together to emulate a ‘singing tone’—Stevenson shrewdly highlights the modern

misunderstanding of the practice in academia. He notes that ‘Percy Scholes (1877–1958), the

compiler and first editor of the reputableOxford Companion to Music, thought that Paderewski

couldn’thearhismanualnon‐synchronizationinoldage!’83

Stevenson’suseofarpeggiationandasynchronizationcanclearlybeheardthroughoutmuch

ofhiscommerciallyrecordedmaterial,acrossallperiodsandstyles.Significantly,whilsttheextentof

his use of arpeggiation and asynchronization varies throughout his recorded material, it is

omnipresentineveryinstanceofarecordingofhisownwork(seeTable1):

79AlbertWullschleger,‘EightPortraits’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ASymposium,

ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),233.80ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘Introduction’toRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ASymposium

(London:ToccataPress,2005),22.81NewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety(Spring1996),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,9.82Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,29.83Stevenson,ThePaderewskiParadox,6.

22

Table1.InstancesofArpeggiationandAsynchronizationintheRecordingsofRonaldStevenson

Composer Composition ArpeggiationAnd

AsynchronizationRecording

J.S.Bach(1685–1750),arr.F.Busoni(1866–1924)

PartitainDminorBWV

1004:Chaconneconsiderablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.

APR5630(76’•ADD)andAltarusAIR‐CD‐9043(•DDD)

AlbanBerg(1885–1935)arr.Stevenson

WiegenliedausWozzeck

somearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization

AltarusAIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)

AlanBush(1900–1995)

‘TheMinstrel’sLay’fromWatTyler

someasynchronization. AltarusAIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)

FerruccioBusoni(1866–1924)

AndieJugend:Epilogue,BV.254

somearpeggiation,someasynchronization.


––––, Prélude&étudeenarpèges,BV.297



––––, TanzwalzerBV.288(1922version)


––––, ToccataBV.287

1. Preludio2. Fantasia3. Chiacona

considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.


––––, ZehnVariationenüberIPräludiumvonChopinBV.213a



––––, FantasiaContrappuntisticaBV.256b



––––, FinnländischeVolksweisen,Op.27,BV.227


––––, FugeüberdasVolkslied‘OdumeinlieberAugustin,’forpiano,4hands,BV.226(withJosephBanowetz)



––––, Improvisation,Chorale‘Wiewohlistmir,oFreundderSeele,’BWV

517

Asmallamountofarpeggiation,someasynchronization.


FrédéricChopin(1810–1849)

NocturneinCminorOp.48,No.1



GeorgeGershwin(1898–1937)/arr.Grainger

LoveWalkedIn


APR5630(76’•ADD)

23

––––, ThemanIlove considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.

APR5630(76’•ADD)

ChristophvonGluck(1714–1787)/Charles–ValentinAlkan(1813–1888)

Gavotted’Orphee somearpeggiation,someasynchronization.

APR5630(76’•ADD)

PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961)

Rosenkavalier‐Ramble considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.

APR5630(76’•ADD)AltarusAIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)

––––, ScotchStrathspeyandReel,arr.Stevenson,HillSongNo.1

considerablearpeggiation,&asynchronization.


FranzLiszt(1811–1886)

Weihnachtsbaum:No.6,‘Carillon,’and9,‘Abenglocken’

somearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.


CzesławMarek(1891–1985)

Triptychon,Op.8 considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.


W.A.Mozart(1756–1791),arr.FerruccioBusoni

FantasyinFMinorforaMechanicalOrganKV608withJosephBanowetz(piano)



FranzSchubert(1797–1828)/FranzLiszt(1811–1886)

‘DubistdieRuh'D.776 Someasynchronization. APR5630(76'•ADD)

KaikhosruSorabji(1892–1988)

Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopher

considerablearpeggiationandasynchronization


RonaldStevenson(b.1928)

PassacagliaonDSCH considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.

AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2)APR5650(75'•ADD:recorded1974SouthAfrica)

––––, PeterGrimesFantasy considerablearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.

APR5630(76'•ADD)andAltarusAIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)

––––, RecitativeandAironDSCH


AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2•DDD)

Trad.Arr.PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961)

SongsoftheNorth84 Somearpeggiation,considerableasynchronization.


841.‘Willie’sganetoMelvilleCastle’2.‘Weavingsong’ 3.‘SkyeSoatSong’

4.‘Thisisnomyplaid’ 5.‘Turnyetome’ 6.‘DrownedFairMary’

7.‘LizzieLindsay’ 8.‘Thewomenarea’gane’9.‘Myfaithfulfondone’

10.‘BonnieGeorge’Campbell’ 11.‘O’erthemoor’ 12.‘GinIwerewhereGowrie’

24

Stevenson’s views align with those of Sigismond Thalberg (1812–1871) regarding

arpeggiation and asynchronization. Thalberg discusses the associated problems at length in the

prefacetohisL'ArtduChantappliquéauPiano,Op.70(1853–64).Thalberg’ssignificantOp.70isa

relatively forgotten volume of twenty‐two études,which envelops the art ofbel canto pianism.85

Thalbergseesthepracticeofasynchronizationasaseriousartinitselfthatmustneverbecometoo

explicit, nor exaggerated in execution.He cautions against it, as it can all too easily descend into

distastefulness:

Avoid absolutely that ridiculous and tasteless manner, playing the melody notes at anexaggeratedlylongintervalafterthoseoftheaccompaniment,andthusfromthebeginningto theendof thepiecegiving the impressionofacontinuoussyncopation.Withamelodythatmoves along in slow tempo and in notes of a longer duration, it is certainly of goodeffect,particularlyat thebeginningofeachbarorat thebeginningofeach sectionof themelody, if one lets the singing part come in after the bass, however onlywith an almostimperceptibledelay.86

Figure 4.An Excerpt from Chopin’sNocturne in Cminor Op. 48, No. 1 (1841), with an Analysis ofStylistic Idiosyncrasies in Stevenson’s Pianism. (Leipzig: Breitkopf&Härtel, 1923), AIR‐CD‐9043, #3,0:00‐0:23,bars1‐5.

85ColinScott‐Sutherland,RonaldStevensonatSeventy:MusicWebInternational,1997),

http://www.musicweb‐international.com/wright/stevenson.htm.

L'ArtduChantappliquéauPiano,Op.70(1853–64),bySigismondThalberg(1812–1871)isdiscussedindetailinrelationtoStevenson’s‘L'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano’(1975–1988,inChapter3.7.

86Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,160.

25

IfonelistenstoStevenson’srecordingofChopin’sNocturneinCminorOp.48,No.1(1841)

(as shown in Figure 4, AIR‐CD‐9043, track #3, 0:00‐0:23, bars 1‐5), his arpeggiation is extremely

understated(Figure4,highlightedingreen).Thisexplainsoneofhisfavouritemarkings,pochissimo

arpeggiato, which has been added in this instance, as it most succinctly defines this subtle

componentofhispianism.87Hisdisplacementandasynchronization(Figure4,highlightedinred) is

clear. Even more subtle, however, is his cleverly understated rubato that is nearly always self‐

containedwithineachindividualbar,yetintimewiththeoverallpulse(highlightedinblueinFigure

4).

All of these components clearly demonstrate salient traces of aspects of pianism from a

bygone era. Peres Da Costa (b. 1964) defines the latter as ‘metric rubato’ and distinguishes that

most,ifnotall,ofthesecollectivefacetsofpianismcouldbeconsideredtobeatleastonehundred

yearsoutofdate:

Metric rubato is a term I have coined todescribe theoldbel canto typeof tempo rubatocommonlydescribedastherhythmicalterationofmelodynoteswhileessentiallypreservingthe metric regularity of the accompaniment. This expressive device and other forms ofrhythmicalterationcontinuedtobeusedinpianoplayingaroundtheturnofthetwentiethcentury. Early recordings reveal that many pianists, in some cases entirely contrary totwenty‐firstcenturyconventions,displacesinglemelodynotesormultipleadjacentmelodynotes within a bar by lengthening or shortening them. In some cases larger scaledisplacementoccursfromonebartothenext.88

Taylor astutely observes that the emulation and assimilation of rudiments of this late

nineteenth‐century style of pianism—adopted by Stevenson, particularly from Paderewski—are

incongruoustothemodernage:

87Stevenson,pers.comm.,27August2011.88NealPeresDaCosta,OfftheRecord:PerformingPracticesinRomanticPianoPlaying(NewYork:

OxfordUniversityPress,2012),189.

26

TobeadiscipleofPaderewskiinourpresentstreamlinederamightappearonthesurfacetobe anachronistic, even obscurantist. Ronald has thoroughly assimilated the salientcharacteristicsofPaderewski’splaying—hishistrionicuseoftimingandgesture,therollingofchords,‘breaking’betweenthehandssothatthebassisheardbeforethetrebleandthearistocratic ‘posato’ is coupled with extensive use of the una corda pedal in cantabilepassages. This is not only evident from his performances of the Polish master’s owncompositions,butalsofromhisdeclamatoryapproachtosuchworksastheBalladeNo.1inG minor, Op. 23 of Frédéric Chopin or Franz Liszt’s Polonaise No. 2 in E major, andthroughouttheperformanceofRomanticrepertoireingeneral.89

StevensonalsoverymuchacknowledgesthepianismofAlfredCortot(1877–1962)ashaving

astronginfluenceonhiminhisyouth.However,Cortot’slaterrecordingsareinfamouslyinaccurate,

describedbyMarc‐AndréHamelin(b.1961)as‘almostpainfullymistake‐ridden’.90Nonetheless,they

arestill,toHamelin,astheyaretoStevenson,91aninspiration,as'Cortot'splayingwassopoetic.It

should be an inspiration for today's students’.92 Above all, Stevenson speaks of being highly

influenced by ‘the lyricism of Cortot,’93 and often performs Cortot’s solo adaptation of Johann

SebastianBach’sHarpsichordConcertoNo.5 inFminor,BWV1056(c.1738, trans.Cortotc.1937).

DavidHackbridge Johnson recollects a performanceby Stevensonof Cortot’s transcriptionof BWV

1056, stating that it was ‘a radiant example of singing tone at the piano—his left‐hand perfectly

capturingthememoryofthepizzicatiinBach'soriginal.94Nonetheless,whilststronglyinfluencedby

Cortot’smultihuedtonalcolours,Stevensonadmiresevenmore‘thealmostfelinelovelinessofLeff

Pouishnoff’s(1891–1959)Chopinplaying’.95

However,onehastoaskthequestion,istonecontrol—letaloneproducingasingingtone—

even attainable? In his preface to L'Art du Nouveau du Chant appliqué au Piano (1975–1988),

89HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,207.90Burwasser,‘Don’tCallMeaVirtuoso’,61.91Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.92Burwasser,‘Don’tCallMeaVirtuoso’,61.93Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.94DavidHackbridgeJohnson,ReportontheSummerStudyWeekendattheCollegeandCathedralof

theIsles,Millport,IsleofCumbrae(Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSociety,2006).95Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.

27

Stevensonexplainshismethodologyofcreatingasingingtone:

ToThalberg’spreface I adda further comment.Hewrote ‘for simple tendermelodies thekeyboardshouldbekneaded,asitwhere,withabonelesshandandfingerofvelvet:thekeysmust be felt rather than struck’. I add that the fleshy tip should stroke the key with adownwardpressure,drawntowardsthebody.96

ThisiselementarytoStevenson’sownplaying—atechniquethatthecurrentauthorhasalso

assumed directly from Stevenson97—essentially revolving around the whole approach to piano

playingbeingbasedonthe‘touch’ofapianist.Inessence,thisisstraightforwardphysics:bypulling

towardsthebody,energyisdeliberatelyexhaustedinahorizontalmovement(asshowninFigure5),

(α)tolessentheverticalenergy(β)usedtomovethehammers.Thepianokeyboardissurprisingly

not horizontal (δ°) and is inclined towards the fall of the instrument. Furthermore, the keys

themselvescanbedepresseddownfurtherontheedges (λ) thantheycantowards the fallof the

instrument(towardsεduetoδ°).Asaresult,thereissubstantiallymorecontrolattainableatλ,asit

canbedepressedfurtherherethantowardsε.Usingthis‘brushing’techniquetowardsthebody—in

combinationwithgentlybouncingthedampersoffthestringsthroughexpertuseofthepedals—a

veryfinegradationcanbeachieved.

Figure5.Currentauthor’sdiagram:TheMechanicsofAchievingaGoodPianoTone,originaldrawingWikipedia,PublicDomain,Exceptiontocopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.

96Asignificantthree‐volumebodyofworkdevotedtothememoryofStevenson’sfather,inessence

beinga‘collectionofVictorianandEdwardiansongstranscribedforsolopiano’.Composer’sPreface,L'ArtduNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano(Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSociety).

97TheseconceptshavebeenabsorbedbythecurrentauthorfromRonaldStevensonwhilstworkingwithhimonavarietyofrepertoireattheRonaldStevensonSocietyAnnualSummerSchoolthroughouttheearlynineteen‐nineties.

28

This approach is similar to that of Vladimir Horowitz (1903‐1989), who saw the principal

challengeofthepianistasbeingabletomake ‘apercussive instrumentasinging instrument’.98He

advocatedStevenson’sconceptof‘singingwiththefingers:’

Teachers should stress this aspect in their instruction,but it seems that very fewof themactually do—the few who try, are not always understood by their students. One way inwhichIobtainasingingqualityisbyusingthedamperpedalfrequently;butyoudon’thearit.Wheninchangingfromonechordtothenextthedamperpedalremainsdepressedlongenoughsothatthereisanoverlappingofthetwoharmoniesforamoment,asingingquality,theresultofthelegatopedallingisproduced.99

Whilst, unhappily, ‘touch’ is seldom used in reference to pianists in academic circles;

however,StevensonfrequentlycontendsthattheoriginalItalianwordforkeyboardtastiera,hasits

entomological root in ‘to touch’ or ‘to feel’. He notes that the phenomenon—that could best be

calleda‘white‐noise’inthepianosound—isacombinationofaction‐noiseandthephysicalstriking

ofthekeysfromaheight,whichcaneasilybeeliminatedby‘pressing’asopposedto‘hitting’100the

keys:

Tryitontheclosedpiano‐lidwiththerightpedalengaged.Nosoundshouldbeheard.Nowhit it with a finger, right pedal engaged. Hear the percussive noise, like sonal fog!Whenthere isnoextraneoussound, the tone ispure.Myteacher the late IsoElinson taughtmethat.HisteacherinMoscowwasBlumenfeld,whoalsotaughtHorowitz.InfilmedrecitalsofHorowitz he is seen clearly to have the same touch‐technique. It is indeed a part oftechniquewhichisoftenoverlooked(orunderheard!)inthemodernfashionforsuperficialdigitalbrilliance.101

Dynamicrangeandcontrolarealsointimatelyrelatedtotoneandareessentialcomponents

ofanyaccomplishedpianist’sarsenalofeffects.AteşOrgasinglesoutStevensonasexceeding the

prowessofthegreatArgentineanpianist,MarthaArgerich(b.1941),asfarasdynamicsandtoneare

concerned.However,healsonotesthatStevenson’spianismisnottoeveryone’stastes.Hequotesa

98ElyseMach,GreatContemporaryPianistsSpeakforThemselves(London:Dover,1991),116‐117.99Mach,GreatContemporaryPianistsSpeakforThemselves.100Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1993101Stevenson’sprefacetoVolumeOneofL'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(Edinburgh:

RonaldStevensonSociety).

29

‘lukewarm’reviewofStevensonascomposer‐pianistplayinghisownmusic—theLondonpremière

of thePassacaglia on DSCH (1963) and thePrelude, Fugue and Fantasy on themes from Busoni's

‘DoktorFaust’102(1959)byMaxHarrisonintheMusicalTimes(1969):

Ifirstheardhimplayadecadelater—tworecitalsatthePurcellRoom,includingtheLondonpremièreofthePassacaglia(4March1969)andthePrelude,FugueandFantasyonthemesfromBusoni's ‘Doktor Faust’ (11March, 1969). A lukewarmMaxHarrison (Musical Times,May 1969) thought his twentieth‐century repertoire 'more sharply characterised' than hisclassical, but 'remained unconvinced about the unusual range of tone colour it is claimedthatStevensoncommands’.MyownabidingmemoryoftheoccasionwasaperformanceofChopin's Third Scherzo crowned by a slowly accelerating coda the sheer groundswell andBruckneriansymphonicismofwhichI'veneverheardsincefromanyoneeitherinconcertorondisc(thoughArgerichhascomeclose).Itwasanastonishinginsight.103

However, whilst certainly not the predilection of everyone, his rich tone and use of

arpeggiation and asynchronization have consciously been assimilated from previous antecedents.

ThiscanclearlybefeltinacritiqueofStevenson’saccountofEdvardGrieg’sDenBergtekneOp.32

(1877–78)in2004,ofwhichDavidHackbridgeJohnsonwrites,‘Grieg’snoblemelodieswerecarved

outofthepianobyamastersculptor,therollingchordsanddeepbassesconjuredupthebleakest

forests’.104

InparticularreferencetoStevenson’sabsorptionofelementsofPaderewski’sstylistictraits,

TaylorshedslightonStevenson’sconsciousjustificationfordoingso:

TobeadiscipleofPaderewski,Ronaldhasarguedthatheisnotbehindthetimesbutaheadof them: he believes that those very aspects of Paderewski’s art which modern pianismrejects arepart andparcel of the lost traditionofnineteenth‐centurypiano‐playingwhichthemusicologistshaveyettorediscover.105

102SeeAIR‐CD‐9091(2•DDD),AIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD),andAPR5630(76'•ADD)forStevenson’s

recordingsofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)andthePrelude,FugueandFantasyonThemesfromBusoni's‘DoktorFaust’(1959).

103AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.

104DavidHackbridgeJohnson,‘TheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,TheCathedraloftheIsles,Millport,IsleofGreatCumbrae,Scotland’,TheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety(Summer2004).

105HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,207‐208.

30

It thereforeseemssignificanttoaskwhetherStevenson’spianismasawholeembodiesavital link

withthepastwhichcouldotherwisebecomeirrevocablyerased.

2.2Stevenson’sPianism:a‘RadicalBreak’fromthePastorthePresent?

ThereisampleevidencetosupportthesurprisingviewthatStevensonisnot‘behindthetimes,’but

instead‘aheadofthem’.Stevensonpointsoutthatthepracticesofmanymusiciansofthepastare

notjustclosertemporallytomuchoftherepertoireperformedbutreflectafreedomofexpression

thathasbeenstifledthroughoutthetwentiethcentury:

The further backwe go, the freer is the performance: in rubato; in the liberal use of thearpeggio; in the quasi‐improvisational independence of the two hands from a rigidsynchronization. Indeed, these historic interpretations have a plasticity which has all butdisappearedfrommusic‐makingtoday.Allthepointsjustlistedareconsideredbyacademiccritics as cardinal sins. They fancy they are advocating ‘historicity’: they are not being‘historic’enough.Andwehavethegramophonetoproveit.106

Stevensoniscorrectinarguingthatthesestylisticelementshaveallbutvanished.However,

thismay reflect thewaymusic is listened to, especially inour gargantuan, acoustically optimized,

modern performing spaces that could not have been imagined by the designers of the original

instruments. Hackbridge Johnson postulates that the production of a ‘singing’ tone on period‐

instrumentswas‘easiertocultivateonpianosbuiltduringthatperiod’,107withsmallervenuesthat

allowed pianists to adopt amore intimate ‘singing’ approach to the piano.108 He draws a parallel

between period performances and jazz, with the modern piano being purposefully ‘bright and

percussive’merelytofillthehugeauditoriums,asopposedtothesmallerintimacyofthemodestly

sized jazz club. She claims, ‘examples of the shift from melodically conceived piano playing to

percussiveplayingcanalsobeseen in jazz; there isastarkcontrastbetweentherichsonoritiesof

FatsWaller or the velvety tone of Art Tatum and the aggressive pounding that passes for much

106Stevenson,ThePaderewskiParadox,4.107DavidHackbridgeJohnson,ReportontheSummerStudyWeekendattheCollegeandCathedralof

theIsles,Millport,IsleofCumbrae(Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSocietyNewsletter,Autumn2006).108Johnson,ReportontheSummerStudyWeekend.

31

contemporaryjazz’.109

Thesoundapianistproducesdependsasmuchonpostureandappropriatelyengagingthe

entire body as anything else. The current author, having worked with Stevenson on a variety of

repertoireforovertwodecades,canconfirmthatheplacesgreatimportanceonpostureandwhat

he, like Paderewski, calls ‘appropriate motion’.110 Polish composer‐pianist, Zygmunt Stojowski

(1870–1946),whowasastudentofPaderewski,tellsusoftheimportancethePolishmasterplaced

ofengagingthewholebodywhilsteradicatingsuperfluousmotion:

[Paderewski]believedintheeliminationofeveryunnecessarymovement,yethewishedthewhole body free and supple. Motions should be as carefully studied as other technicalpoints. It is trueheoftenmade largemovementsofarm,buttheyareall thoughtoutandhaveadramaticsignificance.Hemay lift the fingeroffavehementstaccatonotebyquickup‐armmotion, inaflashofvigorousenthusiasm;butthenextinstanthishandis inquietpositionforthefollowingphrase.111

This economy of movement has integrated itself into Stevenson’s pianism. Taylor sees it as an

essentialpartoftheLisztiantradition:

He is fundamentally the sort of pianist who could play all his passagework with a coinbalancedon thebackof thehand,as some teachersof the ‘old school’used toadvocate.The lackof ‘break’ at thewrist arisesbecauseRonald subtendsa ‘one‐piece’ armwithnoacuteangleor ‘break’at theelbow.Healsousesthearminonepieceformassivechords,rotary movements and shaking octaves ‘out of his sleeve’ in the time‐honoured Lisztianmanner.112

Taylor’s theory can be validated by evidence. Identification of this trait of Stevenson’s

pianism as being a part of the Lisztian tradition can tangibly be proven to be accurate. In an

interview with musicologist Joseph Horowitz (b. 1948) in the early nineteen‐eighties, the elderly

Claudio Arrau (1903–1991) used the superb metaphor of a singing tone being produced by

envisagingtheentirearmincludingforearm,wristandfingersasasingleentity:‘becomingasortof

109Johnson,ReportontheSummerStudyWeekend.110HarrietteBrower,TalksWithMasterPianistsandTeachers(NewYork:FrederickA.Stokes&

CompanyPublishers,1915),8.111Brower,TalksWithMasterPianists,8.112HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,209.

32

snake’.113ThissametechniquewasabsorbedbyArraufromhisownteacherMartinKrause(1853–

1918),wholearntthisfirsthandfromFranzLiszt:

JosephHorowitz:Isthereacertaintypeofpianosoundthatyouwishtoproduce?ClaudioArrau:Thesoundoneproduceswithouthittingthepiano....thismeansthebodymustberelaxed,andonemustusetheweightoftheentireupperpartofthe body. Youhave to develop a feeling for the armas a unity, not divided intohand, wrist, forearm, and elbow. The arm should become a sort of snake. It isimportantfor instance,nevertothinkoftheactionofthefingersas independentfromthearm.Thatshouldn’texist.114

Stevenson’s‘lackofbreak’and‘onepiecearm,’describedbyTaylor,areemblematicofthe

romanticapproachtopianismandaresynonymouswithArrau’sexample.Alongwithhisadherence

to Thalberg’s philosophy in L'Art du Nouveau du Chant appliqué au Piano, Op. 70, to ‘cultivate

freedomfromstiffnessintheforearm,wrist,etc.’115(asdiscussedabove),thisapproachrevealsthat

this and many other aspects of Stevenson’s pianism, date back to at least the middle of the

nineteenthcentury,and,inalllikelihood,tomuchearliertimes.

2.3TheSignificanceofInnerVoices,PerformanceasTranscription,andtheRationalizationoftheComposer‐PianistRefiguringtheWorkofOthersinPerformance

In 1992, Stevenson releasedanalbum,poetically entitledCathedrals in Sound (AIR‐CD‐9043). This

well‐respected recordingwill be used as a case study in evaluating his pianism in performing the

worksofothers.116Thedelectablyeclecticrepertoireisaveritablesmörgåsbordofpianoworksfrom

themid‐nineteenthandtwentiethcenturies(seeTable2):

113JosephHorowitz,ConversationswithArrau.1sted.NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf,1982.114JosephHorowitz,ConversationswithArrau,1982,100.115Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.116See‘Callum’[aka.Malcolm]MacDonald(b.1948)],TempoMagazine,NewSeries,No.185(June

1993),59‐61.

33

Table2.Contentsof‘CathedralsinSound,’RonaldStevenson,SoloPiano,AIR‐CD‐9043,AltarusRecords(1992)Track Composer Title Duration01 FranzLiszt(1811–1886) Weihnachtsbaum:S186/R71:VI.Carillon(Chimes)

(1873–76)02:08

02 FrédéricChopin(1810–1849)

PreludeinCMinor,Op.28,No.20(1835–39) 01:25

03 ––––, NocturneinCminorOp.48,No.1(1841) 06:2904 ClaudeDebussy(1862–

1918)Préludes,Book1:No.10,LaCathédraleEngloutie(1910)

05:55

05 CzesławMarek(1891–1985)

Tryptique:Op.8(1977),‘PreludeandFugue’ 06:00

06 ––––, ...:‘FantasiaandFugue’ 08:1707 ––––, ...:‘ChoraleandFugue’ 05:1608 EdwardMacDowell

(1860–1908)NewEnglandIdyls,Op.62,No.5:‘InDeepWoods’(1902)

03:13

09 RonaldStevenson(b.1928)

HeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967) 05:42

10 FranzLiszt(1811–1886) Weihnachtsbaum,S186/R71,IX.Abendglocken(EveningBells)(1873–76)

05:07

11 KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)

Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell’egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM’Diarmid(1961)

03:14

12 JohannSebastianBach(1685–1750),arr.FerruccioBusoni(1866–1924)

PartitainDminor,BWV1004:ChaconnetranscriptionbyFerruccioBusoni(KIVB45)ofJohannSebastianBach’sChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1770–1723,trans.1893)

14:56

34

Figure6.RonaldStevensonvoicinginhisrecordingofFredericChopin’sPreludeinCMinor(complete)Op.28,No.18(1835–39)(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1923),AltarusAIRCD9043,#2(1992)bars1–13,0:00‐1:25.

A further aspect of the late‐romantic style adopted by Stevenson—heard in early

gramophoneperformancesandpianorollsofpianistsfromthetwilightoftheromanticage—ishis

attention to internal melodies in a given texture, magisterially summoned to the forefront in

performance. This is particularly evident in his insightful reading of Chopin’s masterpiece in

miniature—his thirteen bar Prelude in C Minor, Op. 28, No. 18 (AIR‐CD‐9043, #2, 0:00‐1:25).117

Stevensonpursuestheprimarymelodicline(asshowninFigure6,highlightedinred,bars1‐8,0:00‐

0:35) for the first eight bars. At the recurrence of the ‘B’ section from bars nine to eleven, he

surprisingly summons forth an ‘inner voice’ that is notmarked by Chopin (as shown in Figure 6,

highlightedinblue,0:36‐1:09),butwhichisnonethelessmusicallyabsorbing.

However, one must be prudent in giving unnecessary prominence to inconsequential

melodies when that prominence is not artistically merited. Arrau once acerbically said that both

Józef Hofmann (1876–1957) and his pupil, Shura Cherkassky (1909–1995) would bring out inner

voicespurelytostartle,withlittlejustifiableartisticworth:

You know, Hofmann and his pupil Shura Cherkassky, and others—at a certainmomenttheydiscoveredinnervoices.Asifnobodyhadevernoticedthembefore.. . . I always got soangrywhen I heardHofmannor Shurabringingout so‐calledinnervoices thatdidn’thavemuch importance. I thought,whyare theydoing it?Justtoamaze.Justtoattractattention.118

In the instance of Stevenson’s recording ofPrelude in CMinor,Op. 28,No. 18,whilst the

composerdidnotstipulatetheaccentuationofthisparticularvoice,itisstillsoundmusicaljudgment

todo so.Otherwise, the same lineofmusicwouldbeperformedunerringly the sameway, twice.

This adds both interest and variety. Hopefully, most composers would leave a range of possible

117CathedralsinSound,RonaldStevenson(piano),AltarusAIRCD9043(1•DDD),1992,compactdisc.

FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,seeAppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.


35

interpretational outcomes to the judgment of the individual performer. Coincidentally, Arrau’s

recordingofthePreludeinCMinorOp.28,No.18fromtheConcertgebouw inApril1973119brings

outtheidenticalinnervoice(0:38‐1:12),perhapsexhibitingadistantgenealogicallinktoStevenson,

as they are both arguably from a similar pianistic ‘stable’. Nonetheless, Stevenson is even more

aware than Arrau—as both a composer and a pianist—that no matter how descriptive and

meticulousoneendeavorstocommunicateintentions,musicalnotationis,initsveryquintessence,

flawed.HeisastrongadvocateofFerruccioBusoni’sphilosophyonthesubject:whilstnotationisan

inventivewayofcapturingacomposer’sthoughtsonpaper,itremainscriticalfortheinterpreterto

liberatetherigidityofthecomposer’sinstructionsascorporealmusic:

Notation, thewritingoutof compositions, isprimarilyan ingeniousexpedient forcatchinganinspiration,withthepurposeofexploitingitlater….Itisfortheinterpretertoresolvetherigidityofthesignsintotheprimitiveemotion.Butthelawgiversrequiretheinterpretertoreproducetherigidityofthesigns;theyconsiderhisreproductionthenearertoperfection,themore closely it clings to the signs….What the composer’s inspiration necessarily losesthrough notation, his interpreter should restore by his own. To the lawgivers, the signsthemselvesarethemostimportantmatter,andarecontinuallygrowingintheirestimation;the new art of music is derived from the old signs and these now stand for musical artitself.120

Busoni’s brusque remarks concerning the ‘lawgivers’ of the early twentieth century are

synonymous with those whom Stevenson often dismissively refers to as ‘the urtext crowd’—a

phrase‘on‐loan’fromhisfriendandcolleague,thegreatCubanpianist,JorgeBolet(1914–1990).121

PeresDa Costa (b.1964), similarly observes that if the urtext is followedad absurdum,whilst the

‘notesandrestsaremeticulouslyaccurate…theperformanceiscompletelyneutral’.122InStevenson’s

case, Taylor notes that he could never be accusedof overly restrained good taste or exalting the

letteroftheurtexttotheexpenseofthemusic:

119ChopinPreludesandImpromptus,ClaudioArrau(piano),Concertgebouw,

(•ADD),CatalogueNumber4757768,Philips,1973.120FerruccioBusoni,SketchofaNewAestheticofMusic,translatedfromtheGermanbyT.H.Baker

(NewYork,G.Schirmer,1911),15.121HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,207.122PeresDaCosta,IntroductiontoOfftheRecord:xxvii.

36

Ronald could never be accused of lapsing into good taste, nor has ever belonged to thatimpotentbodyofmusicianssuccinctlydismissedbyGeorgeBoletas‘theurtextcrowd,’whoexalttheletterattheexpenseofthespirit—iftheyareabletodecidewhatthelettershouldbeinthefirstplace.IrememberaperformancegivenbyRonaldoftheDMinorFantasyofMozart KV 397,which had a real ring of truth—not simply ‘with ornamentation,’ butwithsubtlemelodic,rhythmicandevenharmonicalterationssuchasMozarthimselfmighthaveimprovised in performance. Certainly,Mozart couldhavenot done anybetter in the littlecomic‐operafinale,wherewithonesingle,masterlychangeofregister,aduetwasbornandZerlinaandDonGiovannidancedmomentarilybeforeus.123

Stevenson is certainly aware of the dichotomy in maintaining equilibrium between

‘observing the letter’andhaving theartistic intuition to ‘readbetween the lines’. This isnowhere

moreapparentthaninthefollowing:

I applaud these words of Wanda Landowska (1878–1959): ‘Sobriety has for its aim theobjectivepresentationofthetextwithoutanypersonalinvolvement.Butisnotthistoneofindigentindifferenceanotherroundaboutwayofbeingsubjective?Simplicitycanbethatofabrutewhoonlyseesandplayswhatiswritten’.WithLandowska,Iwantmoredaringuseoffree time (rubato) and welcome creative deviations from the text which make aperformanceapproachtheimprovisationalatmosphereofalltruemusic‐making.124

Stevenson advises the pianist who ‘just plays the notes’ to resist hismagnum opus, the

Passacaglia on DSCH (1963). In the following notice of admonitory forewarning he provides an

unexpectedinsightintothedemandsheplacesuponhimselfasperformer:

Iwouldgofurtherandsaythatthetechnicalproblemsofthework[PassacagliaonDSCH]—andparticularlyproblemsofendurance—aresuchastoputitbeyondthereachofwhatIcallthe ‘bureaucratic’ type of pianistwho plays the notes and nothing else. I know there arepassages in the work, coming after, say, half an hour’s taxing performance, which wouldproveproblematic foranypianist in theworld. In thisway, thework isa challenge to theperformer.Itisalsoachallengetothelistener.125

Nevertheless, whilst a large amount of artistic lack of restriction is all well and good in his own

composition,howcanhejustifymodifyingtheworkofothersthatheperformsinrecital?Toexplore

this issuefurther, it isessentialto lookatsomepreviouslyunpublishedexamples inhisownhand.

123HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,211.124Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH,’TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.125‘PassacagliaonDSCH,’TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,4.

37

Theseadaptationswereusedinhis1992recording(AIR‐CD‐9043,#12)oftheBach‐BusoniChaconne

inDminor(1893),126reproducedherewiththekindpermissionofRonaldStevenson.

Figure7.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750) Chaconne in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 (composed c. 1717–1723) (Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),bars41‐46.

Figure 8. An Excerpt from Ronald Stevenson’s ‘re‐writing’ (unpublished, dated 1989) of KIV B 45,transcribedFerruccioBusoni(1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDMinorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723),AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,2:19‐2:28,bars41‐46.

126FerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’sChaconneinDMinor

forSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723).

38

IfonecomparesanexcerptfromtheBach‐BusoniChaconneinDminorBWV1004(asshown

in Figure 7, bars 41‐46) with Stevenson’s ‘re‐writing’ for his own ‘performing copy’ (as shown in

Figure8,bars41‐46)(AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,2:19‐2:28),thereisno‘audible’deviationwhatsoever.This

particularpassage isanotoriously treacherous stretchofpianisticwater to traverse safely,as it is

very easy to capsize whilst negotiating the rapid octave passagework in the left‐hand, marked

leggierio ma marcato. To make matters even worse, it has the dynamic marking piano, which

requiresconsiderablepianisticcontroltonavigate.

Stevenson’s revision shows the significance he places on fingering, which makes his

figuration genuinely innovative, especially with the original left‐hand octaves at times being

swapped between the two hands. It also includes additional ‘fingering ossias’ to take into

consideration pianists with smaller hands. Nonetheless, all the pitches, harmony and rhythms

remainfaithfultotheoriginal,allowingthevoicesto‘sing’asinitiallyintended.Forwantofamore

complexterminology,hisre‐figurationsimplymakesthemusicworkbetterinliveperformance.This

isamasterstrokeofcomplexre‐figurationfortheuseofapractitioner,aprocedurecarriedoutby

most composer‐pianists of the past, including Franz Liszt,127 Ferruccio Busoni,128 and Percy

Grainger,129amongothers.

AsanallusiontothevirtuosoviolinacrobaticsofBach’soriginalwriting,Stevensonresortsto

a much‐loved ‘Busoni fingering,’130 where all five fingers are engaged with alacrity in rapid

127Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,22.Hamiltonfootnotes:AdrianWilliams,PortraitofLiszt:by

HimselfandhisContemporaries’(Oxford:ClarendonPress,1990,135):

‘His [Franz Liszt’s]performance commencedwithHandel’s FugueNo.4 inEMinor, HWV.429,whichwas played by Liszt with an avoidance of everything approaching to meretricious ornament, andindeed scarcely any additions, except a multitude of ingeniously contrived and appropriateharmonies,castingaglowofcolouroverthebeautiesofthecomposition,andinfusingintoitaspiritwhichfromnootherhanditeverbeforereceived’.128Similarly,BusonireworksFranzLiszt’s‘1eGrandeÉtudedePaganiniinGminor(1851)inthetenth

bookofhismonumentalKlavierübunginZehnBüchern(1818‐1925).129SeePercyGrainger’sre‐figurationofLiszt’sRhapsodyNo.12inC♯minorS.233/12(1847),as

notedbyRiddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,21.130Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

39

succession—deliveredwithsensationalflairandpanacheinhisrecording(asshowninFigure9with

Stevenson’sfingeringaddedinred,AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,3:49‐3:51).

Figure9.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’sTranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750) Chaconne in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 (Composed c. 1717–1723) (Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),AIR‐CD‐9043,#12,3:49‐3:51,bars73‐74.

AfarmoreradicalexampleofStevenson’srewritingandperformingskillscanbefoundlater

at bars 110‐115 (AIR‐CD‐9043, #12, 5:34‐5:48). If one compares Busoni’s original transcription

(Figure 10) and the ‘rewrite’ (in Figure 11), Stevenson variorum is substantially more virtuosic,

which,heclaims,‘improvestheorchestration’.131

Figure10.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750) Chaconne in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 (Composed c. 1717–1723) (Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),bars110‐113.

131Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

40

This is essentially accomplished by adding a supplementary ‘third’ hand or part, which is

pianistically achievable with two hands. At an initial glance, the principal part appears to be the

highest on the manuscript page, because of Stevenson separating the ‘three hands’ for ease of

reading. In fact, this is the middle voice, as the pyrotechnics of the right hand are continuously

required to traverse the left. Stevenson specified exactly which vocal register he is emulating:

contraltodux (Figure11,highlightedinred),quasiSoprano,combohighlightedingreen)andquasi

contraltoetenore(Figure11,highlightedinblue).Herehecleverlydoublestheprincipalmelodyas

anoctaveformusicalreinforcementinhis‘crescendopocoapoco:animandoiltempo(corale)’.

Figure11.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’s reworkingofFerruccioBusoni’s transcription (1893)KIV B 45, of Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685‐1750) Chaconne in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004(Composedc.1717–1723),AIRCD9043,#12,5:34‐5:48,bars110‐115.

41

Whilst Stevenson’s treatmentof theBach‐BusoniChaconne inDminorBWV1004couldbe

seen as a ‘transcriptionof a transcription,’132 amore accuratedescriptionmight be a ‘performing

edition’. Stevenson demonstrates parallels with Percy Grainger: performing editions were the

foundation of Grainger’s early reputation. His most celebrated modification is to Edvard Grieg’s

PianoConcerto inAMinorOp.16(1868).133Grainger’seditions—likeStevenson’sreworkingof the

Bach‐BusoniChaconne—provide ‘detailednotesonpedalling, fingeringand toneproduction,’134 in

particular,extensiveuseofthesostenutopedal.GlennRiddlerecountsthatGriegnotonlyapproved

ofGrainger’s additionsbutalsoactuallyworkedonPianoConcerto inAMinorOp.16 (1868)with

him:‘ThetwoworkedtogetheronthePianoConcertoinAMinorOp.16inthesummerof1907,with

the intention of undertaking a European tour, with Grieg conducting, Grainger as soloist.

Unfortunately,Grieg,alreadyinill‐health,diedshortlythereafter’.135

Stevenson’s desire to create performing editions of his own was inspired by Busoni’s

Breitkopf&HärtelperformingeditionsofJohannSebastianBachandFranzLiszt,amongstothers,as

well asGrainger’s pioneeringwork forG. Schirmer, Inc.andEditionPeters.136 As discussed above,

Sorabji dedicatedVilla Tasca,Mezzogiorno Siciliano . . . .KSS100 (1979–1980) to Stevenson, ashe

was so overwhelmed by Stevenson’s performing edition of the Fantasiettina sul nome illustre

dell'egregio poeta Christopher Grieve ossia HughM'Diarmid (1961, performing edition, Stevenson

132MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,81.133EdvardGrieg,PianoConcertoinAMinorOp.16(1868),editedPercyGrainger(NewYork:G.

Schirmer,Vol.1399,1919‐20).134Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,3.135Riddle,PercyGrainger,6.136‘Asaneditor,he[Grainger]producednotonlyadefinitiveSchirmereditionofthe[Grieg]Piano

Concertoin1919‐20,butalsoPetersEditionsoftheAlbumforMaleVoices,Op.30,andtheFourPsalms,Op.74,withhisownforewordsandtranslationsintoEnglish.TheseservicestothepropagationandinterpretationofGrieg’sœuvrearenowwellrehearsedinboththeGriegandtheGraingerscholarlyliteratures’.MalcolmGilliesandDavidPearPercyGrainger:Grieg’sInterpreterandPropagator,KeynoteAddress(Bergen:InternationalGriegSocietyConference,30May2007),2‐3.

Stevenson,pers.comm.,11September2011.

42

1987)—the first piece of Sorabji’s published in half a century.137 Stevenson’s list of performing

editions of the works of others is wide‐ranging.138 It includes works by composers as diverse as

Eugène d'Albert (1864–1932), Havergal Brian (1876–1972), andWilliam (Brocklesby)Wordsworth

(1908–1988),amongothers(seeTable3).

However, onemust take into account that performing editions are predominantly edited

andpreparedbyaconcertpractitioner, rather thanacomposer.Forexample, thecompletepiano

sonatas of Beethoven have been edited by both Artur Schnabel (1882–1951)—for the Alfred

Masterwork Edition—and Claudio Arrau—for the Peters Urtext Edition. Similarly, more recently,

Peter Donohoe (b. 1953) edited the complete solo pianomusic of Rachmaninoff forBoosey and

Hawkeswith ‘introductions and additional performancenotes,’ in the early 1990’s.139 It therefore

seems logical toassume that Stevenson’s skills as apianist—withan insideworkingknowledgeof

therepertoire—werethepredominantdrivingforcebehindsuchventures.

137Foundedin1987.BardicEdition’sauspiciouspremièrepublicationwasFantasiettina[sulnome

illustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid]byKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjithefirstpiecebythiscomposertohavebeenpublishedforfiftyyears.TherefollowedpublicationofcompositionsbyBernardvanDieren,FerruccioBusoniandPercyAldridgeGrainger.TheBravuraEditionofPianoMasterworksissettorecommenceinthecomingmonthswithneweditionsofGrainger,Luening,Headington,vanDierenetc.BardicEditionofficialwebsite:http://www.bardic‐music.com.

138ReproducedfromMartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),452‐453.

139FivePreludes,SixMomentsMusicauxOp.16,SixMorceauxOp.11,EightÉtudes‐TableauxOp.33,NineÉtudes‐tableauxOp.39,CapricebohemienOp.12,ItalianPolka,MomentMusicalinBminorOp.16,MorceauxdefantaisieOp.3,MorceauxdesalonOp.10,PianoCompositions:VolumeOne(AuthenticEdition),PianoCompositions:VolumeTwo(AuthenticEdition),SuiteinDminor,TenPreludesOp.23,ThirteenPreludesOp.32,VariationsonathemeofChopinOp.22,VariationsonaThemeofCorelliOp.42(London:BooseyandHawkes),‘edited,withintroductionandperformancenotesbyPeterDonohoe(b.1953)’.http://www.boosey.com.

43

Table3.PerformingEditionsbyRonaldStevenson

Composer Work DateEugèned'Albert(1864–1932)

GavotteandMusette,Op.1 1988

HavergalBrian(1876–1972)transcr.MalcolmMacDonald(b.1948)

MarchfromTurandot 1979


‘Polonaise’fromSonatinaadusuminfantis 1980

––––, Busoni’stranscription(1893)KIVB45,ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(Composedc.1717–1723)Codalateradded‘afterLeopoldStokowski’s(1882–1977)orchestraltranscriptionofBWV.1004

1989Coda,1999

RonaldCenter(1913–1973)

PianoSonata,‘performingedition’ 1970

DavidDorward(b.1933) PianoConcerto(1976)140performingedition 1976PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961)

TheYoungPianist’sGrainger141InDahomey(CalkwalkSmasher)publishedEditionPeters

1987

––––, ThreeScotchFolksongs(fromSongsoftheNorth)publishedEditionPeters(1983)

1983

––––, BridalLullabypublishedBardicEdition 1987–1989AlistairHinton(b.1950) ScottishBallad,performingedition 1980FrancisGeorgeScott(1880–1958)

BorderRidingRhythm unknown

KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)

Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid(1961)performingeditionpublishedBardicEdition(1989)

1962–1987

LeopoldStokowski(1882–1977)

see:FerruccioBusoni’stranscriptionChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004

140CommissionedbyMusicaNova(1976)‘Firstperformance:RonaldStevenson;ScottishNational

Orchestra/ElgarHowarth,ButeHall,GlasgowUniversity,01Jan1976’ScottishMusicCentreCataloguehttp://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/members/david_dorward/works/w2957.

141 Commissioned by Musica Nova (1976) First performance: Ronald Stevenson; Scottish NationalOrchestra.

TheYoungPerson’sGraingerisanalbumcontaining:(i)CountryGardens(SimplifiededitionbyPercyGrainger), (ii) Shepherd’s Hey (Simplified edition by Percy Grainger), (iii)Molly on the Shore (Abridged byRonaldStevenson),(iv)MockMorris(EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson),(v)BeautifulFreshFlower(EasyarrangementbyRonald Stevenson), (vi)AustralianUp‐Country Song (EditedbyRonald Stevenson), (vii) IrishTune from Country Derry (Edited by Ronald Stevenson), (viii)Walking Tune (Easy arrangement by RonaldStevenson), (ix) Hill Song No. 1 (Easy arrangement by Ronald Stevenson) (x) To a Nordic Princess (EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson),(xi)OneMoreDaymyJohn(EditedbyRonaldStevenson),(xii)SpoonRiver(EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson),(xiii)BlitheBells(EasyversionbyPercyGrainger),(xiv)OvertheHillsandFarAway(EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson),(xv)NowonowIneedsmustpart(FreelysetforpianobyPercyGrainger).(London:Schott&Company,London,Editionnumber11005,1967).

‘StevensonalsosuppliedanintroductorynoteonPercyGraingerandnotesonthemusic(bothdated8July1966)’.MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),438.

44

BernardvanDieren(1887–1936)

PiccoloPralinudettinoFridato,performingeditionpublishedBardicEdition(1988)

1988

William(Brocklesby)Wordsworth,(1908–1988)

ValedictionOp.82(1966)performingedition 1988

Nonetheless,aswithmostcomposer‐pianists,Stevenson’sperformingeditionsoccasionally

pass through a ‘no‐man’s land,’ on the disputed borders of edition and transcription. As an

experiencedpedagogueof studentsofall agesandabilities, Stevensonwas inan idealposition to

create editions of the music of others for a wide variety of pianistic standards. This revolved

principally around those with smaller hands, in particular, children. Riddle notes that Grainger

occasionally provides ossias for smaller hands.142 Stevenson was asked by Grainger’s widow, Ella

(néeStröm,1889–1979),‘tocompileavolumeofPercy’sworksforchildren’.Thatworkresultedin

TheYoungPianist’sGrainger (1967).Thesevaryamongbetween ‘arrangement,’ ‘abridgment,’and

‘simplifiededition’.

However, it is not easy to discern the definite distinctions between arrangements,

abridgments,andsimplifiededitions.Whilstunquestionablydubious,onecanascertainthat,overall,

thepracticesofcreatingperformingeditionsoftheworkofothers,aswellasthere‐figurationand

rewritingofpassagework inconcertperformanceandrecording,seemtobeavitalnutrient inthe

lifeblood of the composer‐pianist. In Stevenson’s case, the illustrations discussed positively verify

David Murray’s comment that a composer‐pianist ‘can try things on that non‐pianist composers

wouldn't dare, nor could imagine.’143 In summary, the rationalization of the composer‐pianist

undertakingsuchpractices in the first instance is tore‐contextualizeandre‐affirmthetrueurtext:

thecomposer’soriginalintention.

142Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,26.143DavidMurray,‘TheComposer‐Pianists,’6

45

2.4MitigatingCriticismofStevenson’sUseoftheSostenutointheWorkofOthers

The sostenutopedalwas invented in 1844by JeanLouisBoisselot.144As a performing pianist,

Stevensonissoattunedtousingthesostenutopedalintheworksofothersthathewillinstinctively

utilizeitspossibilitiesinworksthatoftenpredateitsinvention.InCathedralsinSound(AIR‐CD‐9043,

1992), the sostenuto pedal is employed in Frédéric Chopin’sNocturne in C minor Op. 48, No. 1

(1841), Claude Debussy’s La Cathédrale Engloutie (1910) and the Busoni transcription of Bach’s

ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(1893).Whilsttherearenoindicationsfortheuseof

the sostenuto pedal in all three instances, we can be certain that Busoni would have approved.

Hamilton notes that there is little of Busoni’s legendary use of the sostenutopedal preserved for

posteritybecauseoftherecordingtechnologiesofthedaybeingtoocrudetodiscovertheintricacies

ofhiscapability.HamiltonnotesthatBusoniwould,nonetheless,likeStevenson,useitinmusicfrom

allstylisticperiods:‘InBusoni’srecordings,becausethetechnologyofthedaydidnotallowhimto

usehis normal approach to pedalling,wehear little of his subtleties in that regard, especially his

fondness for themiddle pedal, which he used extensively and with magisterial disregard for the

vintageofthemusic’.145

IntheBach‐BusoniChaconneinDMinorBWV1004(recordedStevenson,AIRCD9043,#12,

0:00‐0:14),StevensonevenusesthePedIIIinplaceofthesustainingpedalfromthefirstfouranda

halfbarstoannouncetheinitialtheme.146Thisisaningenioususeofthedeviceasitcreatesapurer

tonal colour than the sustaining pedal that Stevenson employs halfway through bar five, in the

normal fashion. Thisworks because of selected dampers being raisedwith the Ped III, producing

muchlesssympatheticvibrationthanwiththesustainingpedal—thatraisesallofthedampers.The

144 HistoryoftheAcousticPiano,http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/piano‐history,Middlesex,United

Kingdom,6March2008.145Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,174.146ShowntothecurrentauthorwhilstworkingwithRonaldStevensononFerruccioBusoni’s

transcription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’sChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723)inWestLinton,Scotland,c.1995.

46

PedIII isusedagaininbareight—topowerfullysplitthemelodybetweenthehands(AIRCD9043,

#12, 0:25‐0:27)—before employing it sequentially from bar thirteen onwards (Figure 12, AIR CD

9043,#12,0:40‐0:47).

Figure12.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750) Chaconne in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 (composed c. 1717–1723). (Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),bars1‐15.

47

Figure13.AnExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750)ChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004(composedc.1717–1723).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),AIRCD9043,#12,8:07‐8:59,bars156‐180.

48

PerhapsStevenson’smostinsightfuluseofthePedIIIisfrombars157‐177,whereinasingle

deployment ismaintainedforanastonishingpageandahalfofmusic. Ifone inspectsthescore in

detail(seeFigure13,AIRCD9043,#12,8:07‐8:59),Busoniisdemandingthepianisticallyimpossible:

hewishesfortheretobetwodiametricallydivergenttextures—staccatoand legato—necessitating

three, if not four hands, to realistically achieve. By holding the bass A‐natural octave (Figure 13,

highlightedinred)147inthePedIII,itisnowpossibletoplaylegatoandyet,stillobservethestaccato

passagework(Figure13,highlightedinblue).

Inmakinguseofsuchpractices,Stevensonasaperformer‐composeris improving,refining,

illuminatingandexpoundingonFerruccioBusoni’soriginalambition.The term ‘original’ cansafely

be used here, as this is unquestionably the technique Busoni must have employed in his own

performances,as it is impossible toachievewhathedesireswithout theaidof thePed III.Rather

thanopeninghimselftoaccusationsofabuse,Stevensonnotesthatnocritichasevernoticedthathe

changedthefigurationorthathewasemployingthesostenuto throughoutCathedrals inSound.148

Nevertheless,pedalling—inparticulartheuseofthesostenuto—issuchanintrinsicpartofhiswork

that the subject rightly deserves an entire chapter (see Chapter Four: Stevenson and the Pedal),

wherehisworkascomposerandtranscriberisdirectlyaddressed.

2.5ChampioningofNeglectedRepertoireandtheUtilizationofPeriodInstruments

Havingperformedonfivecontinents,Stevensoncanneverbeaccused,unlikeAlkanandSorabji,of

disregarding the concert platform.Hehasmanaged topreserve a successful reputationboth as a

147ShowntothecurrentauthorwhilsthewasworkingwithRonaldStevensononFerruccioBusoni’s

transcription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’sChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin.148Stevensonseesitas‘improvingtheorchestrationofthepianism’yettheuseofthesostenuto,

whilstfirstshowcasedin1844,wasnotpatentedbySteinway&Sonsuntil1874–aquarterofacenturyafterChopin’sdeath.TheErardand‘PleyeletCie’(Pleyel&Sons,founded1807)pianopreferredbyChopinhadnosostenutoandthereisnoevidencethatChopincomposedwiththedeviceinmind.Paradoxically,Stevensonnotesthatwhilst‘puristscertainlywouldn’tapprove’suchpracticesofaquasi‐improvisatoryre‐figurationare‘closertoChopin’stimethanourown’Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1993.

49

pianist and as a composer throughout his long career. As with most composer‐pianists, he was

regularly requested to perform his own piano works. The Ronald Stevenson Society (founded

Edinburgh,1995)listssomeofhismostsignificantcareerhighlightsasacomposer‐pianistinspecific

referencetohisownmusic:

Première landmarks as a composer‐pianist have included: his Passacaglia on DSCH, CapeTown(1963),thesongcycleBorderBoyhoodwithPeterPears,Aldeburgh(1971),thePianoConcerto No. 1 with the Scottish National Orchestra and Sir Alexander Gibson, Edinburgh(1966),hisPianoConcertoNo.2withtheNewPhilharmoniaOrchestraandNormanDelMar,LondonPromenadeConcerts,RoyalAlbertHall(1972).149

ItishardlysurprisingthatStevenson’scareer‐definingworkasacomposer‐pianististhePassacaglia

onDSCH(1963)—aworkthathehasperformedtwenty‐fourtimesoverthreedecades.150Hehasalso

recordedtheworkontwooccasions:oncein1964,onaten‐footPetrofconcertgrand,inCapeTown

University’sHiddinghHall—strictly limited to twohundredpressings151—and again two and a half

decadeslaterfortheAltarusrecordlabelin1990,onaBösendorferImperialConcertGrand.152The

distinguishedpianist andpedagogue,HaroldTaylor,hasheardStevensonperform thePassacaglia

onDSCHonnumerousoccasionsandisintimatelyfamiliarwithbothrecordings,asheisamongvery

fewpeoplewhopossessacopyofthelimitededitionCapeTownrecording.153Taylorcitessomeof

theherculeandemandsrequiredinaperformanceofthisepicwork:anexpansivedynamicscope;a

widepaletteoftonalcolours;unremittingattentiveness;andanextensiveknowledgeofthediverse

149Otherhighlightsasacomposer—notdirectlyassociatedtothepianoinclude:‘In1992SirYehudi

Menuhin(1916–1999),whocommissionedStevenson'sViolinConcerto(TheGypsy),conducteditsworldpremièrewithHuKun(violin)andtheBBCScottishSymphonyOrchestrainGlasgow.HismostrecentcommissionwasforaCelloConcertoinmemoriamJacquelineduPré(1945–1987),commissionedbytheRoyalScottishNationalOrchestra,whichreceiveditspremièreinGlasgowin1995,withMorayWelshassoloist,’TheRonaldStevensonSocietywebsite,Edinburgh:http://www.ronaldstevensonsociety.org.uk.

150Stevenson,pers.comm.,17September2011.151‘ThisisthefirstcommercialissueforStevenson'sfamous1964recordingofhisPassacagliaon

DSCH(1963)—amaster‐workofthelastcentury.Therecordingwasissuedinalimitededitionof1002LPsets.Unsurprisinglycopiesarefamouslyscarce’.RobBarnett,MusicWebInternational,http://www.musicweb‐international.com/classrev/2009/june09/stevenson_apr.htm.

152StevensonplaysStevenson,RonaldStevenson(piano),PassacagliaonDSCH(1963),Prelude,FugueandFantasyonthemesfromBusoni's‘DoktorFaust’(1959),RecitativeandAironDSCH(1974)AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2),1999,compactdisc.FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,seeAppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

153HaroldTaylor,pers.comm.,Birmingham,c.1998.

50

stylesandformsthatthePassacagliaonDSCHcontainswithinitsmonumentalstructure:

Consider some of the requirements: uninterrupted concentration for one‐and‐a‐quarterhours;anenormousdynamicrange;theabilitytocontrolgradationsoftoneoververylongspans,withoutwhich the interpretation cannevermatch the sizeof thework; a senseofclimax,togetherwiththerarequalityofafeelingfornarrative;anorchestralrangeoftonecolour.Aboveall,theperformermusthavethebreadthofcultureandemotionalresponseto encompass amyriadof styles—fromSchubertian charm to Shostakovichian irony, frompolonaise to pibroch, from coolly classical towildly romantic, the list is endless. Hemustcreate a whole world, ‘without the benefit ofMahler’s orchestra. Those of us who haveheard this world warmed into life by Ronald’s incandescent playing can never have anydoubtsabouthispianisticstature—heisagiant’.154

Whilst collatinga substantialportionof theacademicwritingofStevenson for thevolume

SonginGoldPavilions:RonaldStevensononMusic,ChrisWaltoninspectsindetailtheextraordinary

nature of his performing sympathies. He highlights that his scholastic interests relate directly to

thosewhohaveinfluencedhimasbothperformersandcomposers:

The topics towhich Stevenson turns his attention as a writer have a close correlation tothosethathaveinspiredhimascomposerandperformer.Noonewhohasheardhim,eitherlive or recorded, could deny that he was a pianist of the first order (the past tense isappropriatemerelybecausehehassinceretiredfromthepodium).155Butwhileothershavebeen content to travel the world performing the great workhorses of the repertoire,Stevenson has devoted his prime energies instead to the zebras, giraffes and Shetlandponies.NostandardrenderingsofBeethoven‐Liszt‐Brahmsforhim.Instead,hehasinvestedhis energies in promoting thework of Ferruccio Busoni, Alan Bush, Percy Grainger, IgnazPaderewski, EdvardGrieg,Charles‐ValentinAlkan,HenryPurcell, CarlNielsen, Scott Joplin,Kaikhosru Sorabji, CzesławMarek,Herman Sandby and SparreOlsen andothers—with, ofcourse, the occasional Mozart, Bach and Schubert added for balance. Several once‐lostcauses, such as Marek, are now no longer lost, since Stevenson first sought and foundthem.156

WhilstStevensonhasbeendirectlyresponsibleinfacilitatingmanyrenaissances,arguablythemost

noticeableareofhistwovitalinfluencesFerruccioBusoniandPercyGrainger.157

TheRonaldStevensonSocietywebsitenotesthat, inchampioningtheworkofBusonialone

between1970and1980,Stevensongavetwenty‐sixBBCradioprogrammesofBusoni’smusicandin

154HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,211.155‘He[Stevenson]stillsplaysthepianoeveryday.’(MarjorieStevenson([néeSpeddingb.1932],

pers.comm.,21February2012).156ReproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,introduction,v.157ReproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,v.

51

1974hescripted,introducedandperformedaspianosoloistinaBusoniTVdocumentaryonBBC2—

a filmofoneandahalfhours.158 Similarly, if oneexaminesStevenson’sprolific correspondence—

nowsafelyhousedforposterityintheStevensonarchivesoftheNationalLibraryofScotland159—we

findthattheastonishinglistofcomposershehasadvocatedinrecitalisevenlarger.160

ConsideringthediversityofStevenson’sperforminginterests,compiledbytheauthorfrom

thecorrespondencearchives,itisavastunderstatementonAteşOrga’sbehalfwhenhemakesthe

observation, ‘From the beginning, his repertory, like his programming, eschewed the merely

routine’.161

Withsuchabreadthofinterests,Stevenson’srepertoirecouldbeanentirestudyinitself—

unfortunatelyitisbeyondthescopeofthisexegesis.Inspiteofthis,itseemslogicaltoconvergeon

onecomposerwhomStevensonperformedinpublic:KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892‐1988).There

ismuch to be learned about Stevenson and his work from the extraordinary events surrounding

Stevenson’sperformances.162Hiscombinedskillsasacomposer‐pianistsoimpressedSorabjithathe

(Sorabbji) eventually relinquished his ban on all public performances of his own music—a ban

upheldforoverfortyyears.

It is well‐documented that Sorabji was an infamously reticent and, at times, ‘obstinate

person’163—oftenhumorouslynicknamedthe‘HowardHughesofClassicalMusic’.WhilstSorabjiand

158TheSorabjiArchive[Curator:AlistairHinton(b.1950)]http://www.sorabji‐

archive.co.uk/performers/stevenson.php.159CompiledbythecurrentauthorfromthecorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson,donatedbyRonald

andMarjorieStevenson(néeSpeddingb.1932)totheTrusteesoftheNationalLibraryofScotlandin1998,InventoryAcc.11567.http://www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/cnmi/inventories/acc11567.pdf.SeeAppendixTwo:CatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson.

161AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999)

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.162ThomGoddard,‘SeenontheGreen,’KaikhosruSorabjihttp://www.booksie.com/non‐

fiction/article/thomgoddard/seen‐on‐the‐green‐kaikhosru‐sorabji.Currentauthor’snote:presumably,thisispredominantlyduetoSorabji’sautonomouswealth,reclusiveness,acerbicwitandeccentricitywhichbearmorethanapassingresemblancetothefarmoreeccentriclifestyleoftheAmericanbusinessmagnate,aviator,andfilmproducer,HowardHughes(1905–1976).

163OneonlyhastoreadSorabji’sownwordsonthemanydiscrepanciesinhisbiographicalmaterial:

52

Stevensonhadcorrespondedsinceasearlyas1958,164theydidnotmeetface‐to‐faceuntil1980.165

ThiswasforaBritishBroadcastingCorporationdocumentaryatSorabji’shome—curiouslyenough,

calledTheEye—inthepicturesquevillageofCorfeCastle inDorset.Sorabjihadthenowlegendary

signagetogreetinfrequentguestsonhisgate:‘VisitorsUnwelcome’.166Thecomposer‐pianistAlistair

Hinton (b.1950)—a friend of Sorabji, Stevenson and the current author—recounts thatwhilst the

crewwheresettinguptheconsiderableamountofequipmentneededforfilming,Stevensonplayed

thepiano.SorabjiwasextremelyimpressedwithStevenson’splayingoftheChopin’sF‐sharpMinor

ImpromptuOp.36.No.2(1839):

Stevenson sat down and played the F‐sharp Impromptu of Chopin. K’ [Kaikhosru ShapurjiSorabji]wasinmid‐conversationwithmeandthetechnicianwasaskingquestions,then...suddenlyKinterruptedthemiddleofthesetwoconversations,grabbedmysleeveandsaid,‘MyGod! Isn’t he awonderful pianist!’ Hewas very takenwith Stevenson’s playing. So itstartedoffonthatfootingandStevensongotintohiseaseveryeasily’.167

Sorabjiupheldhisperformanceban formanyyears—despite repeatedappeals frommany

distinguishedpianists,includingJohnOgdon(1937–1989)ofwhomSorabjireputedlyjibed,‘He’stoo

fat to play the piano!’168 Nonetheless, Stevenson remained undeterred and encouraged as many

‘TOTHOSEWHOM ITMAYCONCERN, IFANY,ANDOTHERSWHOMINDANYBODY’SBUSINESSBUTTHEIROWN’[Sorabji’sblocktypeface]. ‘Datesandplacesofbirthrelatingtomyselfgiven invariousworks of reference are invariably false…certain lexographical canaille, one egregious and notoriousspecimenparticularly, enragedatmy complete success in defeating and frustrating their impudentimpertinentandpresumptuousnosingsandpryings intowhatdoesn’tconcern them,andactuated,nodoubt,bythemeanmaliceofthebase‐bornfortheirbetters,havethought,astheywouldsay,totake it out ofme by suggesting thatmy name isn’t reallymy name . . . . Insects that aremerelynoisomeliketothinkthattheycanalsosting.’

‘TheSorabjiArchive’[Curator:AlistairHinton(b.1950)].http://www.sorabji‐archive.co.UnitedKingdom/biography/biography.php.

164SeeAppendixTwo:CatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson,24:KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji,61lettersandpostcards,1958‐1986,ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjitoRonaldStevenson,etc.

165Owen,S.V,KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji:AnOralBiography.Southampton:UniversityofSouthampton,ProQuestDissertationsandTheses,http://search.proquest.com.library.ecu.edu.au/2006.

166ThomGoddard,SeenontheGreen,KaikhosruSorabjihttp://www.booksie.com/non‐fiction/article/thomgoddard/seen‐on‐the‐green‐kaikhosru‐sorabji.

167S.V.Owen,KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji:AnOralBiography(UniversityofSouthampton),ProQuestDissertationsandTheses,2006.http://search.proquest.com.library.ecu.edu.au

168‘WhenOgdonappliedtoSorabjiforpermissiontoperformitforaBBCbroadcastin1961,theirasciblecomposerrefused,snapping,‘He'stoofattoplaythepiano’.AdrianCorleonis,Sorabji’s‘Fantasiettina

53

pianistsashecould toexploreSorabji’swork.On1December1959,Stevensonarranged for John

Ogdon—then only twenty‐two years old—to give a private reading of Sorabji’s most famous

composition,thegargantuanOpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930),publishedJ.CurwenandSons

Ltd, 1931. That piece has an astounding running time of approximately 285 minutes.169 This

performancewas at Stevenson’s home, TownfootHouse inWest Linton.Not onlywas it the first

performance since 1936, but it was also the only occasion when the work’s dedicatee, Hugh

MacDiarmid—thenomde plume of Stevenson’s friend, ChristopherGrieveMurray (1892–1978)—

everhearditperformed(asshowninFigure14).170

Figure14.JohnOgdon(left),HughMacDiarmid(centre)andRonaldStevenson(right)picturedin1959atJohnOgdon’sprivatereadingofSorabji’sOpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930),takenatTownfootHouse, West Linton, Scotland. Photographer Helmut Petzsch. Reprinted with kind permission TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh.

SorabjiultimatelyconcededallowingStevensonandOgdontoperformandrecordhiswork.

Later he even dedicated a significant work of approximately fifty‐two minutes’ duration to

sulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid(1961),AllMusicGuidetoClassicalMusic,http://www.answers.com/topic/fantasiettina‐sul‐nome‐hugh‐m‐diuarmid.

169TheSorabjiArchive[Curator:AlistairHinton]KSS50OpusClavicembalisticum:‘Datecomposed:1929–30,Dedicatee:HughM’Diarmid,Approximateduration(minutes):285,Manuscriptpages:260,Manuscriptlocation:J.W.JaggerLibrary,UniversityofCapeTown.CapeTown:J.CurwenandSonsLtd.,909021,1931).http://www.sorabjiarchive.co.uk/compositions/piece.php?pieceid=50.

170TheSorabjiArchive(Curator:AlistairHinton]KSS50OpusClavicembalisticum.

54

Stevenson:VillaTasca:mezzogiornosicilian—evocazionenostalgicaememoriatantacaraepreziosa

delgiardinomeraviglioso,splendido,tropicale,KSS100(1979–1980).171Stevenson’sperformancesof

Sorabji’sworkcertainlygavethemusicawiderpublicairing.HeperformedtheTroisfêtesgalantes

deVerlaine(KSS37,1924)forvoiceandpiano,whicharesettingsoftheworkoftheFrenchSymbolist

poet,Paul‐MarieVerlaine (1844–1896).Thisalso includedabroadcaston15December1986with

ChristineCairns(soprano)onBBCRadioScotland(FM:92.8‐94.7MHz,founded1978).172

MorenoteworthyarehisnumerousperformancesofthepreposterouslytitledFantasiettina

sulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid—TinyLittleFantasyon

theIllustriousNameoftheDistinguishedPoetChristopherGrieve,i.e.HughMacDiarmid(1961).

Stevenson’sperformancesof theFantasiettina (Table4)consistof twelveperformances,a

commercialrecording,173twobroadcasts,insixcountries,onthreecontinents.

171JonathanPowellgavethepublicpremièreoftheworkinLondonin2001,

http://www.answers.com/topic/villa‐tasca‐mezzogiorno‐siciliano‐for‐piano.

Thecurrentauthorpage‐turnedforhisfriendJonathanPowell’spremierrecordingofthiswork,AltarusAIR‐CD‐9067in2002.http://www.sorabji‐archive.co.Uk/compositions/piece.php?pieceid=100.

AswithmostthingsinrelationtoSorabji,nothingwaseverquitesoclear‐cut,norstraightforward—which is recounted in detail by Adrian Corleonis, who narrates how Stevenson performing Sorabji’s workeventuated,asaresultofStevensonmakingaperformingeditionofSorabji’s ‘Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid’—TinyLittleFantasyontheIllustriousNameoftheDistinguished Poet Christopher Grieve, i.e. Hugh MacDiarmid’ (1961): ‘The manuscript of Sorabji’s‘Fantasiettina sul nome illustre dell'egregio poeta Christopher Grieve ossia Hugh M'Diarmid’—Tiny LittleFantasy on the IllustriousNameof theDistinguished Poet ChristopherGrieve, i.e. HughMacDiarmid’ (1961)wasloanedtoStevensoninAugust1962,fromwhichhemadeacopy.

After itsreturntoSorabji itdisappearedandStevenson'scopybecametheonlysourceextant,fromwhich, in 1987 Bardic Edition published the work as a ‘Performing Edition by Ronald Stevenson’ withStevenson'sexercisesformasteringsomeofitssteeperdemands.Thoughplayingbutthreeminutes,thefourpagesofpublishedscorecontainthetypicalSorabjianhurdlesoffive‐andsix‐voicedchords,scorrevolerunsincross‐rhythm, and the alternation of cataclysmic tumult (‘quasi una eruzione volcanica’) with mysticalmutteringspreadingoverthreestaves.ItspremièrewasgivenbyMichaelHabermannon19November1979,inRoanoke,VA.Stevensonhasalsoperformedandrecordedit.Returningthecompliment,Sorabjidedicated‘VillaTasca:MezzogiornoSicilianoforPiano’toStevensonin1980’.

AdrianCorleonis,Sorabji’s‘Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid(1961),AllMusicGuidetoClassicalMusic,http://www.answers.com/topic/fantasiettina‐sul‐nome‐hugh‐m‐diuarmid.

172TheSorabjiArchive[Curator:AlistairHinton]KSS37TroisFêtesGalantesdeVerlainehttp://www.sorabji‐archive.co.uk.

173SeealsoAltarusAIRCD9043(1•DDD),KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988),‘Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid’(1961),trackeleven,‘Cathedralsin

55

Table4.RonaldStevenson’sPerformancesbetween1981and2004ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji’sFantasiettinasulnomeillustredell’egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM’Diarmid(1961)

DATE VENUE COUNTRY23/08/1981 SaltireHouse,Edinburgh,EdinburghInternational

[Fringe]FestivalScotland

09/09/1982 OctagonTheatre,UniversityofWesternAustralia,Perth

Australia

05/03/1985 ConvocationHall,McMasterUniversity,Hamilton Canada13/03/1985 College,StateUniversityofNewYork,Fredonia,New

YorkUnitedStates

01/09/1987 EdinburghSocietyofMusicians,Edinburgh[twice] Scotland23/10/1987 BritishMusicInformationCentre,London[twice] England18/11/1987 SirJackLyonsConcertHall,UniversityofYork England15/01/1988 KelsoMusicClub,Kelso,ScottishBorders Scotland22/08/1988 RichardDemarcoGallery,BlackfriarsStreet,

EdinburghScotland

04/09/1988 BarrfieldsPavilion,LargsVikingFestival,NorthAyrshire

Scotland

14/08/1992 BBCRadio3,90‐93FM(GB)‘InTune’programme,London(Broadcast,UnitedKingdom)

England

21/09/2004 NordwestRadio,Bremen,88.3FM(D)‘DerKauzvonCorfeCastle:AusdemNachlaßvonKaikhosruSorabji’(Broadcast,Germany)

Germany

Inthisoneinstancealone,Stevensonincontestablydemonstrateshisfaithfulnesstoafellow

composer‐pianistwhosework he has championed for over two and half decades. On a larger

scale,AteşOrganotesthatifoneinspectsapublicitybrochurefromthemid‐1960sfor‘Ronald

Stevenson: Pianist,’ the breadth of repertoire on offer at the time was as unquestionably as

voluminousasitwasdiverse:174

Ninemainstreamconcertos,eightinminorkeys,byBach(Dminor),Mozart(Dminor),Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin (E minor), Liszt (No. 1), Grieg andPaderewski.Across‐sectionof'modernworks'forpianoandorchestrabyBusoni,Vlad,Tagliapietra,Bartók(No.3)andSzymanowski,togetherwithhisownFaustTriptych.ThecompleteBach'48'andChopinstudies.AselectionofBeethovensonatas.NewworksbySoviet, British, America, Israeli, Polish and Scandinavian composers. Music bySchoenberg, Gershwin, Busoni and Grainger. And four lecture‐recitals ‐ on Busoni,Grainger,'ModernMusic'and'TheContemporaryComposerandFolkMusic.’175

Sound.’FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,seeAppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

175AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.

56

The inclusion of the complete Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, both volumes of Chopin

ÉtudesaswellasthemonolithicBusoniPianoConcertoinCmajor,isanextraordinaryrepertoire,by

anyone’s standard, especially considering that Stevensonwould still havehis own colossal eighty‐

minutePassacagliaonDSCH (1963) inhis repertoire. It is interestingtonotethathe includesonly

oneofhisownworks,withemblematicmodesty—hisFaustTriptych(1959):

I.Prelude:Largo–Presto–Cadenza(AndanteTranquillo)LargoII.Fugue:–tempogiusto

III.Fantasy:Adagio–l’istessotempo

The memorization of the complete Das Wohltemperierte Klavier BWV 846–893 would have been

considered an esoteric inclusion, as a whole, more often than not restricted to the realm of a

specialist.176

IfoneevaluatesasinglerecitalofStevenson’s(asshowninFigure15)fortheKintyreMusic

SocietyinWesternScotlandin1965,thebreadthandmiscellanyofrepertoireisequallyas

remarkable:177

ThefactthatStevensonincludesseveralofhisowntranscriptionsandhisSimpleVariations

onPurcell’s‘NewScotchTune’(1964,revised1975178)seemstobeatruethrowbacktotherecitalsof

thegreatcomposer‐pianistsofbygoneeras,sittingalongsiderepertoirerangingfromthecustomary

to the obscure. Hamilton notes that in the nineteenth century, it was certainly expected for a

composer‐pianisttoincludesomeoftheirownwork.Thisgraduallysubsidedandfelloutoffavour

asthetwentiethcenturyadvanced:

176StevensonsawavitalpartofhispreparationforcomposingandperformingthePassacagliaon

DSCHasbeing‘memorizingthe48PreludesandFuguesatthepiano’.(DasWohltemperierteKlavier,BWV846–893[1722and1742])Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH,’TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,3.

177ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘AppendixOne:‘Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London:ToccataPress,2005),299.

178‘The1975revision,undertakenattheinstigationofLouisKentner(1905–1987),entailedtheadditionofthreevariationsinmorevirtuosicstyleandtherenamingoftheworkLittleJazzSetonPurcell’sScotchTune,MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),396.

57

Figure15.RonaldStevenson’sSpinetandPianoRecital179* for theKintyreMusicClub,Tuesday20th

September,1965.

Well intothetwentiethcenturypianistswouldregularly includetheirowncompositions intheirprograms—Paderewski’sSonatainE♭MinororMinuet[Josef]Hofmann’s(1876–1957)Kaleidoscope [Moriz] Rosenthal’s (1862–1946) Papillion’s—but the balance had well andtrulyshiftedfromtheheydayofLisztandThalberg,whenanentireconcertcouldregularlybeformedfromthepianist’sownoutput.180

In Stevenson’s recital, he incorporated Henry Purcell’s Suite in G Major, Z.660 (date unknown,

published 1696), as well as two of his own Three Grounds on Henry Purcell (1955–58), and his

Queen’sDolourZ.670(dateunknown,trans.Stevenson1959),181allofwhichblurthelinebetween

transcriptionandrecomposition(discussedatlengthinchapter3.6).Intriguingly,thetranscriptions

179Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300(*Reproducedwithkindpermission,

ToccataPress)180Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,60.181TheOriginalPurcellisinAMinor,Z.670(compositiondateunknown).

58

are fromoriginal harpsichordworks but theywere heard on this occasion on Stevenson’s spinet,

whichapproximatestheoriginalPurcellinstrumentation.

Stevensonwastheownerofthespinet,craftedbythefêtedinstrumentbuilderandprincipal

figureintheearly‐musicrevival,Eugène‐ArnoldDolmetsch(1858–1940)—founderoftheDolmetsch

EarlyMusic Festival (1925), a festival that still occurs annually inHaslemere in Surrey, England.182

Stevenson was so enamored with his spinet that on his month‐long sea‐voyage to South Africa

(1963),hejourneyedwithhisinstrumentashandluggage:

My luggage includeda small spinet,whichwas actually aminiatureharpsichord,madebyDolmetsch and decorated, most beautifully, by the original Dolmetsch’s widow, MableDolmetsch (1874–1963).183 I was intrigued by it, because Busoni184 had got Dolmetsch tomakehimaharpsichord.185

The repeat of the Mozart D Minor Fantasy, KV 397 (1782) either side of the interval is

fascinating. Even in contemporary times, whilst there are many superb ‘early‐keyboard’

practitioners, it is hard to imagine a single artist, early specialist, or otherwise who would

182AustinShadduck,MusicoftheBaroque,TheRebirthofEarlyMusic,Eugène‐ArnoldDolmetsch

(1858–1940):Preface.(i)http://austinshadduck.com/documents/baroque.pdf:

‘[Eugène‐Arnold]Dolmetsch(1858–1940)]wasaFrench‐bornmusicianandinstrumentmakerwholedthefirstgreatrevivalofearlymusicinEngland.Helearnedtobuildpianosfromhisfatherandorgansfrom his grandfather, although he grew up as a violin player and studiedwith [Henri] Vieuxtemps[1820–1881]attheBrusselsConservatory[HetKoninklijkConservatorium,founded1813].Afterfallinginlovewithsomeseventeenth‐centuryBritishsuiteshebegantowonderwhattheviolinwouldhavesounded like in Bach's day. Encouraged by Sir George Grove [1820–1900], he found periodinstruments and repaired them in order to recreate the sounds of the past. As a result he playedmusicthatnoonehadheardasoriginallyintendedforoverone‐hundred‐and‐fiftyyears.Hebegantoputonperiodconcertswithhis family,evengoing so faras todress inperiodclothing. In1925hefoundedthe InternationalDolmetschEarlyMusicFestival,achambermusicfestivalheldannuallyatHaslemereinSurrey,England.ThankstotheeffortsofDolmetsch,theperformanceofpre‐Bachmusicenteredintothemainstream’.183StevensoncorrespondedwithMableDolmetsch(1874–1963)extensivelyconcerningthespinet

andtheearlymusicrevivalingeneral,see,AppendixTwo:CatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson,31MiscellaneousBritishMusicians,MableDolmetsch,‘sixteenlettersbetween1957and1959.’

184StevensonpossessedaletterfromFerruccioBusonitoEugène‐ArnoldDolmetsch(1858–1940)concerningBusoni’sspinet,nowintheStevenson/BusoniresearcharchiveattheNationalLibraryofScotland.SeeAppendixTwo:CatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevenson,3.FerruccioBusoni,letters,1896‐1924‘CopiesoflettersofBusonito:ArnoldDolmetsch’(1)(dated1901).

185ChrisWalton,‘ComposerinInterview:RonaldStevenson‐aScotin“EmergentAfrica”’,Tempo57,No.225(July2003),8.

59

contemplate performing the same work, to the same audience, twice—on a period instrument

before the interval and themodern concert piano in immediate succession. Stevenson seems to

share a receptiveness with Malcolm Bilson (b. 1935), who was at the forefront of the so‐called

‘periodinstrumentmovement’fromtheearly1970’sonwards.Bilsonrecentlystatedthathedoesn’t

evenlikethewordfortepiano,asitsuggeststhatonlyoneunambiguousinstrumentexistswhen,in

fact,amultitudeofdiverseinstrumentsareutilizedbeyondthegenericlabel:

Idon’tevenlikethewordfortepiano.Fortunately,wenowhavewonderfulpianos(replicasand originals) from all the important periods of piano building Walter, Stein, Graf,Broadwood,Érard,Pleyeletc.Iliketothinkofmyselfandmanyofuswhodo‘thisthing’aspianistswhoplaymanytypesofpianos,asopposedtothosewhoplayasingletype.186

BilsonisperhapsunintentionallyadheringtoandadvocatinganaxiomofFerruccioBusoni’swhichis

oftenquotedbyStevenson:187

From[JohannSebastian]BachIlearnttorecognizethetruththatGoodandGreatUniversalMusicremainsthesamethroughwhatevermediumitissounded.Butalsothesecondtruththatdifferentmediums[sic.]eachhaveadifferentlanguage[theirown*].188

Although Stevenson’s spinetperformances couldhardlybe considered truly ‘authentic’ by today’s

standards, he is nonetheless demonstrating a sincere responsiveness to informing an audience,

which surely must have been extraordinary for the time.Malcolm Bilson notes that even today,

thereisanenormousdiscrepancybetweenthequantityofrecordingsutilizingperiodinstrumentsin

theorchestralrepertoireasopposedtokeyboardmusic:

IftodayyouwanttobuyarecordingofthecompleteBeethovensymphonies,189youwillfindabout 60% onmodern orchestras, 40% period orchestras. If you want to buy Beethovenpianosonatas,190ontheotherhand,is1%period‐pianostoohigh?191

186MalcolmBilson(b.1935),TheWell‐TemperedEar:ClassicalMusicQuestion&Answers[an

interviewwith]:FortepianistMalcolmBilson’(September21,2011)http://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/classical‐music‐qa‐fortepianist‐malcolm‐bilson‐says‐keyboard‐players‐still‐lag‐far‐behind‐orchestral‐groups‐in‐promoting‐early‐music‐period‐instruments‐and‐historical‐performance‐practices.

187MalcolmBilson,pers.comm.,16September2011.188MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,80,OriginallyfromBusoni,SketchofaNew

Aesthetic,80(*MalcolmMacDonald’saddition).189SymphonyNo.1,Op.21,CMajor(1799‐1800),No.2,Op.36,DMajor(1802),SymphonyNo.3,Op.

55,E♭Major,‘Eroica’(1804),No.4,Op.60,B♭Major(1806),No.5,Op.67,CMinor(1804‐08),No.6,Op.68,F

60

It is also notable that Stevenson embarks and brings to an end the recitalwith Purcell as

‘baroque‐bookends,’ has the Viennese standards as the innermost episode, with the Beethoven

SonatainFSharpMajor,Op.78(1809)andthetwoperformancesoftheMozartDMinorFantasia,

KV397(1782)straddlingtheinterval.Inthesecond‐half,theThreeChopinÉcossaisesOp.72(1826)

are followed by the more atypical and infrequently heard repertoire of Paderewski—the

CracovienneFantastiqueOp.14No.6 (1884),ChantsduVoyageurOp.8No.3 (1883),and the

ÉtudeinB♭minorOp.3(1901–03)—andthenthreeoftheMazurkasOp.50(1926–31)byKarol

Szymanowski (1882–1937). The recital is concludedwith three of theMelodie Ludlowe (1945) by

Witold Lutoslawski (1913–1994), a selection ofGrieg’s Slåtter (1902–1903), Grainger’s diabolically

virtuosic Scotch Strathspey and Reel (1901–1911), and Stevenson’s own Simple Variations on

Purcell’s‘NewScotchTune’(1964,rev1975).

The inclusion of the Chants du Voyageur Op. 8 No. 3 (1883) is perhaps the key to

understandingStevenson’sprogrammedesign,ashewishesforhisaudiencetoembarkonajourney

ofmelodywithhimthatspanstheentiregamutofkeyboardliterature—fromthePurcellSuiteinG,

Z.660, to contemporary music penned by his own hand. Similarly, the journey traverses vast

geographical distances, encompassing folk‐inspired idioms and regional dance variations from

Poland, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the British Isles, and even Australia. Colin Scott‐Sutherland

recounts thatafter Stevensonhadcompleted thismusical circumnavigationof theglobeand they

were ‘alone together in the hall’ he gave a ‘magisterial performance’ of Ferruccio Busoni’s

transcription (KIV B45, 1893) of Johann Sebastian Bach’sChaconne inDminor for Solo Violin, BWV

1004(composedc.1717–1723).192Perhapsaboveall,thisactsasatestimonytoStevenson’sstrong

Major,‘Pastoral’(1808),No.7,Op.92,AMajor(1812)No.8,Op.93,FMajor(1812)No.9,Op.125,DMinor‘Choral’(1824).

190Beethoven’sthirty‐twopianosonataswerewrittenbetween1795and1822.191 Bilson, The Well‐Tempered Ear (http://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/09/) (21 September2011).192ColinScott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,299.

61

desiretocommunicate:hewilloftenhavean insatiableyearningtotrekevenfurtherafieldonhis

voyage,with his audience as traveling companions, even after they have already disembarked at

journey’send.

2.6StevensonasComposer‐Performer:ACriticalAppraisal

Appraising any artist’s performing ability in thewrittenword is, inmanyways ineffectual, owing

principally to the very subjectivity of its ephemeral nature. If any conclusions can be drawn

concerningStevenson’spianism—whatcanoneascertain?Scott‐SutherlandsaidofStevensonthat

‘generalizationorpigeon‐holingofhisversatilespiritisvirtuallyimpossible’.193Whilstresearchingfor

thisexegeticalcritique,thecurrentauthorfoundevidenceofwhatappearstobeaone‐pagelecture

recital programme from Stevenson’s visit to Western Australia (1982), evidently housed in the

concert archive of the State Library ofWestern Australia. However, searching for the catalogued

itemwith the custodian of the archives, it turnedout that a box,which ought to have contained

several hundred items, was virtually empty and the contents of Stevenson’s lecture recital have

beenlost:

193ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘EnvoiWhatnow?’fromRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic

(London:ToccataPress,2005),279.

62

PR8065/THE/1014 UWA Music Society: ‘Four Great Pianists of the Past and How TheyPlayed,’ Ronald Stevenson (piano), Octagon Theatre, 6 September (1982) (One PageDocument)194

Afterfurtherinvestigation,ithasbeenfoundthattheUniversityofWesternAustraliaMusic

Society has regrettably kept no records either and Stevenson, understandably, cannot recollect

whichpianistshewasemulating,asitwassuchalongtimeinthepast.195Onecouldguessthathis

listwouldalmostcertainlyhave includedPaderewski,Grainger,Godowsky,and Busoni,butthis is

purely speculative. However, it is important to take into account that Stevensonwas consciously

thinkingofhowpianistsofthepastplayed—atatimewhenpracticallynobodyelsewasinterested

norcared—intheearly1990’s.Hisre‐writesinperformancearecertainlytestamenttoabygoneera

thatSutherlandseesas‘shaftsoflight, illuminatingthedarkestcorners,’196ashelikewiserekindles

the use of arpeggiation and asynchronization, bringing it out of the shadows. Pianistically, he has

immersedhimselfintheprincipalcurrentsofthepianorepertoirefromallcontinents—aswellasits

less significant tributaries—exploring its uncharted backwaters and sources far more than most

have.

On a personal level, Stevenson is always good‐humored company and could never be

accusedof takinghimself tooseriously.TaylorgivesanaccountofStevenson ‘ona less rewarding

194 Australian Première of Passacaglia on DSCH (1963): Ronald Stevenson [solo piano], OctagonTheatre,UniversityofWesternAustralia,9September1982.Stevensonalsogavealecture‐recital[solopiano],forthe‘UniversityofWesternAustraliaMusicSociety’entitled,‘FourGreatPianistsofthePastandHowTheyPlayed?,’OctagonTheatre,6September1982,aswellasarecitalwithfellowcomposer‐pianist,RogerSmalley[twopianos],OctagonTheatre,23September1982.UniversityofWesternAustralia/StateLibraryofWesternAustralia(ConcertProgrammeArchive).

InarecentemailfromtheCustodianoftheArchives(StevenHowell),StateLibraryofWesternAustraliatotheauthor, ‘I found the appropriate envelope, which was supposed to contain about five‐hundred items fromPR8065,but found italmostempty.Thecollectionofephemerahaschangedfromcataloguingand listingtojustputtingitemsinboxesinbroadcategories,somaterialrelatingtotheatresisfoundinEPH/THE,buttheywerenotsupposedtoplacealreadycataloguedmaterialinit.However,IdidfindsomeofPR8065inEPH/THE,butnot the itemyouwere looking for.Theephemerapersonhasnotbeenableto find iteitherandhasnoknowledgeofwhysomanyitemsaremissingfromthisparticularcollection’.

‘State Library of Western Australia, Archives: Theatres: University of Western Australia, Ephemera:PR8065/THE,’http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/pdf/ephemera/pr8065the.pdf.

195Stevenson,pers.comm.,27July2012.196ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘Introduction,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,21.

63

occasion’. He ‘had just discovered the delights of [Antonio] Soler’s (1729–1783) Fandango [in D

Major, S.46 c. 1770] that he insisted on sharing with his audience without proper preparation,

punctuating the performance with shouts of ‘Olé!’ whenever the going got tough’.197 This is an

undeniablethrowbacktotheturnofthetwentiethcentury,instantaneouslyredolentofthegreat—

thoughadmittedlysomewhatpeculiar—VladimirdePachmann(1848–1933),whowouldoftengivea

‘running commentary’ whilst performing, earning him the comical epithet ‘Chopinzee’.198 De

Pachmann’s idiosyncrasies, eccentric platform manner, and questionable skills as a raconteur,

nonetheless veneered a remarkable music intellect. Stevenson’s shouts of ‘Olé’ underline an

unadulterateddelightincommunication,whichis,afterall,theprimalaimofanyperformer.Healso

shares a comradeship with the fellow composer, whether it be Henry Purcell, Scott Joplin, or

HermanSandby(1881–1965).

The current author, having had the privilege to hear him perform for over twenty years,

notes thatdespitehisextraordinarygiftsasapianist, it isasmuchhis instantaneouslyobservable

humilitythatmakeshimsoappealingtoaudiencesofallshapesandsizes.Concerningthebreadth

and scale of Stevenson’s recital programs, Ateş Orga notes that he has always made ‘herculean

demandsonhimselfandexpectsnolessfromhis interpreters’.199However, it logicallyfollowsthat

thegreatestinterpretationisfundamentallyconcernedwithanartistsharingtheirowninnervoice

that must, above all, have something to say. In this respect, as a composer‐performer in the

transcendental traditionofhisgreatpredecessors—who inallprobabilitydateback to theearliest

clavicembalists200—Stevensonisavisionary.

197HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,207.198HaroldC.Schonberg,TheGreatPianists(London:VictorGollancz,1964),338.199AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.200ThismatterisdiscussedatlengthinChapterThree:StevensonandTranscription.

64

ChapterThree:StevensonandTranscription

3.1DefiningTranscription,HistoricalPrecedentsandtheFonsetOrigoofTranscriptionasanArtForm

Formany instrumentalists,otherthanpianists,theterm‘transcription’ isoftendistinguishedasan

undeviating copy, such as transfering lute tablature to modern guitar notation—whilst an

instrumental ‘arrangement’ is seen incongruously asmore resourceful, imaginative and inventive.

Conversely, in the tradition of virtuoso composer‐keyboard players—such as Bach, Mozart,

Beethoven, Liszt, Alkan, Busoni, Godowsky, and Grainger—piano transcription has paradoxically

beenviewedas‘anencapsulation’oftheoriginalworkofartthatis‘varied’inordertomakeitwork

idiomaticallyinanewinstrumentalmedium.ThisapproachisakintotranslatingthepoetryofRainer

Maria Rilke (1875–1926) fromGerman to English, orMolière (aka. Jean‐Baptiste Poquelin [1622–

1673])fromFrenchintoRussian—andstillmakingit‘work’aspoetry.

In Jack Hibberd’s first volume of poetry, Le Vin Des Amants (1977), which consists of

‘versions’ of poems by Charles Pierre Baudelaire (1821–1867), Hibberd wryly notes that ‘the

Germanshaveasaying:“faithfultranslationsarelikeboiledstrawberries.”201Whathemeansbythis

isthatifthelanguageistranslatedtooliterally,itsmeaningandemotionalintensityarelost—iftoo

muchfreedomisused,theformandstructureofthepoemarecompromisedandpoeticintegrityis

lost.Similarly,inalettertoGiovanniBoccaccio(1313–1375),dated28October1365,fromhisfriend,

the‘FatherofHumanism,’FrancescoPetrarch(1304–1374),thesecomplexissuesareaddressed:

201JackHibberd,LeVindesAmants:PoemsfromBaudelaire(translatedfromFrench)(Melbourne:

GryphonBooks,1977),128.

65

An imitatormust see to it thatwhat hewrites is similar, but not the very same; and thesimilarity, moreover, should be not like that of a painting or statue to the personrepresented,butratherlikethatofasontoafather,wherethereisoftengreatdifferenceinthefeaturesandmembers,andyetafterallthereisashadowysomething—akintowhatourpainterscallone'sair.202

Comparingtheterm‘transcription’with‘arrangement’alsoproveseasiersaidthandone.On

theambiguityoftheinterchangeabilitybetweenthetwoterms,SoleeLee‐Clarknotesthat‘theword

arrangement might be applied to any piece of music based on or incorporating pre‐existing

material,’ or the ‘transference of a composition from onemedium to another or elaboration—or

simplification—ofapiece,withorwithoutachangeofmedium’.Thekeysensibilityisthat‘ineither

case,somedegreeofrecompositionisusuallyinvolved’.203Nevertheless,inapianisticconnotation,

the term ‘piano arrangement’ has negative implications, frequently seen as synonymous with

reduction—in every sense of the word. An obvious example is that of a ‘piano reduction’ (or

arrangement)oftheorchestralpartsofaninstrumentalconcertooroperaforpedagogicalpractices.

No such negativity is disguised when Marc‐André Roberge discusses transcription in the

particularcasesof‘Liszt,Godowsky,Busoni,Grainger,Sorabji,andStevenson’.Henotesthat,forall

of them, transcribing was ‘as fundamental as composition’.204 Roberge seems conscious that, by

utilizingmusical structures previously designed by others, there is the jeopardy of beingwrongly

branded as ‘contractors’ rather than ‘architects’.205 His counterargument, however, is simple—

transcriptionsarenotconstructedby‘mereartisans,butbyhighlygiftedcreativeminds,whoimpose

thestampoftheirownstyleonthemodelstheychoosetobuildupon’similartothe‘Renaissance

composerswho,intheirparodymasses,madeuseofmotivesfromworksbyothers’.206

202FrancescoPetrarch(1304–1374),EpistolaeFamiliarestranslatedintoEnglishbyJamesHarvey

Robinson,TheFirstModernScholarandManofLetters(NewYork:Putnam,1898),290‐91.203SoleeLee‐Clark,FranzLiszt’sPianisticApproachtoFranzSchubert’sSongs,26.204Marc‐AndréRoberge,‘TheBusoniNetworkandtheArtofCreativeTranscription’,Canadian

UniversityMusicReview11,No.1(1991),74.205Roberge,TheBusoniNetworkandtheArtofCreativeTranscription,74.206Roberge,TheBusoniNetworkandtheArtofCreativeTranscription,74.

66

Stevenson contends that ‘Ernest Newman (1868–1959) held that masterpieces of

transcription are comparable to the work of great commentators, such as Giovanni Andrea

Scartazzini (1837–1901) on the Divina Commedia (1308–1321), John Conington (1825–1869) on

Virgil(70BCE–19BCE),MontagueSummers(1880–1948)ontheRestorationDramatists’.207Inspite

ofthispoeticphilosophy,notalltranscriptionisexceptional.Stevensonnotesthatinthenineteenth

century,it‘sometimesdegeneratesintothecheaparrangement—ormoreaptlyderangement....

unfortunately thisbrought thewhole thing intoundeservedodium’.However,despite some ‘bad‐

press’, he certainly sees a nourishing permanence and validity to the art‐form that has, after all,

beenkeptalive‘fromJohannSebastianBachtoArnoldSchoenberg’.208Onlytoosentientofcriticism,

henotes:

Twentieth centurymasters of transcription have all spoken out against irrational criticismandcalumny.Godowskywrote:‘Whyshouldmusiciansbedeniedtheprivilegesofcomment,criticism, dissertation, discussion and display of imaginative faculties when transcribing,arranging, or paraphrasing a standardwork!Why should literarymen alone enjoy all theprerogatives!’209

Inessence,Stevenson’sowncharacterizationoftranscriptionisinallprobabilitythemostsuccinct—

‘theartofre‐workingacompositioninaperformingmediumdifferentfromtheoriginal’.210

Barry Ould (b. 1958) wrote of transcription—as short a time ago as 2002—that, ‘its

foundation can be traced back to Liszt, the acknowledged Father of the form’.211 However, this

assertion is verymuchmistaken on numerous accounts. Although Liszt was unarguably amaster

transcriber,thesourcesofthekeyboardtranscriptioncanbetracedbackmuchfurthertosomeof

theveryearliestextantrepertoire.Furthermore,Lisztcouldneverbeseen,evenapprehensively,as

therecognized‘Fatheroftheform’,ashewastranscribingattheveryZenithoftheGenus,not its

207Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300.208Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,301.209Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,303.210Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300.211BarryPeterOuld,LinerNotes,PercyGrainger:RamblesandReflections,PiersLane,piano,Hyperion

Records(CDH55454),2002,compactdisc.

67

infancy. Solee Lee‐Clark argues that the art of transcribing dates back at least as far as the late

MiddleAgesinWesternEurope:

Thepracticeofarrangingmusicbeganasearlyasthefourteenthcentury….Thearrangingofvocalpolyphony,bothsacredandsecular,forkeyboardinstrumentsorlutewasverypopularfrom the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries. These arrangements were literaltranscriptionsofvocalmusicorfloridelaborationofthemelodies.212

ThisnotionisrecapitulatedbyStevenson,whorepeatedlycitesGiulioCaccini’s(1551–1618),

solomadrigal,AmarilliMiaBella (1602).ThiswaswrittenwhilstWilliamShakespeare (1564–1616)

wasstillverymuchalive—itpremièredthesameyearas thefirstperformanceofTwelfthNight in

London (1602). Stevenson tells us that ‘the following year (1603), Peter Philips (1560–1628)

transcribeditforvirginals—atranscriptionfarmorefreethananyofLiszt’stranscriptionsofBach’.213

Lee‐ClarknotesthatasthefieldevolvedthroughouttheBaroqueandClassicaleras‘manykeyboard

concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) are arrangements of [Antonio] Vivaldi’s (1678–

1741)violinconcertos,andGeorgeFridericHandel(1685–1759)recycledmuchofhisownmusic’.It

is alsoworthnoting that ‘several piano concertos byWolfgangAmadeusMozart (1756–1791) are

also based on other composers’ music. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) arranged his Violin

Concerto in D Major Op. 61 (1806) as a piano concerto (Opus 61a) and his Second Symphony

[SymphonyNo.2inDmajor,Op.36(1801–1802)]asaPianoTrio[thatbearsthesameopusnumber,

Op.36]’.214

However, the art formwas becomingworryingly close to extinction by themid‐twentieth

century. This view is verifiedbyBenjaminBritten (1913–1976),whowrote toStevenson—praising

andencouraginghisisolatedinterestintheart‐form—‘transcriptionisaveryseriousformwhichhas

been much neglected recently’.215 Consequently, if one considers the uninterrupted chain of

212SoleeLee‐Clark,FranzLiszt’sPianisticApproachtoFranzSchubert’sSongs,18.213Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300;seealsoMacDonald,RonaldStevenson:A

MusicalBiography,80.214SoleeLee‐Clark,FranzLiszt’sPianisticApproachtoFranzSchubert’sSongs,18.215Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,303‐4.

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successionofPhillips,Purcell,Bach,Mozart,Beethoven,Brahms,Liszt,Alkan,Busoni,Grainger,and

Sorabji,itseemsevidentthatStevensonwasoneofveryfewtranscribersofanygravityforkeyboard

inthelatterhalfofthetwentiethcentury—inatraditiondatingbackto,atleast,thelatefourteenth

century.

3.2AnUnparalleledContributiontotheGenreofTranscription

RonaldStevensonhasbeendescribedbyMalcolmMacDonaldas‘themostdedicatedexponentwho

has ever lived of that particular variational art form we call transcription, or arrangement,

notwithstanding his great exemplars, Busoni, Liszt, and even Bach’.216 On completion of his

transcription of the Six Solo Violin Sonatas,Op.27 of Eugène Ysaÿe between 1981 and 1982—a

monumentalachievement in itself—Stevensonproudlywrote inthescorethat ‘this istheproofof

what Ihave learnt fromBach,BusoniandGodowsky’.217MacDonaldnotesthattranscription isnot

onlyamuch‐malignedsub‐genreofcomposition,buttherehadbeenastigmaattachedto it forat

leasta century.AteşOrgawrites thatStevenson’s transcriptionsarenotonlyvoluminousbutalso

constituteasignificantpercentageofhisentireoutput.Heseesthemasbeingasinventiveasthey

arevaried,sharinginfluencesfrompastcomposer‐pianistsofallstylisticperiods:

Stevenson’stranscriptionsareasseriousastheyaremany—andtheyconstitutenearlyfortypercent of his output. They are brilliant studies in paraphrase, inventive re‐castings thatsample freely from all periods and styles inmusic, deriving inspiration asmuch from theClassicalexampleof the seventeenthandeighteenthcenturiesas fromthepianismof thegreatkeyboardeaglesofthenineteenthandtwentieth.Inthemthevoice,thestrength,andthesoulofthemodernconcertgrandfindexpressivecelebration.218

In recent years, interest in piano transcription has, nonetheless, improved considerably.

Similarly, there isalsoa renewedenthusiasmforcomposerswhowereonceseenas theheightof

theunfashionable,especiallythosewhotranscribedtheworksofothers.Mostnoticeably,theseare

216MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,80.217MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,80.MacDonaldnotes‘sincethe[Eugène

Ysaÿe]sonatastotalseventeenmovementsinall—thiswastantamounttocomposingtheBach‐BusoniChaconneinDminor[FerruccioBusoni’stranscription(KIVB45,1893)ofJohannSebastianBach’sChaconneinDminorforSoloViolin,BWV1004,composedc.1717–1723]seventeentimesover!’,81.

218Orga,ThePianoMusic,101.

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Ferruccio Busoni, Leopold Godowsky, Percy Aldridge Grainger and Ronald Stevenson. Of all the

aforementionedcomposers,Stevenson isundoubtedlythemostprolific—havingtranscribedworks

fromavastarrayofcomposersthat,quiteliterally,encompassestheentirespectrumofwesternart

music.219 It is truly astonishing that Stevenson’s sourcematerials range from theElizabethan John

Bull(1562–1628)totheworkoflivingcontemporaries.However,thenumberoftranscriptionsfrom

theBaroqueperiodseemstobedisproportionatelyhigh,warrantingsupplementaryexploration.

219JohannSebastianBach(1685–1750),MichaelWilliamBalfe(1808–1870),AgustínBarriosMangoré

(1885–1944),SirArnoldBax(1883–1953),AlbanBerg(1885–1935),LuigiBoccherini(1743–1805),ArrigoBoito(1842–1918),RutlandBoughton(1878–1960),RutlandBoughton(1878–1960),JohannesBrahms(1833–1897),Frank Bridge (1879–1941), John Bull (1562–1628), Robert Burns (1759–1796), Alan Bush (1900–1995),Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924), CharlesWakefield Cadman (1881–1946),María Teresa Carreño (1853–1917),PabloCasals(1876–1973),GustaveCharpentier(1860–1956),FrédéricChopin(1810–1849),SamuelColeridge‐Taylor (1875–1912), FrederickNicholls Crouch (1808–1896), Frederick Delius (1862–1934), Edward Kennedy‘Duke’Ellington(1899–1974),JohnField(1782–1837),StephenFoster(1826–1864),JohnFoulds(1880–1939),Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck (1714–1787), Charles Gounod (1818–1893) Ella Grainger (née Ström)(1889–1979), Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961), Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863), William Christopher Handy (1873–1958), Reynaldo Hahn (1874–1947), Sir (Herbert) Hamilton Harty(1879–1941), Scott Joplin (ca. 1867/1868?–1917), Yrjö Henrik Kilpinen (1892–1959), Ruggiero Leoncavallo(1857–1919), Franz Liszt (1811–1886), ReverendMarthinus Lourens de Villiers (1885‐1977), GustavMahler(1860–1911),FrankMerrick(1886–1981),GiacomoMeyerbeer(1791–1864),RoryDallMorrison(1660–1730),Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Carl Nielsen (1865–1931), Ivor Novello (1893–1951), TurloughO'Carolan(1670–1738),IgnacyJanPaderewski(1860–1941),HenryPurcell(1659–1695),SergeiRachmaninoff(1873–1943),NikolaiRimsky‐Korsakov(1844–1908),SigmundRomberg(1887–1951),EdmundRubbra(1901–1986), Franz Schubert (1797–1828), Francis George Scott (1880–1958), William Shield (1748–1829), JeanSibelius(1865–1957),OleySpeaks(1874–1948),BernardStevens(1916–1983),SavournaStevenson(b.1961),LeopoldStokowski (1882–1977),RichardTauber (1891–1948),Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky (1840–1893),BernardvanDieren(1887–1936),GiuseppeVerdi(1813–1901),HeitorVilla‐Lobos(1887–1959),RichardWagner(1813–1883),PaulWittgenstein(1887–1961),WilliamVincentWallace(1812–1865),andMaudeValérieWhite(1855–1937).

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3.3TranscribingtheBaroque:AnUnfairPrejudice?

An exegetical study such as this inevitably asks the question: ‘If Stevenson is the most prolific

transcriberwhoisthemostprolificallytranscribed?’Itwouldbeoflittlerevelationtomostthatitis

JohannSebastianBach.Stevensonobservesthat,‘histranscribersincludeFelixMendelssohn,Robert

Schumann, Franz Liszt, Charles‐Valentin Alkan, Johannes Brahms, Ferruccio Busoni, Leopold

Godowsky, Percy Aldridge Grainger, Arnold Schoenberg, Andrés Segovia, Leopold Stokowski, Igor

Stravinsky,andSirWilliamWalton ’.He furthernotesthat ‘this listdoesnot includecomposersof

transcriptions[only]forpiano,butalsoforothermedia;anditdoesnotincludethenumberofjazz‐

transcribers,whosenumberislegion’.220

Stevenson has a fascination with transcribing his precursors, most of whom were

transcribersthemselves.HehastranscribedagreatdealfromtheBaroqueandRenaissanceperiods

fromtheElizabethanJohnBull,tolatercomposerssuchasHenryPurcellandJohannSebastianBach.

InregardtoPurcell,StevensonwillrepeatedlyquotethewordsofAnglo‐Scotscomposerandcritic,

Cecil Gray (1895–1951), from The History of Music (1947). Gray rightfully recognized him as a

composerofthehighestrank,writing:‘inEnglandduringtheseventeenthcenturythereisonlyone

composerwhoneedconcernushere,namelyHenryPurcell;indeed,heistheonlyEnglishmanofany

periodwhoisacceptedasacomposerofthefirstrankbytherestoftheworld’.221

In the mid‐twentieth century, Stevenson transcribed the work of his fifteenth‐century

counterpartinwritinghisThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell(trans.1955–1958),whichwillbeusedin

this instance as a case study to reveal salient facets of Stevenson’s transcribing.Hedescribes the

ThreeGroundsonHenryPurcellas‘freelytranscribed’withradicallytailoredversionstransliterated

220RonaldStevenson,ReflectionsonmyPurcellTranscriptions,inWalton,ed.,7.221CecilGray,TheHistoryofMusic(London:KeganPaul,Trench,Trubner&Co,1947),145,reprinted

RonaldStevensonSocietyNewsletter(Edinburgh:autumn1994),alsoreproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,4.

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‘forviolin(1958)andforguitar(1958)’.222Stevensonwasundernoillusionaboutreticenceinsome

academic circles, not just in transcribing Baroquemusic in the first instance but in particular the

work ofHenry Purcell. He sees the principal reason for this as being that, ‘Purcell belongs to the

“earlymusic”cultmorethanBachdoes,andmusicologicalattitudesagainsttranscribingPurcellare

thatmuchmore critical’.223 Stevensonquotes: ThurstonDart (1921–1971) inThe Interpretationof

Music(1967),whichhassomeoftheunforgivingwordsfortranscribers:

Tolinkone’sownnametothecomposer’swithahyphenistopimponhiscapital;toeffacehisstylewithone’sownistoerasehisoriginalinscriptions;tofloutthehelpofthescholaristodebase thecomposer’s coinage [ah, that’s thecruxof it!RS]; to issueone’sownmusicfalselybearingthenameofamanlongdeadistomintcounterfeitmoney.224

Beingcriticallyawareofsuchanimosity,itisessentialtoascertainhowresponsiveStevensonwasto

theoriginal Purcell andhis rationale for undertaking such a challenge in the first instance. This is

discussedhereindetailforthefirsttime.

3.4TheFirstofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell:GroundinCMinor(trans.1955)—aCross‐FertilizationonArtisticIdeals,aPreferencefortheTenorRegisterandtheImportanceofFalseRelations

Intriguingly, before a single note of his Three Grounds on Henry Purcell (1955–58) is played,

Stevenson asks the pianist to read a fragment from Landowska onMusic (1963) to illuminate his

puzzlingtempomarking‘AndanteQuasiFado’.225MacDonaldnotesthathesimilarly‘includespages

of [John] Ruskin’s (1819–1900) prose—On the Surpassing ExcellenceOfMountains (1884)—in the

solohornpartofBergstimmung(1986)andenjoinstheplayertoreadthembeforeperformance...

222MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,51.223RonaldStevenson,ReflectionsonmyPurcellTranscriptions(Edinburgh:NewsletteroftheRonald

StevensonSociety,Spring1995)reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,7.224RonaldStevenson,ReflectionsonmyPurcellTranscriptions,inWalton,ed.,7.225TheFadoisaPortuguesedance.Landowskarecountsbeingabletoseethepiano‐movers‘dancing

inthewings’(outoflineofsightoftheaudiencebutinherown)whilstshewasplayingarecital:seeWandaLandowska,LandowskaonMusic,collected,edited,andtranslatedbyDeniseRestout,assistedbyRobertHawkins.NewYork,SteinandDay,1964,301–302.

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attempting to include an attitude of mindfulness, of the spiritual realities for which his musical

notation, however precise is only a symbol’.226 Stevensonwill repeatedly invite the performer to

exploreliteraryorvisualallusionsasacross‐fertilizationofartistic idealsthatareatthenucleusof

hiscreativity.

InthefirstoftheThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell—theGroundinCminor(1955)—acounter

melodybuiltuponPurcell’soriginal,butininversion,surfacesinbarseventeeninthealtoregisterof

thepiano(Figure16,highlightedinred).Fourmeasureslater,thiscountermelodydisappearsfrom

view, later resurfacing in the richer sonorities of the tenor (bar twenty‐one), with the orchestral

allusionquasitromba(asseeninFigure17,highlightedinblue).Hereheevokesthericherheaviness

of the trumpetsbydividing thecountermelodybetween thestrongestdigits, the thumbsofboth

theleftandrighthands.

Figure16.AnExcerptfromtheFirstGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinCMinor(1955),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars17‐18.

226MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,91.

73


Stevenson’swork like FerruccioBusoni’s oftenexhibits amarkedpreference for the tenor

register. Stevenson recalled that, asa child,hewouldoftencrosshishands tobringouta singing

tone in the tenor register.227 Harold Taylor notes that Stevenson ‘finds deep satisfaction in

recordings by [Enrico] Caruso (1873–1921) and [John]McCormack (1884–1945)’ as opposed to a

pianist such as Vladimir Horowitz (1903–1989), who ‘preferred the soprano register’ and

subsequentlyfindsastrong‘masculinity’inStevenson’splaying.228

DavidHackbridgeJohnsonsubstantiatesStevenson’spreferenceforthetenorregisterinan

accountofhearinghimperformtwoofhisowntranscriptions:oneofErikChisholm’s(1904–1965)

very last works—Hert’s Sang (1962/3,? trans. Stevenson c. 2004)229—and Bernard van Dieren’s

(1887–1936)WeepYouNoMore,SadFountains (anon.sixteenthcentury,trans.VanDieren,1925,

227Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.228HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,208.229InarecentemailtotheauthorfromDr.MoragChisholm(daughterofErikChisholm,1904–1965):

'HertsSangasyouwillknowisoneofthePoemsofLovesongseriesthatmyDadandLilliasScottworkedonandsangtogetherwhentheywere‘a‐courting’ in1962/63.Theymarried inCapeTownin1963andmyDaddied1965.Thesongsarereallybeautiful,almostoneofthelastthingshewrote.TheECT[ErikChisholmTrust,established in 2001] published them in a special edition last year and they have been sung quite often inconcertsandareon theCD,Songs foraYearandaDay.Ronaldpresented the transcription tomeasagiftseveralyearsagoatoneoftheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchools,withhopesthathewouldfindtimetodoall seven . . . sadlyhedidnotdo this’.Dated,8thAugust2012. If seemsmost likelyDr.ChisholmwaspresentedthetranscriptionbyStevensonattheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,TheCathedralofthe Isles, Millport, Isle of Great Cumbrae, Scotland, when Stevenson performed the work in 2004, as inHackbridge‐Johnson’saccount.

74

trans.Stevenson,1951).Hesawtheimportanceplacedonthemiddleregistersoftheinstrumentas

givinghimanawarenessofcontinuitywithpastmasters:

ThefirstwasbasedonHert’sSang,asongbyErikChisholm.Thesecondtranscriptionwasofone of Bernard van Dieren’s best‐known songs,Weep You No More, Sad Fountains. Thetranscriptions shared a similar approach in that the vocal parts were often given to thesonorousmiddleregisterofthepianowhilethesurroundingbassandtreblecreatedahaloof harmony. The subtlety of the true composer‐pianistwas revealed in the transcriptionsandtheyalsoenshrinedasenseofcontinuitywithpastmasters.230

When the present author gave the broadcast première of the Three Grounds on Henry

Purcell (1955–1958),231 Stevenson said that one should take into account the aphorism of Gillies

Whittaker (1876–1944), who believed that the false relations in Henry Purcell’s music are ‘as

abundant as blackberries in Autumn’.232 These are actually Purcell’s own amalgamation of the

Italianatevogueoftheavant‐gardesecondapratticaofClaudioMonteverdi(1567–1643).Stevenson

evenwritesouttheconceptionofhispart,writingsothatoverzealousperformerscannotmistake

Purcell’sdelectableclashesas‘errors’.Hedoesthis(asshowninFigure18),usingtheclefsofavocal

quartet, leavingnouncertainty tohis intelligentdesignaswellasdisplayingaprofounddeference

fortheoriginalstylismofhisbaroquecounterpart.

230DavidHackbridgeJohnson,‘TheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,’TheCathedralofthe

Isles,Millport,IsleofGreatCumbrae,Scotland,TheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety,August2004.231ClassicFM[99.9–101.9MHz,UK]CamdenStudios,livebroadcast,MarkGasser(piano),October

1998.232In1934,Stevensonwouldonlyhavebeensevenyearsold—presumably,hereadthismaterialata

laterdate.GilliesWhittaker,‘HenryPurcell’,TheMusicalTimes,October1934:http://www.jstor.org/pss/918455.

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3.5SecondofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭ Minor(trans.1957):AuxiliaryMelodiesandTransposition

In the footnotes to his transcription of Purcell’s Hornpipe in D minor (1995), written to

commemoratethePurcell’s tercentenary (1695–1995),Stevensonnotesthat this, likemanyof the

works he has transcribed, is already a transcription of a transcription: ‘The by now démodé bias

againsttheartoftranscriptionshoulddisappearvis‐à‐visthecaseofPurcellhimself,forhisDminor

Hornpipewas aharpsichordarrangementof adance fromhis theatremusic toTheMarriedBeau

(1693)’.233ThisisalsothecasewiththesecondoftheThreeGrounds,theGroundinE♭Minor(1957).

The original sourcematerial is the hauntingly beautiful St Cecilia’s Ode (Z.328, 1683), written by

Purcellinanexceptionallycoldwinter,whentheRiverThamesfrozeover,permittinga‘frost‐fair’on

the ice (1683). Purcell arranged this for Harpsichord inMusick’s Handmade: Part Two (1689). In

233ThePurcell‐StevensonHornpipeinDminor(1995)waspublishedtocommemoratethe‘Purcell

Tercentenary’(1695‐1995)(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety,1995).

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Stevenson’sperformancenoteshearguesthat, ‘boththeoriginalStCecilia’sOde (1683)aswellas

Purcell’s own harpsichord transcription (1689) are both in the key of E minor’ although he has

transposed his transcription for ‘pianistic reasons’. However,what is his raison d'être?How is E♭

minordeemedtobemorepianisticthanEminor?

From a practitioner’s perspective, the six ‘black keys’ unquestionably make it physically

easier to play,234 especially the ground bass—with its poised, graceful leaping of tenths—that

delightfully contrasts themelancholic simplicityofPurcell’soriginal ‘vocal line,’ keptwholly in the

right‐hand (as shown in Figure 19 in red) throughout the transcription. Similarly, one of Franz

Schubert’s (1797–1828)most fêtedpianoworks,hisG♭Major ImpromptuD899No.3 (1827),was

initiallytransposedintoGmajorbyearlypublisherswho,misguidedlythoughtthatitwouldhavea

wider appeal, augmented commercial value and would be less taxing for the hands of the

recreationalamateur.

StevensonrightlyobservesthattheG♭MajorImpromptuisinfact‘moreproblematical’inG

major,although‘easierfortheamateurtoread’.235This isfirstandforemostduetotheblackkeys

being both elevated from thewhite keys and geographically further back on the instrument. The

melodic lines are easier to sound in the instance of both Schubert’s G♭ Major Impromptu and

Stevenson’sPurcell transcription.This isdue toG♭major /E♭minorhavingamore relaxed ‘open

hand’ position that, with the fingers extended in a less rigid fashion is, as Stevenson accurately

observes, significantlymore ‘pianistic’ (as shown inFigure20).This isprobably the reasonwhyall

twentypiecesoftheVingtregardssur l'enfant‐Jésus(1944)byOlivierMessiaen(1908–1992)spiral

234Asthe‘blackkeys’areraisedfromthekey‐bedtheyobviouslyofferafarstrongertactilegeography

onthekeyboard,thantheuniformityofthe‘whitenotes’.AblindpianistwillfinditdifficulttoplayinCmajorandmanymusically illiteratepianistswill,almostwithoutexception,preferkeyswithmanysharpsandflats.CecilAdamsnotesthatIrvingBerlin(1888–1989),‘playedalmostentirelyinthekeyofF♯,allowinghimtostayontheblackkeysasmuchaspossible.Thiswasn'tunheard‐offoraself‐taughtmusician,since it'seasierforuntrainedfingerstoplaytheblackkeys(whichareelevatedandwidelyspaced)withouthittingwrongnotes’.Ina1962interview,Berlinsaid,‘Theblackkeysarerightthere,underyourfingers.ThekeyofCisforpeoplewhostudymusic’.http://www.straightdope.com/columns.

235Stevenson,pers.,comm.,c.1995.

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aroundthekeyofF♯major.Similarly, inStevenson’scasethissubtlechangecouldonlyhavebeen

foundedasaresultofStevenson’sskillsasaperformer.

Figure19.AnExcerptfromtheSecondGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinE♭Minor(1957)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars1‐4.

Figure20.ComparativeHandPosition(currentauthor’sdiagram):G♭Major,hasamorefluidshape(Left)whilstinGMajor,thefingersaremoreangular(Right).

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AstheGroundinE♭Minor(1957)continues,themusicgentlybuteffectivelyunfoldsandthe

transcribingbecomesfreerasitincreasesinintricacy.Thevocallinebeginstomeander,sporadically

wandering into the registration of the bass clef (as shown in Figure 21, highlighted in red). Later

Stevensonmasterfully superimposes a third internal voice—entirelyof his own composition—asa

countermelody(Figure21,highlightedinred).ThisequalsPurcell’sinbeauty,weavingbetweenthe

originalmelodyandtheomnipresentgroundbasslikethethreadsofasonictapestrythatnotonly

holdtheworktogether,butalsocreateanauralimage.

Figure21.AnExcerptfromtheSecondGroundonHenryPurcell,Ground inE♭Minor (1957)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars7‐10.

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Figure 22. An Excerpt from the Second Ground on Henry Purcell, Ground in E♭ Minor (1957),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars15‐18.

InTheArtofPianoTranscriptionasCriticalCommentary (1992),DavidColtonhighlightsthe

ingenuityofStevensonaddingadditionalvoicesofhisown.IntheSixSonatasforSoloViolin,Op.27

(1923)ofEugèneYsaÿe(1858–1931),236reworkedbyStevensonassixpianosonatas(1981–1982),he

236SixSonatasforsoloviolin,Op.27,transcribedasSixPianoSonatas(trans.Stevenson1981–1982):

SonataNo.1,Gminor, SonataNo.2,Aminor,‘JosephSzigeti’ ‘JacquesThibaud’1)Grave 1)Obsession;Prelude2)Fugato 2)Malinconia3)Allegrettopocoscherzoso 3)DansedesOmbres;Sarabande4)Finale;Conbrio 4)Lesfuries

SonataNo.3,Dminor,‘GeorgesEnesco’ SonataNo.4,Eminor,‘FritzKriesler’1)Lentomoltosostenuto 1)Allemanda2)Allegrointempogiustoeconbravura 2)Sarabande 3)Finale

SonataNo.5,Gmajor,‘MathieuCrickboom’ SonataNo.6,Emajor,1)L'Aurore ‘ManuelQuiroga’2)Danserustique ‘Allegrogiustonontroppovivo’ (singlemovement)

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notesthatanadditionalfugalvoiceisaddedinthesecondmovementoftheFirstSonatainGMinor

Op.27—dedicatedbyEugèneYsaÿetoJosephSzigeti(1892–1973):

Themostnotableactofcommentarycontainedinthesetranscriptionsoccursinthesecondmovement of the first sonata, inwhich Stevenson has added a third part to Ysaÿe's two‐voicefugue.ItisasifStevensonapprovedofthefugalconceptbutfoundYsaÿe'sapplicationofthisconcepttobeinneedoffurtherdevelopment.237

Similarly, in the instance of theGround in E♭Minor (1957), the additional voice certainly

gives the aural semblance of there beingmore than two hands at work. Likewise, the ingenious

creativeinterplayofthefourpartssubstantiatesMacDonald’sassuranceofproclaimingStevensona

master transcriber. Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) regarded transcription as an art form with

suspicion—contendingthatitis‘artisticallyjustifiedonlywhenthearranger'sartisticeffortisgreater

thantheoriginalcomposer’s’.238ThisviewisechoedinStevenson’sownwordsconcerningthemost

superlative transcribing: ‘The work of the transcriber can sometimes be more creative than the

materialuponwhichitisbased’.239

However, is Stevenson distorting the original too much? Ivo Pogorelić (b. 1958) once

eloquentlysaidthathewould‘neverhurtorharmacomposer—peopletellmeIalterthings,dealin

distortionfor,nodoubt,vaingloriousreasons,butthat’spreciselywhatIdonotdo—tobefrank,my

aim is to clarify and refine, to enliven and vivify what is there’. Pogorelić continues with an

enlighteninganalogytothevisualarts,asheelucidatesapoeticlineofreflection:‘Youknow,when

theSistineChapelwasrefurbished,revealedinall itsfirstglory,theresponsewasnegative.People

weredisturbedbythebrillianceandrevelationdisclosedandassumedsomeformoftrickorartifice

was involved’.240Withthe inclusionofadditionalvoices,Stevenson iscertainlyaiming forasimilar

237GlennDavidColton,TheArtofPianoTranscriptionasCriticalCommentary,

http://digitalcommons.mcmaster.ca/opendissertations/6483.87.134;alsonotedbyMacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,81.

238PaulHindemith,AComposer'sWorld,HorizonsandLimitations(Cambridge,Mass.:HarvardUniversityPress,1952),140‐141.

239Stevenson,WesternMusic,84.240BryceMorrison,IvoPogorelić:FromCompetitiontoCompetition(GramophoneMagazine,January

1993),10.

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vitalityinhistranscription,whichisoftenasaudaciousasitissubtle:aimingtoilluminate,reviveand

vivifytheoriginalPurcell.

3.6ThirdofThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell,GroundinCMinor(trans.1957):‘AnOriginalRespect’

Concerningmodern performance‐practices in Baroquemusic, it was previously noted (in Chapter

2.5) that Stevensonwould regularlyperformonhis Spinet.Mostmusicianswouldbeof the same

opinionthat,whilstitisstraightforwardtocitehistoricaltreatisesadinfinitum,thereisnosubstitute

for actually performing. Itmay come as a revelation to some that Liszt ownedmany instruments

includingBeethoven’sBroadwoodandMozart’sspinet.241HamiltonnotesofBeethoven’sfortepiano

that‘itwasmoreavisualsymbolofLiszt’smusicalinheritanceratherthananinstrumentforregular

performance—tomakethepointclearer,Beethoven’sdeathmaskwasalsoondisplay’.242However,

thisispurespeculationonHamilton’spart—heacknowledgesthatLisztwouldhavebeenjustifiably

proudofhismusicalheritage.Anditseemslogicaltoassumethatheatleastplayedprivatelyonthe

instruments—evenmerely out of deference for such giganticmusical antecedents asMozart and

Beethoven,especiallyastheytook‘prideofplace’inhis‘officialmusicroom’.243

Busoni asked ‘Dolmetsch to make him a harpsichord,’244 which, like Stevenson, he used.

When Eric Chisholm (1904–1965), the thenHead ofMusic at Cape TownUniversity in 1963,met

Stevenson’sshipuponhisarrivalinSouthAfricatoundertakehisveryunusualappointment—bothin

terms of academic workload and title—as ‘Head of Composition’ and ‘Head of Piano,’ Stevenson

recounts:

241Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,211.242Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,211.243Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,211.244Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’24.

82

ErikChisholmmetusoff theship. Itwasawonderfulvoyage….Erik said, 'What'sthatyou'vegot?That'sakeyboardinstrument,isn'tit?'Isaid,'Yes,it'saspinet’.Hesaid, 'You're playing that tonight in the opera’. I played it inDonGiovanni everyevening fora fortnight.He reallygotonwith things. I got toknowDonGiovanniverywell.245

StevensoncandidlyacknowledgesthatPurcell’skeyboardmusicisincomparableonaharpsichordas

opposedtothemoderninstrument:

Purcell’sharpsichordSuitesandLessonsarehisshortestworks.Theyprovideidealteachingandsight‐readingmaterialfortyrokeyboardplayers.IntheirUrtext,mostmusicianswouldagreethattheysoundbestonaspinetorsmallharpsichord.246

InthelastoftheThreeGroundsonHenryPurcell,theGroundinCMinor(1957),henotesthe

paradoxthathisdoublingofregistrationwouldhavebeenapprovedonaperiodinstrumentsuchas

anorganorharpsichord,yetisstillfrowneduponwhenwritingortranscribingforthemodernpiano:

Doublingof registrationhasbeenadded in III, followingan interpretationofharpsichord/organ registration. No organist would be criticized, but rather praised, for exercisingjudiciousinnovationinperformingwithatastefulvarietyofregistration(8foot,4foot&c):so this small freedom from choice should surely be granted to pianoforte performance intranscription.

Thiscanmanifestlybeseen(highlightedinredinFigure23),whereinthesubtletyandquiet

complexity of the part writing is neither over‐written, nor detracting to the listener. It is wholly

pianistic, and even ‘clavichordistic’—fluent in conception, indicative of an exceptionally refined,

subtleunderstandingofkeyboardfiguration,lendingitselftoperformanceoneithertheharpsichord

ormodernconcertinstrument.

245Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’24.246Stevenson,ReflectionsonMyPurcellTranscriptions,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,6.

83

Figure23.AnExcerptfromtheThirdGroundonHenryPurcell,GroundinCMinor,(1957),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,1995,bars13‐15.

Table5.L’ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988),VolumesI,II,III:

3.7 L'ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988)andtheSignificance

of‘SingingwithyourFingers’

Stevenson’sL’ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988)isasignificantthree‐volume

bodyofwork, devoted to thememoryof his father. It is a ‘collectionofVictorian and Edwardian

songstranscribedforsolopiano’.247Thethreevolumesareasfollows,withpossiblefuturevolumes

stillplanned(asshowninTable5):

L'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(1975–1988)willbeusedasacasestudy—in

particular, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (1854) by Stephen Foster (1826–1864) from Volume

247Orga,ThePianoMusic,104.

VOLUMEONE Trans.Stevenson1.SamuelColeridge‐Taylor(1875–1912) Elëanore 19802.MaudeValérieWhite,(1855–1937) Sowe’llgonomorea‐roving 19803.GiacomoMeyerbeer(1791–1864) Plusblanchequelablanchehermine 19754.SergeiRachmaninoff(1873–1943) IntheSilenceoftheSecretNight 19825.FrankBridge(1879–1941) Gonot,HappyDay 1980VOLUMETWO

6.IvorNovello(1893–1951) We’llGatherLilacs 19807.––––, FlyHomeLittleHeart c.1980?8.SamuelColeridge‐Taylor(1875–1912) DemandetRéponse,fromPetiteSuite

deConcert1981

9.SigmundRomberg(1887–1951)

WillYouRemember(Sweethearts),fromMaytime

1988

VOLUMETHREE

10.StephenFoster(1826–1864)

JeaniewiththeLightBrownHair 1980

11.––––, Comewheremyloveliesdreaming 198012.––––, BeautifulDreamer 1980

84

Three. This work will be scrutinized in considerable detail, hopefully revealing key rudiments of

Stevenson’stranscribing.

ThecurioustitleisbasedonSigismondThalberg’sL'ArtduChantappliquéauPiano,Op.70

(1853–64),which isitselfa‘cycleoftwenty‐twoétudesintheartofbelcantoplaying.248According

toStevenson,itis‘aseriesoftranscriptionsentitledL'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano—

payingtributetoThalberg’sseriesoftranscriptionswhosetitleIhaveappropriated,addingtheword

“Nouveau”.’249

AteşOrgaseesThalberg’sinfrequentlyperformedOp70asbeingof‘seminalimportance’in

the nineteenth century for exploring the art ofbel canto in pianism, just as Stevenson’s is in the

twentiethcentury.250Stevenson’sprincipalaimisto ‘singwithhisfingers,’251emulatingthehuman

voice (discussedat length in relation to Stevenson’sownpiano tone inChapter2.1EarlyPianistic

Influences from the ‘Sunset of the Great Romantic School of Pianism). According to Hamilton,

‘Thalberg’s [piano] course appears to be the best,’ although he appends that his ‘remarks’ in the

extensivepreamble‘arenoteworthy,andyetalreadyforgotten’.252However,Thalberg’searlierwork

isnotthegenesisofStevenson’sdesireto‘singwithhisfingers’.Stevensonfrequentlyciteshisown

father’ssingingasbeingthesinglebiggestinfluenceinhisearlypianismandexplainsfurtherthathe

wishestoemulatethehumanvoiceinallhiscreativeoutput:

Thehumanvoice—that iswhat is lacking in the twentieth century. Evenwhen composersthesedayswrite for thehumanvoice theyoften treat itmost inhumanly. Iwant todirectspeechofthehumanvoice—evenininstrumentalmusic.253

248Scott‐Sutherland,RonaldStevensonatSeventy,1.249Stevenson’sprefacetoVolumeOneofhisL'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano

(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety).250Orga,ThePianoMusic,104.251Taylor,Stevenson’sPianism,191.252Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,165.HamiltonfootnotesBusoni,‘Well‐TemperedClavichord,’i.e.,

FerruccioBusoni,Prefaceto‘DasWohltemperierteKlavier,’BWV846–893,editedFerruccioBusoni.NewYork:Schirmer,1894.

253DerekWatson,‘TheSongs’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London,ToccataPress,2005),177,originalcitation–‘RonaldStevensoninConversationwithMichaelOliver’,MusicWeekly,BBCRadio3,FM90.2MHz‐92.6MHz,16December,1979.

85

Withaproclamationsuchasthis,itislittlewonderthathis‘earliestsurvivingcompositions

areconcentratedinthefieldsofsongandpianomusic’.254Furthermore,theoriginalsourcematerial

inat least fifty‐eightpercentofhisvastoutputoftranscriptions isoriginally fromvocalrepertoire.

That that Stevenson sees vocal‐emulationas ‘lacking’ in the twentieth century is, in all likelihood,

due to the practice being deliberated as old‐fashioned and outmoded. Hamilton notes that the

modelcertainlyisnonewphenomenon,andisfarolderthanmostpresuppose:

A preoccupation with a ‘noble singing melody’ was shared by many pianists, John Field(1782–1837) and Chopin among them, long before Leschetizky (1830–1915) was born.‘Cantabile’playingwasagoalofJohannSebastianBachandan importantpartofMozart’sarsenalofeffects.255

Ontheotherhand,itisvitaltobearinmindthat,intheinstancesofBachandMozart,the

concern iswith ‘a singer’s styleof rhetoricaldelivery’256anddidnotcometo full fruitionuntil the

nineteenth century. For Chopin, Thalberg, Liszt and their pupils, the renowned singers of Italian

operabecametherolemodelsforemulationatthekeyboard.257Thalbergadvocated:‘Listentogood

singers, and learn to sing yourself’.258 Similarly, Stevenson wallows in listening to some of the

earliest‐recorded singers, of whom he ‘never tires,’ melancholically contending that there is ‘no

other opportunity of hearing such singing at present’.259 Hamilton correctly observes that in the

nineteenthcenturytherewasan‘enormousemphasis’placedonthe‘requisiterequirementsintone

productionandrubato,’260allofwhicharecoreelementsofStevenson’sownpianism(seeChapter

254MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,10.255Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.256Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.257Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.Hamiltonfootnotes‘SeeEyeliner,Chopin:Pianistand

Teacher,44–45,110–15;RichardHudson,StolenTime:AHistoryofTempoRubato(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1995),208–9’.

258Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.259MartinAnderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples(FanfareMagazine,Vol.18,No.5,May/June

1995),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,20.260Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.(Hamiltonfootnotes‘SeeEyeliner,Chopin:Pianistand

Teacher,44–45,110–15;RichardHudson,StolenTime:AHistoryofTempoRubato(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1995),208–9’.

86

2.1). InChopin’scase, ‘pausesforbreath’were‘addedtohisownpupils’scores’261 inemulationof

singers.

The current author has witnessed a similar practice first‐hand, whilst working on the

Passacaglia onDSCH (1963)with Stevenson,who added ‘breathe in’ and ‘out’ over the courseof

various phrases (as shown in Figure 24). These pencil additions in his own hand act as amodern

counterparttotheNocturnesofChopinandFieldthatwere‘directlyinspiredbythebelcantooperas

ofVincenzoBellini(1801–1835)andGaetanoDonizetti(1797–1848)’.262Stevensonevengoessofar

astocontendthat,‘Theartofsingingisthesameoneveryinstrument:Belcantoismymaininterest

inpianoplaying’.263Infact,thisisareiteration,almostverbatim,fromThalberg’sprefacetohisown

L’Art du Chant appliqué au Piano (1853–64): ‘The art of fine singing always remains the sameno

matterwhatinstrumentitispracticedon’.264

Figure 24. Ronald Stevenson’s Pencil Additions to the Current Author’s ‘Working Copy’ of thePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars36‐39.

Belcanto itselfhasamultiplicityofdenotationsandisaproblematicaltopicofdiscussion.

Historically,itcanpurelyrefertoa‘lostartortradition’whilstmoderncharacterizationscaninclude

one or more of the following—development of an unblemished legato, elegance of phrase

construction,adeep‐seatedmasteryofbreathcontrol,andbothanimblenessandflexibilityofvocal

261Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,140.262DavidHackbridgeJohnson,‘ReportonSummerStudyWeekend,CollegeandCathedraloftheIsles,

Millport,IsleofCumbrae’,TheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety,August2006.263Orga,ThePianoMusic,106.264Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.

87

technique—allgravitatingtowardsthefundamentalimportanceofornamentationandstylizedvocal

development.

Whilst emulating the voice was predominantly a nineteenth‐century practice, Stevenson

‘feelsstrongly’thathisaspirationtoemulatethevoiceisan‘aestheticsharedbetweentwocirclesof

composers’ who were ‘satellites round Busoni and Delius’. These include ‘Peter Warlock (1894–

1930),BernardvanDieren(1887–1936)—asortof[James]Boswell(1740–1795)toBusoni’s[Samuel]

Johnson(1709–1784)—andSorabji’.Stevensonemphasizesthattheywere ‘circles,notaconscious

school’—‘to whose aesthetic’ he ‘can subscribe’. Significantly he sees it is ‘an on‐going aesthetic

becauseitpresentsanextensionofatraditionthatisessentiallyhumanitarianandwhichisrootedin

thevoice’.265AlthoughSorabjiwastheonlycomposerStevensonpersonallyknew,itisimperativefor

him to feel connected with others to break his comparative artistic solitude and aesthetic

isolation.266

InThalberg’sprefacetoL’ArtduChantappliquéauPiano,Op70,hearguesthat‘themelody,

andnottheharmony,hasproveditselftobetriumphalthroughouttheages’.267Nodoubthewould

endorse Stevenson’s work, as his entire œuvre, according to Stevenson scholar Colin Scott‐

Sutherland,is‘steepedinthatmostunfashionableofcommoditiestoday—melody’.268

Pertaining to the underlying sentimentality of Stevenson’s own song settings,MacDonald

notesthat‘cynicismiswhollyoutofplacehere,’269whichcouldlikewisebesaidofL'ArtduNouveau

duChantappliquéauPiano.Nonetheless,Stevensonrecognizesthatweliveinafarmorepessimistic

age. In relation to Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864)—transcribed by Stevenson in an, as yet,

265Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,inWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,16.266Stevenson,pers.comm.,6September2011.267Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.268ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘Introduction,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,21.269MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,92.

88

unpublished volume of L'Art du Nouveau du Chant appliqué au Piano—he acerbically writes

‘Meyerbeer:tomanyyoungmusiciansthenamemightaswellbealiquorlabel’.270

InThalberg’sOp.70,thecomposerexpresslyasksforthemelodytobe‘intonedclearlyand

distinctly,andmustseparateitselffromtheaccompanimentinthesamewayasahumanvoicefrom

agentleorchestralaccompaniment’.271Hamiltonremarksthat,‘Thalbergalwaysprintsthemelodic

line—asLisztoccasionallydid,andGraingerwoulddofrequently—inlargernotes’.272Stevensonwill

do this intermittently,as inhisCarlyleSuite (1995) (shown inFigure25)butdoesnotdoso inhis

L'ArtduNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano,preferringinsteadtoaccentinthenormalfashion.

Figure 25.An Excerpt fromRonald Stevenson’sCarlyle Suite: I Aubade—‘Here is Dawning, AnotherBlueDay’(1995),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐3.

270RonaldStevenson,‘DiscoveringMeyerbeer’,TheListener84,No.2174(26November1970),

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,2009.271Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.272Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.

89

OnefarmoreimportantaxiomofThalberg’sthatStevensondoesfollowinL'ArtNouveaudu

ChantappliquéauPiano (1975‐1988) is that themelody in theuppernotescanbeplayed in ‘very

closearpeggio’.273ThisisunequivocallyevidentinhistranscriptionofStephenFoster’s(1826–1864)

popular parlor‐song, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (1854, trans. Stevenson 1980)—with the

Mendelssohniansub‐title‘songwithoutwords’(asshowninFigure26).Theoriginalsongprovedso

popularin1941,withanunprecedentedquantityof‘wireless’airplayinStevenson’smid‐teens,that

TimeMagazine reported ‘SooftenhadBMI's Jeannie [sic.]with the LightBrownHair beenplayed

thatshewaswidelyreportedtohaveturnedgrey’.274

Figure26.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’s transcriptionof Jeaniewith theLightBrownHairbyStephenFoster(1826–1864,comp.1854trans.Stevenson1980),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars5‐8.

Thesongitselfdatesfrom1854,thehalcyondaysofbelcanto—alludingtothegreatsingers

ofthepastwiththeimitationofthevocalfioritura,withtherapidcrossingofhands.Thereisalsoa

tribute to one of the great pianists of the Golden Age of Pianism, Vladimir de Pachmann (1848–

1933), inthemarking ‘gossamer‐like,allaPachmann’(asshowninFigure27),aswellasthestrong

influenceofPercyGraingerwiththeunpretentiousAnglicizationofthemarkingsinthescore.275

273Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,159.274AuthorUnknown,‘NoLetUp’,TimeMagazine,27January1941.

http://www.time.com/time/static/sitemap/72_1_1.html.275Onthewhole,StevensontendstoAnglicisemoreintranscriptionsofEnglishlanguageworks,using

predominantlythetraditionalItalianmarkingsinothers,ashespeaksItalianfluently.

90

Figure27.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’s transcriptionof Jeaniewith theLightBrownHairbyStephenFoster(1826–1864,comp.1854trans.Stevenson1980),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars16‐18.

At times, Stevenson’s transcriptions can be amelting pot ofmusical citation, allusion and

artisticcross‐referencing,occasionallybecomingaveritablecauldron.Takingintoconsiderationthat

JeaniewiththeLightBrownHair(1854) is formerlyaparlorsong,thatwastypicallyundemanding,

being reserved principally for the domestic market of the amateur middle‐classes, Stevenson’s

allusion to thehighartofbelcanto,aswellas thereference toPachmann, isanaudaciousmove.

However,StevensonevenhighlightsapreexistingallusiontoMozart’s ‘Coronation’PianoConcerto

No. 26 in Dmajor, KV 537 (1788) (as shown in Figure 28)—which he draws attention towith his

albertibass—certainlywrittenduringthepinnacleofclassicalartmusic.

Similarly, Stevensonwill, on occasion, cross‐reference between composers on a far larger

scaleinL’ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano.InhistranscriptionofIvorNovello’s(1893–1951)

perennially popular, We’ll Gather Lilacs (Novello 1945, trans. Stevenson 1980), the entire

accompaniment motif acts as a passing salute, not only to Ivor Novello, but also to Sergei

Rachmaninoff’s(1873–1943)earlierLilacsOp.21,No.5,1902(asshowninFigure29).Thiswasseen

byScott‐Sutherlandas‘aquietdemonstrationofhiswideandcatholicknowledgeandinterests’.276

Furthermore, his practice of amalgamating divergent styles, social boundaries, and musical

periods—from the parlor‐song to high‐art—not only affirms Stevenson’s egalitarianism and

276Scott‐Sutherland,Envoi:Whatnow?,281.

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unreserved lack of pretentiousness, but once again tangibly demonstrates the deep influence of

Grainger.

Figure28.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’s transcriptionof Jeaniewith theLightBrownHairbyStephen Foster (1826–1864, comp. 1854 trans. Stevenson 1980),with an allusion toMozartPianoConcertoNo. 26 inDMajor KV 537 (1788), published by The Ronald Stevenson Society, Edinburgh,bars19‐22.

92

Figure 29.Absorption of Rachmaninoff’s Lilacs,Op. 21, No. 5 (1902) into Stevenson’s Ivor NovelloTranscription ofWe’ll Gather Lilacs (Ivor Novello 1945, trans. Stevenson 1980), published by TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2.

Stevensonacknowledgesandembracesthefactthat‘thepresenceofothercomposerscan

befelt’throughoutL’ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano.277HedescribestheverseofNovello’s

Fly Home Little Heart (from King’s Rhapsody 1949, trans. Stevenson 1980) as being ‘an arpeggio

studywithaDelianbirdmotif thrown in’—which surely is a reference to FrederickDelius’ (1862–

1934) tonepoem,OnHearing the First Cuckoo in Spring (1912).He alsodescribes the verse as ‘a

Grangeresquestudyinsonority’.278

WhilstsuchadiverseeclecticismcouldfragmentStevenson,anddilutehisessentialcreative

goals,converselyitisacentralaspectofhiscomplexcreativepersonathatparadoxicallydefineshim.

Heastutelynoteshimself ‘[William]Shakespearebuilthisplaysonborrowedthemes,andMolière

277Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.278PrefacetovolumetwoofL'ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano(Edinburgh:RonaldStevenson

Society).

93

said:‘Jeprends[monbienpartout]oujeletrouve’[‘ItakemygoodeverywhereIfindit’]’.279Itisthis

very eclecticism that helps himdivulge his primary aim: to capture the essence of a composer in

transcribing.280However, inevaluatinghisskillfulnessasatranscriber, it isessentialtoexaminehis

re‐workinginconsiderabledetail.

3.8TheArtofTranscription:TranscribingtheImpossible,PruningandGraftingofTexturesandCapturingtheEssenceoftheOriginalComposerOne of most intriguing and ambitious of Stevenson’s transcriptions is an oddity in Mozart’s late

catalogue, the Fantasia in F Minor for Mechanical Clock KV 608 (1790). Deliberately crafted by

Mozartasunachievableforhumanhandstoperform,281theViennesemasterseemedfrustratedby

theinherentlimitationsoftheFlötenuhr.IncorrespondingwithConstanzeMozart(1762–1842)on3

October1790,hewrites:

Ihadmadeupmymind towrite theAdagio for theclockmaker rightawayandslipa fewducats in my dear wife's hands; I did start—but unfortunately, because I hate the job, Iwasn'tabletofinish it. Iwritesomeeveryday—buthavetopostponeas Igetbored—andsurely, if there wasn't such an important reason to force myself, I would certainly leaveoff;—yes,ifitwerealargeclock,andthethingwouldsoundlikeatrueorgan,thenitmightbefun;butasitis,theworkconsistssolelyoflittlepipes,whichsoundhigh‐pitchedandtoochildishformytaste.282

DespiteMozart’s reticence he, in due course, completed the commission from Josef CountDeym

von Střítež (1752–1804), albeitwith reluctance. Stevenson’s ominous self‐imposed challenge as a

transcriber was to rework for a single pianist whatMozart had deliberately made impossible. In

researchingthislatecompositionofMozart,SjoerdJ.Schapernotes:

BecausetheFantasiasweren'tdevisedforhumanexecution,theyareverydifficultevenforfourhandstoplay.Itishardtoavoiddraggingatplaces,andageneralsenseofstrainseemsinevitable.283

279Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,303‐304.280Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2004.281SjoerdJ.Schaper,MechanicalMozart:KV.594andKV.608forMechanicalOrganorFlötenuhr,2002

http://home.zonnet.nl/vspickelen/Mozartfiles/Mozart.htm.282Schaper,MechanicalMozart.283Schaper,MechanicalMozart.

94

Stevenson’spointofdeparturewaspainstakinglytoporeovertheBusonitwo‐pianoversion

oftheFantasiainFMinorforMechanicalClockKIVB91(trans.Busoni1922),aworkthatStevensonis

meticulouslyfamiliarwithandhasperformedandrecordedonnumerousoccasions.284Ifthetwoare

compared side‐by‐side, the macrostructure—i.e., the harmonic outline—remains integral in both

versions(bothhighlightedingreeninFigure30).However,thefiguration—i.e.,themicrostructure—

inStevenson’scomplexpassageworkhasbeensandwichedbetweenthehandsasdoublethirdsand

isexpansivelyrefigured(highlightedinblueinFigure30).

This clearlydemonstratesamasterfulworking insight intovirtuosopiano techniqueand is

not entirely dissimilar to a figurative design utilized by Vladimir Horowitz in his fêted Carmen

Fantasy (1947, revised 1965). The current author obtained a rare handwritten copy of the

unpublished Horowitz score from Ronald Stevenson, meticulously edited by Arnold Schalker.

‘Deception’isimpliedinHorowitz’scase,asthegreatvirtuosodupesthelistenerintothinkingthey

are hearing a third internal hand playing superhumanly impossible double‐thirds (see Figure 31).

Ironically, the legendary double‐thirds are not really double‐thirds at all—the omission of an E‐

natural thatshouldappear inthe left‐handwiththeG‐naturalmakes it fareasier toplay.Thishas

remainedunnoticedbypianistsandcriticsalikefordecadesduetoitbeingvirtuallyundetectableto

humanears.Horowitz,likeamastermagicianistakingadvantageofspeedofexecutionandcunning

figuration.

284FerruccioBusoni:MusicforTwoPianosandPianoDuet,JosephBanowetzandRonaldStevenson

(twopianos)AltarusRecords,AIR‐CD‐9044,1994,compactdisc.FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

95

Figure30.Comparisonbetweenexcerpt(s)fromBusoni’sandStevenson’stranscriptionsofMozart’sFantasiainFMinorforMechanicalClockKV608(trans.Busoni1922,[top](Leipzig,Breitkopf&Härtel,1923), reprinted: Wiesbaden, 1949), trans. Stevenson 1952 (bottom), published by The RonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5.

96

Figure 31. Vladimir Horowitz Carmen Fantasy (1947, revised 1968) based on themes from Bizet’sOperaCarmen(1875),trans.ArnoldSchalker.

Nevertheless,inStevenson’scase—whilstheisinthesametranscendentalLisztiantraditionas

Horowitz—thereisnotrickeryorartificeinvolved:herethedoublethirdsarecertainlyintact.Thisis

realizable because of ingenious fingering (highlighted in the first blue section of Figure 30)—in

particulartheastuteshiftfromthefifthtothefourthfinger intherighthand(onthethirdbeatof

thefirstbar)andtheelegantslidethat immediatelyfollows(resultingintheunusualpattern5/4,2

4,2 3,2 in the right‐hand). Correspondingly, the pedalling is equally as imaginative,with the half‐

pedalling reinforcing the harmony of Mozart’s original across the bar‐line. Busoni’s two piano

version,withtheoctavescommunallysharedbetweenthetwoinstruments(asshowninFigure30,

highlighted in yellow) is reduced (in Stevenson’s case) to flawlessly executabledouble thirds. This

does not diminish the musical outcome; rather, it balances the overall texture and maintains

Mozart’s‘classical’lineinrelationtothesmallermusicalforceofasinglepiano,withoutthesound

becomingovertlyromantic,norstylisticallycompromised.

IntheFugaStevenson’stranscribingvisuallyresemblesthecleancontrapuntallinesofBach

more thanMozart.Stevenson’s solo transcription (highlighted ingreen inFigure32)hasabsorbed

almost all of the notes of Busoni’s two piano version (highlighted in red in Figure 32), with an

occasional pruning of extraneousmaterial for clarity of texture (highlighted in blue in Figure 32).

Even then, this material is often the doubling of a voice, and non‐essential, ensuring the

97

transcriptiondoesbecome too figuratively chaotic,nor inelegant inperformance.This self‐control

and skilled judgmentonStevenson’saccountadheres toBusoni’saxiom thatdogmaticallyholding

fasttothelettershouldonnoaccountbetothedisbursementofthemusicwhentranscribing.285As

Malcolm MacDonald argues: ‘A doctrinaire adherence to the text will inevitably result in a

weakeningofthemusicalIdea;inthehandsofamaster‐transcriber,likeLiszt,Busoni,orStevenson,

themusic’smacro‐structuremay remainmore or less intact, but itsmicrostructuremay undergo

extensiverecomposition’.286

Figure32.SharedMaterialbetweenBusoni’sandStevenson’stranscriptionsofMozart’sFantasiainFMinorforMechanicalClockKV6081790,trans.Busoni1922.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel),No.5220,1923, reprinted: Wiesbaden, 1949, trans. Stevenson 1952, published by The Ronald StevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars41‐42.

285Busoni,SketchofaNewAesthetic,84.286MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,81.

98

InhissolotranscriptionoftheAdagiofromMozart’sPianoConcertono20inDMinorKV466

(1785, trans. Stevenson 1961), Stevenson grafts rather than prunes textures. However, for what

purposedoeshedoso?HereheisfaithfultobothMozart’soriginalsolopianowriting(highlightedin

blueinFigure32,aswellastheorchestralmaterial,bothofwhichareabsorbed(highlightedinredin

Figure 32) into the new, innovative solo texture. Whilst this is first‐rate transcribing, it is the

inclusionofadditionalornamentalmaterial (highlighted ingreen inFigure32), inwhichStevenson

shows his expert knowledge of figuration, by having it scored over four staves. Upon closer

examination,theadditionalmaterialisactuallymoreMozartthanitisStevenson,asitisa‘written

out’ account of Mozart’s identifiable ornamental figuration, used throughout the movement (as

showninfigure34,highlightedinred).

Figure33.Stevenson'sSoloTranscriptionofMozart'sPianoConcertoNo.20inDMinorKV466(1785,trans.Stevenson1961),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars154‐155.

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Figure34.SecondMovementofWolfgangAmadeusMozart'sPianoConcertoNo.20inDMinorKV466(1785).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1878),bars1‐5.

InStevenson’sCadenzastoMozart’sPianoConcertoNo.20inDMinorKV466(1785),used

by the performing soloistwith orchestra,Kadenzen fürMozart’s Klavier Konzert in Dmoll KV 466

(1952), he appends a reference from the ‘Commendatore Scene,’ found in the final act of Don

Giovanni KV 527 (1787).MacDonald notes that Stevensonwould later use this same theme in his

Twentieth Century Music Diary (1953–59) ‘as a twelve note tone‐row derived from the Statue

Scene’.287 Whilst he is not using it serially in this case, Stevenson is well aware that D minor is

Mozart’smost‘demonic’key,asitisthekeyofDonGiovanni’sdemise(‘DonGiovanni!acenarteco

m'invitasti’—‘DonGiovanni!Youinvitedmetodinewithyou’), theRequiemKV626(1791),andthe

QueenoftheNight’ssecondaria(DerHölleRachekochtinmeinemHerzen�’Hell'svengeanceboilsin

myheart’)fromDieZauberflöte,KV620(1791).

Stevenson realized that the ominous tone of Don Giovanni flawlessly complements the

environofMozart’sdarkestpianoconcerto(asshowninFigure35,highlightedinred).Inthiscurious

cross‐pollinationbetweendifferentworksbythesamecomposer,Stevensonistryingtocapturethe

essenceofMozartinhisentirety,ratherthanmerelywritingacadenza.


100

Figure35.AnExcerptfromStevenson’sKadenzenfürMozartsKlavierKonzertinDmoll,KV466,1785,composed1952,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars40‐43.Another facet of Stevenson’s transcribing that deserves exploration is his change of

figuration,evenwhenself‐transcribing.Oneclearexamplecanbeseeninhistranscriptionofhisown

original composition, the Fugue on a fragment of Chopin (1949), written to commemorate the

centenaryofChopin’sdeath(1849–1949).288Whenthesolopianoversion(1949)andthetwopiano

arrangement(1953)arecomparedsidebyside(asshowninFigure36),itisapparentthatStevenson

has,onceagain,severedsomematerial(thedescendingthirdsasshowninFigure36highlightedin

yellow)tomakewayfornewmaterial(theascendingdoublethirds,asshowninFigure36).

Figure36.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sFugueonaFragmentofChopin—originalsoloversion(1949) and his own two piano version (1953), both versions published by The Ronald StevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars92‐93(bothexamples).


101

The marking relato (highlighted on blue in Figure 36 in the two‐piano version) is a

nonsensicalwordandobviouslyamisprint,asitshouldreadvelato(asseeninthesoloversion)that

MacDonaldrightlynotestomean‘veiled’.289This‘veiling’isaccomplishedinthepedalling,whichis

muchmoredefinedinthetwopianoversion(highlightedingreeninFigure36).Thequasi‐orchestral

textureisheightenedbytheinsertionofrests,whicharenowpossibleinthesecondpianopart.In

bar41ofthesamework,themodificationsbetweenthetwoaccountsaremorefar‐reaching.With

thesuperiorforcesoftwoinstrumentsathiscontrol,Stevensonsplitstheoriginalmelodyatthetop

ofthesixths intheright‐handbetweenchords inthetwopianoversion,whilst thematerial inthe

right‐hand of bar 42 is doubled between the hands (highlighted in red and purple respectively in

Figure37).

Other material is doubled in octaves (highlighted in blue in Figure 37), whilst additional

imaginativematerialisadded(highlightedingreeninFigure37).Inbar43ofthetwopianoversion

of theFugueonaFragmentofChopin, the left‐hand trill isaveryunusual figuration (as shown in

Figure38),whichiscloselyinterrelatedtothatusedbyJohannesBrahmsinhisPianoConcertoNo.1

inDMinor,Op.15(1858)(asshowninFigure39inred),absorbed,yetagain,fromaforerunnerand

madeidentifiablyStevenson’sown.


102

Figure37.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sFugueonaFragmentofChopin—originalsoloversion(1949) and his own two piano version (1953), both versions published by The Ronald StevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars41‐42(bothexamples).

Figure38.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’sFugueona fragmentofChopin (TwoPianoVersion,1953)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars43–44.

103

Figure 39.Piano Concerto No. 1 in DMinor, by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)Op. 15 (1858) FirstMovement.(NewYork:G.Schirmer,1921),Vol.429,bar110.An amalgamation of an inclusive style can be seen even more directly in his quasi‐

GodowskianÉtudetted’aprèsKarsakovetChopin—Spectred’Alkan (1987) thatbegins for the left‐

hand alone (as shown in Figure 40). Stevenson adroitly transcribes Rachmaninoff’s earlier

transcriptionofNikolaiRimsky‐Korsakov’s(1844‐1908)FlightoftheBumblebeefromTheTaleofTsar

Saltan(1899–1900),thatis ingeniouslyinternalizedwithinthesololeft‐hand(highlightedinbluein

Figure40).This is latersuperimposedaboveChopin’s ÉtudeinAMinor,Op.25,No.2(1837)with

the twopieces inventivelyperformedsimultaneously.Korsakov’sBumbleBee canunmistakablybe

heardinthelefthand(seeFigure41,highlightedinred)againstChopin’sÉtudeinAMinor,Op.25,

No.2intheright‐hand(seeFigure41,highlightedinblue).

104

Figure40.Stevenson’sÉtudetted’aprèsKarsakovetChopin(Spectred’Alkan),1987,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐3.

It is worthy of note that if one looks at Carl Czerny’s premeditated parody of Chopin (as

showninFigure41,Op.365,No.19,bars1‐2)—althoughlaterCzernyusesbothhandsmovingoutin

contrary motion (as opposed to Chopin’s single‐hand virtuosity), it is as much a ‘Hommage de

Reconnaissance’toanothercomposer,asanythingelse.InthesamemannerMacDonaldnotesthat

Stevenson’sworksproliferatewithsuchhomages:

‘Homages’ abound in Stevenson’s music: overt ones to Chopin and Hindemith (and toSibelius)…. If it was his instinct to usewhatever came to hand, it was also his instinct tosalutefiguresheadmired,tobuildbridges,tocelebrateother’sachievements.290

It is also important to remember that, aswell asoffering actsof homage, Stevenson sees

transcriptionasanewcommentaryonapre‐existingwork(aspreviouslydiscussedinChapter3.1).

ThisisnowheremoreapparentthaninanarticlehewroteforTheListenerin1971.Whilstdiscussing

Godowsky’s transcriptionof theCradleSong—Schlafe, schlafe,holder süsserKnabe,D498Op.98,

No. 2 by Franz Schubert (1816, trans. Godowsky 1927), Stevenson perceptively delineates

Godowsky’saestheticoutlookconcerningtheart‐form,traitsofwhichheunambiguouslyshares:


105

His [Godowsky’s] declared aim here was ‘to transplant the song from voice to piano; tocomment and interpret it, in the manner of free variations’. Godowsky hoped that, tolistenerswhoareopen‐minded,his Schubert transcriptionswouldproclaimhis venerationforthecomposerandhisimmortalsongs.291

Figure41.ComparisonofÉtudesbyFredericChopin(Op.25No.2,1837,bars1‐2),CarlCzerny(Op.365, No. 19, 1836, bars 1‐2) and Ronald Stevenson Étudette d’après Karsakov et Chopin (Spectred’Alkan),1987,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars53‐55.

However,ColinScott‐Sutherlandreasonsthat‘he[Stevenson]voiceshisconcernnotonlyto

translate,bornofhisenthusiasmtocommunicateandhisdesiretomakeallmusicmoreaccessible,

291RonaldStevenson,‘LeopoldGodowsky’,TheListener85,No.2180(7January1971),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,2009.

106

butalsototransfigure’292whichinmanywayssuccinctlydefinesStevenson’smasterlycontribution

tothegenre.

Stevenson once said that his friend and former duo partner, Sir Peter Piers (1910–1986),

once suggested a programme title to him, The Transcendental Tradition.293 When the recital

eventuallymaterialized,StevensondecisivelyincludedsomeofhisownPurcelltranscriptions,seeing

bothhimselfandPurcellaspartofalivingtradition:

Isawimmediatelyhowitsthreewordssuggestedeverythingabouttheartoftranscription.For that’s what transcription is, or rather should be: the transcendental tradition. An artbasedontradition,butgoingbeyondit;anartbotholdandnewatthesametime.294

Stevensonastranscriber isundoubtedlyapartofthistranscendentaltradition—anancient

practice that illustratesand re‐vivifies apre‐existing text throughahighly intelligent,personalized

illumination. This not only results in a unique stylized commentary on a compatriot but also

paradoxically,throughartisticmetamorphosis, itbecomespartofhim,andis indeed‘botholdand

newatthesametime’.

292Scott‐Sutherland,Envoi:Whatnow?282.293Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300.294Scott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300.

107

ChapterFour:StevensonandthePedal

4.1Stevensonand‘TheSoulofthePiano’

The American virtuoso, Joseph Banowetz (b. 1936)—one of the founding patrons of The Ronald

StevensonSocietyin1995—hasbeenanindefatigablechampionofStevenson’smusicinrecitaland

recording, for many decades. In his highly regarded publication, The Pianist’s Guide to Pedalling

(1985),henotesthedifficultyofacademicinquiryintopedalling:

Pedalling,admittedly,isoneofthemostdifficultaspectsofpianoplayingtodiscussfromtheprinted page alone: and few would deny that, to paraphrase an old expression, oneperformance isworth a thousandwords. Thepedal is a highly personal part of any pianoperformance, and no two players will use exactly the same pedalling, nor will the sameperformeruseidenticalpedallingfromperformancetoperformance.295

Stevensonwrotein1995that‘Alotofyoungerpianistsshowlittlecuriosityaboutwhatliesbeyond

the‘normal’repertoire,whatIfindmissingintheirplayingisbeautifultone,andpedalling’.296Whilst

Stevenson’s position on the pedal was discussed at length in chapter two from the aspect of

‘Stevenson as performer,’ it seems warranted to survey Stevenson’s use of the pedals ‘as

composer’—especiallyas, likeRubenstein,heseesthepedalsas ‘thesoulofthepiano’297ofwhich

SergeiRachmaninoff(1873–1943)said:

Ihaveneverheardthevirtuosopiece IslameyOp.18(1869)byMilyBalakirev(1837–1910)as [Anton] Rubinstein (1829–1894) played it, and his interpretation of Schumann's littlefantasyTheBird as Prophet [Vogel als Prophet,Waldszenen,Op. 82,No. 7, 1848–49]wasinimitableinpoeticrefinement:todescribethediminuendoofthepianissimoattheendofthe"flutteringawayofthelittlebird"wouldbehopelesslyinadequate.Inimitable,too,wasthe soul‐stirring imagery in the Kreisleriana, Op. 16 (1838) the last (G minor) passage ofwhich I have never heard anyone play in the samemanner. One of Rubinstein's greatestsecretswashisuseofthepedal.Hehimselfveryhappilyexpressedhisideasonthesubjectwhenhesaid,"Thepedalisthesoulofthepiano”.Nopianistshouldeverforgetthis.298

295JosephBanowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling(Bloomington:IndianaUniversityPress,1985),9.296Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,

19.297StephenHough,‘Depressed:TheAmazingWorldofthePedal’,DailyTelegraph,9January2010:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100006070/depressed‐the‐amazing‐world‐of‐the‐pedal;seealsoHamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,170.

298OscarvonRiesemann,Rachmaninoff’sRecollections(London:GeorgeAllenandUnwinLtd,1934),49‐52.

108

However,asBanowetzrightlypointsout,visuallydictatingpedallinginamusicalscoreisan

imprecise art at the best of times, with a considerable element of discretion left to the pianist.

Ultimately, good pedalling can come only from performing experience, wherein ‘the ear alone,

ratherthanasetofprinteddirections,mustalwaysbethefinalguideforanartisticperformance’.299

Stevenson, arguably has more punctilious pedal markings than practically any other composer,

notwithstanding Pierre Boulez (b. 1925), Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001), Ferruccio Busoni and Franz

Liszt. Stevenson’smodus operandi in exploiting the expressive powers of the pedals is principally

drawnfromtwocomposer‐pianists:FerruccioBusoniandhisformerstudentPercyGrainger.

MacDonaldnotesthatStevenson’sowntranscriptionofRuggeroLeoncavallo’s(1857–1919)

LaMattinata(comp.1902,trans.Stevenson1981)faithfullyfollowsLeoncavallo’spedalling,inwhat

was the first song expressly composed for The Gramophone Company (1904), which eventually

becameHisMaster’sVoice(1909):

[Stevenson] faithfully transmits Leoncavallo’s pedalling as heard in his 1904 phonographicrecordingof the songwith [Enrico]Caruso (1873–1921), includesa silvery filigreecadenzamarked ‘con delicatezza paderewskiana,’ and climaxes in a ‘perorazione alla Jussi Björling[Swedish tenor] (1911–1960),’ with a downward white key glissando imitating an Italiantenor’svocalswoop.300

Busoniwrotemoreexpansivelythananyoneontheuseofthepianopedals—nowheremore

so than in his influential, yet hugely extended, supplement to his editionofDasWohltemperierte

Klavier(BWV846‐893,KIVB250),whichStevensonhasstudiedindetail.Thisincorporatesaversionof

histreatiseOntheTranscriptionofBach'sOrganWorksforthePianoforte,whereinhesurveysthe

useofallthreepedals,includingtheseldomutilized‘middle’orsostenutopedal,thatStevensonsees

as ‘seminally important in composing for the piano’.301 However, it is ironic that,whilst exploring

Stevenson’suseofthepedals,onehastostartwithexamplesinhiswritingwherethefeetarenot

299Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,9.300MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,93.301Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

109

usedatall:otherwiseknownasthecuriouslyentitledartof‘fingerpedalling,’whichis,inessence,an

elegantaliasforstraightforward‘legato‐fingering’.

4.2‘FingerPedalling’:fromSimpleExamplestothe‘GreatestFlightsofSonicFancy’

GlennCarruthersnotesthatPercyGrainger(1882–1961)sawtheinstructionof‘fingerpedalling’as

fundamental inhisownpedagogy.Bothhispupils, LaurenceDilsner (1911–1989)andAlmaBrock‐

Smith (1908–2009) agree thatGrainger ‘did not believe that the damper pedal should be used in

placeoflegatofingering’.ItissurprisinghowoftenGraingertoldDilsnerthat‘ifhe[Grainger]were

toagainteachbeginners,hewouldinsistonsixmonthsofconcentratedorganstudybeforestarting

thepiano.Thiswouldencouragemeticulouslegatofingeringwithouthavingtorelyonthedamper

pedal.302 Stephen Hough (b. 1961) describes ‘finger pedalling’ as ‘holding notes down to form a

melodywhilsttheothervoicesmoveindependently’.303Houghgivesasimpleillustrationintheinitial

barsofMozart’sSonatainCMajor,KV545(1788)(asshowninFigure42),notingthatthisremains

thefoundationuponwhichmoreadvancedtechniquesareconstructed:

Thesearethesimplestexamples.Inamoreadvancedstageofplayingwecancreatenotjustharmonic foundations,but innermelodies—counterpointunderpinningorweavingaroundtheprincipalvoice,everythingworkingtogetherinunitybutwithtotalindependence.Again,liketheuseof the leftandrightpedals, thepossibilitiesof finger‐pedalare limitless.Fromwholepassages toa singlenote, it can liberate lines, clarify textures, andenableour footpedallingtobefreetoundertakethegreatestflightsofsonicfancy.304

302GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,

CanadianUniversityMusicReview,21,No.2(2001),77‐93.CarrutherscitesLaurenceDilsner,PercyGrainger(1882‐1961):‘SomePersonalRecollections’,Clavier21,No.9(1982),13‐14.

303StephenHough,‘ADifferentDepression’,DailyTelegraph(6February2010):http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100006588/a‐different‐depression‐finger‐pedal.

304StephenHough,‘ADifferentDepression’.

110

Figure42.TheOpeningbarsofMozart’sSonatainCMajorKV545‘SonataFacile,’(1788)bars1‐2.

Carruthershasmeticulouslynotedeveryinstanceof‘nopedal’and‘nopedaluntilmarked’

in Grainger’s entire output. He tells us that ‘these occur at the outset of Shepherd's Hey (1911),

Mollyon theShore (1918),KnightandShepherd'sDaughter (1918),SpoonRiver (1922),and Jutish

Medley(1928)’.305ThismayhavebeenduetoBusoni’sinfluenceonGrainger,whosaidinhispreface

toDasWohltemperierteKlavier(BWV846‐893,KIVB250)that‘thedisuseofthepedalisoftenitsbest

use…asayingnotonlyapplicabletoBach,buttopianoplayingingeneral’.306Inthesametreatise,he

also recommends that ‘wherever possible sustain the tone with the hands rather than with the

pedal’. Furthermore, Carruthers notes that, in Grainger’s case, ‘The marking ‘no pedal’ occurs

internally inShepherd'sHey (bar53),TheGum‐SuckersMarch (1916,bar154),Mollyon theShore

(bars 55, 175, and 1, 79), Spoon River (bar 84), and Eastern Intermezzo (1922) (bar 98), and the

playerisadmonished"nopedal"sixtimesinthecourseofScotchStrathspeyandReel(1939)’.307

In an unequivocal comparison, Stevenson’s use of the marking Senza Pedale in the

Passacaglia on DSCH alone ismore recurrent than in Grainger’s entire body of pianoworks, and

occurs an astonishing 137 times across his voluminous publishedmusic. Stevensonwill even add

additional‘senzaped’tohisownworkingcopies—asinthecurrentauthor’scopyofthePassacaglia

305GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger’(2001),77‐93.306FerruccioBusoni,Prefaceto‘DasWohltemperierteKlavier,’BWV846–893(editedFerruccioBusoni)

(NewYork:Schirmer,1894).307GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger’,77‐93.

111

onDSCH(asseeninFigure43),thatheaddedinpencilonnolessthantwelveoccasionsthroughout

itsone‐hundred‐and‐ninety‐onepages.

Figure 43. Ronald Stevenson’s Pencil Additions to the Current Author’s ‘Working Copy’ of thePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar479.

Stevenson’s largestwork forpiano in the last fifteenyears ishisLeFestind’Alkan (1988–

1997).Whilsttheworkwascommissionedin1988,itwasnotcompleteduntil1997.Thetitleofthis

monumental three‐movement work is, in itself, a paraphrase. However, it is not a musical

paraphrase,butinsteadaliteraryone,ofLeFestind'Esope(Aesop'sFeast)Op.39No.12(1861)by

Charles‐ValentinAlkan(1813–1888).AteşOrganotesthatLeFestind’Alkan(1988–97)isa‘concerto

sans orchestra that has clear parallels that can be drawn with musical predecessors with direct

similarities, not just toworks by Alkan, butmore surprisingly, Schumann’. This ismost likely as a

resultoftherapidtoccata‐likepassages,useofmusicalcryptographyandform—analogouswiththe

Études Symphoniques, Op. 13 (1834–1837) andmore strikingly to Orga the Troisième Grande

Sonate,Op.14ConcertsansOrchestrainFMinor(1835–36).308

308‘Thefirstmovementisaconcertoforsolopianosansorchestra[cf.Alkan’sthree‐movement

Concertowithoutorchestra,Op.39,Nos.8‐10:likewiseSchumann’searlierFMinorSonata–Concertsansorchestra],thepianotexturedistinguishingbetween‘solo’and‘tutti’.Orga,ThePianoMusic,123.

112

Stevenson’swork is lightyearsawayfromtheopeningbarsofMozart’sSonata inCMajor

K545 (1788). Whilst the Mozart Sonata has a crystalline simplicity and beauty of melodic

inventiveness,Stevenson’suseof‘fingerpedalling’(asshowninFigure44)isingeniousindesignand

isalmostinconceivablydeliveredwithnosustainingpowerwhatsoever,otherthanthefingers.Itis

nosurprisethatthepremièrewasleftinthesafehandsofoneoftheworld’sgreatestpianists,Marc‐

André Hamelin, at the Blackheath Concert HallsPianofest in 1998.309Marked Senza Ped, the two

centralpartsmove inunisonwithaseamless legato,whilstthethirdsofthetwoperipheralvoices

replicate themselves in reflection, ‘mezzo staccato,’ as shadowy inversions of eachother, like the

twofacesofJanus,lookinginwards.ResultantlyStevenson,likeacomplacentsorcerer’sapprentice,

summonsadarkorchestraltexturethatisbothbroodingandunquietwithitsstark,almostBartókian

angularity,yetBachianclarity.Thefourpartsingeniouslyoverlapinamultifariousfigurationthatis

onlyjustpossiblefortenfingerstoeffectuateandistrulyoneofthemoststartlinglycomplexusesof

‘fingerpedalling’intheentirepianorepertoire.

Figure44.AnExcerptfromtheThirdMovementofStevenson’sLeFestind’Alkan(1988–97),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars182‐184.

309Marc‐AndréHamelin(b.1961)premièredStevenson’s‘FestinD’Alkan’(1988–97)attheBlackheath

ConcertHallsPianofestin1998,RonaldSmith(TheAlkanSocietyNewsletter,BulletinNo.54(November1997/August1998):http://www.alkansociety.org/HTMLobj‐206/bulletin54.PDF.

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4.3SenzaPedale:theSilentDepressioninPianism

Whilst finger‐pedalling holds on to the keys without using the pedals, i.e., raising the individual

dampersofthekeysdepressed,Stevensonwillonoccasionsilentlydepressmultiplenotestoexploit

theeffectofsympatheticvibration,butonly foraspecificscaleormode.Hisoriginalcomposition,

HeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967),isatypicalexample.Stevensonasksthepianistto‘depress

silentlyallwhitekeys’withtheleftforearm,whichresultantlysoundswhentheright‐handnotesare

struck (asshown inFigure45,highlighted inblue).A lessercomposerwouldalmostcertainlyhave

employedtheblacknotesofthepianoforacomparableeffect,orsimplyheldthesustainingpedal

down. Stevenson has realized that, as there are obviously more white notes on the piano than

black—both tones, semitones and more importantly sympathetic‐overtones—the resultant

sympathetic‐reverberationwouldbefarpurerinitsmodalitywithoutthepedal.

Figure45.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sHeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid (1967),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5.

ThisillustratesnotsimplythestronginfluenceofPercyGraingerandBusoni(bothofwhom

wouldsilentlydepressnotesusingthemiddlepedal(asshowninGrainger’sConcertTranscriptionof

theMainThemes fromRachmaninoff’sPianoConcertoNo.2 inCminor,Op18 (1900–1901, trans.

Grainger1946,Figure46),butalsoanevengreaterinfluenceofGrainger’sclosefriend,theAmerican

pioneeroftheavant‐garde,HenryCowell(1897–1965).

114

Figure46.PercyGrainger’sConcertTranscriptionofMainThemesfromSergeiRachmaninoff’sPianoConcertoNo.2inCMinorOp.18(1900‐1901,trans.Grainger1946).

There are striking similarities between Stevenson’sHeroic Sang forHughMacDiarmid and

Henry Cowell’s remarkableExultation (1919), as bothworks share a foundationof pentatonicism,

forearm clusters and exuberant, flamboyant techniques. However, whilst Cowell necessitates the

performertopoundtheblacknotesofthepianowithelbows,forearmsandfists(asshowninFigure

47)inahigh‐spiritedclangorousromp,Stevenson’s‘silentdepression’is infacttheexactopposite.

This may be far more revelatory than one may initially suppose, illustrating a major aspect of

Stevenson’s own compositional psyche in absorbing traits of another composer and retrogradely

invertinganentiredesign.

Figure 47. An Excerpt from Henry Cowell's Exultation, ‘Pentatonic Forearm‐Clusters’ (1919), fromPianoMusicbyHenryCowell(NewYork:AssociatedMusicPublishers,1960),bars1‐4.

115

4.4SilentDepressionandtheSustainingPedal

When Stevenson combines silent depression with sustain‐pedalling the effects can be truly

remarkable. In his Passacaglia on DSCH (1963), there is unarguably the single most complex

combinationof pedalling and silent‐depression in theentire gamutofmusic for keyboard,per se.

Thepianist is instructedtosilentlydepressachordwiththe‘fingersontipsofkeys’(highlightedin

red,Figure48)andthenglissandioverthetopofthesilentlydepressednotes,withtherightpedal

held down (highlighted in brown, Figure 48) to produce a startling non cromatico glissandi (non‐

chromatic glissandi) that is quite simply unique. In addition, he then asks the pianist to silently

depress an additional chord (highlighted in blue, Figure 48) and release the sustaining pedal—in

accordancewithhisveryspecificpedalmarkings(highlightedingreen,Figure48).The‘silentnotes’

resultantlysoundsympathetically—producinganethereal,ghost‐liketimbre.

Asifthiswerenotimpressiveenough,uponthesixthrepetitionofthefiguration(highlighted

inpurple,Figure48),thepianististheninstructedtosimultaneouslyplaytheadditionallinewiththe

left‐handthumb,whilstmaintainingthesilentlydepressedchord,‘withknucklespressedagainstthe

piano lid’. All this is donewith the samehand—whilst still producing the non‐chromaticglissandi

withtheright—allofwhichisexecutedasthenon‐highlightednotes(seeFigure48)—areperformed

in the normal fashion. This is a masterstroke of amalgamated figuration, ingenious techniques,

silent‐depressionandpedalling.ItisnowonderthatthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)isincreasingly

hailed as the modern counterpart of the crowning pinnacles of the piano repertoire, alongside

Beethoven’sGroßeSonatefürdasHammerklavier(PianoSonataNo.29inB♭major,Op.106,1817–

1818),TheGoldbergVariations,BWV988(published1741)ofJohannSebastianBachandFranzLiszt’s

PianoSonatainBminorS.178(published1854),DieKunstderFuge(TheArt‐of‐Fugue)BWV1080(c.

1740+),aswellastheDiabelliVariations,Op.120(1819–23)byBeethoven.310


116

Figure 48.Ground Plan of Pedalling in the Passacaglia on DSCH (1963): ‘Quasi Chitarra’ (London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars846‐856.

When the present author performed the work for Stevenson’s seventieth birthday, Christopher

MorleywrotecontendedthatthePassacagliaonDSCHshouldbeaddedtothislist.311

Nonetheless, no matter how ingenious the pedalling is, the piano is in itself a decaying

instrument, i.e.,when thenotesare struck, thevolumecannotbe increased. Ithas longbeen the

dreamof composer‐pianists to crescendowithout repeating notes, for example, as a vocalist can.

Such a case in point is the ‘crescendo‐impossibile’ in the closing bars of Liszt’s greatest work for

311ChristopherMorley,‘IllusionsandAllusionsinBirthdayTribute,’BirminghamPost,PostReviews,

MarkGasser,AdrianBoultHall(5December1998).

117

piano, his B Minor Sonata (Figure 49, bars 755‐760)—to which Morley draws parallels with the

Passacaglia on DSCH (1963).312Whilst Liszt’s ‘crescendo‐impossibile’ is attainable only by physical

gestureasaquasi‐spiritualclimax,Stevensonaspirestobringtofruitionhispredecessor’saspiration

in live performance, in the scenario of a radio broadcast. He cleverly adds the non‐compulsory

instructioninhisHeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967)(Figure45,highlightedingreen),‘Questo

cresc./dim.percontrolloelettronicoatransmissioneradiofonica,’313aswellas‘inradioperformance

the < > may be obtained by electronic volume control’ in the Passacaglia on DSCH (Figure 48,

highlighted in yellow). The idea of artificially amplifying the piano’s harmonics—especially in real‐

timeovertheanalogueairwaves—wouldsurelyhaveseemedradicalin1967(HeroicSangforHugh

MacDiarmid),andevenmoresoin1963(PassacagliaonDSCH)atthedawnoftheSpace‐Age.

Figure49.ConcludingbarsofLiszt’sSonatainBMinorS.178(1854)(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1854),Plate8877,bars755‐760.

Whilst it is an interesting idea, it does seem a little passé and one‐dimensional from our

present ‘information‐age,’withthetwenty‐firstcenturycomposerhavingamyriadofstate‐of‐the‐

artdigitaltoolsathisorherdisposaltomanipulatethesoundofanacousticpiano.Nonetheless,the

philosophy itself shows, perhapsmore than anything, a communion‐of‐spirit with Henry Cowell’s

pioneeringoutlook,aswellasthatofRobertSchumann,whooncesaid‘ratherthanrepeatthesame

312ChristopherMorley,‘IllusionsandAllusionsinBirthdayTribute’.313‘Questocresc/dim.percontrolloelettronicoatransmissioneradiofonica’‘Inradioperformance

thiscrecs/dim.isachievedbyelectronicvolumecontrol,’HeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967)(Edinburgh:TheRonaldStevensonSociety),bars3‐5.

118

formsforcenturies,weshouldbeintentoncreatingnewonesinstead’.314

4.5FlutterPedallingandthe‘WindovertheGrave’

Publishersalltoooftenwillomitacomposer‐pianist’smoreunusualpedalmarkings,eitherbecause

of laziness or ignorance as to their actual importance (as discussed in the caseof Busoni and the

Pedal inChapter2.4).Stevenson is certainlynoexception to this treatmentbypublishers,at least

until the foundation of The Ronald Stevenson Society in 1995, with typesetter Archie McLellan

meticulously reproducing the finest of details from Stevenson’smanuscripts. If one compares the

OxfordUniversityPressimpressionofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)withthesamepassagefrom

TheRonaldStevensonSociety:Composer’sFacsimileEdition (asshown inFigure50,bars393‐395),

one can see that themarking ‘Ped. vibrato (flutter‐pedal)’ is nonexistent in theOxfordUniversity

Pressversion.

Figure 50. Comparison between excerpt(s) from Ronald Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH (1963)OxfordUniversityPressedition(top)(1964)andtheComposer’sFacsimileEdition(bottom),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars393‐395.

314JohnDaverio,RobertSchumann:Heraldofa"NewPoeticAge"(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,

1997),125.

119

Whilstthiswouldalmostcertainlyremainunnoticedtoamusicologist,toaperformeritisa

fundamentally importantavenue togain insight intowhat soundandmoodStevenson is trying to

evoke.Banowetzdescribesthepracticeofflutterpedallingas:

Theflutteringmotionofthedampersshouldbeasrapidaspossibleinordertoavoidaudibleblocksorchopsinthesound.Atnotimeshouldthepedalhitasitisraisedorbedepressedcompletely.Theflutteringmotionofthedampersshouldbeasrapidaspossibleinordertoavoidaudibleblocksorchopsinthesound.315

Nonetheless,whilstthisisaveryprecise,technicalaccountofhowflutterpedallingactuallyworks,it

essentially, ‘will giveneeded resonance and colour,without creating lumpsof pedalled sound,’ as

well as being used for ‘rapid reduction in sonority’. However, flutter‐pedalling is very often

misconstruedbyaudiences,musiccriticsandevenpianists.WhenthecurrentauthorheardMurray

McLachlangiveasuperbperformanceofthePassacagliaonDSCHatChetham'sSchoolofMusic in

1996, a critic thought that McLachlan was so fatigued towards the end that he was ‘physically

shaking’inthepocoapococrescendo,grande,gigantesco(bars2202‐2249).Infact,McLachlanwas

flutterpedalling.AsimilarfauxpasofAlbertLavignac(1846–1916)—whotaughtharmonytoHenri

Casadesus (1879–1947), Vincent d’Indy (1851–1931), and Claude Debussy (1862–1918) amongst

othersattheConservatoiredeParis—wasnotedwhilstheheardSigismondThalberg(1812–1871)

play:

Asayoungman,LavignachadheardThalbergplayintheSalleErardinParis,andinitiallyhethoughttheperformerabundleofnervesowingtotheshakingofhisfootonthesustainingpedal.However,Thalbergwasnotafraid,butheused thepedaladmirablywithverybrieftouchesbrilliantlydistributedjustattherequiredmomentandwithsuchfrequentrepetitionthat at first, a little naively, I had thought it trembling…. Attention once drawn to thesubject,Ihaveneverneglectedtoobservethewayinwhichgreatpianistsusethepedaloneveryoccasion.316

Banowetzgivesasuperb illustrationof thepracticethatAlbertLavignacwasabystanderto inthe

fourthmovement of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B♭minor, Op. 35 (1837–1839) (as shown in

315Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,79.316Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,172.(Hamiltonfootnotes‘QuotedfromRowland,HistoryofPiano

Pedalling’,115–16.)

120

Figure 51). Banowetz sees the pedalling as helpful in clarifying themood that Chopin is trying to

establish. This is because the ‘light irregular blurring produces themacabre ‘windover the grave’

effect’317—leastofallasthismovementfollowsthewell‐knownmarchefunèbre,andismarkedsotto

vocee legato.ThisbearsaconspicuousresemblancetoStevenson’smarking inthePassacagliaon

DSCH,moltosottovoce,misteriosoandlegatissimo(asshowninFigure50,bars393‐395),whichcan

hardlybecoincidental.Thevibratopedallingenhancestheseamlessnessofthelegatissimotexture—

especiallywith thehighlyunusual slidingof every finger from theblacknotes to thewhite in the

scalicwriting—whilsttheomnipresenceoftheDSCH(D,E♭,C,B)intheground‐bassremainsinstasis

withthelowermostdigits—exhibitingdiscreteechoesofChopin’s‘windoverthegrave’writing.

Figure51.Flutter‐PedallingintheFourthMovementofChopin’sPianoSonataNo.2inB♭Minor,Op.35(1837–1839).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,ca.1840),Plate6329,bars1‐3.318

4.6AnUnparalleleduseoftheSostenutoPedal/PedIII

Stevenson’s use of the sostenuto pedal is so varied and all‐encompassing in his writing that he

utilizes every effect possible, as set out in Busoni’s Klavierübung in Zehn Büchern (1818–1925,

Breitkopf&Härtel).Havingstudieditindetail inhisyouth(asdiscussedinChapter2.1),Stevenson

builtuponitsuncompromisingfoundationstoclimbhigheranddiscovernewmusicalapplications.In

theKlavierübung,there isevenanétude for thePedal III (seeFigure52).AntonyBeaumontnotes

317Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,80.318Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,80(reproducedwithkindpermission,Indiana

UniversityPress).

121

that thepiecewaswrittenon four staves foreaseof reading, yetwas intended tobe included in

Busoni’sunfinishedOpera,DoktorFaustKV303(1925):

This piece iswrittenon4 staves, two for theHauptsimme [primarypart] and two for theLiegendeTöne[heldnotes].Busonifinishediton13November1923inParis.ItisdedicatedtoLeonhardTauber,whowashishostwhilehewasinParis.Themusicwasintendedforthemoment of Faust's death at the end of the final scene of his unfinished opera DoktorFaust.319

Figure52.FerruccioBusoni’s‘PedalIIIStudy,’Klavierübung(1818–1925,Breitkopf&Härtel),Book9:Seven Short Pieces for the Cultivation of Polyphonic Playing, No. 7,Mit Anwendung des III. Pedals(Steinway&SonsSostenutoPedal)Andantetranquillo,bars1‐4.

Busoni’s toil was to Stevenson ‘an immediate Joycean epiphany: the realization of an

overwhelming affinity with the creator of this questing and visionary music, an affinity that he

admits has exceeded any other in his life’.320 Stevenson also draws attention to the influence of

Grainger in relation to the Ped III: ‘Grainger was the only Busoni pupil who developed fully his

master'stechniqueofmiddle‐pedalling’.321ThisissubstantiatedbyGlenCarruthers,whowrites:

319AntonyBeaumontBusonitheComposer(London:FaberandFaber,1985),306.320MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,19.321GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,

CanadianUniversityMusicReview21,No.2(2001).CarrutherscitesRonaldStevenson,‘GraingerandthePiano,’inForeman(ed.)ThePercyGraingerCompanion,117.

122

The fons et origo of Grainger's use of the middle pedal was Section Four of the FirstAppendix,toVolumeOne,oftheBusonieditionofJohannSebastianBach'sWell‐TemperedClavier (BWV 846‐893, KIV B250) ‘On the Transcription of Bach's Organ‐ works for thePianoforte’.322 In the summer of 1903 Grainger studied Bach‐Busoni transcriptions withBusoniinBerlin,andtheuseofthemiddlepedalwouldcertainlybeanintegralpartofthoselessons.323

Graingerhimselfsaid‘inthenearfutureapianistnotavailinghimselfoftheadvantagesofthistruly

wonderful American invention [the Ped III] will be as much out of date as the dodo’.324

Unfortunately,asistheintrinsicperilthatcomeswithallprophesy,Grainger’soptimisticdivination

ofthefuturehasyettobefulfilledasonlyasmallnumberofpianistsatthepresenttimearefamiliar

withthemiddle‐pedal,andtoomanyyoungpianistsdonotknowhowtouseitatall.

Whilst Stevenson exploits themiddle‐pedalmore than any other composer‐pianist in the

twentieth century, rather thanpresent copiousexamplesof itsuse—speckled throughouthis vast

bodyoforiginalwork,fantasiesandtranscriptions—itseemsprudenttoshowhowwide‐ranginghis

approachcanbewithintherestrictedmarginsofasolitarywork.HisPeterGrimesFantasy(1971)isa

comparativelyshort(c.six‐and‐a‐half‐minute)Operatic‐Piano‐FantasyintheLisztiantradition,based

on themes fromPeterGrimes:anOpera inThreeActsandaPrologue,Op.33 (1945)byBenjamin

Britten.Thisseemsanidealcasestudy,becauseofthewide‐rangingapplicationofthePedIIIthatis

representative of Stevenson’s use of it as a whole. The piece was commissioned by BBC (British

BroadcastingCorporation)TelevisionandpremièredonBBC2withStevensonassoloistin1972.Itis

dedicated ‘Tomy young comrade‐in‐art, Graham Johnson (b. 1950)’.When Stevenson played his

compositiontoBenjaminBritten,hewassoimpressedbythePeterGrimesFantasythathearranged

forhisownpublisher,BooseyandHawkes,toreleasethework(1972).AsBooseyandHawkeshad

solepossessionof thecopyright toPeterGrimes, thisavoidedanyunreasonablycomplicated legal

issues.

322Thatis,FerruccioBusoni,Prefaceto‘DasWohltemperierteKlavier,’BWV846–893,editedFerruccioBusoni(NewYork:Schirmer,1894).

323GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,CanadianUniversityMusicReview21,No.2(2001),77‐93.CarrutherscitesRonaldStevenson,‘GraingerandthePiano,’inForeman(ed.)ThePercyGraingerCompanion,117.


123

The first time the Ped III is visible in thePeterGrimes Fantasy is at bars 23‐28 Figure 53,

highlighted in blue. The writing here is instantaneously redolent of Liszt and the great operatic‐

fantasiesandtranscriptionsofthenineteenthcentury,withitsrhapsodicarpeggiationandvirtuoso

figuration.Conversely,itissurprisingtolearnthatLisztwasnotawareofthePedIIIuntilthelastfew

yearsofhis life.Hamiltonnotesthat ‘theSteinway’smiddlepedalwas introducedtoLiszt in1883,

only threeyearsbeforethecomposer’sdeath’.However,hedoesaddthat,eventhoughLiszt ‘did

notmarksostenutopedalonhisscore,Lisztpraiseditandgavesuggestionsforitsuseinsomeofhis

works’.325IntheillustrationofthePeterGrimesFantasy,thePedIII is initiallyexploitedinasimilar

modeasapipeorganistwouldthepedal‐board.ArthurBriskier(1902–1976),inPianoTranscriptions

ofBach’sMusicduringtheRomanticEra,writesoftheimportanceofthePedIII:

Thesustainingthirdpedalofthemoderngrandpianopermitstheholdingofthebassaslongasindicatedfortheorgan.Theexceedinglydeepsoundofthepianobassgivesanorganlikebackground,whilethetwohandscontinuetoplayonthekeyboard.Thereisnointerferencewithchangingharmoniesandnoconfusion.Themost faithful transcription,note fornote,would remain incomplete if the musical interpretation were not consideredsimultaneously.326

325Lee‐Clark,FranzLiszt’sPianisticApproachtoFranzSchubert’sSongs,107.326ArthurBriskier,PianoTranscriptionsofBach’sMusicduringtheRomanticEra(NewYork:Carl

Fischer,1954):http://www.archive.org/details/newapproachtopia002209mbp25.

124

Figure53.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’sPeterGrimesFantasy (1971)basedon themes fromthe Opera, Peter Grimes (1945), by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976). (London: Boosey and Hawkes),bars22‐28.

Hamiltoncommentsthatthis‘organ’qualityinparticularwaswhatattractedBusonitothedevicein

thefirstinstance‘becauseitallowedthepianisttoapproximatecertainorganeffects‘whichcanbe

obtainedonlybythecombinedactionofthethreepedals’.327StevensonnotestoothatCésarFranck

may have beenbetter facilitatedwith a pedal boardwhilstwriting for the piano andwould have

surelyembracedthesostenutopedal:

Hisfew,late,greatpianoworkssoundlikepianotranscriptionsfromtheorgan.Twohandsareexpectedtodowhattheycanonlydoideallywiththeadditionofapedalboard.328

Stevenson correspondingly accentuates the illusion of César Franck’s ‘three hands’ in his

PeterGrimesFantasybypreparingtheoctavetobeheldinthePedIIIinadvance(asshowninFigure

327Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,176.HamiltonfootnotesBusoni,‘Well‐TemperedClavichord’(i.e.,

FerruccioBusoni,Prefaceto‘DasWohltemperierteKlavier,’BWV846–893),editedFerruccioBusoni(NewYork:G.Schirmer,1894).

328Stevenson,SzymanowskiatthePiano,reproducedinWalton(ed.),SonginGoldPavilions,102.

125

53,onthefourthbeatofbar23)andthenemployingthesostenutooverthebar‐line.Moreover,he

additionallybringsoutthepoignantphilosophizingofGrimes—thecentralprotagonistandanti‐hero

from Crabbe’s epic prose‐poem—as he eloquently introduces Grimes' soliloquy What Harbour

SheltersPeace? (fromActOne)with the left‐handthumb, in the tenor register. If thePed IIIwere

omitted,thispassagecouldhaveeasilybeencomposedand inprint inthemid‐to late‐nineteenth

century.


126

However,as thePeterGrimesFantasyevolves in linewithBritten’sopera,Stevensonuses

the Ped III to summon a far darker, overtly threatening, quasi‐orchestral texture, which is

determinedlyentrenched in the twentieth century.Hispowerful cadenzamoltoagitato,demente,

from the concluding act of Peter Grimes (Act Three) is reminiscent of the Shakespearian ‘Mad

Scene’.Theffffchordatbar97—comparabletotheloudestdynamicinthePassacagliaonDSCH(bar

2,239)—is representativeof the ‘mob’ fromtheOpera (as shown inFigure54,highlighted in red).

ThisisheldbythePedIII,astheseethingpopulaceofCrabbe’sillusory‘Borough’mercilesslyhunts

the anguishedGrimes down in the fog. As his self‐torture to some extent abates, Grimes regains

lucidityandcomes to termswith theonlydestiny thatcanawaithim,hisownsuicide.ThePed III

nowportraysandrepresentstheominousfog‐horn(seeFigure55,‘quasicornodunebbia,’bar99).


Astheworkprogresses,StevensonusesthePedIIItofacilitateafigurationwithoutwhichit

would be impossible for human hands to reproduce (as shown in Figure 56, bars 109‐110). His

ingeniousfingering—withtheslidingoftheright‐handfifthfingerandtheleft‐handthumb—makes

the‘legatoetrecorde(SenzaPedale)’possible.Inspiteofthisinventiveness,themostmemorable

useofthePedIIIcomesintheclosingpagesofthePeterGrimesFantasy,whereStevensonusesthe

127

devicetosilentlyprepareachord intheright‐hand,aswellassustainingonealreadystruck inthe

left—toraisethedampers,sothatthepianistcanpluckthenotesdirectlyonthestringspizzicatoa

corde(asshowninFigure57,bars113‐118).

Figure56.AnExcerpt fromRonaldStevenson’sPeterGrimesFantasy (1971)basedonthemes fromthe Opera, Peter Grimes (1945), by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976). (London: Boosey and Hawkes),bars109‐110.


Stevenson states that the pizzicati strings are ‘not some kind of Cageian gimmick, but

representsthemorningstarscomingout justbeforedawn’.329Here,the influenceofHenryCowell

canundoubtedlybefeltoncemore,asintheHeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid(1967)thathasbeen

329Stevenson,pers.comm.,whilsttheauthorwasworkingonthePeterGrimesFantasy(1971)withStevensonattheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,GarvaldHouse,Peeblesshire,1993.

128

previously discussed. An even stronger influence is from Grainger, who would frequently silently

depress notes for use in themiddle pedal in advance, as in the final bars of hisChildren’sMarch

(1919).ThisissubstantiatedbyCarruthers:

Thesostenutopedalisalsousedtosustainnotesthathavebeendepressedsilently,eithertoallowharmonicsgeneratedbypreviouspitchestoringfreelyortoallowforharmonicstobegenerated by subsequently ‘sounded’ pitches. Examples of the latter use occur at thebeginning of Eastern Intermezzo (1922) and of the ‘free setting’ of Brahms's Cradle‐Song(Schott/Schirmer,1923),aswellasinbars140‐143ofJutishMedley(1928).330

Graingerwould surelyhaveapplauded thisbreakingofnewground. Froma theosophicalpointof

view, it isnoteworthythatStevenson—asatruepartisanofthemiddle‐pedal—uses itatallofthe

pivotally importantmoments in the fantasy. Firstly, he uses it to represent the philosophizing of

Grimes;thentheAngryMob;later,takingonamoreetherealpersonaofthenon‐humanfog‐horn;

and finally the celestial form of the ‘themorning stars coming out just before dawn,’331 which is

essentiallythepaththatPeter,asprotagonist,takesintheOpera.ThesefacetsofGrimes’natureare

outlined in miniature in his first soliloquy in Act I. It is one where he philosophizes, to the

incredulousnessofthevillagers,whoseehimaseitherinsaneorinebriated:

Peter:NowtheGreatBearandPleiadeswhereearthmoves,

Aredrawingupthecloudsofhumangrief,

Breathingsolemnityinthedeepnight.Whocandecipher,

Instormorstarlight,Thewrittencharacterofafriendlyfate—

Astheskyturns,theworldforustochange?

Butifthehoroscope'sbewildering,Likeaflashingturmoilofashoalofherring,Whocan

turnskiesbackandbeginagain?

Chorus:He’smadordrunk!Why'sthatmanhere?

330GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,

CanadianUniversityMusicReview21,No.2(2001).331Stevenson,pers.comm.,attheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,GarvaldHouse,

Peeblesshire,1993.

129

4.7IntricateCombinationPedalling

Stevensonisathismostinterestingwhenheunitesthemanydiversepedaltechniquesthathehas

absorbedoverhis lengthyperformingcareer.HewillsometimescombinethePed IIIwiththevery

unusual, yet specific pedal marking, to ‘half pedal’,332 as shown in his transcription of Sergei

Rachmaninoff’s In the Silence of the Secret Night, Op. 4, No. 3 (trans. Stevenson 1982, as shown

highlightedinred,bars3‐5,Figure58).ThisshowsastronginfluencefromGrainger,forasHamilton

notes,‘half‐pedallingisrarelymarked,withthemajorexceptionofPercyGrainger’sscores,’333with

Stevensonbeingpracticallytheonlyothercomposer‐pianisttodosoconsistently.Banowetzwrites

ofGraingerthathis‘ideasonpedallingstillprovetobeextremelyadvanced’334andGraingerhimself

believed ‘thatthe"properlyequipped"pianistshouldmaster,notonlyeachpedal individually,but

"the jointuseofall threepedalsandtheir interplaywitheachother”’.335Thisaesthetic is strongly

shared and advocated by Stevenson. Grainger even went so far as to write a ‘left‐foot study’ of

whichStevensonisverymuchawareandwhichheusesinhisownteaching.336

Figure 58. Transcriptionof In the Silence of the SecretNight,Op. 4,No. 3, by Sergei Rachmaninoff(1873–1943),trans.Stevenson1982,publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars3‐5.

332Anartinitselfwhereinthepedalonlybrieflybrushesthedampersagainstthestringsandonlyhalf

deadensthesound—mostpianistsofadvancedabilitywillbeexpectedtohalf‐pedal.333Hamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,170.334Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,1985.335GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,

CanadianUniversityMusicReview21,No.2(2001).CarrutherscitesGrainger,GuidetoVirtuosity;reproducedinLewis,ASourceGuidetotheMusicofPercyGrainger,280‐81.

336Stevenson,pers.comm.,attheRonaldStevensonSocietySummerSchool,GarvaldHouse,Peeblesshire,1993.

130

Carruthersargues thata ‘pianistcanmasterplayingall threepedalsatonce, requiring the

left‐foottobe“slewedroundsothatthetoeofthefootfacesthedamperpedalandtheheelofthe

footfacesawayfromtheplayer,tohisleft”’337(asshowninFigure59).

Figure59.Grainger’sLeft‐footStudy,IntroductiontoH.BalfourGardiner'sPrelude(DeProfundis),laterpublishedbyG.Schirmer,1923asaGuidetoVirtuosity,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.338*

Figure60.RonaldStevenson’sTranscriptionofIvorNovello’sFlyHomeLittleHeart(fromKing’sRhapsody1949,trans.Stevenson,1980),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars17‐19.

Similarly,Stevenson’semploymentof thepedals ‘simultaneouslyyet independently’339 isprevalent

throughouthisœuvre.AtypicalexamplecanbefoundinhistranscriptionofIvorNovello’sFlyHome

LittleHeart(fromKing’sRhapsody1949,trans.Stevenson1980).Here,hecombinesfinger‐pedalling

337GlenCarruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger:APianist’sPerspectiveonPedalling’,CanadianUniversityMusicReview21,No.2(2001).CarrutherscitesGrainger,GuidetoVirtuosity;reproducedinLewis,ASourceGuidetotheMusicofPercyGrainger,280‐81,(exceptiontocopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy).

338Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,11*Reproducedwithkindpermission,GlennRiddle.339Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

131

with sustain pedalling (as shown in Figure 59, highlighted in green, bars 17‐19) to bring out the

melody sontuoso e caldo in tono,340 that is shared between both hands. Once again, Stevenson

exploitsthepossibilityofthesostenutosustainingasinglenote(Figure59,highlightedinblue,bars

18‐19),althoughherehecombines itwith thesustainingpedal,marked independently (Figure59,

highlighted in red, bars 18‐19). Both hands leap around between melody and the delicate

accompaniment figures in the highest register (Figure 59, highlighted in yellow, bars 17‐19). It is

precisely this combination of incisive figuration and meticulous pedal markings that consistently

producesasubtlequasi‐orchestraltexture,emblematicofStevenson’swriting.

In order thoroughly to evaluate pedalling in Stevenson’s composition it is logical to delve

even deeper and study in detail the workings of the feet to fully appreciate his comprehensive

methodology.OneofStevenson’sfinesttranscriptionsforpianodatesfrom1981,hisreworkingof

LeopoldStokowski’s(1882–1977)transcriptionofJohannSebastianBach’sKomm,süßerTod,komm

selge Ruh, BWV 478—originally part of the Sixty‐Nine Sacred Songs edited by Georg Christian

Schemelli(1678–1762)intotheMusicalischesGesangbuch(1736).Onceagain,theBach‐Stokowski‐

StevensonKomm,süßerTod isatranscriptionofatranscriptionofatranscription!Toacknowledge

this fact,Stevensonaspirednot just toemulatethereligiousausterityofBach’soriginalmusic—as

heard in the churches and cathedrals of Europe of the eighteenth century—but also Stokowski’s

lush,quasi‐Hollywood,symphonictextureheardonthe‘silver‐screen’inthetwentiethcentury.341

Theopeningbarslookdeceptivelysimple.However,Stevensonhasinternalizedtheprincipal

theme by alternately swapping themelody between the two hands to give the aural illusion, yet

again,of‘threehands’(asshowninFigure61withtheright‐handinredandtheleft‐handblue,bars

1‐2—discussedatlengthinChapter2.3).

340sontuosoecaldointono(‘arichandwarmtone’).341Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

132

Figure61. Stevenson’s transcriptionof JohannSebastianBach’s (1685‐1750arr. LeopoldStokowski,1882–1977)Komm,süßerTod,BWV478(trans.Stevenson,1981).PublishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2.

TheStokowski‐StevensontranscriptionofBach’sKomm,süßerTod,dependsasmuchonthe

feetas thehandstomake itwork.Nonetheless, tothe listenerthepartsremaineloquentlystatic,

althoughtheeffectrequiresconsiderablephysicalmovementonthepianist’sbehalf,mainlydueto

thecomplexpedalling.Bytakingtheunacordaandthesostenutowiththeleft‐footsimultaneously

andusingtheregularsustainingpedalwiththeright‐foot,theauraleffectof‘threehands’isfurther

exaggerated. Like a sophisticated illusion created by a master conjurer, the audience is blissfully

unawareofthetremendousskillneededtocreateit—thepianisthastohaveasequalamasteryof

pedaltechniqueastheywoulddigitaldexterityonthekeyboard.Theintricacyofthe‘pedidexterity’

(aword thecurrentauthorhascoined—asopposedtoambidexterity ‘ofusing thehandsequally’)

canclearlybeseenintheoutlineofthepedallingdemandedofthepianist(asshowninFigure62,

bars1‐2),whichisvirtuallyballeticindesign.

133

Figure62.OutliningofPedallinginStevenson’sTranscriptionofJohannSebastianBach’s(1685‐1750arr.LeopoldStokowski,1882–1977)Komm,süßerTod,BWV478(trans.Stevenson,1981)publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐2.

This is both a sophisticated and complex orchestral allusion and illusion, delivered with

lightningshiftsofregistrationatwhatisperceivedbythelistenertobeaslowtempo(quaver=63)

and a very quiet dynamic range (ppp‐p). In fewer than two whole bars, there are at least eight

changesofpedalandsixchangesofregistration.ThisshedslightontheenigmaticphraseofHarold

Taylor—one of Stevenson’s oldest colleagues and supporters—‘Ronald Stevenson is as much at

homewiththreepedals,sixfingers,342andthreehands’.343

342Stevensonwilloftentaketwonoteswiththethumb—resultantlysixnotesareachievablewitha

singlehand.343HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,209.

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4.8An‘ImprecisePractice’andanOverallEvaluationofStevenson’sUseofthePedalsinCompositionandTranscription

Asalreadydiscussed,agreatdealofpedallinghastobelefttothediscretionofthepianistotherwise

one runs the risk of therebeing toomuch information for thepianist to absorb from thewritten

score. If one evaluates two very unlikely comparisons—Iannis Xenakis’ notoriously impenetrable

Herma:Musique Symbolique pour piano (see Figure 63) and Percy Grainger’sOneMore Day,My

John(seeFigure64)—itwouldbeasurprisetomanythatGrainger’soverloadedscoreissignificantly

less playable than that of Xenakis. The latter at least has intelligently omitted all pedalling, and,

whilstXenakismaintainshis trademarkmeticulousdynamicmarkings,he seemsaware that this is

alreadyapproaching the limitofperformable information. In comparison,Graingerpreposterously

specifyingwhich voicinghe requires (in addition tohis alreadydetailedpedalling) is unrealistic to

read—letaloneperform—andwhilstinteresting,iscompletelyunviable.

Figure63.AnExcerptfromHerma:MusiqueSymboliquePourPiano,1961,by IannisXenakis(1922–2001).(London:Boosey&Hawkes),page10,bars1‐2.

Figure 64.An Excerpt from Percy Grainger’sOneMore Day,My John (1911). (London: Schott andCompany,1921),bars12‐14.

Incontrast, it isclearthatStevenson’spedalmarkingsaremoreintelligentlyconceivedand

135

thoughtfullydesignedwithhisperformerverymuch inmind. It isalsoworthyofnote that,whilst

laying claim to themost detailed pedalmarkings, Stevenson can, on rare occasion, also have the

vaguest.OnesuchexamplecanbefoundasinhistranscriptionofThePloughboyfromtheOperaThe

Farmer (1787, trans.Stevenson1948)byWilliamShield (1748–1829) (asshown inFigure65),with

themarkingmoltoped,madiscreto—trustingtheperformer’sownjudgmenttorealisehisvision.

Figure65.Stevenson’sTranscriptionofThePloughboyfromtheopera,TheFarmer(1787)byWilliamShield (1748–1829), for ‘Ben Britten and Peter Pears,’ bars 1‐5 (1787, trans. Stevenson 1948),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐5.

Thisbrief evaluation shows that Stevensonhasunquestionablybuilt upon thepracticesof

Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Sigismond Thalberg, Ferruccio Busoni, Henry Cowell and Percy

Grainger—withhisvastbodyofworkcontainingsomeofthemostinnovativeusesofthepedalsin

theentirerepertoire.Ifthepedalsareindeed‘thesoulofthepiano,’344itfollowsthattheyareatthe

creativeheartofStevenson’soutput.Nonetheless,heisasmuchaperformerasheisacomposer—

clearlydemonstratinga leapof faith inentrustingthe interpreter tousetheir individualdiscretion

and discernment when navigating his work on the concert platform. Inevitably, he realizes, in

tandemwithBanowetz,that‘theearalone,ratherthanasetofprinteddirections,mustalwaysbe

thefinalguideforanartisticperformance’.345

344StephenHough,‘Depressed:TheAmazingWorldofthePedal‘,DailyTelegraph,9January2010,

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100006070/depressed‐the‐amazing‐world‐of‐the‐pedal;seealsoHamilton,AftertheGoldenAge,170.

345Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling,9.

136

ChapterFive:Stevenson’sRelationshiptoSocialism,PoliticsandNationalism

5.1ProletarianRootsandUpholdingSteadfastPrinciples

Stevenson has never forgotten his inconspicuous working‐class roots—being almost wholly

marooned as a British contemporary composer with a proletarian background—rather than a

productofthemoreaffluentmiddleclasses.Heseesthisasaccountingfortheinherentstrugglein

hismusic:

I have had to struggle for my music. I am sure it is a class thing. I don’t meet Britishmusicians from the working class, really from the proletariat, at all. They don’t exist inBritain, not in concert music at any rate; you always meet people from comfortablebackgrounds.MychildhoodwasspenttosomeextentintheDepressionyears—Iwasbornin 1928—and I remember both my parents being out of work. My father was a railwayworkerandmymotherwasacotton‐weaver.346

Whilst writing biographical entries on British composers for the highly respected Italian

Encyclopedia, L’Encyclopædia dello Spettacolo, Stevenson sent out ‘a postcard questionnaire’ to

various colleagues. He discovered that he was the only contemporary British composer of any

consequencewhohadworking‐classroots:

Themost interesting fact Idiscoveredwas thatnotonecontemporaryBritishcomposerofnational renown had a truly working‐class origin. When one considers the numerousproletarian poets and playwrights who havemademeteoric appearances in recent years,thiscircumstanceregardingmusicseemsallthestranger.347

Ateş Orga writes of him that ‘he's a man of the people, passionately remembering his

Lancashire/Celtic'workingclassorigins'—hisfatherwasafiremanontherailways,hismotheramill‐

worker,hisgrandmotherachildtruck‐pusherintheSouthWalescoalfield,hisgrandfatherabargee

on theLeeds‐LiverpoolCanal’.348Hisgrandmother is ‘commentedon in the firstofhergrandson’s

CambrianCantosforharp’(1965)349(asshowninFigure66),withthesecondwritteninrecollection

346Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,

18.

137

of a ‘childhood holiday inWales,’350 emblematic of a generally happy and untroubled childhood,

despiteoccasionalhardship.351

Figure66.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sTwoCambrianCantosforSoloHarp(1965),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1‐4.

Genealogical heredity and a sense of identity are crucial to Stevenson, as in the title

CambrianCanto’s,whichisnotanallusiontotheCambrianPeriodofthePaleozoicEra,butinstead

the Latinization of the Welsh word Cymru for Wales—Cambria, where the United Kingdom’s

Cambrianrocksaremostopentotheelements.352Itis,inasense,anaptmetaphorforthebedrock

of Stevenson’s own Celtic genesis. Anderson notes that ‘there is another aspect to Stevenson’s

music that is coming increasingly to the fore, which is that it is espousing an explicitly Celtic

aesthetic’.353 In this respect, Stevenson sees clear parallels between himself and FrederickDelius,

347RonaldStevenson,‘AllanBushCommittedComposer’,TheMusicReview25,No.4(1964),

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,43.348AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoiroriginallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.349MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,5.350MarkedinthetitleofthescoreoftheSecondCambrianCanto(1965)(Edinburgh:Ronald

StevensonSociety).351Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.352‘CambrianRocks,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/90625/Cambrian‐Period/69823/Cambrian‐rocks.353‘CambrianRocks,’19.Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)

SonginGoldPavilions,17.

138

Arnold Bax, and E. J. Moeran (1894–1950) and notes the importance of being constant to his

heredity:

I think that is very important. Delius had that, Bax had that, so strongly that he actuallylearned IrishGaelic, and E. J.Moeran had it. It’s new because it’s largely unexplored, it’sterra incognita. Idon’t think thatmakesmea throwback,because it’s loyalty toprinciplesagain,loyaltytoroots.354

However,whilstStevensonarguesthat,‘Iwasnoteverinvolvedinpolitics,’hecommentsthatinhis

youth,hewassurroundedbygrassrootssocialismaswarloomed:

Iwasawareof the seriousmienof theseplainmen.They seemed toknow farmore thanpoliticians were saying, about what was going to happen; they knew war was coming—Iheard Phrases bandied about—the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), [Adolf] Hitler (1889‐1945),[Benito]Mussolini(1983–1945).355

Many years afterwards, this ‘glimpse of awar vision’ found itsway into hisPassacaglia onDSCH

(1963),whenhewhollycomprehendedthehorrorofwarandits‘superhumaninhumanities’356with

theimageoftheNaziSwastikabeingbeatenbytheSovietHammerintoaSickle(asshowninFigure

67).

Figure67. ‘GlimpseofaWar‐Vision’ fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH (1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars920‐925.

354‘CambrianRocks,’19.Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)

SonginGoldPavilions,17.355MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,8.356Fromthepoem‘SpringOffensive,’PoemsbyWilfredOwen(1893–1918)withanIntroductionby

SiegfriedSassoon(1886–1967)(London:ChattoandWindus,1921).

139

Thebarbarous,serratedfour‐prongedswastika‐motivecanunmistakablybefelt inthe left‐handof

bars920‐925:

Theideaofthehammer,isofcourse,inherentinthemechanismofthepiano;andthoughmusic is (mercifully)powerlesstopaintaswastika, itcancertainlysuggestthemechanisticdevilryandbrutalityofwhichthecrookedcrossisbutasymbol.357

OrgaaddsthatStevenson‘scribbled’onthemarginofthemanuscript358 ‘IsthisUGLYenough??’359

and inscribes ‘Inmemoriam the 25.M,’360 i.e., the unprecedented twenty‐fivemillion Sovietmen,

womenandchildrenwhoperishedthroughoutthehorrificcourseoftheSecondWorldWar(1939–

1945).

Inspiteof this, the inscriptionnevermade it into the finalcopy.Whenthecurrentauthor

inquiredastotheomission,Stevensonsaiditwasaresultofnotwishingtodetractfromthelastof

thetriplefuguesthatisexpresslymarked‘inmemoriamthesixmillionJews’361(bars1,904‐1,915,as

showninFigure68).HemakesuseofGrainger’sbunchedfingeringhere(3,3,3,3,3intheleft‐hand)

andhasthepoignantmarking‘consommaforzawithallyourpower’.362

The music in the ‘glimpse of a war vision’ is unquestionably ugly—with its plethora of

compoundedminor‐seconds.Nonetheless,Stevenson’saestheticbearsanarrestingsimilaritytothe

British First World War poet, Wilfred Owen (1893–1918), who would often take advantage of

knowinglyshockinglanguageasameansoftransportationforhispoetry’sunderlyinghumanity.Itis

alsoimportantthatStevensoncitestheSpanishCivilWar(1936–1939)asbeingbandiedaboutashe

eavesdroppedasachild.

357Rapoport,LinerNotes,StevensonplaysStevenson.358ThemanuscriptofthePassacagliaonDSCHisnowintheNationalLibraryofScotland.359Orga,ThePianoMusic,101.360Orga,ThePianoMusic,101.361Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1998.362‘Consummaforza’intheautographfacsimileeditionofthePassacagliaonDSCH,theRonald

StevensonSociety,156,‘Consommaforza’(OxfordUniversityPress,edition:bar1,907).

140

Figure 68. Final Fugue expressly marked ‘In memoriam the six million’ from Ronald Stevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,904‐1,915.

Parallelscancertainlybedrawnbetweenthe‘glimpseofawarvision’(PassacagliaonDSCH,

1963) and the visual arts, particularlywith fellow pacifist, the Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo

Picasso (1881–1973) and his iconic Guernica (1937) wherin the the mood of Guernica is best

described as unadulterated outrage concerning the civilian casualties of war. The diableria

meccanistica,andbrutalitàas Stevenson’swriting (as shown in Figure 70). The ‘glimpse of awar

vision’eventuallyabatesandliquefiesintoaneloquentchorale,withtheRussianword‘Мир’(Peace)

figurativelymarkedinthescore(asshowninFigure69,highlightedinred,bar692).

141

Figure69.ConclusionofGlimpseOfAWarVision:Мир(Peace),fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars961‐975.

In effect this is Stevenson’s particularized cry for humanitarian harmony as Picasso’s

Guernicawas‘hisoutcryforpeace’.363

Figure 70. Pablo Picasso’sGuernica (1937), Permanent Collection,Museo Nacional Centro de ArteReinaSofía,Madrid,Spain,OriginalSourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,ExceptiontoCopyright,Section

ss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.364

As he was a lifelong pacifist, Stevenson’s musical account of the hideousness of war has

ancillary consequence.MacDonald notes that,when asked to do his national service immediately

363LuisMiguelDiaz,NegotiatedSolutionsofComplexProblemswithArt:Picasso,Chaplin,

WittgensteinandtheBeatles,2008,http://www.mediate.com/mobile/article.cfm?id=3588.364Reprintedwithkindpermission,MuseoNacionalCentrodeArteReinaSofía,ssMadrid.

142

followingtheSecondWorldWar in1947,Stevensondeclaredhimselfaconscientiousobjectorand

wasincarceratedasaresult:

In 1947 he graduated from the Royal Manchester College of Music [founded 1893] withspecialdistinction,andsoonfacedhiscallupchargeforNationalService.AsaConscientiousObjector, he refused—andwent to prison instead…writingoneof hismost visionary earlypianopieces,theChoralePreludeforJeanSibelius(1947–48)inWormwoodScrubs.365

Inthisextraordinarilytryingtime,itisastonishingthatStevensonmanagedtoputpentopaperand

accomplished thewriting of not only theChorale Prelude for Jean Sibelius (1947–48) but also his

four‐voicechoraleofOnanother’ssorrow(1948)byWilliamBlake(1757–1827). JamieReidBaxter

notestheconsequenceofthetext‘whichenunciatessolidaritywithallcreaturesintheirsuffering’:

CanIseeanother’swoe—andnotbeinsorrowtoo?CanIseeanother’sgrief—andnotseekforkindrelief?366

However, Stevenson’s socialist leanings had a supplementary consequence for him as an

established composer‐performer. He was one of the extraordinarily few artists to journey freely

behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ and even attended the Fourth Congress of Soviet Composers (1968) in

Moscow,asOrgaexplains:

As a mature individual, through such Marxist 'comrades‐in‐art' (one of his favouritesoubriquets) as Alan Bush (1900–1995), Bernard Stevens (1916–1983), and the ScottishNationalist poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978), he culturally embraced the Cold WarCommunist bloc—going to East Berlin in 1963, touring East Germany in 1966 (a triptraversing the emotional gamut from playing Liszt's piano in Weimar to visitingBuchenwald).367

Stevenson’svisittoBuchenwaldConcentrationCamp,incloseproximitytoWeimar,allowedhimto

seefirst‐handthegruesomenessof‘thesystematicstate‐sponsoredkillingofsixmillionJewishmen,

women,andchildrenandmillionsofothersbyNaziGermanyanditscollaboratorsduringWorldWar

II’.368AusuallyarticulateStevenson,emotivelysaid,‘ForthisIhavenowords’.369

365MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,9.366JamieReidBaxter,‘TheChoralMusic’.367AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir.368‘Holocaust’(1933–1945)EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/269548/holocaust.

143

5.2APacifistFightinganOppressiveRegimeinSouthAfrica

With such unwavering beliefs and staunch humanistic ideologies—that as a direct result of his

pacifism,hewasevenincarceratedforupholding—itseemssomewhatinconsistentthatStevenson

decidedtomovetoSouthAfricain1963,especiallyconsideringtheimmeasurablesocial,economic

and political inequality of the Apartheid system.370 This was devised by the all‐White, ultra‐right‐

wingAfrikaner‐NasionalePartyandtheclandestine,all‐maleAfrikanerBroederbond.Itisevenmore

out of the ordinary, as Stevenson ‘has always championed individual freedoms,’ and resultantly

deserves investigativestudy.Stevensonwas introducedtoErikChisholm(1904–1965),theHeadof

Music at the University of Cape Town (founded. 1829), by his friend the Scottish poet, Hugh

MacDiarmid—thenomdeplumeofChristopherMurrayGrieve(1892–1978).Stevensonremarksthat

Chisholmvisitedhishome,TownfootHouse inWest Linton, toessentially ‘head‐hunt’him for the

unusual appointment of joint Head of Piano and Head of Composition at the University of Cape

Town:

ErikChisholmcamehere,thoughIwasn'tinatthetime.Mywife,Marjorie,wasin,andshesaidtohimwhenheputforwardthispropositionofourgoingtoSouthAfrica:‘Oh,Ronaldwon'tthankyouforthat.It'safascistcountry’.

HisviewsonApartheidare incontrovertiblyapposing,yetunexpectedly,hethoughtanewhorizon

wouldbeappealing:

I thought it could be something new and it doesn'tmean to say that I agreewith SouthAfricanapartheidifIgothere;thereareotherswhodon'tagreewithiteither—Ithinkthat'sthecorrectpronunciation,isn'tit?Aparthate.[sic.]Withhateinit.H‐A‐T‐E.371

Whilst many of Stevenson’s compositions have nationalistic, humanistic, and political

undertones,heemphaticallystatesthathe‘wasneveramemberofanypoliticalparty,andhadno

369ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘Introduction,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London:

ToccataPress,2005),35.370MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,9.371Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’2.

144

intentionofbeing’.Hesawpoliticsastootime‐consumingforcomposercolleagueswhowere‘very

involved,’suchashisfriendAlanBush,whowasahighly‐committedsocialistwithfar‐leftideologies.

He does, however, acknowledge the consequence of ‘attending themeetings of any organization

that’spreparedtoshowinterestinthearts’.Asaresult,Stevensonhasspoken‘ontheplatformof

numerous national left‐wing parties including the Scottish National Party and also to theMusic

GroupoftheBritishCommunistParty’.Ofthelatter,henotesthathispresentationwasdisparaging

ofcommunismandconsidersitmoresignificanttocommunicateviahiscompositions:

Ispokeverycriticallyofcommunism,andIwasveryheavilycriticizedbyeverybodypresent.But I am a musician and I don’t want to be involved in politics. If I have something tocommunicatetopeople,Ithinkit’sbesttodoitinmusic.372

InSouthAfrica,StevensonwascriticizedatthepremièreofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),

notdirectlyforbeingacommunist,butforhavingovert‘communistsympathies’.Communismwasa

hazardouspoliticalideologytosympathizewithin1963—onlyahandfulofyearssinceMcCarthyism

andtheSecondRedScarehadsweptthroughtheUnitedStates—especiallyinSouthAfricaunderthe

eyeofoneofthemostoppressive,uncompromisinglymilitantadministrationsintheworld:

I wrote a programme note on my Passacaglia that included a quotation from [Vladimir]Lenin (1870–1924). ‘The threenecessities ofmankind: peace, bread and the land’. I don'tlikeslogansverymuch,theymaysaveyourbreath,buttheyalsoeconomizeonthought.ButIusedthatinmyPassacagliainapassagewhichhasthespeechrhythmof'peace,breadandtheland'againandagain.ThatwasintheprogrammeandIthinktheaudienceweretalkingaboutthis.Someofthemsaid:‘That'scommunist,youknow’.373

Stevenson’s ‘Symphonic Variations’ on the popular Bolshevik slogan ‘Peace Bread and the

Land’ of 1917 (as shown in bars 976‐982, Figure 71) resulted in unnerving mutterings by the

listeners.

372Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’5.373Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’5.

145

Figure71.Variationson‘Мир,хлебиземля’(‘Peace,BreadandtheLand’)fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars976‐982.

A latersegment,wherethepianistuses ‘directcontactofthehandtothestrings,’marked

‘to emergent Africa,’ (as shown in Figure 72, bars 1,191‐1,197) had a far deeper and potentially

perilous connotation. In an increasingly volatile political climate this ultimately resulted in aSuid‐

AfrikaansePolisie(SouthAfricanPolice,1913–1994)374raidoftheUniversityofCapeTown:

That probably meant more to the South African representatives, governmentrepresentatives,orthepolice,orwhoever itwas, than 'peace,breadandthe land‘.….Theverynextday, therewasapolice invasionofErikChisholm's study.And theyemptied thedrawers, emptied everything, trying to search for incriminating evidence, because he hadbeentoRussiaandindeedhehadatleastonevolumeofScottishfolksongspublishedintheSovietUnion.ButErikChisholmwasnotparticularlypoliticalatthattime.Perhapsthatcouldbesaidaboutmyselftoo.375

Figure 72. ‘To emergent Africa’ from Ronald Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH (1963). (London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,191‐1,197.

However,theraidingoftheUniversitybythepolicewasperceptiblynotaresultofthemusic

persebutthepropositionbehindthenotes.Thishasceaselesslybeenthefearofoppressiveregimes

374TheSuid‐AfrikaansePolisie(SouthAfricanPolice,1913–1994)werepromptlydisbandedinthe

post‐apartheidera,replacedbythe‘SouthAfricanPoliceService’—thecurrentpost‐apartheideralaw‐enforcementagencyinSouthAfrica(1994).

375Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’5.

146

as,say,forexample,Nazismwiththeinfamousline,‘WennichKulturhöre...entsichereichmeinen

Browning!’ (‘Whenever I hear [the word] 'culture' . . . I remove the safety [catch] from my

Browning!’)376 Nevertheless, Stevenson notes that on the afternoon of the première of the

Passacaglia on DSCH (1963), he added his Lament for the Children, dedicated to child victims of

Nazism.Henotesthatitwasnoaccidentthatthiswasconceivedinthesuppressiveatmosphereof

SouthAfrica:

Icomposedanewsectionoftwopagesbasedontheseventeenth‐centuryScottishpibrochLamentfortheChildrencomposedbyPatrickMorMacCrimmon(1595–1670)asalamentforsevenof his eight sonswhodiedwithin a year. I recast thismelody thinking of ‘the childvictimsofNazism’[asshowninFigure73]. It isnocoincidencethatthiswassparkedoff inSouthAfrica.377

Figure73. ‘LamentfortheChildren’ fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars723‐727.

Whilst such practices certainly have strong political undercurrents, by far the most radical

compositionfromStevenson’sdaysinSouthAfricaisasettinghemadeofapreviouslyunpublished

miniature, his African Twi‐Tune (1964). This piece is, astonishingly, a setting of the now‐defunct

ultra‐right‐wingnationalanthemofSouthAfricaDieStemvanSuid‐Afrika(1921).Thiswasnotonlya

376ThisisoftenerroneouslyascribedtoHermannWilhelmGöring(1893–1946),andanassortmentof

high‐rankingNazis:includingJosephGoebbels(1897–1945),ErnstKaltenbrunner(1903–1946),OskarDirlewanger(1895–1945),OdiloGlobocnik(1904–1945),ReinhardHeydrich(1904–1942)andHeinrichHimmler(1900–1945).

Infact,it‘wasacommonNazicliché,thatwasvariedanddrawnonbyanumberofnotoriousNaziofficials,withthelineformerlyoriginatinginthe1933play,Schlageter,’byHannsJohst(1890–1978)’.MaximilianForte,ZeroAnthropology,http://zeroanthropology.net/2010/08/05/when‐i‐hear‐the‐word‐culture,August2010.

377ColinScott‐Sutherland,StevensonandtheChild,323.Sutherlandfootnotes‘LettertoAuthor’(Sutherland)dated16thSeptember,1982.

147

bizarrechoiceofsourcematerialbutcouldevenalsohaveprovedpotentially lifethreatening,asit

hasanextremelychequeredhistory.

5.3Re‐ContextualizationoftheUltra‐RightWingDieStemvanSuid‐Afrika(1921)intheAfricanTwi‐Tune(1964)andAestheticParallelswithBeethoven’sSymphonyNo.9inDminor,Op.125(1824)

The fiercely pro‐Afrikaner text ofDie Stem van Suid‐Afrika (1921)was initially an Afrikaans poem

writtenbyC.J.Langenhoven(1873–1932),whichwassettomusicbyReverendMarthinusLourens

deVilliers (1885–1977) in1921.378AsSouthAfricaslowlymovedtowardsdemocratic freedom,the

work becameprogressively synonymouswith tyranny and struggle, somuch so, that it ultimately

becameunviabletoperforminpublicatanyinternationalevent.

JamesA.Brownsuccinctlyassessedthestateofaffairsstatingthat‘DieStemvanSuid‐Afrika

wasanemotivehymnfortheridersofthewagons,butithadthesoundofadirgeinthelivesofthe

blackmillions’.379This issuecametoahead for thedurationofa rugbyunion testmatch in1992,

whenthewhollywhitespectatorcrowdinNewZealandwereasked‘tostandforaminute'ssilence,

forvictimsoftownshipviolenceinSouthAfrica,butthemajorityofthecrowdrepliedbysinging‘Die

Stem’ [van Suid‐Afrika]’.380 As the official voice of the African National Congress (founded 1912)

SakumziJ.Macozoma(b.1957)responded,sayinghewas‘verysaddenedbytheobviousrejectionof

reconciliation,especially in the sportingarena,which significantelementsof thewhitepopulation

seemtobeshowing’.381StephanusMullernotesthatthesingingofDieStemvanSuid‐Afrika(1921)

wasactivelyencouragedby theConservativepartymembers, theTransvaalRugbyFootballUnion

378OfficialSouthAfricanGovernmentInformationWebsite,HistoryoftheNationalAnthem,

http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/symbols/anthem.htm.379StephanusMuller,ExploringTheAestheticofReconciliation:RugbyandtheSouthAfricanNational

AnthemandJamesA.Brown,GoingforaSong...Johannesburg:DailyMail&Guardian,23December1998,http://www.ajol.info/index.php/samus/article/viewFile/6376/13162.

380SouthAfricanDigitalNewsArchive,ANC[AfricanNationalCongress,founded1912]ConcernedaboutViolationofAgreements’(Johannesburg:15August1992)http://www.e‐tools.co.za/newsbrief/1992/news9208.17.

381SouthAfricanDigitalNewsArchive,1992.

148

(founded.1889)presidentandeventheSouthAfricanRugbyFootballUnionexecutivememberand

businesstycoon,LouisLuyt(b.1932).382

All anthems reflecta senseofnational identityby their implicitdesign.Whilstunarguably,

theremusthavebeenatangiblesolidarityamongstthewhitesupportersattheSpringbok/AllBlack

test, it ended up alienating, fragmenting, and tarnishing the country’s already poor international

imageinthesubsequentmediafrenzy.Thestateofaffairsdeterioratedtosuchanextentthatinthe

1992BarcelonaSummerOlympics,theSouthAfricanteamswhopartookhadanonaligned‘doctored

Olympic flag’383—andnoanthematall,usingasanalternative, theOdeandieFreude (1824) from

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824).384 However, even then, not everyone

approved.TheHungarian‐bornexperimentalphysicist,ProfessorNicholasKurti (1908–1998)wrote

thefollowinginanarrow‐minded,intolerantlettertotheNewYorkTimesin1991:

I trust that the choice of Beethoven's ‘Ode to Joy’ as the South African Olympic team'santhem (‘Topics of the Times,’ 14th November 1991) followed consultation with theEuropeanCommunity,ofwhich the ‘Ode to Joy’ is theofficialanthem. I knowofonly twocasesofsharedanthems:(1)between1871and1918,BritainandGermanyusedthesamemusic for ‘GodSavetheQueen/King’ [anon.c1745]and ‘HeilDir imSiegerkranz’ [‘Hail toThee inVictor's Crown’] (2) In 1919–38,Haydn'smusic for ‘Gott Erhalte Franz denKaiser’[‘God Save Emperor Francis,’ 1797]—the most beautiful anthem ever composed—wassharedbytheWeimarRepublic,followedbyHitler'sThirdReich,andbyAustria.Whilethereissomejustificationforthosetwocases,dynastic inthefirst,politico‐cultural intheother,theEuropeanCommunityandtheSouthAfricanOlympicteamhavenothingincommon.385

382StephanusMuller,ExploringTheAestheticofReconciliation,1‐2.

‘Largenumbersof the seventy thousandwhiteSpringbok supporters came toEllisParkbearingoldSouthAfricanflags.Outsidethestadium,right‐wingConservativePartymembersdistributedflagsandleaflets encouraging the singing ofDie Stem [van Suid‐Afrika], while inside the stadium groups ofsupporterswere,accordingtoShaunJohnsonofTheStar,alreadychanting‘fokdieANC,fokdieANC’[fuck the African National Congress]. When the crowd was asked for a few moments’ silenceimmediatelypriortothegame,theyrosealmostasonetosingDieStemvanSuid‐Afrika.Addinginsulttoinjury,thethenTransvaalRugbyFootballUnionpresidentandSouthAfricanRugbyFootballUnion(SARFU)executivemember,LouisLuyt,approvedtheplayingoftheanthemoverthepublicaddresssysteminanofficialexpressionofsolidaritywiththecrowd.383RobNixon,ApartheidontheRun:TheSouthAfricanSport’sBoycottTransition,Issue58,

http://www.english.wisc.edu/rdnixon/files/apartheid_run.pdf85.384RobNixon,ApartheidontheRun.385NicholasKurti,SouthAfricaPoachesonEurope'sAnthem:LetterstotheEditor(NewYork:New

YorkTimes,24thNovember1991),http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/24/opinion/l‐south‐africa‐poaches‐on‐europe‐s‐anthem‐000891.html.

149

Stevenson would not only be the first to disagree fervently with the above letter by

Professor Kurti, but in responsewould no doubt have quoted a favorite dictum by the American

popularsingerandcivilrightsactivist,PaulRobeson(1898–1976):‘therearemanynations,butthere

isonlyonerace—thehumanrace’.386

TheoriginsofStevenson’sAfricanTwi‐Tune (1964)canbetracedbacktoastudentnamed

AlexMoses,whocametoStevenson,‘forpianolessons,thoughhecouldnotaffordtopay’.387The

workisdedicatedtohimwiththesimpleinscription‘ToA.M.[AlexMoses]inthepresentand‘S.A.

[SouthAfrica]inthefuture’(asshowninFigure74,highlightedinred).

Figure 74. Ronald Stevenson’s African Twi–Tune (1964) dedicated to ‘A.M. [Alex Moses] in thePresent; S.A. [SouthAfrica] in the Future,’ unpublishedmanuscript, reproduced courtesy of RonaldStevenson,bars1‐2.

386JamieReidBaxter,‘TheChoralMusic,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London,

ToccataPress,2005),199(BaxterstatesthatStevensonquotesthisinaradiointerviewin1979,BBCRadio3,FM90.2MHz‐92.6MHz,UnitedKingdom)

387RonaldandMarjorieStevenson(néeSpeddingb.1932),pers.comm.,18January2012.

150

MarjorieStevensontellsofAlexMoses:

Hewas amember of theminority coloured sectionof the community in SouthAfrica.HegraduatedfromCapeTownUniversity (founded.1829),wasaschool teacher,andmarriedmanwithtwochildren.Colouredpeopleatthattimewereonlyallowedtoteachinschoolsdesignatedforcolouredorblackstudents.Theirsalarieswereapittance.

The Stevensons later arranged for Moses to relocate to the United Kingdom, lending a hand in

findinghima suitable teachingappointment,withhis family later joininghim.MarjorieStevenson

tellsusthattheideaofthetwi‐tunewasbasedonthedesignofPercyGrainger:

He [Alex Moses] went on to study law. Passionate about music and homesick for SouthAfrica,hewasecstaticwhenRonaldwrotetheAfricanTwi‐Tune(1964).The 'Twi‐Tune'titleisfromGrainger,whousesthetermforcombiningafolktunewithoneofhisown.388

Stevenson wrote supplementary Graingeresque ‘twi‐tunes’, such as his Scots‐Swedish Twi‐Tune

fifteenyearsafterwardsin1979,describedbyMacDonaldasaminiaturethat‘entwinesthetuneof

The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond (trad. C. 1841) and the Swedish folk tuneAck Värmeland, du

Sköna [fromthemusical ‘Vermlandsflickan’ (TheVärmlandianGirl, 1846)byAndersFryxell (1795–

1881)],with intriguingharmonicconsequences for themboth’.389Thisseemstobeasmuchabout

camaraderie and friendship as anything else. MacDonald sheds some background light on the

occasioninthefollowing:

[The Scots‐Swedish Twi‐Tune (1979)] bears a dedication to ‘my very dear friends Harry,Anna,OscarandLeonora’....HarryWinstanley(aconnoisseurofGershwinandGodowsky),hisSwedishwife(thusthecombinationofScotsandSwedishmelodies)....Thisisanactofmusic‐makingthatisalsoagestureoffriendship.390

Whilstboth ‘twi‐tunes’haveobviousparallels, theconsequenceof theAfricanTwi‐Tune is

politically far more significant. Stevenson’s disgust at the injustice of enforced racial segregation

gavehimthedesiretotakeituponhimselftoaudaciouslyunitetheSouthAfricanNationalAnthem,

388RonaldandMarjorieStevenson,pers.comm.,18January2012.389MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,74.390MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,74.

151

Die Stem van Suid‐Afrika, not with amelody of his own, but with a supplementary Anthem, the

BantuNationalAnthem(1904)(asshownincompleteforminFigure75).

Figure 75. Complete Manuscript of Ronald Stevenson’s African Twi Tune (1964) written in SouthAfrica,unpublishedmanuscript.ReproducedcourtesyofRonaldStevenson,bars1‐49.

152

Here both anthems are played in their entirety—simultaneously. The Encyclopædia Britannica

definestheBantupeoplesasbeingalmosttheentirepopulaceofthesouthernAfricancontinent:

…theapproximately85millionmillionspeakersof themorethan500distinct languagesofthe Bantu subgroup of the Niger‐Congo language family, occupying almost the entiresouthernprojectionoftheAfricancontinent.Theclassificationisprimarilylinguistic,forthecultural patterns of Bantu speakers are extremely diverse; the linguistic connection,however,hasgivenrisetoconsiderablespeculationconcerningapossiblecommonareaoforigin of the Bantu peoples, the linguistic evidence pointing strongly to the region of thepresent‐dayCameroon‐Nigeriaborder.391

It is also notable that the term Bantustan was ‘designated by the white‐dominated

governmentofSouthAfricaaspseudo‐nationalhomelandsforthecountry’sblackAfrican(classified

bythegovernmentasBantu)populationduringthemid‐tolatetwentiethcentury’andwasa‘major

administrativedevice for theexclusionofblacks fromtheSouthAfricanpoliticalsystemunderthe

policyofapartheid,orracialsegregation’.392ThemelodyoftheBantuNationalAnthem (1904)was

written byMankayi Enouch Sontmga (1873‐1905) in 1904 and ‘becamewell known throughout a

large part of Africa,’ with thewords translated into scores of African languages, aswell as being

‘officially adopted by Tanganyika as its National Anthem on the achievement of independence in

1961’.393

In hisAfrican Twi‐Tune, it seemsmost plausible that Stevenson dedicated it toMoses by

initials alone, in all likelihood (one assumes) to safeguard him—as resetting a national anthem is

perilous at thebest of times, but uniting itwith another hasdangerouspolitical undertones. This

wasexceedinglydangerousattheheightofApartheidin1964,especiallyconsideringthattherewas

391‘BantuPeoples,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52221/Bantu‐peoples.392‘Bantusian,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/68315/Bantustan.393MichaelJamiesonBristow,NationalAnthemsoftheWorld(NewYork:Weidenfeld&Nicolson,First

Edition,1985;EleventhEdition2006).

153

even a ban on ‘racially‐integrated music groups’394 at the time. One has to wonder what the

authoritieswouldhavemadeofa‘raciallyintegrated’anthem?

Stevenson notes that Grainger similarly once ‘wrote a satire of the Norwegian national

anthem (Sønner av Norge, 1819) in his incidental music to Gunnar Heiberg’s (1857–1929) play

Folkeraadet(ThePeople’sParliament),thatcreatedariotintheChristianaTheatrein1897.’395One

mustkeepinmindthatBreytenBreytenbach(b.1939)wasimprisonedforsevenyearsin1975with

the charge of ‘high treason’.396 This was due to Breytenbach not only being a committed vocal

opponenttotheApartheidsystembutalsoformarryingawomanofVietnameseorigin—acriminal

offence under the preposterous Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act397 (1949) and the equally

ludicrousImmoralityAct(1950).398

It is both ironic and prophetic of Stevenson’s work that the present National Anthem of

South Africa is an amalgamation ofNkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika andDie Stem van Suid‐Afrika, in a free

country that was after all, Stevenson’s optimistic expectation for ‘S. A in the future’. The

multilanguage verses are in isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho,Afrikaans and English. The final lines of the

newanthemare: ‘soundthecall tocometogether,unitedweshallstand, letus liveandstrivefor

freedom, in South Africa our land’.399 Stevenson shows an empathy in his African Twi‐Tune for

394Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’2.395RonaldStevenson,‘Delius’sSources’,TempoMagazine,No.151,December1984).Reproducedin

Walton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,37.396MikeSmith,OpeningPandora’sApartheidBox,PartThirteen:TheApartheidLawsonMixed

Marriages,MikeSmith’sPoliticalCommentary,25thofMay,2010.http://mikesmithspoliticalcommentary.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/opening‐pandoras‐apartheid‐box‐part.html.

397MikeSmith,OpeningPandora’sApartheidBox.398MikeSmith,OpeningPandora’sApartheidBox.399 Official South African Presidency Website, The National Anthem, Republic of South Africa:http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=265:

‘A proclamation issued by the then State President, Nelson Mandela, on 20 April 1994 in terms of theprovisionsofSection248(1)togetherwithSection2oftheConstitutionoftheRepublicofSouthAfrica,Act200of1993,statedthattheRepublicofSouthAfricawouldhavetwonationalanthems.TheywereNkosiSikelel'iAfrikaandTheCallofSouthAfrica(DieStemvanSuid‐Afrika).IntermsofSection4oftheConstitutionofSouthAfricaAct108of1996,andfollowingaproclamationintheGovernmentGazetteNo.18341(dated10October1997),ashortened,combinedversionofNkosiSikelel'iAfrikaandTheCallofSouthAfricaisnowthenationalanthemofSouthAfrica.Itistheonlyneo‐modalnationalanthemintheworld,byvirtueofbeingtheonlyone

154

FriedrichSchiller’s(1759–1805)brotherlyamalgamationofallmankind, 'OdeandieFreude,’which

similarlycelebrates trulyuniversal individualandcollective freedoms.Nonetheless,Stevensonwas

veryhomesickforScotlandwhenhewasinSouthAfricaandhismusicacquiredanincreasinglyCeltic

aestheticfrom1963onwards.400

5.4Nationalism:aMcBartókorMacDvořákandtheMovetowardsaGàidhligAestheticintheFootstepsofGrainger

It is ironicthat itwasStevenson’stimeinCapeTownthatfueledanever increasingfascinationfor

Scottishmusic. This was partly due to the influence of Erik Chisholm (1904–1965), as well as his

correspondencewiththeScottishNationalistpoet,HughMacDiarmid(1892–1978):

Icomposedalotofsongsthere.TheideaofaddressingmyselftoScottishsongIthinkwasprobablytheinfluenceofErikChisholm—thoughintheaesthetic,notintheactualmusic.Atthat time, hewas collecting and arranging Scottish folk songs frombooks in SouthAfrica,andhavingthempublishedintheSovietUnion.BeinginSouthAfrica,IfelttheneedtokeepcontactwithScotland,particularlywithMacDiarmid.Wecorresponded,andIsetmanyofhispoemstomusic.401

McDonaldnotes that,whilst Scottish classicalmusichad ‘suffereda longdecline since the

Renaissance, when the masses and motets of the Canon of Scone, Robert Calver (1487–1566),

attained a peak of polyphonic genius fully comparable with the greatest of his European

contemporaries.’402 Therewere, nonetheless ‘a long line of decent sub‐Romantic composers from

HammishMcCunn(1868–1916)toGeorgeMcIlwham(b.1926)’.However,theyonlyhada‘modicum

thatstartsinonekeyandfinishesinanother.

ThelyricsemploythefivemostpopulousofSouthAfrica'selevenofficiallanguages‐isiXhosa[firststanza,firsttwo lines], isiZulu [first stanza, last two lines], seSotho [second stanza],Afrikaans [third stanza] andEnglish[finalstanza].NkosiSekelel' iAfrikawascomposedin1897byEnochSontonga,aMethodistschoolteacher. Itwas originally sung as a church hymn but later became an act of political defiance against the apartheidGovernment.DieStemvanSuid‐Afrika/TheCallofSouthAfricawaswrittenbyC.J.Langenhoven(1918). ‘DieStem’wastheco‐nationalanthemwithGodSavetheKing/Queen[anon.c1745]from1936to1957,whenitbecame the sole national anthemuntil 1994 [Theofficial endofApartheid]. TheSouthAfricanGovernmentunderNelsonMandelaadoptedbothsongsasnationalanthemsfrom1994untiltheyweremergedin1997toformthecurrentanthem’.

400Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1994.401Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’8.402MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,32.

155

ofBBC [BritishBroadcastingCorporation, founded1927] airtimeandmanifestedapatinaof Scots

localcolouring’.403

Thesewordsareexceedinglyapt,asapatinaisonlythemeresurface—asuperficialpseudo‐

Scottish, dermal sheen. However, in following the epidermical annology further still, what of the

subcutaneous stratum? Stevenson recollects ‘an occasion in the early 1960’swhen television and

radio gave some prominence to an address by the then head of BBC (British Broadcasting

Corporation, founded1927)Music inScotland,WatsonForbes(1909–1997), inwhichhe lamented

thatScotland’scomposershadyettocometotermswiththewonderfulheritageoffolk‐music.He

calledfora‘MacDvořák’tocreateanationalmusicallanguage’.404Similarly,MacDonaldnotesthat

‘what Scotland really lacked, I was surewas a ‘McBartók,who from the rich heritage of our folk

musicmightfashionatrulytwentieth‐century,yetfundamentallyScots,idiomthatcouldenrichthe

mainstreamofEuropeanmusicinourtime’.405

Parallels are often drawnbetween Stevenson andBartók,who couldwithout difficulty be

seenasa‘McBartók’or‘MacDvořák’.JohnOgdon(1937–1989),notedthat,‘JohnK.Boulton,writing

in theHalleMagazine, foundRonald’smonumentalPassacaglia onDSCH (1963) close in idiom to

Béla Bartók (1881–1945), and I often feel this to be very true—also for instance, in hisAWheen

Tunes forBairns taeSpiel (1964)’.406 This isno idle commentary, asOgdonwas intimately familiar

withStevenson’swork,aswellastheentireœuvreofBélaBartók,andgavetheBritishpremièreof

the Passacaglia on DSCH at the 1966 Aldeburgh Festival (established 1948)407 as well as the

403MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,1.404MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,1.405MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,2.406JohnOgdon,‘EightPortraits,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London:ToccataPress,

2005),230.407‘ThefirstbroadcastperformancewasgivenbyJohnOgdon,22May1966onthe‘BBC‘Third

Programme’(nowBBCRadio3,FM90.2MHz‐92.6MHz,UnitedKingdom),theBritishpremièrewasattheAldeburghFestival[founded1948]on14thJune1966’.PrefacetotheOxfordUniversityPresseditionofthePassacagliaonDSCH.

156

broadcast première—later recording the work for EMI (Electrical and Musical Industries Ltd.,

founded.1931).408

However,inhisfolkmusicsettings,StevensonwasinfluencedmorebyPercyGraingerthan

byBartók.Marc‐AndréHamelin(b.1961)seesPercyGrainger’sworkasbeingonparwiththework

ofBartók,despitehisunconventionalbehavior:‘Hisfolk‐songsettingsarecloakedinfleshandblood.

Grainger'sachievementsincollectingandsettingfolksongsareatleastasimportantaswhatBartók

did,eventhoughhewasatrueeccentric’.409

StevensonacknowledgesthedirectinfluenceofbothPercyGraingerandZoltánKodályinhis

workintheprefacetohisvolumeofScottishFolkMusicSettingsforPiano(1961–1980).Stevenson

believesthebesttreatmentofafolkmelodyisfor it ‘nottobeharmonized,’yettherefeasiblyare

onlytwoachievablewaysofharmonization:

The purerway is to use only harmony derived from the notes of themelody. This is themethodusedbyKodály. It is likeallowingaplant togrow in itownkindofsoil.Theotherwayistouseharmonynotes,whicharenotinthemelody.ThisisthemethodusedbyPercyGrainger who did not restrict himself to the Kodály concept but harmonized themelodyfreelyandchromatically.Thisisakindofreplantingortransplanting.Iaminterestedinbothways.410

Aswellasa lackofunderstandingabouthoweffectively toset folkmusic,Stevensonsees

thatthereisalsoadeficiencyofseriousamalgamationwithclassicalcompositionbecauseof‘much

Britishmusic criticism’ being ‘uncomfortable with folk content in concertmusic’.411 However, the

causeofthepredicamentmightbealackofconfidenceinScottishnessitselfandadistinctnational

identity as a whole. Stevenson is saddened that ‘Scotland tends to forget her own people—they

even forgot Robert Louis Stevenson—there is nomonument to him in Edinburgh, the city of his

408‘Stevenson,PassacagliaonDSCH,Tippet,PianoSonataNo.I.,Ogdon,ThemeandVariations.John

Ogdon(piano).HMV0ASD2321‐2[two12in.,64s.6d.plusus.6d.PT].RecordedinassociationwiththeBritishCouncil’.GramophoneMagazine,September1967:http://www.gramophone.net.

409HaroldC.Schonberg,‘TheComposer‐Pianists’,TheRecordConnoisseur'sMagazine,November/December,1998.270.

410RonaldStevenson,PrefacetoScottishFolkMusicSettingsforPiano(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety).

411RonaldStevenson,SzymanowskiatthePiano,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,103.

157

birth!’412 He also will often quote ‘Hugh MacDiarmid’s obiter dictum that ‘Scotland is the most

backward country inWestern Europe, aesthetically speaking'—andMacDiarmid is aNationalist at

that’.413

Stevensonmakesnoreservationsabouthisquasi‐militanttreatmentofGàidhlig414folkmusic

andisastoundedattheignorancesurroundingthisrichheritageofmusic:

Idoinvademusicliteraturetofindmaterial,particularlyinthefolkmusicfield.Ithinkthatagreat deal still remains to be done. It's amazing to think that Scottish Gàidhlig music isunknownterritorytomanypeople.415

Heusestheexampleof‘Polishgóralmusic,relativetoPolishLowlandmusic,’thatis‘aslittleknown

as, for example, Scottish Gàidhlig music (the great bagpipe music, the piobaireachd) relative to

LowlandScottishmusic’.Hecontinues:

ThemusicsofthePolishandtheScottishHighlandsarecomplexand‘weird’andtotallynewto the outsider. The received parameters of ‘nice,’ ‘jolly,’ easy folk music simply do notapply. Both of these Highland musics warrant a great deal of study. Nearly all themusicologistsIknowaremoreinnocentthaninfantsaboutthesequestions.416

Butwhatisthepiobaireachd?Essentially,piobaireachdisanAnglicizationofthegreatmusicor‘Ceòl

Mòr’. This is incorporated into the Passacaglia on DSCH (bars 723‐757, ‘Lament for the Children’

1963,asshownearlier inFigure73(seeChapter5.2).Orgadescribestheprimarycharacteristicsof

the CeòlMòr in thePassacaglia on DSCH as being a demonstrable absorption of Gàidhligmusic,

which contains a sophisticated assortment of stylized colours and an array of atmospheres and

412Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’7.(AstatueofRobertLouisStevensonwasfinallyunveiledin

2008,theRoyalMile,Edinburgh,AlexanderStoddard,commissionedAdamSmithInstitute,July2008.Informationonthetroubledhistoryofasuitablestatuecanbeinvestigatedathttp://www.robert‐louis‐stevenson.org/richard‐dury‐archive/monuments.htm.

413RonaldStevenson,‘BernardStevens’,TheMusicalTimes109,No.1054(June1968),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,79.

414Gàidhligisthecurrentapprovedspellingoftheanglicized‘Gaelic’(seeTheNationalArchives,UnitedKingdom),‘ConstitutionandfunctionsofBòrdnaGàidhlig,ScottishParliament,GaelicLanguage[Scotland]Act2005’http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/7/crossheading/brd‐na‐gidhlig).

415Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’4.416RonaldStevenson,SzymanowskiatthePiano,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,

103.

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hauntingdroneswithmajor‐minorclashes—redolentofthepipe‐tuningusedbyGeorgeMcIlwham

(b.1926):

Its stylization of drones, frequent minor/major third (F / F♯) clashes suggestive of pipetuning, and expressive translation of the ‘warbler’ or grace‐notes typical of good Pibrochplaying, tell somethingof theextentof Stevenson’sperceptionofhismodel.A tableauofatmosphereandsadness,ofghostlyshadow,ofintentionallyaciddialect.417

ItissurprisingthattheBòrdnaGàidhlig(GaelicLanguageBoard)wasonlyestablishedbythe

ScottishParliamenttorecognizeGàidhligasalanguageasrecentlyas2005.TheActwaspassedby

theParliamenton21April2005andreceivedRoyalAssenton1June.Thepurposeofthisactwas‘to

establish a body having functions exercisable with a view to securing the status of the Gaelic

languageasanofficial languageofScotlandcommandingequalrespecttotheEnglishlanguage,’418

even though it has been spoken since at least the fourth century.419 It was introduced by early

settlersfromIreland,andmayeven, inallpossibility,predatetheRomanoccupationofEngland in

AD43.420RobertDunbarnotes that successive censuseshave showna ‘relatively sharpdecline’ in

thenumberofGàidhligspeakersinScotland.421

TheweightinessofattentiontotheGàidhliglanguageintheUnitedKingdomwasnotedtoo

by Stevenson, as early as the late 1960’s, who—whilst was on holiday in the Hebridean

Archipelago—decidedto‘carryoutanexperiment’withatransistorradio:

417Orga,ThePianoMusic,64(Orgafootnotes:ReflectionsafteraPremière,MusicaViva,CapeTown,December1963).

418TheNationalArchivesConstitutionandfunctionsofBòrdnaGàidhlig,ScottishParliament,GaelicLanguage(Scotland)Act2005(UnitedKingdom:NationalArchives,2005),http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/7/crossheading/brd‐na‐gidhlig.

419CharlesJones,TheEdinburghHistoryOfTheScotsLanguage(Edinburgh:EdinburghUniversityPress,1997),551.

420EwanCampbell,WeretheScotsIrish?(Antiquity:aquarterlyreviewofWorldArcheology,Volume75,Number288,DepartmentofArcheology,UniversityofGlasgow,Scotland285‐29275:2001),285–92.http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/075/Ant0750285.htm.

421‘The1891census,forexample,revealedthatGàidhligiscertainlycriticallyendangeredasalanguage:therewere254,415GaelicspeakersinScotland,representing6.75%ofthetotalpopulation.By1981,thenumberhadfallento79,307,representing1.64%oftheScottishpopulation,andnumbersandpercentagesofGaelic‐speakershavecontinuedtofallsincethen:in1991,therewere65,978Gaelicspeakers,representing1.37%ofthepopulation,andby2001,thenumberwas58,562,or1.21%ofthepopulation’.RobertDunbar,TheChallengesofaSmallLanguage:GaelicinScotland,withaNoteonGaelicinCanada(Aberdeen:UniversityofAberdeen,2April,2005).http://www.sciencessociales.uottawa.ca/crfpp/pdf/debat/Dunbar.pdf.

159

What broadcasts, I asked myself, were immediately relevant to the Gàidhlig‐speakingcommunity?ThisrestrictedmylisteningtoRadio4(Scotland)[FM:92.8‐94.7MHz,founded1978]and,reducedtobasics,meant:howmuchGàidhligmusicwasbroadcastintheweek’smusic? Damned little. Precisely one hour and twenty‐five minutes out of a total of one‐hundred‐and‐nineteenhoursofbroadcastingtime.422

Stevenson observes that the Gàidhlig indigenous music was seldom treated with respect, noting

that, ‘far too many songs are accompanied on the piano when they would be better

unaccompanied,’ oftenwith ‘third‐ratepianoaccompaniments . . . gauchelyplayed,byanon‐BBC

pianist, Honky‐tonk kings of the céilidhs’. Stevenson notes that Scotland’s vast hidden wealth of

indigenousmusicneedscarefulhandling,asitcaneasilydegenerateinto‘tastelessarrangementsof

goodtunes—likewholesomefoodexecrablycooked’.

Stevensonwill often let amelody speak for itself by leaving it unaccompanied—as in the

openingbarsofhis fifteenminuteARosaryofVariations (1980)on the Irish FolkMassof SeánÓ

Riada (1831–1971) (as shown in Figure 76, bars 1‐7). Here he makes an astute decision not to

bastardize an already unflawed melody, using the pedal instead to contour the vocal line—as a

potterwoulddrawclay—ratherthanriskmusicalsacrilege.Hearguesagainsttheuseof‘technicolor

scoring,’whichconsistofclichéd,incessant‘flutearabesquesandotheraberrationserasingasimple

tune’. He succinctly concludes that such treatment of Gàidhlig music is, ‘The Rape of Euterpe—

Caledonianstyle’.423

422RonaldStevenson,‘StevensononScotsMusic:GaelicMusic’,TheListener86No.2208(22July

1971),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,80.423Stevenson,‘StevensononScotsMusic:GaelicMusic’,81.

160

Figure76.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sARosaryofVariations(1980),basedonthemesfromon an Irish Folk Mass by Seán Ó Riada (1831–1971), published by The Ronald Stevenson Society,Edinburgh,bars1‐7.

MacDonald contends that it was throughout the course of his ‘Hebridean forays that

Stevensonreallybegantostudy theGreatMusic (CeòlMòr)of thehighlandbagpipeat firsthand,

talkingand listeningtopipers intheircrofts,’424which ‘impressedhimfarmorethantheeffortsof

any contemporary Scots ‘classical’ composer of his acquaintance’.425 In this ‘hands on’ qualitative

ethnographicalstudy,StevensonhasaconsiderableamountincommonwithPercyGraingerwhom,

he tells us, astonishingly even learnt all of the Scandinavian languages aswell as the notoriously

complexGàidhliglanguageitself:

He[PercyGrainger]even learnttheScotsGàidhlig language—Grainger,ofcourse,knewalltheScandinavianlanguages.Hedidn'tknowthemacademically,andwouldmakemistakesingrammar, buthe said thathewanted to learnhow thepeasants—at that time theywerecalledpeasants—spoketheNorwegianlanguages.That'sthelanguagehewanted.Hedidn'twant'correct'language.Hesaid,'Idon'tevenspeakEnglishinthecorrectmanner’.426

Stevenson saw the ‘genuine’ Gàidhlig folk singing encountered on his ethnomusicological

foraysasbeingincomparabletothesanitizedradioillustrations,wrylystatingthathe‘feltlikeBrillat‐

424MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,64.425Stevenson,‘StevensononScotsMusic:GaelicMusic’,33.426Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’4.

161

Savarin(1755–1826),whenhewasonceofferedgrapesfordinner,andwhoreputedlyreplied,‘Non,

merçi,jeneprendspasmonvinenpilules’(‘Nothankyou,Idon’ttakemywineinpillform’)’.427

Figure77.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sKeeningSangforaMaker(1958–1959),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars143‐145.

Figure78.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sARosaryofVariations(1980),basedonthemesfromon an Irish Folk Mass by Seán Ó Riada (1831–1971), published by The Ronald Stevenson Society,Edinburgh,bars175–185.

The influence of the warbling vocal lamentation of true Gàidhlig folk singing has distinct

echoes of the melodious chanter reed of the Great Highland Bagpipes (a' phìob mhòr) and can

undoubtedlybefeltinthefiligreewritingoftheMarcheFunèbreinStevenson’sKeeningSangfora

427Stevenson,GaelicMusic,SonginGoldPavilions,81.

162

Maker (1958–59). Thismelody floats above themelancholicwhine of the tenor and bass drones,

whichareheldinstasisinthechordalaccompaniment(asshowninFigure77,bars143‐145).

Anevenmoredirectevocationofthe‘a'phìobmhòr’canbefoundinFigure78(bars175–

185),whereinthedroneofthepipesissilentlyheldinthePedIII,inaneffectthathasaneerieun‐

quietness in itssympatheticallyreverberateddesign.Stevensonseessuchcoalescingoffolk idioms

as indispensablefortheoutlookofwesternartmusicasawholeatpresent,envisaging itasbeing

‘likeaworkedmine—Europeistired’.428

Figure79.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sKeeningSangforaMaker(1958–59)publishedbyThe

RonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars110–115.

Bartók’s interest in ethnomusicography,withhis intensive reconnaissance toursof theCarpathian

Basin—collectingfolkmusicfromHungary,Slovenia,Romani,andBulgariaaswellaslater‘Moldavia,

428ColinWilson,RonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic:EightPortraits(London,ToccataPress,

2005),221(Wilsonfootnotes,Stevenson,WesternMusic,196).

163

Wallachia, andAlgeria’—iswell documented.429 Sightly lesser known (outside of academic circles)

aretheeffortsofPercyGraingerwho‘madeseveralextendedtripsaroundtheBritishIsles,aswell

asinDenmarkandNorway,collectingandtranscribingfolksongs,suchthathewouldgetthelocals—

oftenquiteelderly—tosingforhim’.430

Stevenson’s Three Scottish Ballads (1973) contain an almost Bartókian dissonance and

angularity.Henotesthat‘thereisnothingprettyorcomfortableaboutBorderballads’.Hedeclares

thathisversionofScottishBalladNo.1:LordRandal(‘Allegromoderato;Strong,starkandsteady’)—

dedicatedtoAilieMunrofromtheSchoolofScottishStudiesatEdinburghUniversity—wasplayedto

himbyMunroon‘atapeshemadeofafolksinger’srendering,’that,inthefootstepsofBartókand

Grainger,he‘triedtocaptureonthepiano’.431

IfoneinspectsafurtherexcerptfromtheKeeningSangforaMaker(1958–59)(asshownin

Figure79,highlightedinred,bars110–115),itcouldquiteeasilyhavebeenwrittenbyBartókwithits

terse, acerbic parallelismand right‐handpentatonicism combinedwith thebitingbitonality of the

left. However, here there is also a distinctly Scottish flavour, reflecting a perceptive remark that

Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) once made to Stevenson likening the concert violinist to ‘a

domesticated animal’when comparedwith the ‘Scots fiddler,’ noting that ‘the kennel dog always

hasayenforhisfriendtheprairiedog’.432

Ona truly gargantuan canvas, thepiercingwildnessof Stevenson’sCeltic aesthetic canbe

plainlyfelt intheopeningbarsofhisrecentlypremièredepic, InPraiseofBenDoran(2009)which

waspremièredbytheBBCScottishSymphonyOrchestra(2009)andisscoredfororchestra,chorus,

chamberorchestraandchamberchoir.Ithasadurationofthree‐quartersofanhourandwasforty‐

five years in the pipeline, having first been conceived by Stevenson at the suggestion of Hugh

429BélaBartók,TheInfluenceofPeasantMusiconModernMusic(1931)in‘BélaBartókEssays’,edited

byBenjaminSuchoff(London:FaberandFaber,1976):340‐344.430Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,2.431RonaldStevenson,PrefacetoThreeScottishBallads(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety).432RonaldStevenson,‘StevensononScotsMusic:HeifetzinTartan’,TheListener83No.2131(29

January1970),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,79.

164

MacDiarmid (1892–1978) whilst ‘presenting a score of the Passacaglia on DSCH to Dmitri

Shostakovich (1906–1975)at the1962EdinburghFestival (as shown inFigure80).RobertDawson

describeshowtheopeningofInPraiseofBenDoran(2009)hasapiercingGàidhligbitonality,which

beginswithasolitarymelodythat—liketheùrlaroftraditionalpipe‐music—issungintwodifferent

keys:

The opening few bars—a simple unaccompanied melody—are the basic raw material, ofwhatwouldbecalledtheùrlarinpipemusic.Buttheyaresungintwodifferent,conflictingkeysbyaboyandagirl, inaharshdissonance; it isnotuntil the final,blazingclimax thattheycomebacktogether,nowsungbytwoadultvoices,intriumphantunison.433

Figure 80.Stevenson presenting a score of thePassacaglia onDSCH toDmitri Shostakovich at the1962 Edinburgh Festival. Ronald Stevenson (left), Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) (centre), Hugh

MacDiarmid(1892–1978)(Right).Photographer:PaulSchilabeer,Reprintedwithkindpermission,TheRonald Stevenson Society, Edinburgh, Exception to Copyright, Section ss 40, 103C, Research or

Study.434

433RobertDawsonScott,‘A45‐YearOpusthatCouldEstablishRonaldStevensonamongtheStars’.434Reprintedwithkindpermission,MuseoNacionalCentrodeArteReinaSofía,ssMadrid.

165

Stevensononcesaidconcerningthehard‐to‐penetratepseudo‐esotericismofthemusicofKaikhosru

ShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)thatthismaybeduetoalackofwritinginanyparticular‘vernacular’.

Inanexcerptfrom‘TheCompanyI'veKept:AThree‐WayConversationdiscussingtheworkofSorabji

betweenStevenson,HughMacDiarmidandJohnOgdon,’OwenacknowledgesSorabji’sresponseto

Stevenson’scomments:

[Stevenson:]Hismusicalspeechdoesnotknowthevernacular.YetIrecallthatsomeoftheprofoundeststatementshavebeenutteredinthevernacular:evenChristspokeadialect….[Sorabji:] Don’t be silly! What vernacular? And whose?’ followed by a response to thestatementconcerningChrist,’Christdidnot.HespokeAramaic.Thiswasnotadialect!435

Semantically distinguishing between and an accent and a dialect seems pedantic in this

instance. Nonetheless Stevenson, unlike Sorabji, consciously writes from a distinctly Scottish

foundation. James Macmillan’s (b.1959) proclamation of In Praise of Ben Doran (2009) as being

‘Scotland's answer to Kodaly's Psalmus Hungaricus Op. 13 (1923) or Sibelius's Tapiola, Op. 112

(1926)’436speaksvolumesofStevensonbeingthetrueElder‐StatesmanofScottishmusicwho, like

Macmillan,infusesthereligious,political,spiritual,andnationalistic.

Stevensononcesaid‘Iamconvincedthatapeople’sculturecannotgetbeyondnationalism

until it has realised it—Scotland hasn’t’. Nonetheless, whilst he willfully writes from a Scottish

aesthetic,healsoacknowledgesthatallgreatartaspirestotranscendnationalismmovingtowardsa

Beethovenianuniversality.Thisisnowheremoreevidentthaninhisstatementthat,‘Ithinkthatall

great art aspires beyond nationalism, as an exploration of occult regions of experience’437 and

warrentsfurtheracademicinquiry.

435Owen,S.V,KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji:AnOralBiography(Southampton:Universityof

Southampton,ProQuestDissertationsandTheses),http://search.proquest.com.library.ecu.edu.au,2006.ReprintedfromHughMacDiarmid,TheCompanyI'vekept:Athree‐wayconversationdiscussingtheworkofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjibetweenStevenson,HughMacDiarmidandJohnOgdon(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1967).

436Scott,‘A45‐YearOpus,’33.437Orga,ThePianoMusic,60.

166

5.5BeyondNationalism:TowardsaWorldMusic

If one looks at Stevenson’s two prime compositional influences, Ferruccio Busoni and Percy

Grainger,itisfascinatingtoexamineStevenson’sremarkthatBusoniwas‘amoralidealistwhohad

expounded the principles ofMarxism toGermanworkers on street‐corners in Leipzig, andwhose

pacifism led him to voluntary exile in Switzerland during the FirstWorldWar’.438 Percy Grainger

likewisewas equally as egalitarian believing in the ‘true democratization ofmusic, and ofmaking

musicinallitsmanyvarieties,accessibletoall’.439

Stevenson’s ‘politicizing’ inmanyofhispianocompositions—working in symbiosiswithhis

sympathyforcommunistideologies—seemstobemoreconcernedwithahumanistapproachthan

anythingelse.Ithasalreadybeenmentionedthatitwasthe‘decimation’ofthetwenty‐fivemillion

lostintheformerUnionofSovietSocialistRepublicsinWorldWarII,thatinspiredhimtowritethe

variationsonPeace,BreadandtheLand(1917)inhisPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).

Inretrospect, it isfundamentaltomakenoteofthefactthathenowbelieveshewas‘very

youngandnaïve . . . . Iwas,what, thirty‐two, thirty‐three?’440whenhewrote thePassacagliaon

DSCHandwascertainlynotresponsivetothefailingsofcommunism.Henotesthathisviewofthe

SovietUnionwassimilartothat‘heldby[thephilosopher]BertrandRussell(1872–1970)[andpoet]

HughMacDiarmidandmanyotherpeoplewithfargreatermindsthanmine,’inthe1920’sandearly

1930’s,as‘akindofexperimentaltheatreforanewsociety’.441

Concerningcommunismhecurrentlyconcedesthat‘Iamnowpreparedtobelievethatthe

rot set inwith [Vladimir] Lenin (1870–1924), not justwith [Joseph] Stalin (1878–1953); I amnow

very interested in [Aleksandr] Solzhenitsyn’s (1918–2008) ideas about the Soviet Union’.442

MacDonald sees the key to understanding this facet of Stevenson’s creative psyche as a quasi‐

438MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,20.439Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue,30.440Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.),SonginGoldPavilions,

15.441Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,inWalton,15.442Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,inWalton,14.

167

Beethovenianmodel,whichaspiresto ‘reuniteethical idealismwithartisticcreation’.443Stevenson

seesthismultilayeredartisticpurposeasbeingobservableinhisownmusicasaresultofhimbeing

‘anaturalcontrapuntist,Ialwaysthinkcontrapuntally—inmanyvoices.It'sasymbolofwhatsociety

shouldormightbe’.444

Stevenson’s considerationof ‘worldmusic’ isalsoofgreat consequence.Hedelights inhis

conceptthatthediversemusicsoftheworldcanbothenhanceandcomplementeachother.Jamie

ReidBaxter(b.1954)notesthathehasbeenthe‘authorofJapanesehaikusettings,apianoconcert

subtitledTheContinents,[PianoConcertoNo.2,1970–72],arrangementsoffolkmusicfromallover

the globe, and an indefatigable ethnomusicologist, who has incorporated elements of Indian,

African, Irish, North American, Norwegian, Australian, and gypsy music into his own musical

language.445

LikeGraingerandBartókbeforehim,hesourcedalargeamountofhismaterialfirst‐handin

thefieldbyencounteringpeople,formingbondsandabsorbingstyles.Ofthegamutofmodesand

genres integrated into the Passacaglia on DSCH (1963), he notes that they were all absorbed

experientiallyratherthanacademically:

The content of the music refers to different national intonations: a pibroch; a Russianrevolutionarymarch;aSpanishfandango;Africandrumming;andthesevereGermanfugalstyle of Bach. These have all been absorbed experientially: I mean by getting out amongpeople,notbyincarceratedcontemplationofasheetofpaperoraspooloftape.Iabsorbedthepibroch from theperformanceofHighlandpipersheard in Scottish crofts; theRussianrevolutionary march, from the movement of crowd scenes in Eisenstein films; Spanishdancing,fromobservationsmadeatLasPalmas;theAfricandrumming,fromaperformanceof a tribal virtuoso in the location of Nyanga, just outside Cape Town; the Bachian fuguestyle,fromanalysing,practisingandmemorizingtheForty‐EightPreludesandFuguesatthepiano.446

443MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,3.444Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’7.445Baxter,TheChoralMusic,265.446Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.

168

Stevensoncreditsthefonsetorigoofhisdesiretounitedifferentmusicsasbeing‘histimein

SouthAfrica’wherethe ‘European‐basedstaff . . . thought itwasawasteof timetostudyAfrican

music’.447Conversely, itwashis interest inthemusicofthevastAfricancontinent,with itsdistinct

regionalidiosyncrasies,aswellasanacutehomesicknessforScotland,thathelpedhimaesthetically

movetowards‘theideaoffindingcoalescentpointsinthemusicofdifferentpeoples’.448

Of the multitudinous musics of the world, he notes that their individual primary

characteristicseffectivelysumupthecollectiveattributesofallmankind:‘Africanmusicisprimarily

rhythmicandphysical;Asian isprimarilymelodicandspiritual;andEuropeanisprimarilyharmonic

andpolyphonic,emotionalandintellectual’.Hepoeticallyconcludesthatif‘thesumofthephysical,

thespiritual,theemotionalandintellectual,isthewholebeingofanindividual’slife,sothesumof

theworld’smusicisthecompletemusicofmankind’.449

This maxim aspires to transcend political ideology and dogma. Stevenson has done this

throughout his long career by amalgamating and combining disparatemusics—that unexpectedly

cross‐fertilizeeachother:thisis,inessence,attheverycoreofhiscreativeintellect.

447Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’5.448MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,67.(MacDonaldalsofootnotes,‘Composer’s

Anthology,3.RonaldStevenson–textofalecture6thMarch1969attheBritishInstituteofRecordedSound,reprintedBIRSJournalofRecordedSoundNo.42‐43,1971.751’).

449Stevenson,WesternMusic,208.AlsoquotedinMacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,69.

169

ChapterSix:StevensonandArchitectonicForms:fromtheMiniaturetotheMonumental

6.1FromtheMiniaturetotheMonumental:Background

AfavoiritepoeticStanzaofStevenson’s,whichperfectlylinkstheminiaturewiththemonumentalis:

‘ToseeaWorldinaGrainofSandAndaHeaveninaWildFlower,HoldInfinityinthepalmofyourhand

AndEternityinanhour.’~WilliamBlake(1757–1827)

(fromAuguriesofInnocence,1803)450

AsStevensonhaswrittenhundredsofminiatures,aswellassomeofthelargestextantworksinthe

entire piano repertoire, a substantial amount of Stevenson’s music is paradoxically built upon

minusculemotifsandcryptograms.ThePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)isthemostobviousexample—

describedbyAteşOrga as ‘arguably themost concentratedexampleofmotif development in the

historyofmusic’.451 It isalso the longestuninterrupted,non‐repetitivepieceofmusic foranysolo

instrumentinhistory—repeatedlyhailedasStevenson’sgreatestwork.

StevensononcesaidconcerninghisPassacagliaonDSCH:‘Mymaininterestinmusicisinthe

epic.Thisisanepicage,itseemstome,andonlyepicformscanfullyexpressitsaspirations’.452Yet,

paradoxically,Stevensonalsoseemstochallengehimselfwhenhesaysthat it is ‘hardertowritea

miniature than an epic’.453 How are both these statements reconcilable? Stevenson clarifies that,

450WilliamBlake,‘AuguriesofInnocence’,firststanza1‐4),EnglishPoetryII:FromCollinstoFitzgerald

HarvardUniversityPress,1914),356.Seealso‘ThePickeringManuscript,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/17/17429/The‐Pickering‐Manuscript.

SeealsoStevenson,pers.comm.,5November2011andJamieReidBaxter,‘TheChoralMusic,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London:ToccataPress,2005),199.

451Orga,ThePianoMusic,81.452Orga,ThePianoMusic,68.453Stevenson,pers.comm.,6September2011.

170

whilsthislarger‐than‐lifeworkis‘rootedinreality,’it‘embracesromanticismasapartofreality,the

partofusthatstrivesaftertheheroic,’thatcanalsobe‘aprevisioningofthingsastheyshallbe.’454

(seeChapter5.3).455Hisowndefinitionofromanticismis,initself,unusual,inthathedifferentiates

itas ‘not the falseromanticismthathankersafter thepast,’but insteadthatwhich ‘transformsor

develops it’. He clarifies further, taking a quasi‐Beethovenian stance—that he sees the individual

humanfiguresof ‘CheGuevara[1928–1967],YuriGagarin[1934–1968]andNeilArmstrong[1930–

2012]’as‘biggerromanticfiguresthananyinthenineteenthcentury’.456

With specific reference to the passage in the Passacaglia on DSCH with the expressive

marking‘withaGagarinesquesenseofspace,’(conunsensodispazioquasiGagarinesco—asshown

inFigure81,highlightedinred,bar2,178)Stevensoncontinuesascertainingthatwhilst‘musiccan’t

tell anything about Gagarin,’ it certainly can express ‘the sphere of reason’. This demonstrates

Stevenson’sintellectualabilitytocross‐fertilizeideasandidealsacrossanexceptionallywidearrayof

disciplines—herein citing the work of the multifaceted, all‐round genius and ‘father of

biogeochemistry’—Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945).457 He notes that Vernadsky’s philosophical

‘noösphere’, is‘expandingtoouterspace,’affirmingthat,‘musiccancertainlyexpresstheemotion

behind this’.458 In a similar vein to Verdansky’s noösphere, MacDonald incisively remarks that ‘a

Gagarinesque’ sense of space is indeed ‘the widest horizon of all,’459 which correlates with the

conviction thatStevenson’s ‘art isoftenenshrined in theminiature—thoughminiatureonly in the

454Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.455See‘Chapter5.3:Re‐ContextualizationtheUltra‐RightWing‘DieStemvanSuid‐Afrika’(1921)in

theAfricanTwi‐Tune’(1964).456Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.457‘VladimirIvanovichVernadsky,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,

Australia:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/626269/Vladimir‐Ivanovich‐Vernadsky.458Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,3.459MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,60.

171

sensethatasimplekernelconcentratesbothseedandessenceofalargeridea’.460

Figure 81. An Excerpt from Ronald Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH (1963) ‘con un senso di spazio quasiGagarinesco’.(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars2,178‐2,179. Aspreviouslydiscussed,manyofStevenson’sshorterworks—some‘nomorethanapagein

length’—share the same creative goal as his more significant ones.461 These are often subtly yet

inextricably,allied.Oneusefulexampleistheextraordinary‘drumming,’—directlyonthestringsof

thepianowiththepalmsofthehands—inthe‘emergentAfrica’sectionofthePassacagliaonDSCH

(1963) (see Chapter 5.2, Figure 72). This, in turn, is interrelated—philosophically more than

anything—with the African Twi‐Tune (1964), poignantly dedicated to ‘A.M. [Alex Moses] in the

present,’and‘S.A.[SouthAfrica]intheFuture’.

ColinScott‐SutherlandperceptivelyidentifiesStevenson’sminiaturesasrepresenting‘akind

ofdistillationofhisexpression’.462This is insightfulcommentary,asdistillationissynonymouswith

compactingandcondensing,refiningandconcentrating.Itseemslogicalthat,asanartisticintention

becomessmaller,itmayconcentrateratherthandiluteitsartisticintensity—andmayevenbecome

stronger.ThesefactorsallappendtotheoverallmonumentalityofformofthePassacagliaonDSCH,

builtuponamultitudeofsmallerforms—discussedindepthbelow.

460ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘SomeStevensonMiniatures,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic:

(London:ToccataPress,2005),329.461ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘SomeStevensonMiniatures’,329.462ColinScott‐Sutherland,‘SomeStevensonMiniatures’,329.

172

6.2MotivicDevelopment,theRe‐evaluationofExistingWorksthatUtilizetheDSCHMotifandAestheticMemes

AcomprehensionofStevenson’streatmentofmotifdevelopmentandtherelationshipbetweenthe

miniature and the monumental is imperative in considering his compositional process, and the

closely related use of cryptography and his Schumannesque intrigue with cipher—all of which

aboundinhisœuvre.Thesecanbeseenasthecreativebuildingblocksofhisinnovativedesigns.An

example is the thorny, quasi‐nucleotide, dodecaphonic tone‐row of his fiendishly complexMotus

Perpetuus (?) Temporibus Fatalibus (1988),which is likened by Stevenson to a solitary strand of

‘compositional DNA’.463 Deoxyribonucleic acid (C232N92O139P22) is constituted of Hydrogen (1H),

Oxygen (8O), Nitrogen (7N), Carbon (6C), and Phosphorus (15P) on a molecular level. Stevenson

similarlyintertwinesacousticmonogramsofpredecessorsintohistwelve‐notetheme.Theseinclude

FerruccioBusoni,DmitriShostakovich,JohannSebastianBach,andArnoldSchoenberg(asshownin

Figure82,MotusPerpetuus(?)TemporibusFatalibus,1988,bar1).

Theparallels between the twomodels are striking. Like thedoublehelix strand, all of the

individualmonogramsactasindividualancillarymotifs,capableofinnumerablepermutationswithin

thedodecaphonicstrandasawhole. Ifoneconsiders themaximthatDNA is the foundationofall

life.Ifonepursuestheseedanalogyfurther,StevensonisostensiblyfollowingBusoni’smodel,which

impliesgoingagainstthegeneticinstructions—propheticallyentailingradicalmotivicgenesplicing—

ratherthannaturalorganicgrowth:

Themotiveinacompositionwithprogrambearswithinitselfthesamenaturalnecessity;butitmust,eveninitsearliestphaseofdevelopment,renounceitsownpropermodeofgrowthtomouldor, rather, twist itself to fit theneedsof theprogram.Thus turnedaside,at theoutset, from the path traced by nature, it finally arrives at a wholly unexpected climax,whither it has been led, not by its own organization, but by the way laid down in theprogram,ortheaction,orthephilosophicalidea.464

463Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.1995.464Busoni,SketchofaNewAesthetic,11.Seealsohttp://beta.booktopia.com.au/contemporary‐

composers‐on‐contemporary‐music‐elliott‐schwartz/prod9780306808197.html;jsessionid=C178AD6EE80B3674FC7240E56A5379CDContemporaryComposersonContemporaryMusicbyElliottSchwartz,BarneyChilds,JimFox.

173

Figure82.ASingleStrandofDNA(Deoxyribonucleicacid,C232N92O139P22)andthe‘dodecaphonictone‐

row’fromRonaldStevenson’sMotusPerpetuus(?)TemporibusFatalibus(1988),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar1,OriginalDNASourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,Exception

toCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.465

Stevenson’sown far‐reaching treatmentofmotifs—especially theDSCH (D,E♭C,B)motif,

which appears in the Passacaglia on DSCH in every conceivable guise—certainly has much in

commonwith Ludwig van Beethoven’s ingenious practices, the idée fixe of Hector Berlioz (1803–

1869),FranzLiszt’s thematictransformation,andRichardWagner’selaborateuseof leitmotifs—all

ofwhichlogicallyresultedinArnoldSchoenberg’sexplorationintododecaphony.

Stevenson notes that in Beethoven’s case, it is ‘the force and rhythmic impact of a

Beethovenmotifthatprovidesthepropulsivepower,drivingthemusicthroughitscoursefromfirst

note to last,’466 and which is likewise the unambiguous driving force behind the omnipresent,

indefatigableground‐bassinthePassacagliaonDSCH,whichlaboriouslytookStevenson‘ayear‐and‐

465Reprintedwithkindpermission,MuseoNacionalCentrodeArteReinaSofía,ssMadrid.466RonaldStevenson,‘AllanBushCommittedComposer’,TheMusicReview25,No.4(1964),

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,53.

174

a‐quarter to complete’.467 Comparing the arduous nature of their respective toils, Stevenson

observesthatitisthe‘verydynamismofBeethoven’thatresultedineachcompletedwork,withthe

selfsamedynamismfacilitatingtheprocessinthefirstinstance:

His[Beethoven’s]laboriousmethodofcomposition,beganwithaninitialmotifandendedinamassive symphonic structurebuilt from themotif. Itwas amethodof composition thatonlyanexceptionalwillpowercouldpursue,andthusitisnotsurprisingthatthewillpowernecessary to its prosecution should be expressed through and through by the finishedwork.468

Stevenson’sgroundbassisintelligentinthestraightforwardness,yetingeniousness,ofitsdesign(as

shown in Figure83),with the indissoluble linksof theendless replicationbeinghighlighted in red

andblue,bars1‐19.ItiscomposedofaneightbarphrasewhereintheconcludingD♮oftheeighth

bar is simultaneously the primary note of the repetition. Like an omnipresent motivic chain, it

resembles an acoustic version of M.C Escher’s (1898–1972) cyclical, geometrically‐impossible

drawings.Escher’smostcelebratedworkdepictinginfinityisarguablyhisWaterfall(1961)(asshown

inFigure84),whichwasfirstpublishedinthesameyearthatStevensoncommencedworkingonthe

PassacagliaonDSCH.469

467Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.468RonaldStevenson,‘AllanBushCommittedComposer’,TheMusicReview25,No.4(1964),

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,53. 469SeeOfficialM.C.EscherWebsite,publishedbytheM.C.EscherFoundation,

http://www.mcescher.com

175

Figure83.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:Oxford

UniversityPress),bars1‐19.

176

Figure84.C.Escher’s(1898–1972)lithographprintWaterfall(firstpublishedinOctober1961)Original

SourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.470

AnevenmorepersuasiveanalogymaybetheancientrepresentationoftheOuroboros,‘the

emblematicserpentofancientEgyptandGreece,representedwith itstail in itsmouthcontinually

devouring and being reborn from itself,’471 that subsequently became a critical motif for Celtic

ethnicityandcultureasawholeintheCencrastus.472TheEncyclopædiaBritannica’sdefinitionofthis

ancient antediluvian icon (as shown in Figure 85) could equally be applied to Stevenson’s

managementoftheD,E♭C,BmotifinthePassacagliaonDSCH—‘Gnosticandalchemical,’aswellas

470Reprintedwithkindpermission,MuseoNacionalCentrodeArteReinaSofía,ssMadrid.471‘Ouroboros,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/ebchecked/topic/435492/ouroboros.472‘TheCencrastus,theCelticsnake,itstailinitsmouth,thecompletenessofthecircle(total

variation),’MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,56.

177

‘expressing the unity of all things, material and spiritual, that never disappear but perpetually

changeforminaneternalcycleofdestructionandre‐creation’.473

Figure85.TheodorosPelecanos’AlchemicalManuscript,SerpienteAlquimica(c.1478).ReprintedfromH.J.Sheppard,TheOuroborosandtheUnityofMatterinAlchemy:AStudyinOrigins(1962)

OriginalSourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.474

However,Stevenson’sprimalaimistocommunicate.ThePassacagliaonDSCHhasalsobeen

describedas‘asinglepieceofargument,oneenormousarch,liketheSydneyHarbourBridge(built

1923–1932),’475and‘amonumental,indeedmonolithic,unityoutofthegreatestpossiblediversityof

material and background: a landmark not only of Stevenson’s creative development, but in the

history of the piano’.476 Stevenson himself said of the piece, ‘demonstrably thework has amore

varied range of rhythmic and melodic intonations, harmonic and contrapuntal structures, piano

473MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,56.474H.J.Sheppard,TheOuroborosandtheUnityofMatterinAlchemy:AStudyinOrigins(NewYork:

AmbixPublications,1962),83.Reprintedwithkindpermission.475ColinWilson,‘EightPortraits,’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic(London:ToccataPress,

2005),220.476MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,51.

178

technique and complexesof form than anyother singlemovement in piano literature’.477 He also

repeatedly stresses that his principal wish is to communicate with all people, likeminded or

otherwise:

I'm a composerwhowishes to identify himselfwith his own people and to communicatewithlikemindedpeopleandtotryandwinoverperhapssomeunlikeminded. . . .Thefactthatthegreatmassofpeoplecouldn'tcarelessaboutwhetherIcommunicatewiththemornotdoesn'tdeterme:itonlymakesmemoredetermined.478

Stevensonastutelyobservesthat ifonecomparestheanalogousviewsofthe ‘musicallyuntutored

mind’ and that of the musically educated ‘academic’ analyst, they will both, to all intents and

purposes,reachthesameconclusionwhenlisteningtoaBeethovenSymphony.Thesameargument

couldbeappliedtothePassacagliaonDSCH:

What the musically untutored but responsive mind perceives in Beethoven—thephenomenal, almost daemonic rhythmic motivation—is only the synthesis of what thetrained musician analyses as thematic, motivic development. The fact that the word‘motivation’ can be understood as a technical term ofmusic, and also as a non‐technicalexpressionimmediatelycomprehensibletotheintelligentlayman,indicatesthat,inthecaseofBeethoven’smotivation,thetechnicalanalysisandthenon‐technicalgeneral impressionamounttoverymuchthesamething.479

Ateş Orga notes that Stevenson’s use ofmotivic development is so endemic in his piano

music that through itsusehehas ‘suggestedthesymphonic, imaginedtheorchestral,essayedthe

abstract, the descriptive, the worldly; he has dreamt dreams miniature and monumental,’ from

whichthetitleofthischapter isunapologeticallyappropriated.480However,whilstthePassacaglia

onDSCH includes a set of ‘Symphonic Variations’ (as shown in Figure 71, Chapter 5.2), it is often

noticedthatStevensonhasneverfashionedaSymphony.Inthisrespect,Stevensonbearssimilarities

477Orga,ThePianoMusic,89(Orgafootnotes,‘InunpublishednotesStevensonsent[toOrga]in

1969’).478AteşOrga,RonaldStevenson:AMemoir,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June,1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.479RonaldStevenson,‘AllanBush:CommittedComposer’,TheMusicReview25,No.4(1964),

reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,53.480AteşOrga,‘RonaldStevenson:AMemoir’,originallypublishedinMusicandVision(11June1999):

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/1999/06/ppstvnsn.htm.

179

to Chopin and Delius, whom, he notes, are too often considered ‘composers of limited range’481

simplybecausetheywerenotsymphonists:

Thereasonforthismalapropismisthatbothofthemwerenotsymphonists.Thesymphonyisoftenregardedastheapexofmusic.Idonotacceptthis.IfIdid,Ishouldhavetorelegatemuchpre‐1750musictotherankofinferiority.Bachaloneexplodestheidea.Theconceptofthesymphony’shegemonyissomethingIregardasalingeringnineteenthcenturyfallacyofprogressinart.OscarWildewrote:‘Thereisnoprogressinart;allbeautifulthingsbelongtothesameage’.482

However, the observation that Stevenson has never written a Symphony is not entirely

accurate.HisveryrecentSinfoniaElegiaca(2010)isanorchestralre‐workingofmaterialfromboth

thePassacagliaonDSCHandtheRecitativeandAironDSCH.Bothwereoriginallyforsolopianoand

orchestratedatthesuggestionofthecomposer’swife,MarjorieStevenson.483TheSinfoniaElegiaca

is so new that it appears in no previous literature with reference to Stevenson and deserves

scholarlyattention.Thefourmovementsareasfollows:

Firstmovement:RecitativeandAir(fromthe1974solopianoworkofthesamename) Secondmovement:LamentfortheChildren(fromthePassacagliaonDSCH,bars723‐757) Thirdmovement:TributetoBach(fromPassacagliaonDSCH,bars1,460‐1,494) Fourthmovement:AdagissimoBaroccofromthePassacagliaonDSCH,bars2,160‐2,249)Thestandardorchestrationalsoincludesthreekeyboardinstruments—celesta,piano,and(optional)

organ:

Woodwinds:2Flutes,2Oboes,2Clarinets,2BassoonsBrass:4Horns,2Trumpets,2TrombonesPercussion:1SideDrum,1Timpani,GongPercussion:1SideDrum,1Timpani,Gong,1HarpCelesta,PianoOrgan(optional)Strings:5firstViolins,5secondViolins,4Violas,3Cellos,2DoubleBasses.484

481RonaldStevenson,‘Delius’sSources,’TempoMagazine,No.151(December1984),reproducedin

Walton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,36.482RonaldStevenson,‘Delius’sSources,’inWalton,36.483MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,117.484PrefacetotheSinfoniaElegiaca(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety,2010).

180

Allfourmovementsarealliedbythepropositionoflamentation—hencethetitleSinfoniaElegiaca.

They are also all hewn from identical sourcematerial—the ‘DSCH’motif. In the case of the first

movement,whichisareworkingoftheoriginalsolopianocompositionRecitativeandAironDSCH

(1974), Stevenson notes that it was commissioned by the Union of Soviet Composers for, what

wouldhavebeen,DmitriShostakovich’s(1906–1975)seventiethbirthday:

In 1973 the Secretary to the Union of Soviet Composers invited me, among a list ofinternationalcomposers,towriteapieceinhomagetoShostakovichforhis70thbirthdayin1976.Hediedin1975,sothevolumeoftributesbecameaninmemoriam…itwasalreadyanelegycomposedbeforetheeventonthecomposer’sdeath.485

The Recitative and Air is poetically described by David Hackbridge Johnson as ‘a satellite’—

presumably to its massively larger planetary‐giant—the Passacaglia on DSCH.486 Stevenson states

thatitwasastonishinglywritteninitsentirety‘onafourhourtrainjourney’487andthat‘itisastrictly

serial piece, its melody composed exclusively—not on the twelve notes of the Schoenbergian

model—butonfournotes(Shostakovich’sownmusicalmonogram):D,E♭(=S),CandB(=H),’which

contains‘twenty‐fourpermutationsofthesefournotes,mirroringthehabitofrepeatingaphrasein

bereavement’.488

Stevenson’sself‐imposedconstraint—inkeepingtheright‐handmelodypurelytotheD,E♭,

CandB—isextraordinarilyrestrictive.Whilsthestatesthattherearetwenty‐fourpermutationsof

the DSCH motif in the Recitative and Air on DSCH, there are, in fact, only twenty‐four possible

permutations,allofwhichappearinthisminiaturemasterpiece.Theachievablepermutationsofthe

DSCH motif can be worked out mathematically using a straightforward algorithmic formulae (as

shown in Figure 86) and clearly visualized in a simple tree diagram (as shown in Figure 87).

485PrefacetotheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974originalsolopianoversion)(Edinburgh:Ronald

StevensonSociety).486DavidHackbridgeJohnson,‘ReportonSummerStudyWeekend,CollegeandCathedraloftheIsles,

Millport,IsleofCumbrae,’NewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety(Edinburgh,2006).487PrefacetotheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974originalsolopianoversion)(Edinburgh:Ronald

StevensonSociety).488PrefacetotheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974),originalsolopianoversion.

181

Stevensonnotes that ‘the arithmeticbasis is secondary to its emotion,which is oneof controlled

grief’.489ThisrelatescloselytotheidiomofthemournersintheKeeningSangforMaker(1958–59)

(asdiscussedinChapter5.4),withtheDSCHactingasapersistentlyrecurringlitany,asinvocationof

supplication.

Figure86.CurrentAuthor’sAlgorithmicFormulaeofAllPossiblePermutationsof‘D,E♭C,B’(DSCH)

Whilstalltwenty‐fourpermutationsdo,indeed,appearinthework,Stevensonnotesthat,‘it

issometimesserial,butnotrigidlyso,’490meaningthathewillallowfornotestoberepeated,aswell

astheinclusionofadditionalpartialrepetitionsoftheD,E♭,C,Bmelodiccells(asshowninFigure

88,withadditionaladdedmaterialhighlightedinblue,andtheoverallprincipalmotif[s]highlighted

inred,bars1‐9).Nonetheless,thefactthattheright‐handmelodyisabsolutelyrestrictedtotheD,

E♭,C,B,andyetisstillhauntinglybeautifulasapieceofmusic,isanastonishingachievement.

489PrefacetotheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974),originalsolopianoversion.490PrefacetotheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974),originalsolopianoversion.

182

Figure87.TheCurrentAuthor’sTreeDiagramofallPossiblePermutationsofDSCH(D,E♭,C,B).

183

Figure88.ThefirstpageoftheRecitativeandAironDSCH(1974),publishedbyTheRonaldStevenson

Society,Edinburgh,bars1‐9.

In the second movement of the Sinfonia Elegiaca, the warbling of the Gàidhlig Great

HighlandBagpipesisappropriatelyevokedbyitsfar‐removedorchestralprogeny,theCorAnglais(as

seen in Figure 89, highlighted in red). The drone is held motionless between the two bassoons,

184

whilst the two flutes, clarinets and horns enhance the grief‐stricken unquietness with the subtle

dissonancesoftheminorsecondsfromtheoriginalPassacagliaonDSCH,withtheharplatersubtly

intensifyingthisCelticstandpoint,withinasymphoniccontext.

Figure89.AnExcerptfromRonaldStevenson’sSinfoniaElegiaca,SecondMovement(2010),‘Lament

fortheChildren,’bars1‐7.OriginallytranscribedfromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars723‐757.

ThethirdmovementoftheSinfoniaElegiacaisare‐workingofthe‘Adagio:tributetoBach’fromthe

PassacagliaonDSCH,which isdescribedbyStevensonas ‘aPietà‐likemeditationafter tragedy’.491

Theoriginal ‘Tribute toBach’ from thePassacagliaonDSCH is foundedupon the famousopening

motifofBach’sToccataandFugueinDMinor,BWV565(asshowninFigure90,highlightedinred).

However, it is ironicthatsince1981theprovenanceofthemostrecognizedworkeverwrittenfor

organisbeingseriouslyquestionedasbeingtheworkofJohannSebastianBachatall,whichwould

make an absorbing study in itself.492When the current author quizzed Stevenson concerning the

legitimacyoftheauthorshipoftheToccataandFugueinDMinor,BWV565,herepliedthat,whilsthe

491PrefacetotheSinfoniaElegiaca(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety,2010).492SeePeterWilliams,BWV565:AToccataInDMinorforOrganbyJ.S.Bach?OxfordJournals(1981);

seealsoDavidHumphreys,TheDminorToccataBWV565,OxfordJournals10,Issue2(1982),216‐217.

185

wasmostattentivetothescholarlynatureoftheinquiry,‘MarkTwain[1835–1910]suggestedthat

Shakespearewasn’twrittenbyShakespeare,butbysomeoneelseof thesamename.493Whilsthe

wasinterestedinthe‘Shakespearealternative‐authorshipquestion’andthevarious‘theories’—both

inrelationtoBWV565bymusicologistsandthe‘Anti‐Stratfordianargumentsbyliterarytheorists’—

histributewasto‘JohannSebastianBach,andBachalone’.494

Figure90.AnExcerptfromToccataandFugueinDMinorBWV565,spuriouslyattributedtoJohann

SebastianBach(1685–1750),495bars1‐3.

InStevenson’s ‘TributetoBach’,heusesonly the immediatelyrecognizablemelodicmotif,

withitsstylizedornamentanddescendingscale,asanallusiontohisgreatpredecessor.However,he

answers the phrase in a very differentway to the original (as shown in Figure 91,with themotif

highlightedinredandtheall‐pervadingGround‐Basshighlightedinblue,bars1,460‐1,464).

493Alsoquotedin‘RonaldStevensononLeopoldGodowsky’,TheListener85No.2180(7January

1971),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,105.494Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2003.495Stevenson,pers.comm.,c.2003.

186

Figure91.‘TributetoBach’fromRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:Oxford

UniversityPress),bars1,460‐1,464.

Figure92.‘TributetoBach’fromthecurrentauthor’s‘working‐copy’ofRonaldStevenson’s

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963),publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bars1,460‐1,494.

When the current authorworked on thePassacaglia on DSCH with Stevenson in the late

1990’s, his pencil additions in the score shed fascinating light on his current re‐working. He has

humorouslywritten(whilstslightlyhardtodecipher)‘espressivo—notanexpresstrain’(highlighted

in blue)—curtailing the author’s (then) youthful enthusiasm for bravura, reiterated with his

instruction ‘not brilliantly’ (highlighted in blue) desiring a significantly more dignified, languid

approachthanwasfirstpresentedtohim.

Stevenson has also curiously written the word ‘Jesus’—highlighted in red in tiny script.

However,whilst thismotifmayberepresentationalofBachor ‘BachwithanallusiontoChrist,’or

evenatributeto‘Bach’sreligiousausterityinhismusic,’—itisofmoreconsequencethatStevenson

requeststheperformertotreathiseloquentmotifwithvenerationandrespect.Thisamplifiesthe

significance of his description a decade later in the orchestral re‐working of the same material,

187

describingitasa‘Pietà’‐likemeditationaftertragedy’496—especiallyasitisimmediatelyprecededby

thefreneticvirtuosityofthe‘central‐études’intheoriginalPassacagliaonDSCH.

The‘Pietà’isthetraditionalimagefavoredbypaintersandsculptorsthroughouttheagesof

thelifelessChristbeingcradledbytheVirginMary—themostcelebratedillustrationofwhichisthe

Renaissance masterwork of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564), carved between 1498–1499,

currently located in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome (as shown in Figure 93). Notwithstanding religion,

Michelangelo’sPietàhasmoreincommonwiththePassacagliaonDSCHandtheSinfoniaElegiaca,

thaninitiallyperceptible.

Figure93.MichelangeloBuonarroti’s(1475–1564)Pietà(1498–99),SistineChapel,StPeter’sBasilica,

VaticanCity,OriginalSourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.

All threeworksareconcernedwith the subjectof loss—inMichelangelo’s caseamother’s

lossof a child,which relates closely toa father’s loss in theearlier lament for the children, based

496RonaldStevenson,PrefacetotheSinfoniaElegiaca(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety,2010).

188

upon‘PatrickMorMacCrimmon’smourningfor‘sevenofhiseightsonswhodiedwithinayear’497(as

discussedinChapter5.2).Furthermore,whilstMichelangelo’sworkiscarvedfromagiganticblockof

Carrara marble, the work of Stevenson’s anvil is forged from the all‐encompassing DSCH motif,

united and strengthened by the BACH (B♭, A, C, B) cryptogram. This easily fuses together like a

superior bimetallic alloy—as they share the same initial interval of a minor second, reflecting

outwardsfromeachother—andtheirtworemaining‘letters’areidentical.

ThefourthmovementoftheSinfoniaElegiacareworksthemassivecrescendogigantescoof

thePassacagliaonDSCH:fromthe‘AdagissimoBarocco’(bar.2,160)untilthefinalnote(bar.2,249).

Whilst thiswholework isanorchestrationofpianopieces,Stevensonsees that,paradoxically, the

pianoitselfcanhelphimwithorchestration,ashehasalwayswrittenfor itorchestrally inthefirst

instance (as discussed in 1). In relation to subsequent re‐orchestration, Stevenson notes: ‘I have

alwaysconceivedthepianoasanorchestra.Ithasallthepossibilitiesforyou,there,laidoutinfront

ofyou,andithashelpedmeatremendouslotwithorchestration.Orchestrationisalifestudy.AndI

amveryinterestedincolour’.498

Stevenson is livingtestamenttothis ‘life‐study,’still re‐working,adaptingandreevaluating

his own craft and music, now in the middle of his eighth decade. It is remarkable that he will

interweavenewmotivic ideas (as shown inFigure94,highlighted in red) in the first‐violins,which

arenotpresentintheoriginalPassacagliaonDSCH(1963),whilsttheharpandpianoshareequally

theprincipalmaterial(highlightedinyellow)inamasterfulre‐figurationoftheoriginalsource.

497Scott‐Sutherland,StevensonandtheChild,323(Sutherlandfootnotes‘Lettertoauthordated16th

September,1982’).498Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,

20.

189

Figure94.TheFourthMovementofStevenson’sSinfoniaElegiaca:‘AdagissimoBarocco’(2010),

publishedbyTheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,bar44,originallyfromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)Bar2,203.

However, rather than seeing his re‐working as a dry, intellectual work‐out, Stevenson’s

rationaleinrevisitingthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)half‐a‐centuryafterwritingitisclearlytohear

thefruitsofhislaborperformed.ItisevenworthyofminornotethatStevensonissosensitivetothe

needsofeachindividualperformerthatwhentheflautisthastochangeinstrumentswithinthesame

bar(highlightedinblueinFigure94),hereassuringlywrites‘takepiccolo,rememberit’sslow!’499To

the best of the current writer’s knowledge, this selfsame section has the almost illogically

contradictory tempo marking—excluding those familiar with the ingenious pacing of the work—

lentoconmoto(highlightedingreeninFigure94).

Stevensonhimselfdescribesthisre‐workedpassageas‘a longslowgiganticcrescendo, like

anavalancheofdisasterapproaching,buildingupthemotiveoffearthatfinallysubsides,assuaged


20.

190

by a chorale for peace on clarinets, bassoons, divisi strings and organ pedal’. He attentively

contoured the crescendo gigantesco in his own performances and two recordings withmasterful

prowess,yetinhisre‐workingheaffixesweighttotheorchestralsoundbytheuseofdivisistrings,

makingtheorchestralforceseemsubstantiallybroaderthanitalreadyis.Henotesthatasachild—

whilst listening to a recording of Edward Elgar conducting the London SymphonyOrchestra in his

Serenade for Strings in EMinor,Op. 20 (1892)—he realized that clever use ofdivisi strings could

makeanorchestrasound‘bigger’thanitactuallywas:

Certain passages in the Larghetto were so intense that I could have sworn that brassinstrumentswere added to the score—an impression I also received from an old [Sergei]Koussevitzky[1874–1951]recordingofGrieg’sLastSpring[fromDeuxmélodiesélégiaques,Op.34,1880].Furtherhearingrevealedthattherewasnobrasssupport,butthatElgar,likeGrieg,couldmakeastringorchestrasuggestalargerensemblebyacunninguseofdivisiandthesonorityofopenstrings.500

ThisissurelythefonsetorigoofhissystemofdivisistringsintheSinfoniaElegiaca(2010)withthe

orchestrasupercedingtheoriginalpianoofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),whichhereonlymakes

abrief,thoughcrucial,appearancehalf‐waythroughthelastofthefourmovements,reinforcinghis

originalmotivictreatmentoftheDSCH.

ItisfruitfultocompareStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCHwithGrainger’smostintricatework

forpiano,hisRosenkavalierRamble(1920–27),whichwasbasedonthefinallove‐duet(IsteinTraum

/Spür'nurdich)fromRichardStrauss’(1864–1949)Opera,DerRosenkavalier,Op.59(1911).Itwas,

sadly‘hismother’ssuicide(RoseGrainger,NéeGrant1861–1922)thatdroveGraingertocomplete

themostelaborateofallhispianoparaphrases,withhernameobliquelyenshrinedinthetitle’501(as

showninFigure95,withtheinscription,‘Yule‐gifttothememoryofmybelovedmother,’December

1927, bars 1‐3). In Stevenson’s case, he takes dedications to their logical extreme, such as in his


20.501BarryPeterOuld,LinerNotes,PercyGrainger:RamblesandReflections,PiersLane,piano,Hyperion

Records[CDH55454],2002,compactdisc.

191

PassacagliaonDSCH,byenshriningfriendsandpeopleheadmires—notjustinthetitle,asGrainger

haddonebeforehim—butliterallyinthemusicitself―asacryptographicmotif.

Figure95.Grainger’sFantasieüberdasschluss‐duett(‘IsteinTraum/Spür'nurdich,’)ausderOpera

DerRosenkavalier,Op.59(1911)vonRichardStrauss(1864–1949),re‐composedGrainger(1920–1927),bars1‐3.

Nevertheless, whilst motifs are of great consequence to Stevenson, they really are, in

essence,onlyacompositional‘meanstoanend’.502Heonceincisivelyacknowledgedthat‘musicof

limitedrangeisthatwhichpostulatescross‐notepuzzles,themisconceptionofmusicasablueprint

or computerized game of spot‐the‐motif or as an IQ test in identifying permutations or

palindromes’.503 It is imperative tonote that in the recentSinfoniaElegiaca, thededication inThe

Lament for the Children, is no longer to ‘child victims of Nazism’504 (as noted in Chapter 5.2, see

Figure73,originally found in thePassacagliaonDSCH) buthasnowgrown tobeuniversal. It has

502RonaldStevenson,‘Delius’sSources’,TempoMagazine,151(December1984),reproducedin

Walton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,37.503RonaldStevenson,‘Delius’sSources’,37.504Scott‐Sutherland,StevensonandtheChild,323(Sutherlandfootnotes‘Lettertohimselfdated16th

September,1982).

192

beendedicatedsimplyto‘childvictimsofWar’505—i.e.,allchildrenwhohavedied, inallWar.This

change therefore is as much an aesthetic development of motif, in all senses of the word, as a

musicalone.

Utilizing a twenty‐first century terminology, it can be stated that, at his most succinct,

Stevenson astutely uses hismaterial to act as a philosophical or aestheticmeme.506 It replicates,

mutates and evolves beyond its initial conception—capable of not only carrying but also

transformingculturalideas,symbolsandpractices.Consider,forinstance,theminiatureAfricanTwi‐

Tune(1964)(asevaluatedinChapter4.3),orthemodestyofphysicalscaleoftheRecitativeandAir

(1974)tothetrulymonumentalPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).Stevenson’sœuvredemonstratesthat

a compositional idea can simultaneously spawn elemental results of themost condensed or epic

proportions.

WhilstStevenson’suseofmotivicdevelopmentastheinitialcreativesparksandmicrocosmic

building‐blocksofhiscreative life force isbeguiling,equallyas spellbindingat theoppositeendof

the spectrum is his conception of structural design on a macrocosmic scale. Here he utilizes

traditional and expanded architectonic forms that, in any evaluation of his piano works, are of

seminalimportance—anddeservedetailedstudy.

6.3CombiningAmalgamatedForms,ConceptualDesigns,andGoldenSectionsinthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)

Stevensonnotestheincongruousnessoftheopposingindividualaestheticalstancesconcerningform

takenbyhisprincipalinfluences,FerruccioBusoniandPercyGrainger:

505PrefacetotheSinfoniaElegiaca(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety,2010).506‘Weneedanameforthenewreplicator,anounthatconveystheideaofaunitofcultural

transmission,oraunitofimitation.'Mimeme'comesfromasuitableGreekroot,butIwantamonosyllablethatsoundsabitlike'gene’.IhopemyclassicistfriendswillforgivemeifIabbreviatemimemetomeme.Ifitisanyconsolation,itcouldalternativelybethoughtofasbeingrelatedto'memory,’ortotheFrenchwordmême[sic.].Itshouldbepronouncedtorhymewith'cream’.’RichardDawkins,TheSelfishGene(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1989),192.

193

Irememberhe[Grainger]tookparticularexceptiontoBusoni’sconceptofmusicitselfasanarchitectonicstructure.Grainger,havingcomefromthewideopenspacesofAustralia,feltthatthenatureofmusicwasnotlikeanarchitectureedifice,butratherlikearibbonrolledalongthefloorthatgraduallydescribesasingleline.507

Stevensonaddsthathe ‘doesn’tseewhythenatureofmusicshouldn’t includeboththese

concepts’. He notes too that it is ‘a difference of view determined by geographic and cultural

background—Grainger as an Australian had a ‘great wide open spaces’ idea of music whilst

Europeanmusicians, livingwith urban architecture, andwritingmusic in terms of the acoustic of

cathedrals and concert halls, have inevitably thought of music as architectonic’.508 Regarding his

PassacagliainDSCH,headdsthathehopesit‘coalescesbothconcepts:musicasflow,andmusicas

architecture’.509The flowof thework isobviouslyachievedasa resultof thepreviouslydiscussed

motivic‐chain in the ground bass, but what of the architecture? The overall form of the work is

immense, but like the notion of cryptographic motifs being correlated to DNA (as previously

discussed, seeFigure97, inChapter6.2), so the larger structurecanbebrokendown into smaller

internalized forms. Colin Scott‐Sutherland notes that Stevenson has a convincing hypothesis that

eachperiodofmusicalhistoryreachesitsapogeeinaprecisemusicalform,allofwhichcanbefound

inthePassacagliaonDSCH:

Stevensonhasexpressedthetheorythateachperiodinhistoryisencapsulatedinaspecificform—theageofreasoninBachandhiscontemporaries(suchasGottfriedWilhelmLeibniz[1646–1716],BenedictdeSpinoza[1632–1677]andRenéDescartes[1596–1650]—andevenCarl Linnæus [1707–1778] in fugue and counterpoint, the age of the enlightenment insonata‐formreachingitsapogeeintheEroica[Beethoven’sSymphonyNo.3inE♭major,Op.55, 1806]. In the twentieth century variation techniques culminate in the dodecaphonicproceduresoftheSecondVienneseSchool[ZweiteWienerSchule]—whichprocedurescarrywiththemtheirownstrictrules.510

507MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,25.508Stevenson,‘PassacagliaonDSCH’,TheListener(1969),reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGold

Pavilions,2.509MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,25.510Scott‐Sutherland,EnvoiWhatnow?,285.(Inconversationwiththeauthor[Sutherland]).

194

IfoneexaminesStevenson’sowndiagrammaticplanofthePassacagliaonDSCH(asshown

in Figure 96), all of the above‐mentioned forms can indeed be found in the overall gargantuan

structure: sonata‐form, in thePars Prima, ‘variation techniques’ throughout thework, ‘fugue and

counterpoint’andthe‘dodecaphonicprocedures’inthetriplefugue.

Figure96.‘PlanofWork’:ThePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)511*fromthetitlepageoftheOxford

UniversityPressEdition,London,1964,ii.

Stevensonevencombinessomeoftheaforementionedconceptualdesigns—mostobviously

intheprincipalsubjectofthefirstoftheTriplefugues,whereSchoenbergianserialismisabsorbed

511FromthetitlepageofthePassacagliaonDSCH,reprintedwithkindpermission.(London,Oxford

UniversityPress.

195

intotheBachianmodel,throughthetersedodecaphonicallydesignedsubject(asshowninFigure97,

bars1,494‐1,506).

Figure97.‘DodecaphonicSubject’ofthe‘FirstFugue’fromthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,494‐1,506.

Sutherlandstatesthat:‘SeánÓRiada[1931–1971]suggestedthatthetrajectoryofsonataform,or

‘firstmovementform’wasthatoftheascenttowardsthe‘GoldenSection’point,itsnatureangular

and aspiring, and contrasts that with the Cencrastus, the Celtic snake, its tail in its mouth, the

completenessofthecircle(totalvariation)’.512This immediatelyrelatestothepreviouslydiscussed

ancientOuroboros and Theodoros Pelecanos’ Serpiente alquimica (see Figure 85 in chapter 6.2).

However,whilstthisrelatestoGrainger’s‘ribbonform,’whatofotherancientarchitecturalmodels:

512FromthetitlepageofthePassacagliaonDSCH,reprintedwithkindpermission.(London:Oxford

UniversityPress).

196

is thearithmeticconceptionof the ‘GoldenSection’evident in thestructureof thePassacagliaon

DSCHwhentakenasawhole?

If one partitions thework into its three ancillary, thoughunbroken, sections—Pars Prima,

Pars Altera and Pars Tertia—it is instantly noticeable that Pars Tertia operates as the incisive

momentintheGoldenSectionofthearchitecturaldesignofthePassacagliaonDSCHasawhole.It

skillfullyshiftsthecentreofmusicalgravitytowardstheclimaxofthework(asshowninFigure98).

Furthermore,thereisalsoasmaller,thoughequallyasessential,goldensectionoccurringwithinthe

three fugues themselves, wherein the three subjects eventually syndicate and ‘are heard in

contrapuntalcombinationwithintheground’513 intheThirdFugue:DiesIrae,whenallthethemes

eventually combine (highlighted in red in Figure 98). Anderson describes that as ‘that mediaeval

reminderofGod'swrath,inmemoryofthesixmillionJewsslaughteredbytheNazis’.514

513MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,56.514Anderson,Martin,‘TheMeaningofLifeinEightyMinutes:MarkGasser,WigmoreHall’,The

Independent(London)(16February2001),16.

197

Figure98.GoldenSectionsContainedWithintheArchitectonicStructureofthePassacagliaonDSCH

198

6.4TheAbsorptionofMiniatureFundamentalsfromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübunginZehnBüchern(1818–1925)intoStevenson’sMonumentalPassacagliaonDSCH(1963)

IfonereflectspurelyuponthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),theabsorptionofminiaturefigurational

elements from Ferruccio Busoni’s Klavierübung in Zehn Büchern can unmistakably be felt in

Stevenson’s most monumental work. This is perhaps best explained by Busoni’s adage that ‘the

acquirement of a technique is nothing else than the fitting of a given difficulty to one’s own

capacities,’515which, in Stevenson’s case, has been the ‘absorbed acquirement of a technique’ as

both a composer and performer. Surprisingly, there has been no previous ‘cross‐referencing’

betweenbothworksinexistentscholarlyendeavour.IfoneexaminesFigure99,thesearetheonly

two instances of such a figuration of which the current author is aware—with the scalic chordal

passages being facilitated with the ‘passing under’ of the right‐hand thumb and second fingers

(Klavierübung,ZweitesBuch:VonTonleiternabgeleiteteFormen,bars5‐10,andthePassacagliaon

DSCH,bars1, 144‐1, 151).Whilst Stevenson’s is farmore intricate, the correlation is perceptible.

Similarly, if one compares the figuration of the examples in Figure 100 (highlighted in red,

PassacagliaonDSCH,bar1,797)StevensonhasabsorbedBusoni’smechanisticétude(highlightedin

blue,Klavierübung: Siebentes Buch, Acht Etüden nach Cramer,No. 5, Répétition:Allegrissimo, bar

23),whichhassubsequently‘grown’tobecometangiblemusic.

515HaroldTaylor,Stevenson’sPianism,213.

199

Figure99.ExcerptfromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)ZweitesBuch:VonTonleiternabgeleiteteFormen,bars5‐10.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925),andRonaldStevenson’s

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,144‐1,151.

200

Figure 100. Excerpt from Ferruccio Busoni’s Klavierübung (1818–1925): Siebentes Buch. Acht Etüden nachCramer, No. 5. Répétition: Allegrissimo, bar 23 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1925) and Ronald Stevenson’s

PassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars1,795‐1,798.

As for theexamples inFigure101,althoughthesemblance isnotasconspicuous, itseems

toomuchofacoincidencethatStevensonmarkstrillointhescoreofhisPassacagliaonDSCH(bars

400‐402)andtheétude inBusoni’sKlavierübung (FünftesBuch:Triller,NachGounod,Andantecon

moto, bars 2‐3) is similarly entitled ‘Trillo’. Similarly, in Figure 102, Stevenson has once again

dramatically enhanced the figuration, with it being far more complex, withmany supplementary

textural layers, in comparison to Busoni’s that is für die linke Hand allein (for left hand alone)

(Klavierübung, Zehntes Buch: Etüden nach Paganini‐Liszt, Étude No.1 ‘Tremolo’ [in Gminor],Non

troppoLento,bar6).

201

Figure101.Excerpt(s)fromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)FünftesBuch:Triller,Nach

Gounod,Andanteconmoto,bars2‐3.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1925)andRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars400‐402.

Figure102.Excerpt(s)fromFerruccioBusoni’sKlavierübung(1818–1925)ZehntesBuch:EtüdennachPaganini‐Liszt,ÉtudeNo.1‘Tremolo’(inGminor),NontroppoLento,bar6.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&

Härtel,1925)andRonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars113‐114

202

Figure103.Excerpt(s)fromFrédéricChopin’sÉtudeOp.25No.5(1829–32).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1879),bars1‐3,RonaldStevenson’sPassacagliaonDSCH(1963).(London:OxfordUniversityPress),bars428‐431.

Stevenson did not just absorb pianistic figurations from Busoni, but experientially he

selected from a multitude of sources (as discussed in Chapter 5.5). Frédéric Chopin’s Étude in E

minorOp.25No.5(1829–32)—thesocalled‘wrongnoteétude’—isjustoneexample:echoesofthis

workcanclearlybefeltinbars428‐431ofthePassacagliaonDSCH(asshowninFigure103).

In essence, Stevenson has not only absorbed elements of Chopin’s Études (1829–32,

published 1837) and Busoni’sKlavierübung (1818–1925, pub. 1925) just as a pianist (discussed at

length in chapter two), but also as a composer. These brief examples prove beyond doubt that

distilled elements of theseworks—which have been seminally important throughout his life as a

composer‐pianist—were absorbed and have subsequently evolved through conscious and

subconsciousartisticmetamorphosis,becomingsomethingthatisverymuchhisown.

203

6.5ArchitectonicForms:ComparisonswiththeOpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930)ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)andVisualizingtheIntelligentDesignofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)

Stevensonnotesthat‘thereisaparallelbetweenthecreativecareersofKarolSzymanowski(1882–

1937) and LeopoldGodowsky (1870–1938): bothbeganbywritingmonumental, polyphonicpiano

works; and both later embraced a highly individual quasi‐oriental Impressionism, an art of

transcendental arabesque,’516 that equally could apply to Stevenson’s own writing. Superficial

comparisonsareoftenmadebetweenhisworksandthoseofSorabji—inparticular, theextremely

lengthy,twelve‐movement,OpusClavicembalisticum,KSS50(1930,publishedJ.CurwenandSonsLtd,

1931),merelybecausebothworksaredividedintoparsprima,parsalteraandparstertiaandareof

an extraordinary duration. However, both works are inspired in respect to the later by Busoni’s

PianoConcertoinCmajor,Op.39,BV.247(1904)thathashesameinternaldevisionsofparsprima,

parsalteraandparstertia.

Bothworksarealso inspiredtosomeextentbyBusoni’sFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256

(1910‐22), Stevensonnowbelieves that this iswhere the similarityends.517Healsoconsiders that

theimportanceofSorabjiasacomposerofnotehasnotonlybeen‘exaggerated’518butalsothat‘his

musicpromisedrathermorethanitdelivered’.519SeanOwen—whilstresearchingKaikhosruShapurji

Sorabji: An Oral Biography—found that Stevenson in telephone conversation was very critical of

fundamental elements of Sorabji’s writing. Stevenson noted that, whilst he did have some

admirationforhisabilitytocreate‘organicforms,’henonethelesssawhisfugalsubjectchoiceand

pianisticorchestrationasdefective:

516RonaldStevenson,SzymanowskiatthePiano,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,

103.517Stevenson,pers.comm.,5August2011.518Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’7.519Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’7.

204

Hewas indeedcriticalofSorabji’scompositions, referring tohis fugalwriting, inparticular

hischoiceoffuguesubjects,andhisorchestration,asflawed.Hedidhoweverexpressgreat

admirationforSorabji’scapacityasacomposerofpianofantasias,statingthatintherealm

oforganicformSorabjiisunrivalled.520

Whilst Sorabji’s Opus Clavicembalisticum, KSS50 (1930) is certainly lengthy, it is important to

rememberthatinthecaseofStevenson’sown80minutePassacagliaonDSCH(1963),heseesthe

durationasbeing‘theleastinterestingthingaboutit’.521

Busoni rightly contended that ‘architecture has its fundamental form, growth frombelow

upward,’522 and in Stevenson’s commercial recording,Cathedrals in Sound (1992)523 it is intriguing

thatallofthecollectiveworkschosenbyStevensonarethematicallylinkedthroughthecorrelation

struck between music and architecture (see Chapter 2). Busoni even went so far as to draw an

‘architectural diagram’—Architektonischer: Zeichnung in Form einer Gebäudefassade—of his

FantasiacontrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐1922).Thisinitself isbasedononeofthemostsignificant

Medieval structures in the whole of Europe—the Palais des Papes (c. 1232‐1364)—located in

AvignoninSouthernFrance(asshowninFigure104andFigure105).

520S.V.Owen,KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji:AnOralBiography(Southampton:Universityof

Southampton),2006.ProQuestDissertationsandTheses.http://search.proquest.com.library.ecu.edu.au521Walton,AScotin‘EmergentAfrica,’8.522Busoni,SketchofaNewAesthetic,2.523CathedralsinSound,RonaldStevenson(piano),AltarusAIRCD9043(1•DDD),1992.Fordetailsof

allcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

205

Figure104.FaçadeofthePalaisNeuf,PalaisdesPapes,Avignon,France(constructedc.1232‐1364),

OriginalSourceWikipedia,PublicDomain,ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy,InspirationalsourceofFerruccioBusoni’sArchitecturalDiagramArchitektonischer:Zeichnung

intheFormeinerGebäudefassade/ArchitecturalDrawinginFormofaBuildingFront,oftheFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22),below.(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1922).524

Figure105.FerruccioBusoni’sArchitecturalDiagramArchitektonischer:ZeichnungintheFormeiner

Gebäudefassade[ArchitecturalDrawinginformofabuildingfront]oftheFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&Härtel,1921),ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,

ResearchorStudy.

524PublicdomainphotographoftheFaçadeofthePalaisNeuf,PalaisdesPapes,Avignon,France,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avignon,_Palais_des_Papes_by_JM_Rosier.jpg(creative‐commonspublicdomainimage).

206

Busoni’soutlineofthisGothicarchitecturalmasterpiecewasalsoaninspirationforbothStevenson

in the Passacaglia on DSCH (1963) and Sorabji in his Opus Clavicembalisticum, KSS50 (1930).525

However, if Stevenson does not see his own work as having many similarities with Opus

Clavicembalisticum,weneedtoask,whatishisownarchitectonicplanthat,initsliteraldefinitionis

‘employedtofulfillbothpracticalandexpressiverequirements,andthusservebothutilitarianand

aestheticends’?526

Ferruccio Busoni’s architectural realization of his Fantasia Contrappuntistica KIV256 (1910‐

1922)—whichappearsintheopeningplateofthefirst‐editionofthetwo‐pianoversion(asshownin

Figure106)—isinitselfonlyavastlysimplifiedmodeloftheactualPalaisdesPapes(c.1232‐1364).

In order to reach any tangible conclusion in comparing the Fantasia Contrappuntistica’s KIV256

architectonicconstructionwiththatofthePassacagliaonDSCH,itislogicaltocreateasimilartwo‐

dimensionalimageofthestructureofthelatterinordertofullyevaluateanypossiblesimilarities.

If oneexamines the current author’s hypothetical rendering (as shown in Figure106), the

resultantcorrelationisstriking.

525‘AswellastheArchitektonischer:ZeichnunginFormeinerGebäudefassade—ofhisFantasia

contrappuntistica(1910‐22)Busonialsodesignedaquasi‐EgyptianstructureonthetitlepageofthemonumentalPianoConcertoinCmajor,Op.39,BV.247(1904),’inaemailfromRonaldandMarjorieStevenson(néeSpeddingb.1932)totheauthor,21February2012.

526 ‘Architecture,’ Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Edith Cowan University Library, Australia:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32876/architecture:

‘Although these twoendsmaybedistinguished, theycannotbe separated,and the relativeweightgiventoeachcanvarywidely.Becauseeverysociety—whetherhighlydevelopedorlessso,settledornomadic—hasaspatial relationship to thenaturalworldand toothersocieties, thestructures theyproducerevealmuchabouttheirenvironment(includingclimateandweather),history,ceremonies,andartisticsensibility,aswellasmanyaspectsofdailylife.Thecharacteristicsthatdistinguishaworkofarchitecturefromotherman‐madestructuresare(1)thesuitabilityoftheworktousebyhumanbeings in general and the adaptability of it to particular human activities 2) the stability andpermanenceofthework’sconstruction,and(3)thecommunicationofexperienceandideasthroughitsform.Alltheseconditionsmustbemetinarchitecture.Thesecondisaconstant,whilethefirstandthirdvaryinrelativeimportanceaccordingtothesocialfunctionofbuildings.Ifthefunctionischieflyutilitarian,asinafactory,communicationisoflessimportance.Ifthefunctionischieflyexpressive,asinamonumentaltomb,utilityisaminorconcern.Insomebuildings,suchaschurchesandcityhalls,utilityandcommunicationmaybeofequalimportance’.

207

Figure106.CurrentAuthor’sDiagramofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)andBusoni’sArchitektonischer:ZeichnungoftheFantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256(1910‐22).(Leipzig:Breitkopf&

Härtel,1922),ExceptiontoCopyright,Sectionss40,103C,ResearchorStudy.

208

ItisimmediatelyevidentthatStevenson’sdesignisgranderandsubstantiallymorecomplex

thanBusoni’s.Yet,whilstbothworkscontain fuguesactingasagoldensection in the last thirdof

theirrespectiveworks,Stevensonsubstantiallylargerstructureingeniouslysupportsitsowncolossal

weight by the four episodes (represented using Doric columns527 in the current author’s artistic

rendering,asshown inFigure106),whichcounter‐balancethetriple fugue.Thisnotonlyprovides

structuralintegrity,butalsohelpsfacilitatetheoverallmonumentalityofthedesign.Stevensonhas

clearlyusedtheBusonimodelasapointofdeparture,aseventhelayoutofhistitlepage—Planof

WorkandBusoni’sPlandesWorkes—seemsjusttooexplicitinitsintentiontobecoincidental.

The Canadian musicologist, Paul Rapoport (b. 1948), once intriguingly wrote that, ‘the

Passacaglia on DSCH is inter alia a creative response to Busoni just as Ferruccio Busoni Fantasia

Contrappuntistica is a creative response to Bach’.528 Stevenson himself said of the Fantasia

Contrappuntistica that it is ‘a visionary completion of Bach’s incomplete fugue from The Art of

Fugue’529 [Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080 (c. 1740+)], which extends the ‘Bachian language to the

twentieth century’.530 Yet whilst this helps to clarify aspects of the overallmonumentality of the

Passacaglia on DSCH, with clear parallels to the largest gothic structure in Europe, what of the

minutiaeandinparticulartheDSCHmotif?

527FoursingleDoriccolumns( )areusedtorepresentthefour‘episodes’inthecurrentauthor’s

TheoreticalDiagramofthePassacagliaonDSCH(1963)asshowninFigure106.528PaulRapoport,LinerNotes,StevensonplaysStevenson,RonaldStevenson(piano),AltarusAIR‐CD‐

9091(2),1999,compactdisc.FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

529FerruccioBusoni:‘MusicforTwoPianosandPianoDuet,’JosephBanowetzandRonaldStevenson(twopianos)AltarusRecords,AIR‐CD‐9044,1994,compactdisc.FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

530FerruccioBusoni:‘MusicforTwoPianosandPianoDuet.’

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MalcolmMacDonaldgivesthemostpowerfulallegoryofall,describingStevenson’streatmentofthe

DSCH motif as ‘the atomic nucleus whose splitting releases the power of the sun’531 and, as

previouslyascertained,theDSCHinthegroundbassingeniouslyworksasamotivicchain, likeself‐

perpetuatingstrandsofDNA.Nonetheless, concerning thecomplex linkbetween the ‘macrocosm’

and ‘microcosm’ it isessential tounderstand thatboth spheresare coupledetymologicallyby the

sameroot—withkosmosvariouslydenoting ‘order,’ ‘harmony,’ ‘theworld,’andeven ‘Universe’.532

The argumenthas, therefore, come full‐circle in returning toWilliamBlake’s ‘To see aWorld in a

Grain of Sand…’533 and the Beethovenian universality of Stevenson’s senso di spazio quasi

Gagarinesco,asdiscussedintheopeninglinesofthischapter:‘thewidestspaceofall’.534

The structural design of thePassacaglia on DSCH works only because of the approach in

whichthe‘buildingblocks’areassembledwithinboththemicrocosmandmacrocosm—withsound

judgmentandingenuity.AscelebratedCanadianarchitect,ArthurErickson(1924–2009)oncesaid—

bearinga striking similarity toStevenson’s conceptualizationof forms,both largeand small in the

Passacaglia on DSCH—it is what a space contains that is of greater consequence than the

architectonicform,forthataloneiswhattrulyarousesemotion:

Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture. It is not the physical

statementofthestructuresomuchaswhatitcontainsthatmovesus.535

531MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,45.532‘Cosmos,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1515671/Cosmos.533WilliamBlake,‘AuguriesofInnocence,’firststanza1‐4),EnglishPoetryII:FromCollinstoFitzgerald

HarvardUniversityPress,1914),356.Seealso‘ThePickeringManuscript,’EncyclopædiaBritannicaOnline,EdithCowanUniversityLibrary,Australia:http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/17/17429/The‐Pickering‐Manuscript.AlsoStevenson,topers.comm.,5November2011.SeealsoJamieReidBaxter,TheChoralMusic,199.

534MacDonald,RonaldStevenson:AMusicalBiography,60.535BarryJohns,‘OrderandSimplicity:FundamentalTenetsofArchitectureasEspousedbyaMaster

Architect,’CanadianArchitect,OnlineEdition,ATributetoArthurErickson(October2009),http://www.canadianarchitect.com/news/a‐tribute‐to‐arthur‐erickson/1000344743.

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ChapterSeven:CONCLUSIONS:EvaluationofExegesis

7.1RonaldStevensonandthePiano—anEight‐DecadeRelationship

Theobjectiveofthisexegeticalstudyistoprovidepositivematerialforfuturescholarlyendeavour—

aswellasactingastestamenttoStevenson’slifebodyofworkandhiseight‐decadeloveaffairwith

thepiano.CriticsandacademicsconcurthatStevensonasacomposer‐pianistisaninsightfuland,in

manyways,incomparableperformer.However,untilnowtherehasbeennothoroughexamination

ofhisperformingcapabilityandhowhetangiblyabsorbedrudimentsofthegreatpianistsfromthe

‘Sunsetof theGoldenAge’,withcorporeal illustrationsandelucidatorycommentary in relation to

historical antecedents. Astonishingly, this distinguished lineage travels back through Busoni, Liszt,

Beethoven,andBach,withthefonsetorigolyingultimatelywiththeearlyclavicembalists.

Stevenson’s rationale of ‘thinking like a composer’ whilst performing was imperative to

assess,especiallyas formanycomposer‐pianistspredating theadventofpiano rolls and recorded

sound,theirownperformingalltooswiftlybecameforthemostpartforgottenorsteepedinmyth.

Recordings of Stevenson observably do exist—with the exception of his early reading of the

PassacagliaonDSCH (SouthAfrica,1964)andaliverecitalentitledTheTranscendentalTradition536

from theUniversity of British Columbia in 1976 for theCanadianBroadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Surprisingly,however,herecordedcommerciallyonlylateinlife.537ThiswasexclusivelyforAltarus

Records, when he was already into his 60’s.538 Therefore, an assessment of Stevenson’s early

pianism, especially in his formative years proved critical,more than ever,whilst Stevenson is still

withusinordertoseparatefactfromfiction.

536Stevensonwritesthathisfriendandformerduo‐partner,SirPeterPiers(1910–1986)once

suggestedtheprogrammetitletohim.SeeScott‐Sutherland,Stevenson’sRecitalProgrammes,300.537PassacagliaonDSCHRonaldStevenson(piano)rec.1964,CapeTown,SouthAfrica,APR5650

(•ADD)and‘TheTranscendentalTradition’:Schubert/Liszt,Chopin/Godowsky,Gluck/Alkan,Strauss/Grainger,Stevenson[‘PeterGrimesFantasy,’‘Prelude,FugueandFantasyonthemesfromBusoni'sDoktorFaust’)Bach/Busoni.(Liverecording:RecitalHall,UniversityofBritishColumbia,Vancouver,21April1976,CanadianBroadcastingCorporation),APR5630(•ADD).

538FordetailsofallcommercialreleasesbyRonaldStevensonaspianist,see:AppendixOne:XIICommercialRecordings.

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Stevenson’s rewriting, refiguring and alteration in performing editions are arguably of

secondary importance to his own composition. Nonetheless, the quasi‐improvisatory character of

rewriting—locatedsomewhereinthe‘twilightrealm’betweeninterpretationandtranscription—isa

gravelyneglectedsubgenre,ofwhichpriorknowledge(outsideof therespectivewell‐documented

territoriesof Jazzandsomeaspectsofearly‐music) is scant tononexistent.Thisomissionbegs for

intensive future investigation—especially as it is close to the uncharted core of music as a

performingartitselfandis,inmanyways,thecreativeheartoftheart‐form.Additionally,attesting

to Stevenson’s personal absorption of elemental aspects of Busoni’s monumental ten‐volume

Klavierübung in ZehnBüchern(1818–1925) into his ownpianism (many years later subconsciously

revivified in the Passacaglia on DSCH (1963)—was a laborious undertaking, yet important to

substantiate.

WithregardtoStevensonandtranscription,thisstudyisthefirsttomaptopographicallythe

terrain of his unparalleled contribution to this much‐maligned art form in any detail, aiming to

ascertain his reasoning in sustaining an ancient practice that was imprudently seen, until very

recently, asbeingout‐of‐dateandevenpassé.Assessing thisphilosophy in the first instance,with

concrete illustration, proved an essential task that has been desperately called for andwill, once

again,actasasteppingstoneforscholarlyinvestigationuponwhichfutureresearcherscantread,as

apointofdeparture.

Similarly, assigning an entire chapter to Stevenson’s use of the pedal throughout his own

voluminousbodyofcomposition(inparticular,hisdevotiontotheSostenuto[PedIII]),iselemental

inunderstandinghisœuvre,ofwhichthereis,apriori,noprecedinginquiry.Furthermore,withthe

exceptions of Stevenson’s distinguished colleagues, Joseph Banowitz,539 Glen Carruthers,540 and

GlennRiddle541 (inexplicit relation toGrainger’spioneeringutilizationof thedevice), there isvery

539Banowetz,ThePianist’sGuidetoPedalling.540Carruthers,‘ThePianoMusicofPercyGrainger’.541Riddle,PercyGrainger:PianoPedagogue.

212

littleinvestigationintoitsuseinpianisminrelationtospecificcomposer‐pianistsperse.Thisinquiry

has proven fruitful as, once again, only a practitioner is fully proficient in understanding and

appraising both the subtleties and complexities of its application (as they are often practically

integrated into the structural fabric of Stevenson’s compositional design). Additionally, how this

neglectedaspectofpianisminStevenson’scompositionwasabsorbedandbuiltuponfrommusical

forebears—inparticular,PercyGraingerandFerruccioBusoni—wasakeyaspectofstudy.

Superficially,exploringStevenson’spolitical ideologieswouldseemacontentiousdebate—

especiallyconsideringthatheclaimstohaveneverbeenconcernedwithpolitics,noreveraffiliated

withanypoliticalpartyororganisation.Nonetheless, thestudyprovedexceedinglyworthwhile,as

there are significant political and humanitarian undertones, which underpinmuch of Stevenson’s

work.Thiswasafascinatingfieldofstudyandhasneverbeenundertakensospecificallyordirectly:

aimingtodivulgethemotivationalheartofhimasacomposer‐pianist.Similarly,itwasimportantto

evaluatethenationalisticaspectsofhisœuvre,especiallyastohowhumanityistangiblyreflectedin

hisart, striving towardsaBeethovenianuniversality.Thiswas foundnowheremoreso than in the

first evaluation of his temporallyminiature (though politically gargantuan)African Twi‐Tune. This

wascontextualizedinboththetroubledtimesinwhichitwasspawnedandtheanticipatedfutureof

afreeSouthAfricathatStevensonpropheticallyhopedfor—whichwasultimately,forthelargepart,

achievedinhisownlifetime.

Linking theminiature to themonumental was also important, as, whilst there have been

studiesintothisfacetofStevenson’spsychebefore(withsuperbworkbyAteşOrga,PaulRapoport,

Malcolm MacDonald, Martin Anderson, and Colin Scott Sutherland), far‐reaching statements are

often made with reference to Stevenson elsewhere, that are corroborated neither with tangible

illustration nor justification. This is especially true in the case of the complex link between the

microcosm and macrocosm and how they interrelate in his writing for the piano. Envisaging an

‘ArchitectonicModel’forthePassacagliaonDSCHwasaninterestingexercisethatdivulgedaspects

of formuponwhich future researchers canbuild.Nonetheless, as theStevensons said ina recent

213

email to the author, their only reservation to such modeling (which they nonetheless found

fascinating)—wasthefollowing:

Musicbyitsverynaturecannotbegrounded,it’sliketheairwebreath,itenvelopesusandsoarsaswehearandexperienceit,liketheGoldbergVariations,[BWV988,published1741].Unlike the Fantasia Contrappuntistica [1910‐22], the Passacaglia [on DSCH, 1963] hashistoric references, that evoke visual images, some of them apocalyptic, some grounded,somecosmic.IthastheBeethovenianstrugglebothPrometheanandpianistic.542

ItisreassuringtonotethatalloftheaboveaspectsconcerningthePassacagliaonDSCH—thepivotal

case study of this entire exegesis—were arrived upon autonomously, without premeditation, nor

promptingfromtheStevensons.Hopefully,thisstudyprovidesinsightandinspirationtoothers.

Unfortunately, it was beyond the scope of this study to examine every work in

corresponding detail because of the sheer volume ofmusic. Instead, the aimwas to capture the

essence of Stevenson and his eighty‐year connection with the instrument, without (to borrow a

phrasefromRichardDawkins,b.1941)unintentionally‘unweavingtherainbow,’543nordissipatingor

trivializinghisuniquelyimaginativeaspirations.

As one can never perceive Stevenson as a stringently ‘modern’ composer, this study has

largely steered clear of contextualizing Stevenson’s accomplishments against the backdrop of

contemporary equivalents, aswell asmore recent topical developments. This is because the task

itselfwould prove unrewarding andmeaningless. Stevenson has virtually nothing in common, for

instance, with Jean‐Henri‐Alphonse Barraqué (1928–1973), Pierre Boulez (b. 1925), Karlheinz

Stockhausen (1928–2007), Frederic Rzewski (b. 1938), or Brian Ferneyhough (b. 1943). With the

exceptions ofMichael Finnissy (b. 1946) and Larry Sitsky (b. 1934) (withwhom there is a distinct

shared responsiveness to the Busonian composer‐pianist traditions), Stevenson is far closer in

intellectualequipoiseandstylisticaptitudetoFranzLiszt,LeopoldGodowsky,FerruccioBusoni,Percy

Grainger, and even Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as the shadowy, mostly forgotten ethereal

542RonaldandMarjorieStevenson,pers.comm.,10April2012.543Dawkins,Richard.UnweavingtheRainbow,Science,DelusionandtheAppetiteforWonder

(London:Penguin),1998.

214

twilight figures from ‘the Sunset of the Romantic Age’. He could, as a result, be disparagingly

observedasout‐of‐dateorevenobsolete.Nonetheless,Stevensonnotesonthesubject:

Well,wehavetobeverycarefulaboutmusicalfashion.IfItalkaboutareturntothepast,Idon’tmeanittosoundretrograde.Wasit[Giuseppe]Verdi(1813–1901)whosaidthatifwehadtoreturn to [GiovanniPierluigida]Palestrina (c.1525/1526?–1594) itwouldbeastepforward?544

Naturally, only timewill attest to Stevenson’s significance and endurance as a composer.

However,interestinhismusicissteadilyrising,withanever‐increasingcatalogueofrecordingsand

performance,bysomeoftheworld’sforemostpractitioners.AsChrisWaltonnotes‘ifthereisone

thingthatI learntfrommyyearsasamusiclibrarian, it isthatmusicofqualitywillsoonerorlater

claimitsowndestiny’.545

Stevensonmay foreverproveperplexing tosome,principallybecauseof thecomplexityof

hiscreativenature,whichseemsrepeatedlytoembracethediametricallyopposing.Perhapsthekey

tounderstandingStevensonasawholeiscontainedinanastuteobservationinhisWesternMusic:

AnIntroduction(London:Kahn&Averill,1971)regardingthecreativepowerofopposites:

Theessenceofman’sthinkingiscontainedinthelawoftheunityandconflictofopposites.Oppositesimplycontradictionandcontradictionimpliesrelativeunityandabsoluteconflict.Itisconflict,whichmakeshistorymovebyimpellingchange.Itisthislawthattransformstheoldintothenew.546

Whilst this author is under no circumstances accusing Stevenson of plagiarism, this concise

platitudeisalsoaphilosophicalandliteraryparaphrase(oreventranscription!)ofthedialecticsof

Karl Marx (1818–1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), which clearly define Stevenson’s

Marxistleanings.IfonereadsFriedrichEngels’PreparatoryMaterialsforAnti‐Dühring(1878),the

resemblancetoStevenson’strainofthoughtisstrikinglysimilar:

544Anderson,AComposerLoyaltoHisPrinciples,reproducedinWalton(ed.)SonginGoldPavilions,14.

545ChrisWalton,TheNewsletteroftheRonaldStevensonSociety,Volume9,No.3(March2003),1.546Stevenson,WesternMusic,7‐8.

215

Thetrue,natural,historical,anddialecticalnegation is (formally) themovingsourceofalldevelopment—thedivisionintoopposites,theirstruggleandresolution,andwhatismore,on thebasisofexperiencegained, theoriginalpoint isachievedagain (partly inhistory,fullyinthought),butatahigherstage.547

Nonetheless, this ‘first law of opposites’ remains his creative raison d'être, both in

performing,aswellaswritingforthepiano inunitingdodecaphonyandtonality,asceticismand

theexuberant,theinconsequentialandtheimperative,theminiatureandthemonumental.This

isaccomplishedineverythingheinspirationallywrites,whetheritbeingeniouslyre‐workingand

refiguring preexistingmaterial, transcribing theworks of predecessors and acquaintances, or in

forginghisowngargantuanoutputofextraordinarilyoriginalanddiversecompositions.Ifonehad

todescribetheessentialcoreofhiscreativeessenceStevensonconsistentlyarisestosomething

new through an ingenious amalgamation of separate, distinct fundamentals—whether it be

dissimilarworks, figurations, compositional techniques or even political or artistic philosophies,

bothtoconcomitantlyassimilateandhyper‐extrapolate.

Inarecenttelephoneconversation,Stevensonentertaininglyquippedthatinhisripened

oldage,heis‘happybeingamajor‐minorcomposer,’548acommentwhichcanbeunderstoodona

fewlevels.This,oneincreasinglyhastodoubt—withthecurrentauthorhopingthatthejourneyof

thisepigrammaticexegesishas,attheveryleast,demonstratedthatthisprofoundlyself‐effacing

manisincontestablyinthelineageofmanyofWesternMusic’smostfêtedhistoricalprecedents.

Hisworkwill,liketheirs,incontestablypersevere,notleastbecauseofitsfar‐reachingallure,and

unashamed humanity. Logically, therefore, in consideration of Stevenson as both a visionary

composer and virtuoso pianist of the highest calibre, he is anything but a ‘major‐minor’

composer—exceptthathe‘nevergaveupontonality’.549Aboveall,hismusiccantangiblyactasa

vehicleforpoliticalandmoralgoodnessinthewidermusicalfirmament.

547FriedrichEngels,PreparatoryMaterialsforAnti‐Dühring:KarlMarxandFrederickEngelsCollectedWorks(1878)(translatedfromGermanandreprinted)(NewYork:InternationalPublishers,Vol.25,1976),606‐607.

548Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.549Stevenson,pers.comm.,16September2011.

217

Appendix One: Catalogue of Complete Piano Works, Transcriptions, and Recordings of

RonaldStevenson550

I. OriginalMusicforSoloPiano

BalladinAminor

c.1944

*SonatinaNo.1 I.AllegromoderatoII.AndanteIII.Presto

1945

ANightPiece

1945

NocturneinD♭ 1945

BurlesqueDance c.1945

Retrospect

c.1945

18VariationsonaBachChorale

1946

*VoxStellarum Andante

1947

2Studies 1947

*SonatinaNo.2 1.Adagietto2.Finale:Allegroconmoto

1947

*SonatinaNo.3 1.Inmododimarcialenta2.Scherzo:Allegrovivace3.Veloce,leggieroefantastico

1948

*ChoralePreludeforJeanSibelius

Moderato,velatoevisionario

1948

*FugueonaFragmentofChopin

1948551

550 These appendices have been adapted from Martin Anderson, ‘Appendix Seven’ in Ronald

Stevenson:TheManandhisMusic (ed.)ColinScott‐Sutherland (London:ToccataPress,2005),with theverykindsupportandpermissionofMartinAnderson.

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy.

218

*ThreeNativityPieces 1.‘Gold’–Children’sMarch:Allamarcia2.‘Frankincense’–Arabesque:Introduzione:Moderato–Grazioso,tempodivalse3.’Myrrh’–ElegiacCarol:Prologo:Andanteconangiosciasoppresa–Carol:L’istessotempo

1949

*FantasyonDoktorFaust

1949552

*HommagetoWilliamShield

ThePloughboy

c.1949–50

*AndanteSereno 1950

Fugueon‘ClavisAstartisMagica’

1950553

*Waltzes 1950

BerceuseSymphonique 1951

NocturneafterJohnField

1952

*VariationsonaThemeofPizzetti

1955554

*A20thCenturyMusicDiary

1.Preludioalcorale2.Vivacescherzoso3.Andanteconmoto4.Allegrorisoluto5.Andante6.Allegretto7.Allegroscherzoso8.Conmotoamabile9.Canone:Andantinolagrimoso.In

1953–59

551‘forthecentenaryofChopin’sdeath’.MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:

TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),393 552MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),393.‘Later(1959)incorporatedintothePrelude,FugueandFantasyonBusoni’sFaust’

Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 553MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),393; alsoincorporated(1959)intothePrelude,FugueandFantasy’. 554MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),394.‘ThethemeistheSarabandefromPeseta’sincidentalmusictoD’Annunzio’sdramaLaPisanella(1913),butthetwosetsofvariationsareotherwiseentirelydifferent’.

219

MemoriamBernardvanDieren10.Motivo:Largodrammatico–Agitatovolente(Cavalcatanotturna)[basedonBACH]11.Allegromoderato(7variationsonthenote‐rowintheStatueSceneofDonGiovanni)12.Allegromoderato(7variationsonathemefromBerlioz'sDamnationofFaust)13.Allegromolto(fugueonasubjectfromBusoni’sArlecchino)14.Lentoassai(onthe12‐notethemefromLiszt’sFaustSymphony)15.Lento16.Andante

*Prelude,FugueandFantasyonBusoni’s‘Faust’555

I.Prelude:Largo–Presto–Cadenza(AndanteTranquillo)LargoII.Fugue:–tempogiustoIII.Fantasy:Adagio–l’istessotempo–Tempodiminuetto–largamente

1959

*SixPenséessurlesPréludesdeChopin,Op.28

Pensée1:‘ajuxtapositionoftheCMajorandCminorPreludesOp.28’Pensée2:‘combinesPrelude2withPrelude9andtheÉtudeOp.25No.11(WinterWind)’.Pensée3:‘combinesPreludes7and10’.Pensée4:‘combinesthethree(so‐called)RaindropPreludes(Op.28)nos.6,15,and4,keepingtheoriginalkeysofBminor,D♭major,andEminor,asastudyintri‐tonality’.Pensée5:‘combinesPrelude22(transposedtoE♭minor)withPrelude14,andthefinaleoftheSonatainB♭minoralsowithPrelude14’.Pensée6:‘isamoreorchestra‐likeversionofPensée1’.556

1959

555MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),394.‘Thisworkincorporates,inrevisedforms,Op.19and26,withanewpreludialmovement.Initsorchestralversion(slightlyexpanded)itformstheFirstPianoConcerto’.

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 556Fromthecomposer’snotes(Edinburgh:RonaldStevensonSociety).

220

TheBarrenFig:BluesEcossaise

1960–63

PassacagliaonDSCH ParsPrima:SonataAllegroWaltzinrondo‐formEpisodeSuite(Prelude,Sarabande,Jig,Sarabande,Minuet,Jig,Gavotte,Polonaise)Pibroch(LamentfortheChildren)Episode:ArabesqueVariationsNocturneParsaltera:Reverie‐FantasyFanfare–Forebodings:Alarm–GlimpseofaWar‐VisionVariationson‘Peace,Bread&theLand’(1917)SymphonicMarchEpisodeFandangoPedal‐point:‘ToemergentAfrica’CentralEpisode:étudesVariationsinCminorParstertia:Adagio:TributetoBachTripleFugueoverGroundBass– SubjectI:Andamente SubjectII:BACH SubjectIII:DiesIraeFinalVariations(Adagissimobarocco)

1960–63557

AWheenTunesforBairnstaeSpiel:FourScottishPiecesforPiano

1.‘Croon’2.’Drone’3’.’Reel’4.‘Spiel’

1964

SimpleVariationsonPurcell’s‘NewScotchTune’

1964,rev.1975558

557MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐

Sutherland(London:ToccataPress,2005),‘Dated‘WestLinton24December1960–18May1962’AtelegramfromRonaldStevensontoJohnOgdonof1April1962announcesthecompletionoftheworkinafaircopy.Theoriginalversionlackedthesection‘LamentfortheChildren’andthepassagesin‘ToEmergentAfrica’thatareplayedonthestrings;bothwereaddedonthedayofthefirstperformance.(1963)CumnanaCloinne(LamentfortheChildren)isaparaphraseofaseventeenth‐centurypibrochùrlarbyPatrickMorMacCrimmon,wasoriginallyaseparatepiece’.395

221

*AScottishTriptych 1.‘KeeningSangforaMakar:InMemoriamFrancisGeorgeScott’ 2.HeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid3.‘ChoralePibrochforSorleyMacLean’

1959(1967)559(1967)

*ValseCharlotandValseGarbo:TwoChildren’sPiecesforSoloPiano560

1965

A’eGowdenlyric c.1965

ChimeforBusoni’sCentenary

1966

*CanonicCapriceonJohannStrauss’TheBat(DieFledermaus1874)

1966–1967

*ThreeScotsFairytales

1.‘WhattheFairyPipertoldme’(...Marchtime)2.‘WhattheFairyHarpertoldme’(...Andante)3.‘WhattheFairyFiddlertoldme’(...Jigtime)

1967

FughettaonaThemebyDukas561

1967

Rondo 1968*TwoMelodiesonGroundsofGlazunov

1970

TwoStudiesforLeft‐handaloneonPreludesbyRachmaninoff

1970

558MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘The1975revision,undertakenattheinstigationofLouis

Kentner,entailedtheadditionofthreevariationsinmorevirtuosicstyleandtherenamingoftheworkLittleJazzSetonPurcell’sScotchTune’,396.

Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 559MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘CommissionedbytheBBCinhonourofHughMacDiarmid’s

75thbirthday’,396. 560MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘Conceivedasthefirstinasetofpieces‘likecigarette‐cardsof

famousfilm‐stars’,396. 561‘ThemefromL’ApprentiSorcier’(1897),397.

222

MinuetforAnnaKatharina

c.1970

MockingbirdFughetta

c.1970

PeterGrimesFantasy

1971

ALittleHebrideanSuite

1.‘SheeponShore’2.‘SunonSea’3.‘StonesandSands’

1971

HebrideanAeolianHarp:562Studyforpiano

1973

*ThreeScottishBallads

1.‘LordRandalAllegromoderato;Strong,starkandsteady2.’TheDowieDensofYarrow’Andantesostenuto3.’NewhavenFishwife’sCry’Moderatosostenuto–Allegro

1973

*PromenadePastorale563

1973

*RecitativeandAironDSCH:InmemoriamShostakovich

1974

KleineDoppelfuge ‘PraeludiumundDopplefuge’

1974

DoublesonRubbra’s‘CradleHymn’:AChristmasOfferingforKeyboard

1974

EileenO’Malley’sJig&Air(or,ThePirateQueen’sJig&Air)

I.Quickjig(Allegroallagiga)II.Slowair(Aria–adagio)

1975

ValsetteetMusetteMignonettes:OccasionalWaltz

1975

562MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘For[Lord]Patrick[DouglasHamilton]andinhomagetoHenry

Cowell’,398. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 563MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘HommageàFrancisPoulencetàGrahamJohnson’,398.

223

ABookofCanonsforAlanBushonhis75thBirthday

1975

PreludeforAlanBushonhis75thBirthday

1975

PreludeonaThemeofBusoni

c.1975

OjalaelnombreCasalsresonaseenlascalles!

Musicforcobla(Catalanstreetband)

1976

*SonatinaNo.4Sonatinaserenissima(InmemoriamBenjaminBritten)

I.Barcaroletta(Andanteconmoto)II.Fughetta(Moltomoderato,intimo)III.Chorale(Lento)IV.Carol(Allegretto)

1973–77

VariationsonaThemebyManfredGordon

(TemaEbraico) 1977

*PreludeandChorale(AnEasterOffering)

Andante 1978

Chorale:OnAnother’sSorrow

c.1978

NorseElegyforEllaNygaard

Lentomaconmoto,conpassionerepressa 1976–1979

ChoraleandFugueinReverseonTwoThemesbyRobertandClaraSchumann

1979

WhentheMorningStarsSangTogether(MeditationonaMorgensternSong)

1980

*BarraFlytingToccata

‘AscoldingmatchfromtheIsleofBarra,Hebrides’

1980

LyricalFugueonaThemeofYorkBowen

1980

OstinatomacabreonthenameLeopoldGodowsky

(Forleft‐handonly)

1980

PreludefortheLeft‐hand c.1980


224

PreludetteonthenameGeorgeGershwin

1981

*ARosaryofVariationsonSeánÓRiada’sIrishFolkMass

1980

WelcomingTuneforRachel564

1981

ThreeTwi‐tunes

1.Scots‐SwedishTwi‐tuneNo.1 2.SantaLuciaandtheStarBoys‐Italo‐SwedishTwi‐tuneNo.23.Scots‐SwedishTwi‐TuneNo.3

1979–198119831980

SneakyonSixth.Rag‐Blues 1981

TheWaterofTyne

1982

DulasCourtlyDances

1982

Ragmaster

1980–1984

Melody 1985

EinkleinesTriptychon,‘InMemoriamCzeslawMarek’

1.Prelude2.Mazurkaallafuga3.Chorale

1986

*SymphonicElegyforLiszt

1986

PiccoloNiccolòPaganinesco

1986

Harlem(125thStreet)Walkabout

1987

*RicordanzadiSanRomerio(APilgrimageforPiano)

1987

Suitette:HommageàGuex‐Joris

1987

*SonatinaNo.5:AThreepennyHomagetoKurtWeill

Moderato–Fughetta(pocoallegro)–Tango

1987–88

564MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘Asingle‐pageminiature;RachelisStevenson’ssecond

granddaughter’,400. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy.

225

‘MotusPerpetuus(?)TemporibusFatalibus’

1987–88

SongwithoutWords

1988

DodecaphonicBonfire(FalòDodecafonico)

1988

Variations‐StudyafterChopin’sCminorWaltz

1988

BeltaneBonfire565

1989

FugueforAlanBushat90

1990

*ACarlyleSuite

1) Aubade–‘Hereisdawning/Anotherblueday’

2) SouvenirdeSalon:Introduction–Andante–Preludeallamazurka–Allastrathspey–Andante–Pocolento–PsalmandMazurkacombined–Postlude–Encore:Valseàdeuxtemps

3) Variations–StudyinhistoricalstylesonFredericktheGreat’sTheme[asusedbyBachinAMusicalOffering,1747]:Maestosobarocco–Allegrorococo–Allegroardente,romantico–Modéréimpressionistico–RecitativeandMarch–Calmo

4) JaneCarlyle’sWit(scherzo)5) Serenade(referringtotheAubade)

1995

Lefestind’Alkan ‘Petitconcertenformed’études:Concertoforsolopiano,withoutorchestra’1.Freecomposition2.Freetranscription(ofAlkan’sBarcarolleinGminor,Chants,BookIII,Op.65,No.6)3.Freemultiplevariations

1988–97

565MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘CommissionedbytheScottishInternationalPiano

Competitionastest‐pieceforRound2ofthe1990competition’,402.

226

*Fugue,Variations&EpilogueonathemebyArnoldBax***(1883–1953)

BasedonathemefromBax’sSymphonyNo.21.TemaLocriano:Moderatopensoso2.Intermezzo‐Notturno:Lentomaconmoto(omaggioaJohnField)–Marciafunèbre–Allegroquasiferoce3.Epilogue:Andantecantabile(inversionoftheme)

1983–2003

*NineHaiku566*** 1.Dedication(Kikaku,1661–1707)‘ToyouIpresentthisbranchoftheflowr’ingplum:takeitwithmydreams’

2.TheFly(Issa,1763–1823)‘Donotharmthefly:justlookhowhewringshishands,howhewringshisfeet’

3.GoneAway(Ransetsu,1654–1707)‘Thehouseislockedup:aroundapaperlanternthebatsaredancing’

4.Nocturne(Bashô,1644–1694)‘Amidthevastcalm,alonedrillingholesinrocks:thecryofthecrickets’

5.MasterandPupil(BashôandKikaku)‘Kikakumadethishaiku:Dragonfly:pulloffitswings:Redpepper’HetookittoBashôtheMasterwhosaiditwaswelldone.Butwouldbebetterthus:Redpepper:putwingsonit:Dragonfly’

6.Spring(Kikaku)‘Thoushalt,thoushaltnot:whenthecherryisinbloom,whatdoesitmatter?’

7.Curfew(Issa)‘Atmylife’seveningabelltolls:Iknow,andtastethecoolnessofdusk’

8.Hiroshima(KeithBosley)‘Mangrewamushroominthedarknessofhisheartandpoisonedtheworld’

9.Epilogue(Bashô)‘Thesummermeadows:here,dreamingtheirlivesaway,theheroesweloved’

2006

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. ***ArecentadditiontotheRonaldStevensonSocietypublishedcatalogue,whichdoesnotappearin

MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005).

566TheNineHaikuwereoriginallysetforvoiceandpiano(1971).

227

II. Transcriptions,ArrangementsandRealizationsforSoloPiano

*L’ArtNouveauduChantappliquéauPiano567

1975–1988

Anon.,

*SumerisicumeninasNo.1ofTwoEclogues

1951

JohannSebastianBach,(1685–1750)

*PreludioconFugainAminor,BWV551 1948

JohannSebastianBach(1685–1750)/LeopoldStokowski(1882–1977)

*Komm,süßerTod,BWV478 1981

MichaelWilliamBalfe(1808–1870)

‘WhenOtherLips’ 1980

AgustínBarriosMangoré(1885–1944)

Romanzaquasicello c.1980

SirArnoldBax(1883–1953), ‘TheWhitePeace’

1984

AlbanBerg(1885–1935)

*WiegenliedausWozzeck 1953–1988

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy 567TheworksincludedinTheRonaldStevensonSocietypublicationofL’ArtNouveauduChant

appliquéauPianovaryconsiderablywiththoselistedin‘MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),becauseofthefinalinclusionsbeingundecidedbythecomposerasToccataClassicswenttoprint.Thecorrectlistofworksisasfollows:

*L’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPianoVol.INo.1:Coleridge‐Taylor,‘Elëanore’(1980)No.2:MaudValérieWhite,‘Sowe’llgonomorea‐roving’(1980)No.3:Meyerbeer,‘Plusblanchequelaplusblanchehermine’fromLesHuguenots(1975)No.4:Rachmaninoff,‘IntheSilentNight’(1982)No.5:Bridge,‘Gonot,HappyDay’(1980)*L’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPianoVol.2No.6:Novello,‘We’llGatherLilacs’(1980)No.7:Novello,‘FlyHomeLittleHeart’(1980)No.8:Coleridge‐Taylor,DemandetRéponse,fromPetiteSuitedeConcert(1981)No.9:Romberg,‘WillYouRemember’(Sweethearts),fromMaytime(1988)*L’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPianoVol.3No.10:Foster,‘JeaniewiththeLightBrownHair’(1980)No.11:Foster,‘Comewheremyloveliesdreaming’(1980)No.12:Foster,‘BeautifulDreamer’(1980)

228

LuigiBoccherini(1743–1805)

MinuetfromStringQuintetinE,Op.13,No.5(G275),transcribedasMenuettoCelebredelBoccheriniinformad’unostudiopolifonico

1970

––––, MinuetfromStringQuintetinAOp.13,No.5(G275),forbothleftandright‐hand(alone)

1970

ArrigoBoito(1842–1918)

‘FugaInfernale’fromMefistofele,ActII,scene2,transcribedasInfernalFugue

1981

RutlandBoughton(1878–1960)

‘LuringSong’fromTheImmortalHour 1980

JohannesBrahms(1833–1897)

*‘Edward,’No.1,duetforalto,tenorandpiano,oftheBalladenundRomanzen,Op.75

1992

FrankBridge(1879–1941)

*‘GoNot,HappyDay’(transcribedasNo.5ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980

JohnBull(1562–1628)

*Pavan,GalliardandJig:‘ThreeElizabethanPiecesfromtheVirginalsBook’

1950

RobertBurns(1759–1796)

AuldLangSyne,transcribedasNo.1ofSongsforaBurnsSupper

1968

––––, Aefondkiss,transcribedasNo.2ofSongsforaBurnsSupper

1968

AlanBush(1900–1995)

*‘TheMinstrel’sLay’fromWatTyler

1974

FerruccioBusoni,(1866–1924)

PolonaisefromtheSonatinaadusuminfantis

c.1975

––––, ThreeMarchesfromTurandot

1948

CharlesWakefieldCadman(1881–1946)

‘L’aurore,’transcribedas‘AtDawning’

1985


229

MaríaTeresaCarreño,(1853–1917)

ALittleWaltz

c.1980

PabloCasals(1876–1973)

OVosOmnes

1975

––––, SantMarideCanigo

1975

––––, SongoftheBirds

1975

––––, TresEstofasdeamor

1975

GustaveCharpentier(1860–1956)

*RomancefromLouise

c.1970

ErikChisholm(1904–1965)

Hert’sSang***

c.2004

FrédéricChopin(1810–1849)

ÉtudetteinAminor,Op.10,No.2combinedwithRimsky‐Korsakov,‘TheFlightoftheBumble‐bee’from,asÉtudetted’aprèsKarsakovetChopin(Spectred’Alkan)

1987

––––, *ThreeContrapuntalStudiesonChopinWaltzes***1.WaltzinA♭,Op.34/1,forright‐handalone2.WaltzinA♭,Op.42,forleft‐handalone3.Nos.1and2combinedfortwohands

c.1955

––––, ALittleChopinNotebook‘PreludeNo.2asacanon/ÉtudeOp.25,No.1–foryoungpianists,basedonChopin’sownmethodforbeginners’

1984

SamuelColeridge‐Taylor(1875–1912)

*‘DemandeetRéponse’fromPetiteSuitedeConcert(transcribedasNo.8ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1981

––––, *‘Eléanore’(transcribedasNo.1ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy, ***ArecentadditiontotheRonaldStevensonSocietypublishedcatalogue,whichdoesnotappearin


230

FrederickNichollsCrouch,(1808–1896)

‘KathleenMavourneen’

1985

FrederickDelius(1862–1934)

BriggFair,arrangedasNo.2ofEightChildren’sPieces,Op.73

1962

––––, ‘Intermezzo’fromBriggFair,arrangedasNo.7ofEightChildren’sPieces

1962

––––, ‘LaCalinda’fromKoanga,arrangedasNo.3ofEightChildren’sPieces

1962

––––, ‘LateSwallows’(EricFenby’stitleofhisstring‐orchestralarrangementoftheslowmovementofDelius’StringQuartet),arrangedasNo.6ofEightChildren’sPieces

1962

––––, ‘Love’sPhilosophy,’No.2of3Songs(1891)

1991

––––, OnHearingtheFirstCuckooinSpring,‘TheCuckoo,’No.5ofEightChildren’sPieces

1962

––––,

‘Serenade’fromHassan,arrangedasNo.4ofEightChildren’sPieces,Op.73

1962

––––, SongoftheHighHills,arrangedasNo.8ofEightChildren’sPieces,Op.73(1962)

1962

––––, ‘WiegenliedderEwigkeit’(‘Eternity’sCradle‐song’)fromAMassofLife

1980

EdwardKennedy‘Duke’Ellington(1899–1974)

MoodIndigo,contrapuntalreworking 1988

JohnField(1782–1837)

*Reverie‐Nocturne 1965

StephenFoster(1826–1864)

*‘BeautifulDreamer’(trans.No.12ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980

––––, *‘ComeWhereMyLoveLiesDreaming’(transcribedasNo.11ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980


231

––––, *‘JeanniewiththeLightBrownHair’(transcribedasNo.10ofL’ArtduChant)

1980

JohnFoulds(1880–1939)

‘EileenAroon’

1989

ChristophWillibaldRittervonGluck(1714–1787)

‘DanceoftheBlessedSpirits'fromOrfeoedEuridice

1965

CharlesGounod(1818–1893)

‘Mephistopheles’Serenade’fromFaust (dateunknown)

EllaGrainger(néeStröm)(1889–1979)

LoveatFirstSight;‘ForEllaonMayDay

1976

––––, Poetry,SongandPictureBook

c.1980

PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961)

HillSongNo.1

1960

––––, GreenBushes

1963

––––, TheYoungPianist’sGrainger568

1966

568MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘TheYoungPerson’sGraingerisanalbumcontaining:

CountryGardens SimplifiededitionbyPercyGrainger

Shepherd’sHey SimplifiededitionbyPercyGrainger

MollyontheShore AbridgedbyRonaldStevenson

MockMorris EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

BeautifulFreshFlower EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

AustralianUp‐CountrySong EditedbyRonaldStevenson

IrishTunefromCountryDerry EditedbyRonaldStevenson

WalkingTune EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

HillSongNo.1 EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

ToaNordicPrincess EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

OneMoreDaymyJohn EditedbyRonaldStevenson

SpoonRiver EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

BlitheBells EasyversionbyPercyGrainger

OvertheHillsandFarAway EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

NowonowIneedsmustpart FreelysetforpianobyPercyGrainger

StevensonalsosuppliedanintroductorynoteonPercyGraingerandnotesonthemusic(bothdated8July1966)’,438.

232

––––, HarlemWalkabout

1987

––––, ‘NorthernMarch’fromYouthfulSuite

1983

––––, ThePowerofRomeandtheChristianHeart

1981

––––,

ThreeScottishFolk‐Songs1’.WillyegangtotheHielands,LeezieLindsay?’2’.MoNigheanDubh’3’.OginIwerewhereGadieRins’

1983

EdvardGrieg(1843–1907)

*DenBergtekne

1990

FranzXaverGruber(1787–1863)

StilleNacht

1965

WilliamChristopherHandy(1873–1958)

StLouisBlues,transcribedasNo.1ofChildren’sAnthologyofBluesandRagtime

c.1970

––––, StLouisBlues,‘incanonicform’

1978

ReynaldoHahn(1874–1947)

SiMesversAvaientdesAiles!

1980

Sir(Herbert)HamiltonHarty(1879–1941)

‘MyLàganLove’

1982

ScottJoplin(ca.1867/1868?–1917)

MapleLeafRag,transcribedasNo.1ofChildren’sAnthologyofBluesandRagtime

c.1970

YrjöHenrikKilpinen(1892–1959)

‘Kehtolaulu’(‘Lullaby’),SongstoPoemsbyV.A.Koskenniemi,Op.23,No.4,transcribedasNo.3ofFourSongsofYrjöKilpinen

1970

––––,

‘Kesäyö’(‘SummerNight’),SongstoPoemsbyV.A.Koskenniemi,Op.23,No.3,transcribedasNo.2ofFourSongsofKilpinen

1970

––––, ‘DerZugvogel’(‘TheMigratingBird’),Tunturilauluja,Op.53,No.3,transcribedasNo.1ofFourSongsofYrjöKilpinen

1970


233

––––, ‘VögleinSchwermut’(‘LittleBird’sDespair’),LiederumdenTod,Op.62,No.1,transcribedasNo.4ofFourSongsofYrjöKilpinen

1970

RuggieroLeoncavallo(1857–1919)

‘LaMattinata’

1981

ReverendMarthinusLourensdeVilliers(1885–1977)

AfricanTwi‐Tune:TheBantuandAkrikaanerNationalHymnsCombined

1964

GustavMahler(1860–1911)

*SymphonyNo.10:Adagio

1987?569

FrankMerrick(1886–1981)

‘Seascape’

1986

GiacomoMeyerbeer(1791–1864)

*‘Plusblanchequelaplusblancheermine’fromLesHuguenots(transcribedasNo.3ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1975

RoryDallMorrison(1660–1730)

RoryDallMorrison’sHarpBook,realizations:1’.OrandoIainBreacMacLeoid(SongforJohnMacLeodofDunvegan)’ 2’.FeillnanCrann(FairHarpKeyorLamentfortheLostHarpKey)’ 3’.A’cheuddi‐luainde’nraithe(TheFirstMondayoftheQuarter)’

1978

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 5691987isthedatethatappearsontheRonaldStevensonSocietyprintededition,whichisdedicated

‘toJoanfromthetranscriber.’However,thisdatemaybeincorrect.Stevenson’stranscriptionoftheAdagiofromGustavMahler’s(1860–1911)TenthSymphony(1910)isdedicatedtoJoanHumphreys.Sherecounts,‘IalwayslovedMahler'smusic—when[Simon]Rattle(b.1955)tookovertheCBSO[CityofBirminghamSymphonyOrchestra]IheardevenmoremusicbyhimandIthinkmyenthusiasmmayhaveaffectedRonald.HerearethewordshewroteonmycopyofthetranscriptionoftheAdagio:'fordearestJoan,whoseloveofMahlerwasthefonsetorigoofmyworkonthistranscription.Ronald,WestLinton,27thMarch2002.

Andhereisaletterhesentadaylater:'DearJoan,itwasabigpleasuretopresenttoyoumyMahlertranscription.Itisseldomthatadedicationconvincesthatitisapposite:inthiscase,Iamsureitis.Idon'tknowanyoneelsewhohastakenthismusicsomuchtoheart’.Itseemsthat2002isamuchmorelikelydateforcompletion,oritmayhavebeenrevised2002,especiallyasacopywassenttoJoanHumphreysassoonasitwasfinished.

JoanHumphreys,pers.comm.,26February2012.

234

4’.Creachnaciadoin(Wednesday’sBereavement)’ 5’.OrandoMhacLeoidDhunBheagan(SongtotheMacLeodofDunvegan)’6.’FuathnanFidhleirean(TheFiddler’sContempt,orRory’sReplytotheFiddler)’7.’CumhaPeatharRuadri(LamentforRory’sSister)’8.’SuipearTighearnaLeoid(Lude’sSupper)’

WolfgangAmadeusMozart(1756–1791)

‘Einleitungen’fromtheLarghettoofthePianoConcertoNo.inCminor,KV491

(dateunknown)

––––, *‘FantasyinFminor’forMechanicalOrgan,K608

1952

––––, *ThreecadenzasforPianoConcertoNo.20inDminor,KV466

(dateunknown)

––––, *‘Romance’(SecondMovementofPianoConcertoinDminor,Mozart,KV466,1785)***

2002

CarlNielsen(1865–1931)

Commotio 1966

IvorNovello(1893–1951)

*‘We’llGatherLilacs,’transcribedwithRachmaninoff,Lilacs,asaccompaniment(transcribedasNo.6ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980

––––, *FlyHomeLittleHeart***(transcribedasNo.7ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

(1980)

TurloughO'Carolan(1670–1738)

Carolan’sDream

1975

––––, Carolan’sMaggot 1975––––, Carolan’sQuarrelwiththeLandlady

1975

––––, LordInchiquin

1975

***ArecentadditiontotheRonaldStevensonSocietypublishedcatalogue,whichdoesnotappearin


235

IgnacyJanPaderewski(1860–1941)

‘Danslaforêt’fromFourSongs

1966

––––, ‘L’amourfatal’fromFourSongs

1966

––––, *SuitefromManru 1.‘IntroductionandGypsyMarch’2.‘GypsySong’3.‘Lullaby’4.‘Cracovienne’

1961

HenryPurcell(1659–1695)

*GroundinCminor

1955

––––, *GroundinEminor,transcribedas‘GroundinE♭minor’

1957

––––,

*GroundinDminor 1958

––––, *TheQueen’sDolour–AFarewell:‘harmonisedrealisationfromtrebleandbasslinesonly’

1959

––––,

*Toccata 1955

––––,

*Hornpipe***(tocommemoratePurcell’stercentenary)

1995

SergeiRachmaninoff(1873–1943)

PreludeinE♭,Op.23,No.6(transcribedforleft‐hand)

1982

––––, *‘IntheSilenceoftheSecretNight,’Op.4,No.3.(transcribedasNo.4ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1982

––––, *‘Lilacs,’transcribedasaccompanimenttoNovello,‘We’llGatherLilacs’)

1980

––––, ‘SpringWaters’

1986

––––, EighteenthVariationfromtheRhapsodyonaThemeofPaganini;twoversions–concertandsimplified

c.1980

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. ***ArecentadditiontotheRonaldStevensonSocietypublishedcatalogue,whichdoesnotappearin


236

NikolaiRimsky‐Korsakov(1844–1908)

*‘TheFlightoftheBumble‐bee’from,combinedwithCHOPIN,ÉtudeinAminor,Op.10,No.2,asÉtudettedaprèsKarsakovetChopin(Spectred’Alkan)

1987

SigmundRomberg(1887–1951)

*‘Sweetheart’sWaltzafterSigmundRomberg,’No.1ofDeuxEsquissesExquisesenFormesdeCanons,‘MiniatureWaltzinCanonForm’(transcribedasNo.9ofL’ArtduChant)

1980

––––, ‘WillYouRemember(Sweethearts)’fromMaytime,transcribedasNo.2ofDeuxEsquissesExquisesenformesdescanons’

1988

EdmundRubbra(1901–1986)

FuguefromIntroduction,AriaandFugue,‘rewritteninaloyalsemi‐transcription’

c.1965

FranzSchubert(1797–1828)

8EcossaisesD529

1974

––––, SechsLändlerinB♭,D374,realisedasLändlerfürKlavier570

1974

FrancisGeorgeScott(1880–1958)

‘There’snews,lassies,news’(Thirty‐FiveScottishLyrics,1949),transcribedasNo.1ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1961,revised1977

––––, ‘Aywaukin,O’(ScottishLyrics,1922)transcribedasNo.2ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963;revised1977

––––,

‘BorderRidingRhythm,’unpublishedmanuscriptGeorgeScott,sonofcomposer

(dateunknown)

––––, ‘Crowdieknowe,’(ScottishLyrics,1934)transcribedasNo.7NineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963revised1971

––––, ‘Deil’sDance’(acombinationoftwoIntuitionsforpiano),transcribedasNo.9ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

(dateunknown)

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 570MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’:‘theSchubertMShasonlythemelodyline’,441.

237

––––, ‘MilkwortandBog‐cotton,’(ScottishLyrics,1934),transcribedasNo.6ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963

––––, ‘Oweremyloveyonlilacfair’(ScottishLyrics,1922)transcribedasNo.3ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963revised1988

––––, ‘SinceAllthyVows,FalseMaid,areBlowntoAir’(ScottishLyrics,1939),transcribedasNo.8ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott.

1982

––––, ‘WeeWillieGray,’(ScottishLyrics,1939),transcribedasNo.4ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963;rev1979and1989

––––, ‘Whaisthatatmybower‐door?’(ScottishLyrics,1939)transcribedasNo.5ofNineSongsofFrancisGeorgeScott

1963

WilliamShield(1748–1829)

*ThePloughboy,asNo.2ofTwoEclogues571

1956

JeanSibelius(1865–1957)

TwoSongsfromShakespeare’s‘TwelfthNight,’Op.60,transcribedasTwoPiecesfromtheIncidentalMusictoTwelfthNight1.‘ComeAway,Death’2.‘Heyho,theWindandtheRain’

1966

OleySpeaks(1874–1948)

Sylvia(1914)

1986

BernardStevens(1916–1983)

ABirthdaySong,‘transcribedfromB.S’.spianoduettopianosolo’asCantodicompleanno

1974

SavournaStevenson(b.1961)

Nocturne‐LullabyforCláirseach c.1966

RichardTauber(1891–1948)

‘MyHeartandI,’transcribedasTauberiana;‘ForAnneScottinmutualloveofRichardofthesingingheart’

1980

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 571MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘No.1isatranscriptionofSumerisicumeninfrom1951’,442.

238

PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky(1840–1893)

‘LoveTheme’fromRomeoandJuliet 1968

––––, MainthemeoftheAllegronontroppo(firstmovement)ofSymphonyNo.6(1970)

1970

BernardvanDieren(1887–1936)

StringQuartetNo.5,‘transcribedasapianosonata(whichB.v.D.nevercomposed’572

1987

––––, ‘SpringSongoftheBirds’(text:KingJamesI)

1987

––––, ‘Weepyounomore,SadFountains’

1951

GiuseppeVerdi(1813–1901)/FranzLiszt(1811–1886)

*Rigolettoparaphrase,asRigoletRag

1973

HeitorVilla‐Lobos(1887–1959)

BachianasBrasileirasNo.5

(dateunknown)

––––, PreludeNo.3(fromtheTwelvePreludesforguitar)

(before1970)

RichardWagner(1813–1883)/PaulWittgenstein(1887–1961)

QuintetfromDieMeistersinger,‘elaboratedforleft‐handalone’(Stevenson)573

1980

WilliamVincentWallace(1812–1865)

‘InHappyMomentsDaybyDay,’transcribedforleft‐handalone

1980

––––, ‘ScenesthatareBrightest,’transcribedforleft‐handalone

1980

MaudeValérieWhite(1855–1937)

*‘SoWe’llGoNoMorea‐Roving’(transcribedasNo.2ofL’ArtNouveauduChantAppliquéauPiano)

1980

EugèneYsaÿe(1858–1931)

SixSonatasforsoloviolin,Op.27,transcribedassixpianosonatas:SonataNo.1,Gminor,‘JosephSzigeti’1)Grave

1981–1982

572MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’,442. 573MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’,442.*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy.

239

2)Fugato3)Allegrettopocoscherzoso4)Finale;Conbrio

SonataNo.2,Aminor,‘JacquesThibaud’1)Obsession;Prelude2)Malinconia3)DansedesOmbres;Sarabande4)Lesfuries

SonataNo.3,Dminor,‘GeorgesEnesco’1)Lentomoltosostenuto2)Allegrointempogiustoeconbravura

SonataNo.4,Eminor,‘FritzKriesler’1)Allemanda2)Sarabande3)Finale

SonataNo.5,Gmajor,‘MathieuCrickboom’1)L'Aurore2)DanserustiqueSonataNo.6,Emajor,‘ManuelQuiroga’‘Allegrogiustonontroppovivo’(singlemovement)

III. OriginalWorksfortwoPianos

Fantasy574 1946

*FugueonaFragmentofChopin575

1953(rev1989)

PianoConcertoNo.1,FaustTriptych576

1961

JamboreeforGrainger

1960

574MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘Originallyforpianoandstrings,transcribedfortwopianos30

September1946’,390. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 575MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘Principalversionisforsolopiano’,390. 576MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.Transcriptionfortwopianos–anexpandedversionofthe

Prelude,FugueandFantasyonBusoni’s‘Faust’,390.

240

IV. TranscriptionsfortwoPianos

RobertBurns(1759–1796)

AuldLangSyne (dateunknown)

GioachinoRossini(1792–1868)

GallopfromWilliamTell,‘arrangedforchildpianists’

1980

V. FolksongArrangementsforSoloPiano

SkyeBoatSong

(afterthearrangementbyPercyGrainger1900)577

(dateunknown)

*ScottishFolk‐musicSettings

1. ‘LangHaeWePairtedBeen’2. ‘Waly,Waly’3. ‘ARosebudbymyEarlyWalk’

4. ‘JohnAnderson,myJo’5. ‘Ne’er‐daySang’(Source:William

Sterling,CantusPart‐book,1639)

6. ‘FromanOldPibroch’7. ‘Ca’theYowes’8. ‘Hielan’Lament’

9. ‘TheBirkso’Aberfeldy’10. ‘JockoHazeldean’11. ‘HardisMyFate’

12. ‘WoBetydthyWearieBodie’13. ‘TheQueen’sMaries’14. ‘Willy’sDroonedinYarrow(Willy’s

Rare)

19611959196119611962(rev1966)1965196519651965(unknown)1980(unknown)(unknown)(unknown)

TenAirsfromtheAbbotsfordCollection

1.‘BrownRobin’(Moderato)2.‘TheCruelSister’(Andante)3.‘ClerkColvin’(Allegretto)4.‘JohntheScot’(Allegrostoico)5.‘LadyElspat’(Andante)6.‘Erlington’(Moderato)7.‘HobbieNoble’(Allegro)8.‘JamieTelfer’(Andante)

1984

577‘Graingerre‐harmonizedthiswell‐knownmelodyforhismother’sbirthdayon3July1900’.

BarryPeterOuld,TheGraingerEdition,Chandos.http://www.chandos.net/pdf/CHAN%2010638.pdf *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy.

241

9.‘OutlawMurray’(Allegro)10.‘TheLaidlyWorm’(Lentoconmoto)

ClappingSongfromSouthUist

‘arrangedforeasypiano’(Allegro)

1968

*IrishFolk‐SongSuite

1.‘TheMantlesogreen’(Andante)2.‘LuvlieWillie’(Andanteconmoto)3.‘.Gra’gealmochroi’(Allegrocorrente)4.‘MaryfromDungloe’(Slow)

1965

*ChineseFolk‐SongSuite 1.‘TheWasher‐womanandtheFlower‐girl’(Conmototranquillo)2.‘ASongforNewYear’sDay’(Andante)3.‘War‐widow’sLament’(Lento)4.‘BeautifulFreshFlower’(Allegretto)5.‘SongoftheCrab‐fisher’(Allegroconspirito)

1965

*GhanaianFolk‐SongSuite

1.‘SongofValour’2.‘Consolation’3.‘LeopardDance’

1965

*SouthUist(Hebridean)Folk‐SongSuite

1.‘SailingSong’(Lively,jolly,robust)2.‘AWitchingSongfortheMilking’(Allegretto)3.‘ALittleMouthMusic’(Allegroalladanza)4.‘WaulkingSong’(Moderato)5.‘SpinningSong’(Allegrocorrente)6.‘ATiredMother’sLullaby’(Andantestanco)7.‘TheChildChrist’sLullaby’(Andantesemplice)

1969

AustralianLog‐Book578(AustralianFolk‐SongSuite)

1.'BoundforSouthAustralia(CapstanandHalyardShanties)’(Slow)2.‘WaltzingMathilde’(Brisk)3.’NedKelly'sBallad’(Moderatelyquick)

1980

LeClercdeTremolo (BretonFolksong)

1983/84

*Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 578‘ComposedfreshfrommyconcerttourinVictoria,Australia,andmyever‐to‐be‐rememberedvisit

totheGraingerMuseum,Univ.ofMelbourne.Writinfaircopy,Christmas–Yule1980’MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),450.

242

MengChiangNyu’sLament ChineseBallad;No.2oftheSongsofAncientChinaforvoiceandpiano

1983/84

ThePoorIrishBoy IrishFolk‐tunenotatedbyG.F.HandelinDublinin1742

1980

FenestaVascia

Neapolitanfolksong579 1986

VI. FolksongArrangementsforPianoDuet(4Hands)

*IrishFolk‐SongSuite580

1.TheMantleSoGreen2.LuvlieWillie3.Grágealmochroi4.MaryfromDungloe(Existsalsoinaversionforsolopiano)

1965

*ChineseFolk‐songSuite581

1.‘ASongforNewYear’sDay’(Andante)2.’SongoftheCrab‐fisher’(Allegroconspirito)

1965

VII. FolksongArrangementsforTwoPianos

‘BonnieDundee’

1980

‘ClappingSongfromSouthUist’

existsalsoinanarrangement‘foreasypiano’

1980

‘Coulter’sCandy’

1980

‘FlowGently,SweetAfton’ 1982‘JockoHazeldean’

1975

579Currentauthor’snote‐alsotranscribedbySigismondThalberg(1812‐1871):‘L’ArtduChant

appliquéauPiano:’ChansonNapolitaine:FenestaVascia,Op.71No.24(1853‐64). 580‘Alsoexistsinasolopianoversion’MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:The

ManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),450. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy. 581MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘ThesetwopiecesalsoexistasNos.2and5inthesolo‐piano

versionoftheChineseFolk‐songSuite’,451.

243

*‘TheHighRoadtoLinton’ 1980

‘YeBanksandBraes’

1980

VIII. Cadenzas

WolfgangAmadeusMozart(1756–1791)

ThreecadenzasforthePianoConcertoNo.20inDminor,KV466(1785)

(before1961)582

––––, cadenzaforthePianoConcertoNo.24inCminor,KV491(1986)

1972

FranzSchubert(1797–1828)/FranzLiszt(1811–1886),

cadenzafortheFantasieinCmajor,Op.15(D.760)‘Wanderer’Fantasy,D760

1966

IX. PerformingEditions

Eugèned'Albert(1864–1932)

GavotteandMusette,Op.1 1988

HavergalBrian(1876–1972)transcr.MalcolmMacDonald(b.1948)

MarchfromTurandot 1979


‘Polonaise’fromSonatinaadusuminfantis

1980

RonaldCenter(1913–1973)

PianoSonata,performingedition 1970

DavidDorward(b.1933)

PianoConcerto(1976)583performingedition

1976

PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961),

TheYoungPianist’sGrainger584InDahomey(CalkwalkSmasher)publishedEditionPeters(1987)

1987

582MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’,452. 583CommissionedbyMusicaNova(1976)‘Firstperformance:RonaldStevenson;ScottishNational

Orchestra/ElgarHowarth,ButeHall,GlasgowUniversity,01Jan1976’ScottishMusicCentreCatalogue.http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/members/david_dorward/works/w2957

584MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’..‘TheYoungPerson’sGraingerisanalbumcontaining:

244

––––,

ThreeScotchFolksongs(fromSongsoftheNorth)publishedEditionPeters(1983)

1983

––––, BridalLullabypublishedBardicEdition(1990)

1987–1989

AlistairHinton(b.1950)

ScottishBallad,performingedition 1980

FrancisGeorgeScott(1880–1958)

BorderRidingRhythm (dateunknown)

KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892–1988)

‘Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid’(1961)performingeditionpublishedBardicEdition(1989)

1962–1987

BernardvanDieren,(1887–1936)

PiccoloPralinudettinoFridato,performingeditionpublishedBardicEdition(1988)

1988

William(Brocklesby)Wordsworth,(1908–1988)

ValedictionOp.82(1966)performingedition

1988

CountryGardens SimplifiededitionbyPercyGrainger

Shepherd’sHey SimplifiededitionbyPercyGrainger

MollyontheShore AbridgedbyRonaldStevenson

MockMorris EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

BeautifulFreshFlower EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

AustralianUp‐CountrySong EditedbyRonaldStevenson

IrishTunefromCountryDerry EditedbyRonaldStevenson

WalkingTune EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

HillSongNo.1 EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

ToaNordicPrincess EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

OneMoreDaymyJohn EditedbyRonaldStevenson

SpoonRiver EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

BlitheBells EasyversionbyPercyGrainger

OvertheHillsandFarAway EasyarrangementbyRonaldStevenson

NowonowIneedsmustpart FreelysetforpianobyPercyGrainger

StevensonalsosuppliedanintroductorynoteonPercyGraingerandnotesonthemusic(bothdated8July1966),438.

245

X. WorksforPianoandOrchestra

PianoConcertoNo.1,FaustTriptych

I.Largo–AllegroII.Fuga:Andantepensoso,tempogiustoIII.Adagio–Tempodiminuetto–Allegrettovivo–Cadenza–Vivace–Adagio2(II=picc.)2(II=corangl.)22/4230/timp./perc.(2:trgl.,cym.,susp.cym.tam‐t.,tubularbells,SD,BD,glsp.)/strings

1960

SimpleVariationsonPurcell’s‘NewScotchTune’

Expansionofthe1964versionforsolopiano

1967

PianoConcertoNo.2,TheContinents

Allegromoderato–Moderato–Allegroconurgenza–Allegretto–Pocolento–Andanteconmoto–Allegro–Blues–Allegromanontroppo,quasidimarcia–Allegroritmicoecommodo–Rag–Moltomoderato

2(II=picc.)22/42(I=Dtrpt)31/timp.,perc.(4:tubularbells,tam‐tam,tgl.,SD,BD,cyms.,susp.cym.,Chinesewood‐blocks,bongos,congas,glsp.,xyl.,bull‐roarer,maracas,castanets,tamb.)/celesta/2harps/strings

1970–1972

XI. TranscriptionsforOrchestraandInstrumentalEnsemble

BenjaminBritten,(1913–1976)

Walzt[sic.]585Op.3,No.2(1923–25,rev.Britten1969)transcribedforchamberorchestra

c.1980

JohnBull,(1562–1628)

SpanishPavan,as‘Pavanforchamberorchestra’

1955

BernardvanDieren,(1887–1936)

‘Weepyounomore,SadFountains,’transcribedasa‘Consolationforsmallorchestra’Op.24

1951

585[sic.:‘Britten’schildhoodmisspelling’]MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:

TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005),433.

246

FrederickDelius,(1862–1934)

DanceRhapsodyNo.1,(Excerpts)arrangedforoboe,bassoon,violinandpianoduet

(c.1966)

GeorgeGershwin,(1898–1937)

‘Summertime,’fromPorgyandBess,transcribedforflute,clarinet,bassoon,soloviolinandstringquartet

1988

PercyAldridgeGrainger,(1882–1961)

OvertheHillsandFarAway(Children’sMarch),‘arrangedforoboe,bassoon,violinandpiano3‐some’

(c.1966)

RonaldStevenson,(b.1928)

WaltzinAmajor1111/0000/timp/piano/strings

c.1945

––––,

Fantasy(orFantasia) piano,strings(Existsalsoinanarrangementfortwopianos)

1946

––––,

18VariationsonaBachChoralestrings(Existsalsoinaversionforsolopiano)

1946

––––,

BerceuseSymphoniqueIntroduzione:Andante–Largamente–Tranquillo–Doppiomovimento3222/4231/harp/timp./perc.(tgl.,BD,cyms.,susp.cyms.,tubularbells)/strings

1951

––––,

Waltzes 2+1222/4321/timp./perc.(tgl.,SD,BD,tamburinopicc.)/stringsModeratofantastico–Tempodivalse,elegantemente–Fanfare–Energico–Ritmico(Existsalsoinaversionforsolopiano)

1952

––––,

JamboreeforGrainger 1960,orch.19612(II=picc.)222(altosax.Adlib.)/4230/timp./perc.(tgl.,cym.,xyl.)/harp/piano/strings

1961

247

––––,

KeeningSangforaMakar:InMemoriamFrancisGeorgeScott 21(corang.)1(b.cl.)2(dblbass.)/4231/timp./perc.(cym.,BD)/harp/piano/strings

(TranscriptionfororchestraofNo.1ofAScottishTriptychforpianosolo)

1963

––––,

ScotsDanceToccata 2(II=picc.)1corangl.(=ob.II)2(II=basscl.)2(II=dbl.bass.)/4330/timp./perc.(tgl.,cyms.,sus.cym.,

BD,SD,tubularbellsinE♭,glsp.,whip)/harp/piano/strings)

1965

––––,

YoungScotlandSuite 1.’SaluteofthePipers’:Moderatomaestoso–Allegro–Camminandoaccanitamente2.’SoundingStrings’:Larghettocantabile(forharp,2clarsachsandstringsonly)3.’YoungScotlandMarch’:Allegromoderatomaconspirito3(III=picc.)2corangl.(=ob.III)33(III=dbn.)/4331/timp.,perc.(5:tgl.,SD,glsp.,tamb.,cyms.,susp.cym.,BD,xyl.,gong,tubularbells)/harp,2clarsachs/4bagpipes/strings

1976

––––,

RecitativeandAir:InMemoriamShostakovichstringorchestra586

1980

––––,

*SinfoniaElegiaca(forSymphonyOrchestra)587***I.RecitativeandAirII.LamentfortheChildren

2010

586MartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’.‘Existsalsoinversionsfor:stringquartet,violinandpiano,

violaandpiano,celloandpiano,bassoonandpiano,solopiano’,382. *Adigitizedcopyofthisworkwasproducedasadirectresultofthisexegeticalstudy, 587‘ThisworkisbasedonsectionsofmyPassacagliaonDSCH(1963)forpianoandmyRecitativeand

AironDSCH(1974)forpiano.TheUnionofSovietComposersforShostakovich’sSeventiethBirthdaycommissionedtheRecitativeandAir.Becauseofhisprematuredeath,itwassubsequentlypublishedasanInMemoriamvolume.LamentfortheChildrenisatraditionallyfamouspibrochmelody.PibrochistheclassicalvariationformofmusicfortheScottishHighlandBagpipe.ItisplayedherebytheCorAnglaisandisdedicatedtothechildvictimsofwar.Adagio:TributetoBachisa‘Pieta’‐likemeditationaftertragedy.AdagissimoBarocco:alongslowgiganticcrescendo,likeanavalancheofdisasterapproaching,buildingupthemotiveoffearwhichfinallysubsides,assuagedbyachoraleforpeaceonclarinets,bassoons,divisistringsandorganpedal’.(Composer’snote,orchestralscore,TheRonaldStevensonSociety,Edinburgh,2010.)

***ArecentadditiontotheRonaldStevensonSocietypublishedcatalogue,whichdoesnotappearinMartinAnderson,‘AppendixSeven’inRonaldStevenson:TheManandhisMusic,ed.ColinScott‐Sutherland(London,ToccataPress,2005).

248

III.AdagioIV.Epilogo:AdagissimobaroccoWoodwinds:2Flutes,2Oboes,2Clarinets,2BassoonsBrass:4Horns,2Trumpets,2Trombones,Percussion:1SideDrum,1Timpani,Gong,1Harp,Celesta,Piano,Organ(optional)Strings:5firstViolins,5secondViolins,4Violas,3Cellos,2DoubleBasses.

XII. CommercialRecordingsbyRonaldStevenson

JohannSebastianBach(1685–1750),arr.FerruccioBusoni(1866–1924),

PartitainDminorBWV1004Chaconne


AlbanBerg(1885–1935)arr.RonaldStevenson,

WiegenliedausWozzeck


AlanBush(1900–1995)arr.RonaldStevenson,

‘TheMinstrel’sLay’fromWatTyler


FerruccioBusoni,(1866–1924)

AndieJugend:Epilogue,BV.254


––––,

Prélude&étudeenarpèges,BV.297


––––,

TanzwalzerBV.288(1922version)


––––,

ToccataBV.287

4. Preludio5. Fantasia,6. Chiacona


––––,

ZehnVariationenübereinPräludiumvonChopinBV.213a


249

––––,

FantasiaContrappuntisticaKIV256/BV.256b(twopianoversionwithJosephBanowetz)


––––,

FinnländischeVolksweisen,Op.27,BV.227


––––,

FugeüberdasVolkslied‘OdumeinlieberAugustin,’forpiano,4hands,BV.226(withJosephBanowetz)


––––,

ImprovisationontheBachChorale‘Wiewohlistmir,oFreundderSeele,’(afterBWV

517),BV.271for2pianoswithJosephBanowetz


RonaldCenter,(1913–1973)

DonnaNobisPacem AltarusAIR‐2‐9100(LP)

––––,

PianoSonata

AltarusAIR‐2‐9100(LP)

FrédéricChopin,(1810–1849)

NocturneinCminorOp.48,No.1


––––,

PreludeinCminor,Op.20,No.15


FrédéricChopin,(1810–1849)/LeopoldGodowsky(18701938),

53StudiesonChopinÉtudes–No.18a,Op.10No.9(3rdversionforleft‐handalone)

APR5630(76'•ADD)

ClaudeDebussy,(1862–1918)

Préludes,Book1:No.10,LaCathédraleEngloutie


GeorgeGershwin,(1898–1937)/arr.PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961),

LoveWalkedIn APR5630(76'•ADD)

250

––––,

ThemanIlove

APR5630(76'•ADD)

ChristophvonGluck,(1714–1787)/Charles–ValentinAlkan(1813–1888),

Gavotted'Orphée

APR5630(76'•ADD)

PercyAldridgeGrainger,(1882–1961)

Rosenkavalier‐Ramble

APR5630(76'•ADD)AIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)

––––,

ScotchStrathspeyandReel


––––,

arr.Stevenson,HillSongNo.1 AltarusAIR‐CD‐9040(•DDD)

––––,

arr.Stevenson,ThreeScotchFolkSongs:

1. ‘WillyegangtotheHielands’

2. ‘LeezieLindsayMoNingheanDhu’

3. ‘GinIwerewhereGadierins’


FranzLiszt,(1811–1886)

Weihnachtsbaum:No.6,‘Carillon,’and9,‘Abenglocken’


EdwardMacDowell,(1860–1908)

NewEnglandIdylls:No.5,‘IntotheWoods’


CzesławMarek,(1891–1985)

Triptychon,Op.8


WolfgangAmadeusMozart,(1756–1791),arr.FerruccioBusoni(1866–1924),

FantasyinFMinorforaMechanicalOrganKV608withJosephBanowetz(piano)


FranzSchubert(1797–1828)/FranzLiszt(1811–1886),

‘DubistdieRuh'D776

APR5630(76'•ADD)

251

KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji,(1892–1988)

‘Fantasiettinasulnomeillustredell'egregiopoetaChristopherGrieveossiaHughM'Diarmid’


RonaldStevenson, HeroicSangforHughMacDiarmid

AltarusAIR‐CD‐9043

––––,

PassacagliaonDSCH

AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2)APR5650(75'•ADD:1974SouthAfrica)

––––,

PeterGrimesFantasy


––––,

Prelude,FugueandFantasyonThemesfromBusoni’s‘Faust’

AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2•DDD)AIR‐CD‐9042(•DDD)APR5630(76'•ADD)

––––,

RecitativeandAironDSCH AltarusAIR‐CD‐9091(2•DDD)

Trad.Arr.PercyAldridgeGrainger(1882–1961),

SongsoftheNorth588 AltarusAIR‐CD‐9040(•DDD)

5881.‘Willie’sganetoMelvilleCastle’ 2.‘Weavingsong3.‘Skyeboatsong’

4.‘Thisisnomyplaid’ 5.‘Turnyetome’6.‘DrownedFairMary’

7.‘LizzieLindsay’ 8.‘Thewomenarea’gane’9.‘Myfaithfulfondone’

10.‘BonnieGeorge’Campbell 11.‘O’erthemoor’ 12.‘GinIwerewhereGowrie’

253

AppendixTwo:CopyoftheCatalogueofCompleteMusicologicalCorrespondenceofRonaldStevensonintheNationalLibraryofScotland,NationalLibraryofScotlandManuscriptsDivision589

1.2.3‐5.

6‐10.11.12‐13.

14.15.16.

17.18.19.

20.21‐22.23.

24.25.26.

27.28.29.

30.31.32.

33.34.

BenjaminBritten,PeterPiers,RosamundStrode,1965‐1982AlanBush,1961‐95FerruccioBusoni

EdwardGordonCraigMauriceEmmanuelLawrenceGlover

ManfredGordonPercyGraingerRobinLorimer

OttoLueningCzesławMarekYehudiMenuhin

JohnOgdonIgnacyPaderewskiNormanScwires

KaikhosruShapurjiSorabjiBernardStevensJosephSzigeti

Scottishcomposers,artists,musicologists,etc.Scottishpoets,writersandothersBritishcomposers,conductorsandradioproducers

Britishpianists,singersandothermusiciansMiscellaneousBritishmusiciansWorldwidecomposersandmusicians

WritersMiscellaneousletters

589‘Musicologicalandliterarycorrespondence,1947‐97,ofRonaldStevenson(b.1928),composerand

pianist.AlargepartofthecorrespondencecollectedherereflectsStevenson’sinterestinthecomposerFerruccioBusoni(1855‐1924),whichcausedhimtoapproachcorrespondentsworldwidewhohadbeeninanywayconnectedwithBusoni.Italsocoverscompositions,performances,publicationsandrecordingsofStevensonandhiscorrespondentsfrommusicalandliterarycircles,aswellaspersonalmattersandfriendships.Anindextopersonalnameshasbeencompiled,andcanbefoundattheendofthisinventory’.

DonatedbyRonaldandMarjorieStevenson(néeSpeddingb.1932)totheTrusteesoftheNationalLibraryofScotlandin1998.

ReprintedwithkindpermissiontheNationalLibraryofScotland,NationalLibraryofScotlandManuscriptsDivision,GeorgeIV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EW, Inventory Acc. 11567.

Source of this appendix: http://www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/cnmi/inventories/acc11567.pdf.

254

1. BenjaminBritten,PeterPears,RosamundStrode1965‐1982

LettersofBenjaminBritten(1913–1976),composer,PeterPears(1910–1986),singer,andtheirsecretaryRosamundStrode(1927–2010),toRonald

Stevenson,manyconcerningStevenson’sparticipationintheannualAldeburghfestival.

SevenLetters,1971‐1975,ofBenjaminBrittentoRonaldStevensonTwoChristmascards,1972andundated,signedbyBenjaminBrittenandPeter

Pears,toRonaldandMarjorieStevensonThirty‐sixLetters,1965‐1982,ofPeterPearstoRonaldStevenson

ThreeLetters,1975,ofRosamundStrodetoRonaldStevenson

PapersandphotographsrelatingtoBenjaminBritten’sdeath[4thDecember1976]andfuneral,andaposterforamemorialconcertinAberdeen

2. AlanDudleyBush(1900–1995)lettersandrelatedpapers,1961‐1995

LettersfromAlanDudleyBushcomposerandfriendofRonaldStevenson:

Two‐hundred‐and‐thirteenletters,1961‐1995,ofAlanBushtoRonaldStevenson

Threeletters,1965(1)and1979(2),ofNancyBushtoRonaldStevensonLetter,1982,ofAlanBushtoMarjorieStevenson

Threedrafts,1961‐1963,oflettersofRonaldStevensontoAlanBush

Letter,1982,ofKenThomastoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1995,ofMiller&Co.SolicitorstoRonaldStevenson,concerningAlanBush’swill

Letter,1994,incomplete,ofRachelO’HigginstoRonaldStevensonPhotocopiesofmanuscriptscoresofAlanBush’sPianoSonatainG(Op.113)

255

andSongPoemandDancePoem(Op.109)

EnclosurestoBush’slettersinclude:Letter,1927?,ofRandallSwinglertoAlanBush

Twoletters,1964and1991(photocopy),ofRonaldStevensontoAlanBushLetter,1966,ofRonaldStevensontotheObserver(published3April,1966)Letter,1965,ofVictorGollancz,Publishers,toRonaldStevenson

Letter,1965,ofthePerformingRightsSocietytoRonaldStevensonTypescriptsofBush’sarticles“Thestructureandexpressionofmodernmusic”(published1948),“ProblemsofSovietmusicaltheory”(draftwith

corrections),anarticleconcerninghisworkTheBalladofFreedom’sSoldier,andabookreviewTypescriptdraftofsleevenotesbyRonaldStevensonforarecordingofAlan

Bush’sVariations,Nocturne&FinalsofanEnglishSea‐SongPresscuttings,1966RecordofperformancesofAlanBush’sworks,1935‐56,compiledbyhimself

Typescriptsofarticleon,andobituaryof,AlanBush,byRonaldStevenson


LettersandpapersconcerningRonaldStevenson’sresearchonFerruccioBusoni(1855‐1924),composer,includingcorrespondencewithBusoni’sfriendsandrelatives.

3. FerruccioBusoni,letters,1896–1924

Letter,1920,ofFerruccioBusonitoWilliamWalton.Withaletter,1964,

ofWilliamWaltontoRonaldStevenson,andanincompleteundatedcopyofaletterofWilliamWalton

Letter,1920,ofFerruccioBusonitoMauriceEmmanuel.ThisletterwasgiventoRonaldStevensonbyFrank,MauriceEmmanuel’sson.

Threeletters,1921,ofFerruccioBusonitoWilliamTemple.TheseletterswereboughtbyRonaldStevenson.

CopiesoflettersofBusonito:Bösendorfer&Co.,(6)1897‐1909andundated

Eugène‐ArnoldDolmetsch,(1)1901

256

BernardvanDieren,(2)1913and1921EdvardGrieg,(3)1896‐1897

JeanSibelius,(1)1912MelchiorLechter,(1)1924EttoreCosomati,(1)1921

4. GerdaBusoni(1862–1956)andrelatedpersons,letters,1949‐1965

LettersofBusoni’swidow,GerdaBusonitoRonald

Stevenson.PartoftheselettersarealsoaddressedtoMarjorieStevenson.BecauseofGerdaBusoni’sfailingeyesight,theletterswereusuallywrittenbyothers,mostlybyheramanuensisAstridSteinandbyGerda’ssisterHelmi

Sjöstrand(1864‐1957).ManyhavepersonaladditionsbyHelmiSjöstrandandAstridStein.

Letter,1949,ofSirEdwardDenttoRonaldStevensonLetter,1949,ofLudovicaHainischtoRonaldStevenson

Fiftyletters,postcardsandtelegraphs,1949‐1956,ofGerdaBusonitoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1957,ofHelmiSjöstrandtoRonaldandMarjorieStevenson

Letter,1950,ofHelmiSjöstrandtoMarjorieStevensonSevenletters,1956‐65,ofAstridSteintoRonaldStevenson.Witha

photographofAstridSteinLetter,1955,ofBritaWellstromtoRonaldStevenson

Sixletters,1950‐53,ofGerdaBusoniandHelmiSjöstrandtoMarjorieStevenson

Letter,1955,ofthedirectoroftheStadttheaterZürich,toRonaldStevenson

Letter,1955,oftheeditoroftheNeueZürcherZeitung,toRonaldStevenson

257

5. LettersbyvariouscorrespondentsconcerningRonaldStevenson’sresearchonFerruccioBusoni

LettersandpostcardstoRonaldStevensonby:GuidoGuerrini,(7)1954‐1957

LuigiDallapiccola,(3)1955‐1968GisellaSelden‐Goth,(10)1955‐1959YvonneCasella,(3)1955

WladimirVogel,(1)1955VolkmarAndreae,(1)1955BirgitteSlotte,(1)1954

RobertoWis,(6)1955‐1958,withacopyofamanuscriptscoreofYlmariKrohnBusinesscardofNapoleoneFanti

VittorioMoschini,(1)1956RomanVlad,(8)1955‐1960

IsidorePhilippe,(1)1955or1956AugustoAnzoletti,(15)1955‐1965AntonioAnzoletti,(2)1965

GuidoAgosti,(6)1964‐1970,withaphotographofAgostidated1913HildaTagliapietra,(25)1955‐1979FriedrichSchnapp,(1)1957,withdraftsofRonaldStevenson’sletterto

SchnappinEnglishandAstridStein’stranslationintoGermanBreitkopf&Härtel,(2)1965‐1966D.RichardBowen,(1)1965

GottfriedGlöckner,(1)1984CarolWalden,NewEnglandConservatoryofMusic,(2)1966,withaletter,1957,ofCarolWaldentoM.Gordon

DaniellRevenaugh,(1)1965

EdwardGordonCraig(1872–1966)

Correspondence,1953‐1964,betweenRonaldStevensonandEdwardGordonCraig:theatredirector,designerandwood‐engraver

6. EdwardGordonCraig,letters,1953‐1955

Lettersandpostcards,1953‐1955,ofEdwardGordonCraigtoRonaldStevenson,with3photographsand4smallprintedpicturesofanimalsIncluded.

258


Lettersandpostcards,1956‐1958,ofEdwardGordonCraigtoRonaldStevenson.Withthefollowingenclosures:

TypescriptdraftofatalkofRonaldStevensononEdwardGordonCraig,annotatedbyGordonCraig,andaletterwithremarksonStevenson’sdraftby

SirJohnGielgudPresscutting,1957,concerningEdwardGordonCraig

FourphotographsofEdwardGordonCraig

TwoplayingcardsSmallgreetingscard,handpaintedbyEdwardGordonCraig,on

thebirthofRonaldStevenson’ssonGordonSevensmallprintedpicturesofwildlife

Letter,1958,ofKennethIreland,PitlochryFestivalTheatre,to

RonaldStevensonHandbillconcerningKennethIrelandandtheEighthPitlochryFestival,1958

Letter,1958,ofEdwardGordonCraigtoGordonStevenson

PhotographandnegativeofEdwardGordonCraig’stitlepagefortheCranachPresseditionofHamlet,withaninvoiceforboth,1957,byHamiltonTaitLimited,Edinburgh,toRonaldStevenson

Letter,1958,ofDorothyNevileLeestoRonaldStevenson


Letters,1959‐1964,ofEdwardGordonCraigtoRonaldStevenson.WithphotocopiesofwoodcutsofEdwardGordonCraig,andaphotographof

EdwardGordonCraig.Fourpresscuttings,1966,concerningEdwardGordonCraig’sdeath

259

Letter,1995,oftheFolioSocietytoRonaldStevenson,concerningdelaysinitsplanstopublishabiographyofEdwardGordonCraig

9. LetterstoEdwardGordonCraig,1953‐1954

Photocopiesoflettersandaccompanyingpapers,1953‐1954,ofRonaldStevensontoEdwardGordonCraig

10. LetterstoEdwardGordonCraig,1955‐1964

Photocopiesoflettersandaccompanyingpapers,1955‐1964,ofRonald

StevensontoGordonCraig.Leaflet,1996?,oftheBibliothèqueNationaledeFrance

11. FamilyofMauriceEmmanuel(1862–1938)

LettersofA.M.Emmanuel,widowofMauriceEmmanuel:Frenchcomposer,

andofFrankEmmanuel,hisson,toRonaldStevenson,comprising:Thirteenlettersandpostcards,1956‐1969,ofA.M.EmmanueltoRonald

StevensonDraftofletter,1956,EnglishandFrenchversions,ofRonaldStevensontoA.M.

EmmanuelTwophotocopiesofnewspaperarticle,1955,fromLeMonde,aboutMaurice

EmmanuelHandbillandprogrammeofaconcert,May1957,dedicatedtoworksof

MauriceEmmanuelPresscutting,1958?,concerningaperformanceofworksbyOlivierMessiaen

andHectorBerliozInvitation,November1959,toaradioconcertofmusicofMauriceEmmanuel

andothersFifteenlettersandpostcards,1956‐1976,ofFrankEmmanueltoRonald

Stevenson

260

Transcriptsofletters,1929and1931,ofOlivierMessiaentoMauriceEmmanuel

Transcriptofletter,1917,ofCharlesTournemiretoMauriceEmmanuel

Typescriptofarticle,1957,entitled“Vicissitudesposthumesd’unmusicienfrançais”

Letter,1957,byWilliamGlockoftheInstituteofContemporaryArts,toRonaldStevenson

Presscutting,March1958,fromLeMonde,relatingtoMauriceEmmanuel’soperaSalamine

Invitationcard,March1958,toaperformanceofSalamine,withaprogrammenoteontheworkbyFredGoldbeck

Invitationcard,April1958,toaconcertofmusicbyMauriceEmmanuelandothers

PhotographofMauriceEmmanuelProgrammeproposaltotheBBCforchambermusicofMauriceEmmanuel

Invitationcard,May1963,toaconcertofworksofMauriceEmmanuel

Presscutting,1962,fromLesLettresfrançaises,relatingtoMauriceEmmanuel

Presscutting,May1963,ofanarticlebyFrankEmmanuelonhisfather,publishedinalocalnewspaper

LawrenceGlover(1931–1988)

CorrespondencebetweenLawrenceGlover:IrishcomposerandpianistandRonaldStevenson,andrelatedpapers

12. LettersofandtoLawrenceGlover

Twenty‐fourletters,1979‐1988,ofLawrenceGlovertoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1988,ofMabelGlovertoRonaldStevenson

261

Concertprogramme,October1988,entitled“JamboreeforLawrence”

Typescriptof“Excerptfromabiographywrittenduringthecomposer’slifetime”,withtypescriptof“IntermezzoValhallanesco”byRonaldStevenson

Forty‐nineletters,1974‐1987,ofRonaldStevensontoLawrenceGloverUndatedcardofRonaldStevensontoMabelGlover

13. PapersrelatingtothecorrespondenceofLawrenceGloverandRonaldStevenson

“Acanonicpuzzle”byLawrenceGlover(twoversions)

ThreecopiesofLawrenceGlover’sarrangementofTheBonnyEarlofMorayfortwopianos,ScottishFolk‐MusicsettingsNo.1,Aylesbury:BardicEdition,1988.

CatalogueofanexhibitioninhonourofRonaldStevenson’s50thbirthday,1978

ConcertprogrammesofpianorecitalsbyRonaldStevenson,1981‐1985,partlyinphotocopy

Concertprogrammeof“JamboreeforLawrence”,1988,withtypescriptoftheeulogyonLawrenceGlovergivenbyRobertInglisontheoccasion

Manuscriptscores,mostlyfragments,ofRonaldStevensonPhotocopiesofmanuscriptscores,mostlyofLawrenceGlover

PhotocopiesofnewspaperarticlesbyRonaldStevensonandothers

14. ManfredGordon(1917–2000)

LettersofProfessorManfredGordon—researchchemistandfriendofRonaldStevenson,andhiswifeBlanche:

Thirty‐threeletters,1956‐1988,ofManfredGordontoRonaldStevensonTwoletters,1987and1988,ofManfredandBlancheGordontoRonaldand

MarjorieStevensonThreeletters,1972‐1997,ofBlancheGordontoRonaldandMarjorieStevenson

262

Twoletters,1972and1997,ofBlancheGordontoGerdaStevenson

Draftletter,1997,ofRonaldStevensontoManfredGordon

Draftletter,1997,ofRonaldStevensontoBlancheGordon

15. PercyGrainger(1882–1961)andEllaGrainger(1889–1979)

LettersofPercyAldridgeGrainger—AustraliancomposerandhiswifeEllatoRonaldStevenson:

Eighteenletters,1957‐1960,ofPercyGraingertoRonaldStevensonSixty‐twoletters,1960‐1970,ofEllaGraingertoRonaldStevenson,someof

themwrittenonphotographsLetteroftheStateofNewYorkDepartmentofHealth,1964,andaphotocopy

ofit,of“Norecordcertification”followingthesearchforadeathcertificateofAugustaCottlow

TwophotocopiesofdeathcertificateofAugustaCottlowGerstPhotographsandnegativesofPercyGraingerandrelatedpersons

Presscuttings,1918‐1970andundated,concerningPercyGraingerandhiswork

Concertprogramme,January1965,ofaperformanceofworksbyPercyGraingerandothers

FrontcoverofpublishedversionofPercyGrainger’sYouthfulSuiteforOrchestra,1949?,withexplanatorynotesbyGraingerontheback

16. RobinLorimer(1918–1996)

AsmallcollectionofcorrespondenceandwritingsofRobinLorimer—classicalscholarandauthorityonpibrochmusic,sonofWilliamLorimer(1885‐1967)

whosetranslationoftheNewTestamentintoScotshepublishedin1983:OffprintofRobinLorimer’sarticle“StudiesinPibroch:1.The‘4:6:4:1(or2)’

metreinpibrochreconsideredintermsofJosephMacDonald’s‘Antientrule’”,

263

ScottishStudiesVI:1(1962),p.1‐30

OffprintofRobinLorimer’sarticle“StudiesinPibroch:2.Themetreof‘Bodaichdhubhanansligean’:adefinitiveaccount”,ScottishStudiesVIII:1(1964),p.45‐79

TypescriptofRobinLorimer’sarticle“StudiesinPibroch:3.TheCommutativemetresusedinpibroch”,withannotationsbyLorimer

Threepostcards,1990‐1992,ofRobinLorimertoRonaldStevenson

UndateddraftofaletterofRonaldStevensontoRobinLorimerTypescriptofextractoftranslationofShakespeare’sMacbethintoScotsby

RobinLorimer

17. OttoLuening(1900–1996)

LettersandrelatedpapersofAmericancomposerOttoLuening:Elevenletters,1985‐1996,ofOttoLueningtoRonaldStevenson

Photocopyofletter,1985,ofWalterHartleytoOttoLuening

Twodraftsofletters,1987,ofRonaldStevensontoOttoLueningPhotocopyofletter,1987,ofRonaldStevensontoOttoLuening

Draftofletter,1997,ofRonaldStevensontoCatherineLuening

Letter,1997,ofCatherineLueningtoRonaldStevensonPhotocopyofletter,1995,ofTaylorJoynsonGarrett,solicitors,toB.P.Ould

fromBardicEditionconcerningadisputebetweenOuldandLueningPhotograph,1985,ofOttoLuening,hiswifeCatherine,andRonaldStevenson

OffprintofarticlebyTimothyMartinandRuthBauerle,“Thevoicefromthepromptbox:OttoLueningremembersJamesJoyceinZurich”,Journalof

ModernLiteratureXVII:1(Summer1990),p.35‐48Programmenotesofaconcert,1986,ofworksofOttoLuening

264

Twophotocopiesofnewspaperarticle,1987,concerningOttoLuening

PhotocopiesofobituariesofOttoLuening,September1996Concertprogramme,“InMemoriamOttoLuening“,1996

18. CzesławMarek(1891–1985)

LettersandrelatedpapersconcerningthePolishcomposer,pianistandpiano

pedagogueCzesławMarek:Letter,1983,ofAlbertWullschlegertoRonaldStevenson

PhotocopyofletterinGerman,1983,andEnglishdraftofit,ofRonaldStevensontoCzesławMarek

Threeletters,1983‐1984,ofCzesławMarektoRonaldStevenson

Copyofletter,1984,ofCzesławMarektoMartinAndersonDraftofletter,1985,ofRonaldStevensontoGüntherBirkner

Letter,1985,ofGüntherBirknertoRonaldStevenson

PhotocopiesoftwonewspaperarticlesconcerningMarek’s80thbirthdayConcertposter,programme,programmenotesandphotocopyofnewspaper

reviewofapianorecitalbyRonaldStevensonon16September1983tomarkCzesławMarek’s92ndbirthday

Threenewspaperreviews,1985,oneofthemaphotocopy,ofapianorecitalofworksofPolishcomposersgivenbyRonaldStevensoninApril1985

NoticeofCzesławMarek’sdeath,17July1985Twonewspaperobituaries,July1985,ofCzesławMarek

19. YehudiMenuhin(1916–1999)

CorrespondencebetweenRonaldStevensonandviolinistandconductor

SirYehudiMenuhin:

265

PostcardshowingphotographofMenuhinin1935

Sevenletters,1958‐1996,ofYehudiMenuhintoRonaldStevensonLetterofrecommendation,1968,ofYehudiMenuhinforRonaldStevenson

Fourdraftsofletters,1974‐1992,ofRonaldStevensontoYehudiMenuhin

Letter,1992,ofDeirdreDaly,assistanttoYehudiMenuhin,toRonaldStevensonLetter,1992,ofHarryWatson,musicteacherinMotherwell,toRonald

StevensonSixphotographsofstudentsatamusicworkshopheldinMotherwellon20May

1992,withYehudiMenuhinandRonaldStevensonLetter,1992,ofDianaMenuhintoRonaldStevenson

Copyoffax,1992,ofVeraLamporttoYehudiMenuhin,ofMenuhin’sarticle“Thestateandculture”

Letter,1992,ofFredEdwardstoRonaldStevenson

Copyofletter,1992,ofYehudiMenuhintoColinScott‐Sutherland

20. JohnOgdon(1937–1989)

LettersofJohnOgdon—Englishpianistandcomposer,andhisfatherHowardOgdon:

Fourletters,1959‐1961,ofHowardOgdontoRonaldStevensonEighty‐eightlettersandpostcards,1958‐1986andundated,ofJohnOgdonto

RonaldStevensonThreeletters,1965,ofJohnOgdontoMarjorieStevenson

266

IgnacyPaderewski(1860–1941)

PapersandcorrespondenceconcerningIgnacyJanPaderewski:Polishcomposer,pianistandpolitician

21. IgnacyPaderewski

AfoldercontainingmostlyphotographsandarticlesconcerningIgnacy

Paderewski:TwophotographsofPaderewski,oneofthemwithaninscriptionbyJohn

TilstoneEllistoRonaldStevensononthebackPostcardofphotographofPaderewski

Postcard(withphotographofPaderewski),1997,ofMaryMcCarthytoRonaldStevenson

TwocopiesofaphotographshowingAdamZamoyski’sbiographyofPaderewskiandasectionfromabalustradefromPaderewski’svillaRiond‐Bossonnear

MorgesinSwitzerland,whichStevensonsalvagedfromrubblefromthehousein1981

QuotationfromHenryFinck’sSuccessinMusic,concerningPaderewski,copiedoutbyhandbyRonaldStevenson

Letter,1986,ofAlbertWullschlegertotheCommitteeoftheSociétéPaderewski

Concertprogramme,1981,ofapianorecitalbyRonaldStevensonOffprints,1992,ofJamesH.Phillips’sarticle“Paderewski’sreturntoPoland”,

andJamesH.Phillips’sreviewofRonaldStevenson’sbookThePaderewskiParadox

Photocopyofarticle“AconversationonmusicwithPaderewski”,atranscriptofaninterviewconductedbytheAmericancomposerDanielGregoryMason,fromTheCenturyMagazine

267

22. IgnacyPaderewski

CorrespondenceconcerningPaderewski

Fourletters,1983‐1984,ofWernerFuchsstoRonaldStevensonChristmascard,1989?,ofAndréGuex‐JoristoRonaldStevenson

Twoletters,1990and1991,ofMichaelMagnusOsborntoRonaldStevenson

23. NormanScwires(?–1960)

LettersofandaboutNormanScwires—friendofRonaldStevenson:

Sevenlettersandpostcards,1958‐1959,ofNormanScwirestoRonaldStevenson

Threephotographs,oneusedasapostcard,ofNormanScwiresDraftofletter,1959,ofNormanScwirestotheeditoroftheNewStatesman

Letter,1958,ofRonaldStevensontoNormanScwires

EssayonMerlin(fromArthurianlegend)byNormanScwiresFourletters,1960,offriendsofRonaldStevensonconcerningthedeathof

NormanScwires

24. KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji(1892‐1988)

LettersofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji:composerofParsee‐Spanish‐Sicilianorigin,andofhisfriendFrankHolliday,andrelatedlettersandpapers,mostlyin

photocopySixty‐onelettersandpostcards,1958‐1986,ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjito

RonaldStevensonNinecopiesofletters,1961‐1966,ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjitovarious

newspapereditorsandtheBBS,withnewspapercuttingofapublishedletter

268

Twoletters,1961,ofFrankHollidaytoRonaldStevenson

Copyofaletter,1962,ofRonaldStevensontotheeditorofTheTimes

CopyofClintonGray‐Fisk’sarticle“KaikhosruShapurjiSorabji”,reprintedfromtheMusicalTimestogetherwiththearticle“Splendouruponsplendour:onhearingKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjiplay”byFrankHolliday.Withaprintedletter

ofFrankHollidayandotherstoKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji,askinghimtomakehismusicmorewidelyavailablethroughrecordings.

Copyofaletter,1926,ofChristopherMurrayGrieve(HughMacDiarmid)toKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji

Copiesofeightletters,1922‐1934,ofFrancisGeorgeScotttoKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji

Copyofaletter,1934,ofGerdaBusonitoKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjiCopyoftwoletters,1941,ofComptonMackenzietoKaikhosruShapurjiSorabji

Copyofaletter,1958,ofKaikhosruShapurjiSorabjitotheHomosexualLawReformSociety

Draftcopiesof“Additiontothechapter‘MusicandSex’”byKaikhosruShapurji

SorabjiPhotocopyofarticle“KaikhosruSorabjiandhisfirstOrganSymphony”by

AlistairHintonLetter,1962,ofKulginDuvaltoRonaldStevenson

25. BernardStevens(1916–1983)

LettersofDr.BernardGeorgeStevens:composerandteacher,andhiswifeBerthaStevens

Seventy‐fiveletters,1961‐1982,ofBernardStevenstoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1994,ofBerthaStevenstoRonaldStevenson

269

26. JosephSzigeti(1892–1973)

LettersoftheHungarianviolinistJosephSzigetiandassociatedenclosedpapers:

Nineteenletters,1958‐1970,ofJosephSzigetitoRonaldStevensonThreepresscuttings,1958‐1959,oflettersofRonaldStevensonandothers

publishedintheMusicalTimesLetter,1959,ofMr.Glock,Controller,MusicattheBBC,toRonaldStevenson

OffprintofcovertextofarecordingbySzigetiofworksofBusoni

Typescriptof“EnécoutantlasonatedeBusoni”byIgorMarkevitchTypescriptcopiesofreviews,1960,ofSzigeti’srecordingofJohannesBrahms’s

ViolinConcertoinD,Op.77,andHorntrioinE♭,Op.40Typescriptcopyofaletter,1909,ofFerruccioBusonitoIsidorePhilippe

Copyofarticle“TheunaccompaniedsonatasandpartitasofBach”byJosephSzigeti,publishedinShowcase,MusicClubsMagazine,1963,p.6‐8

Copyofletter,1947,ofJuliusGoldtoWandaSzigetiLetter,1966,ofWandaSzigetitoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1966,ofGrigoriKogantoJosephSzigeti

Letter,1969,ofVeronicaHalásztoRonaldStevensonPresscuttingfromDieWelt,ontheoccasionofSzigeti’s75thbirthday

Miscellaneouscorrespondence

Thefinaleightfolderscontainlettersofvariouspersons,whohavebeenroughlygroupedtogetherbytheirartisticprofessionandgeographicalorigins

270

27. Scottishcomposers,artists,musicologists,etc.

LettersandpostcardstoRonaldStevensonofthefollowing:

JohnBellany,(5)1989‐1995ValentinaBold,(3)1990‐1992MargaretFayShawCampbell,(6)1984‐1996,withaphotocopyofanobituary,

1996,ofherhusband,JohnLorneCampbellofCanna,publishedinTheScotsmanFrancisCollinson,(19)1973‐1984

VictoriaCrowe,(2)1995‐1996MalcolmMacCrimmon,(7),1982‐1985andundated,withtwophotographs,acopyofPiobairachd:theclassicalmusicoftheHighlandBagpipepublishedby

thePiobaireachdSocietyin1984,aphotocopyofamanuscriptscoreof“Dunvegan’sGalley”byJamesWatt,andadraftofaletter,1996,ofRonaldStevensontoMalcolmMacCrimmon

AngusMacPherson,(1)1965Lieutenant‐ColonelIanMcRae,(1)1960JohnMaxwell,(1)1960

SandyMoffat,(5)1966‐1978BennoSchotz,(6)1967‐1974

JohnSinclair,(4)1961‐1963JudySteel,(2)1994‐1995

28. Scottishpoets,writersandothers

Sixletters,1964‐1988,ofAlanBoldtoRonaldStevenson;withacopyofAlanBold’spoem“ForRonaldStevenson”andinvitationcard,1988,ofWaterstone’sBooksellerstoabooklaunchofAlanBold’sbookMacDiarmid

Letter,1995,ofGeorgeBrucetoRonaldStevenson

Twolettersandapostcard,1978‐1983,ofTomFlemingtoRonaldStevenson;withatypescriptcopyofTomFleming’spoem“LeavingIona”

Threeletters,1977‐1992,ofDuncanGlentoRonaldStevenson

Twoletters,1979and1980,ofRonaldGreentoRonaldStevenson;withaphotographofRonaldGreen,aprogrammeofhisfuneralmass,andaletter,1986,ofAnneRochfordtoRonaldStevenson

271

LettersandpapersconcerningChristopherMurrayGrieve(HughMacDiarmid),consistingof:

Twoletters,1966and1967,ofChristopherMurrayGrievetothePerformingRightsSociety;

Invitationcard,programmeandphotographofaconcert,1977,ontheoccasionof[Hugh]MacDiarmid’s85thbirthday,atwhichworksofStevensonandothers

wereperformed;FivefurtherinvitationsandprogrammesofeventscelebratingHugh

MacDiarmid;Letter,1966,ofthePerformingRightsSocietytoRonaldStevenson;

CopyofadrawingofChristopherMurrayGrievebyBarbaraNiven;

TwophotographsofChristopherMurrayGrieve’shouseandgravestone;TwophotographstakenatapartyatChristopherMurrayGrieve’shouse

Twoletters,1995and1996,ofDeirdreGrievetoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1978,ofValdaGrievetoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1990,ofDr.RichardSwiggtoRonaldStevensonconcerningHughMacDiarmid

Threeletters,1972‐1976,ofJohnGuthrietoRonaldStevensonTwoletters,1968‐1969,ofMargaretB.S.Kay

Fourletters,1960‐1966,ofComptonMackenzietoRonaldStevenson

Lettersandpapersof,andconcerning,SorleyMacLean,comprising:Sixlettersandapostcard,1970‐1991,ofSorleyMacLeantoRonaldStevenson;

withphotocopiesoftwoofthelettersInvitationcardandprogrammeofacombinedbooklaunchofCriticalEssaysby

SorleyMacLeanandhis75thbirthdayparty;withacardcontainingnotesontheoccasionofRonaldStevenson

Letter,1982,ofJoyHendry,editorofChapman,toRonaldStevenson

272

SynopsisofproposedessaybyRonaldStevensonforaFestschriftforSorleyMacLean

Twoletters,1975and1997,ofW.GrantKiddtoRonaldStevenson

UndatedpostcardofRonaldMavortoRonaldStevensonFourletters,1989‐1996,ofWilliamNeilltoRonaldStevenson

Letter,1982,ofWalterPerrietoRonaldStevenson

LettersconcerningFrancisGeorgeScott,comprising:Photograph,[1957],ofFrancisGeorgeScottandhisdaughter‐in‐law

UndatedletterofCarolineJ.BurttoRonaldStevenson

Fiveletters,1977‐1979andundated,ofGeorgeScotttoRonaldStevensonTwoletters,1977and1980,ofLilliasForbestoRonaldStevenson

Card,1997,ofLilliasForbestoMarjorieStevenson,with2photographs

Twoletters,1995,ofHeatherScott,wifeofTomScott,toRonaldStevenson

LettersconcerningSydneyGoodsirSmith,comprising:Letter,1960,ofSydneyGoodsirSmithtoRonaldStevenson

PhotocopyofprintedversionSydneyGoodsirSmith’spoem“InGranada,inGranada”

Threeletters,1982‐1983,ofHazelSmithtoRonaldStevenson

Fourletters,1990‐1993,ofKennethWhitetoRonaldStevenson

29. Britishcomposers,conductorsandradioproducers

CorrespondenceaddressedtoRonaldStevenson

Eightletters,1964‐1969,of[Sir]ArthurBliss(1891–1975)

Fourletters,1958‐1959,of[Sir]AdrianBoult(1889–1983)

273

Letterandpostcard,1982and1984,ofRichardConnolly(b.1927)

Twoletters,1983and1991,ofDavidDorward(b.1933)

Letter,1987,ofMichaelFinnissy(b.1946)Letter,1962,ofWilliamGlock(1908–2000)

Fourletters,1958‐1959andundated,of[Sir]EugeneGoossens(1893–1962)

Letter,1959,ofHansKeller(1919–1985)Letter,1984,ofGeorgeLloyd(1913–1998)

Letter,1979,ofMichaelOliver(1937–2002)

Nineteenletters,1965‐1988,ofRobertSimpson(1921–1997)Postcard,1988,ofFrankSpedding(1929–2001)

Fourletters,1967‐1968,ofLeopoldStokowski(1882–1977)

Letter,1948,of[Sir]MichaelTippett(1905–1988)

Postcard,1983,of[Lady]SusanneWalton(1926–2010)

Elevenletters,1964‐1968,of[Sir]WilliamWalton(1902–1983)Fourteenletters,1966‐1982,ofWilliam[Brocklesby]Wordsworth(1908–1988)

Postcard,1973,ofWilliam[Brocklesby]Wordsworth(1908–1988)toSavournaStevenson[daughter,clàrsachplayerandcomposer](b.1961)

Letter,1978,ofManselThomas(1909–1986)

30. Britishpianists,singersandothermusicians


Postcard,1969,of[Dame]JanetBaker[mezzo‐soprano](b.1933)Letter,1958,ofYorkBowen[composerandpianist](1884–1961)

274

Postcard,1968,ofOwenBrannigan[bass](1908–1973)

Twoletters,1958and1967,ofHarrietCohen[pianist](1895–1967)

Sixletters,1968‐1975,of[Sir]CliffordCurzon[pianist](1907–1982)Twoletters,1954and1956,ofHerbertFryer[pianistandcomposer](1877–

1957)Threeletters,1959,ofJuliusIsserlis[pianist](1888–1968)

Ninelettersandcards,1971‐1996,ofGrahamJohnson[pianist](b.1950)

Twelveletters,1958‐1987,ofLouisKentner[pianist](1905–1987)Letter,1972,ofGeorgeMalcolm[harpsichordist,organistandconductor]

(1917–1997)Letter,1959,ofDenisMatthews[pianistandmusicologist](1919–1988)

Twoletters,1971and1974,ofFrankMerrick[composer](1886–1981)

Letter,1983,ofBrianRayner‐Cooke[baritone](b.1945)

Postcard,1968,ofJohnShirley‐Quirk[bass‐baritone](b.1931)Fourletters,1987‐1993,ofRonaldSmith[composerandpianist](1922–2004)

Letter,1971,ofRobertSpencer[singer,lutenist,guitarist,musicologistandteacher](1932–1997)

31. MiscellaneousBritishMusicians


Twocards,1994‐1996,andanundatedletterofJohnAmis[Britishbroadcaster,classicalmusiccritic](b.1922)

Fifteenlettersandcards,1965‐1966andundated,ofAvrilColeridge‐Taylor[composeranddaughterofSamuelColeridge‐Taylor](1903–1998)

SixteenLetters,1957‐1959,ofMabelDolmetsch,withtwonewspapercuttings

275

(1874–1963).

Letter,1958,ofImogenHolst(1907–1984)[BritishcomposerandconductoranddaughterofGustavHolst]withanoffprintoftheentryonGustavHolstintheEnciclopediadelloSpettacolo,vol.VI(1959),writtenbyRonaldStevenson

Undatedletter,originalandphotocopy,ofCosmoMcMoon(1901–1980)[accompanistofamateursopranoFlorenceFosterJenkins(1868–1944)]

Threeletters,1983‐1990,andanundatedcard,ofThomasPitfield[composer,poet,artist,engraver,calligrapher,craftsman,andfurnituremaker](1903–

1999)Withaflyeradvertisingvol.1ofPitfield’sJohnnyrobins.Nonsenseverse,drawings&songs

32. Worldwidecomposersandmusicians


Letter,1970,ofLeoBrouwer[Cubancomposer,conductor,andguitarist](b.1939)

Fiveletters,1976‐1996,ofCharlesCamilleri.WithaphotocopyofaletterofRonaldStevensontoCharlesCamilleri[Maltesecomposer](1931–2009)

Twoletters,1982and1996,ofRichardChangElevenlettersandagreetingscard,1982‐1993,ofShou‐PingChiu.Withpapers,

1982,concerningShou‐PingChiu’s[formerstudentofRonaldStevenson]applicationforavisafortheUnitedKingdom

Threeletters,1992‐1996,ofRichardChangandShou‐PingChiuFourletters,1964,ofRamDa‐Oz.WithaphotographofRamDa‐Oz[Israeli

composer](b.1929)ThreelettersandaChristmascard,1994‐1996,ofFouTs’ong[Chinesepianist]

(b.1934).WithpapersconcerningthenominationofWeiJingsheng[Chinesehumanrightsactivist](b.1950)totheNobelPeacePrize

Fourletters,1964‐1971,ofWilhelmGertz[pianomanufacturer]Letter,1964,ofJuliusGold(1884–1969)[musicologistandviolinist]

276

Letter,1966,ofAloisHaba[Czechcomposerandmusicaltheorist](1893–1973)

Letter,1958,ofMarkHambourg[Russian‐Britishconcertpianist](1879–1960)Letter,1969,ofAramKhachaturian[SovietArmeniancomposer](1903–1978)

Fourletters,1964‐1978,ofGrigoriKogan[Busonian,musicologist,pianist](1901–1979)

Fourlettersandpostcards,1983‐1996,ofFelixMeagher[Australiancomposerandmusician](b.1955)

Sixletters,1965‐1966,ofErnstMeyer[Germancomposerandmusicologist](1905–1988)

Letter,1955,andpostcard,1957,ofEgonPetri[GermanPianistandpupilofFerruccioBusoni(1881–1962)

Fifteenletters,1971‐1983,ofEdmundRubra[Britishcomposer](1901–1986)

Letter,1970,ofJosefRut[Czechoslovakiancomposer](1926‐2008)Fiveletters,1965‐1976,ofGrigoriShneerson[Sovietmusicologist]

Twoletters,1949and1957,ofJeanSibelius.WithtwophotographsofSibelius

.[Finnishcomposer](1865–1957)Threeletters,1966,ofWaltherSiegmund‐Schulze(1916–1993)Withacontract

forarecitalbyRonaldStevensonattheHändelfestspieleinHalle(Saale)Twoletters,1962‐1963,ofLarrySitsky[Australiancomposer‐pianist,

musicologistandpedagogue](b.1934)Threeletters,1973‐1976,ofNicolasSlonimsky[Russiancomposerand

conductor](1894–1995)Letter,1956,ofFritzStein[musicologistandconductor](1879–1961)

Letter,1966,ofG.W.Velt[DutchfriendofEastGermanharpsichordmakers]

Signedphotograph,1968,ofPantschoWladigeroff[Bulgariancomposer‐pianist](1899–1978)

277

33. Writers


Fourteenlettersandcards,1975‐1995,ofKeithBosley[Britishpoetandlanguageexpert](b.1937).WithphotocopiesandtypescriptsofpoetryofBosleyandothers

Twoletters,1996and1997,ofAnthonyHecht.WithcorrespondencebetweenStevensonandHecht’spublishersconcerningStevenson’sproposaltosetsome

ofHecht’spoetrytomusic[Americanpoet](1923–2004)Postcard,1958,ofEzraPound[Americanpoet](1885–1972)

Threeletters,1971‐1977,ofSacheverellSitwell[Britishwriterandartcritic](1897–1988)

Eightlettersandpostscards,1966‐1972,ofColinWilson[philosopherandnovelist](b.1931)

34. Miscellaneousletters

CorrespondenceaddressedtoRonaldStevenson:

Letter,1971,ofMichaelAnderson,ReidMusicLibrary

Threeletters,1969‐1994,ofLouisBallardTwoletters,1987and1990,ofLouBarron.With2photocopiesofnewspaper

articlesLetter,1994,ofHenryC.Campbell.WithaphotocopyofStevenson’sreply

Christmascard,1990,ofLionelCarley

Twoletters,1954,ofJ.&W.ChesterLtd.

Letters,1993,ofDavidCoxLetter,1980,ofPatrickCrotty

278

Postcard,1983,ofLewisForeman

UndatedletterofDorotheaFraser‐MayLetter,1966,ofArthurGeddes.WithadraftcopyofhisworkPresentingTagore

inSoundandSight(Edinburgh:1961),withannotationsandoffprintofrelatedarticleintheScotsman

Letter,1972,byJohnGray,SeniorTalksProducerattheBBC.Withphotocopiesofpoemsbyhisfather,SirAlexanderGray

Twoletters,1997,ofStanleyRogerGreen.Withacopyofareply,1997,ofStevenson

Letter(Certificateofcharacter),1959,ofLordGuthrie,JudgeoftheCourtofSessioninScotland,forRonaldStevenson

Twoletters,1994andundated,ofMauriceKahnLetter,1980,ofJohnH.Lawson

Letter,1994,ofLudmillaLazar

UndatedChristmascardofYvonneLefébureandFredGoldbeck

Letter,1993,byDr.PaulLewis.WithacopyofStevenson’sreplyFourletters,1980‐1988,ofJohnLindsay.Withaletter,1988,ofMonicaWatson

toJohnLindsayLetter,1974,ofMurielMurdoch

Twoletters,1954,oftheeditorofMusicalOpinion

Letter,1976,ofRegNettelLetter,1964,ofCharlesOxtoby,SouthAfricanBroadcastingCorporation

Twopostcards,1987and1996,ofArnoldSchalker

Photocopyofpagefrommusicmagazine,senttoStevensonbyRonaldSmith,1996

Postcard,1964,ofNielSolomon

279

Copyofletter,1989,ofStevensontotheEmbassyofthePeople’sRepublicofChina

Card,1956,ofJillVlasto.Withaletter,1956,ofJillVlastotoProfessorE.J.Dent

Letter,1988,ofMonicaWatsonLetter,1978,ofElizabethWeigand

Postcard,1968?,ofTerenceWhite‐Gervais

Letter,1980,byanunidentifiedcorrespondent(“Marie”),concerningSeánÓRiadaandthepossibilityofarecitalbyStevensoninCork

IndexofPeople

531

345

5530

343427

2928

273329

53030

5132

2828

2

AGOSTI,Guido,Italianpianist,pupilofFerruccioBusoniAMIS,John,radioproducerandbroadcaster,friendandcolleagueofRS,

anddedicateeof2ndPianoConcertoANDERSON,Michael,librarian,ReidMusicLibrary,EdinburghANDREAE,Volkmar,Swissconductor,friendofBusoni

ANZOLETTI,Antonio,nephewofAugustoAnzolettiANZOLETTI,Augusto,closefriendofBusoniBAKER,Janet,EnglishsingeranddedicateeofVariationsvocalises

BALLARD,Louis,NativeAmericancomposerandfriendofRSBARRON,Lou,AmericanpublisherBELLANY,John,ScottishpainterandfriendofRS

BLISS,SirArthur,EnglishComposerandMasteroftheQueen’sMusicBOLD,Alan,Scottishpoetandcritic,biographerofMacDiarmid,friendofRS

BOLD,Valentina,Scottishcritic,daughterofAlanBoldBOSLEY,Keith,Englishpoet,translatorof‘9Haiku,’friendofRSBOULT,Adrian,Englishconductor

BOWEN,D.Richard,…BOWEN,York,composerandpianistBRANNIGAN,Owen,Englishsinger

BREITKOPF&HÄRTEL,GermanmusicpublishersBRITTEN,Benjamin,EnglishcomposerandpianistandfriendofRSBROUWER,Leo,Cubancomposerandguitarist

BRUCE,George,ScottishpoetandbroadcasterBURT,Caroline,friendofF.G.ScottandmotherofdedicateeofHughMacDiarmid’s‘HungryWaters.’

BUSH,Alan,EnglishMarxistcomposerandfriendofRS

280

2

3‐5,264,24

3233

27

34532

3230

27

293

346‐10

3427

3032

54

331

292421

11113,11

2928

BUSH,Nancy,wifeandcollaboratorofAlanBushanddedicateeofRS‘TheMinstrel’sLay’from‘WatTyler’transcription

BUSONI,Ferruccio,ItaliancomposerandpianistandpassimBUSONI,Gerda,wifeofFerruccioBusoniandfriendofRS,dedicateeof

‘BerceuseSymphonique’CAMILLERI,Charles,MaltesecomposerandfriendofRSCAMPBELL,Henry,AmericanpianostudentandfriendofBusoni’spupil

WilhelmMiddelschulteCAMPBELL,MargaretFayShawCampbell,American‐ScottishethnomusicologistandwifeofDrJohnLorneCampbellofCanna

CARLEY,Lionel,DeliusscholarCASELLA,Yvonne,widowofAlfredoCasella,ItaliancomposerandpianistCHANG,Richard,friendofChiuShou‐Ping

CHIU,Shou‐Ping,pianist,pupilandfriendofRSCOHEN,Harriet,EnglishpianistandpupilofBusoniCOLLINSON,Francis,Scottishconductorandmusicologist,authorofThe

TraditionalandNationalMusicofScotlandCONNOLLY,Richard,AustralianCatholicchurchmusicianandcomposer,dedicateeofthefirstsongof‘LiederohneBuchstaben’and

‘FenescaVacsia’fromL’ArtNouveau…’COOK,BrianRayner–seeunderRAYNER‐COOK,BrianCOSOMATI,Ettore,Italianpainter,friendofBusoni

COX,David,musicologistandcomposerCRAIG,EdwardGordon,theatredirector,designerandwoodengraver

CROTTY,Patrick,IrishscholarofIrishandScottishliterature,friendofSean0’RiordaCROWE,Victoria,painterofRSportraitintheScottishNationalPortrait

GalleryCURZON,SirClifford,EnglishpianistDA‐OZ,Ram,Israelicomposer

DALLAPICCOLA,Luigi,ItaliancomposerandtranslatorofBusoni;dedicateeofRS‘WiegenliedausWozzeck’transcriptionDENT,SirEdward,EnglishbiographerofBusoni

DOLMETSCH,Arnold,musicianandmakerormusicalinstruments,founderoftheInternationalDolmetschEarlyMusicFestivalDOLMETSCH,Mabel,Britishmusicologist,wifeofArnoldDolmetsch

DORWARD,David,ScottishcomposerDUVAL,Kulgin,ScottishpublisherELLIS,JohnTilstone,composer

EMMANUEL,A.‐M.,wifeofMauriceEmanuelEMMANUEL,Frank,sonofFrenchcomposerMauriceEmanuelEMMANUEL,Maurice,Frenchcomposer

FINNISSY,Michael,EnglishcomposerFLEMING,Tom,Scottishactor

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FOREMAN,Lewis,BiographerofBax,etc.FOU,T’song,pianist,familyfriendofChiuShou‐Pingandformerson‐in‐

lawofYehudiMenuhinFOU,Patsy,wifeofFouT’songFRASER‐MAY,Dorothea,pianoteacherofRonaldStevenson

FRYER,Herbert,Englishpianist,pupilofBusoniFUCHSS,Werner,SwissbiographerofPaderewskiandfriendofRSGEDDES,Arthur,sonofScottishsocialevolutionistandurbanreformer

PatrickGeddes,andtranslator/arrangerofTagoreSongsGERTZ,Wilhelm,SouthAfricanharpsichordmakerandcollectorofearlypianorecordings

GERVAIS,TerenceWhite,Busonischolar,composerandeccentric,andfriendofRSGIELGUD,SirJohn,Englishactor

GLEN,Duncan,Scottishpoet,editorandpublisherGLOCK,SirWilliam,musicadministrator,PromsdirectorandControllerofMusicattheBBC(acharacterreferenceforRS)

GLÖCKNER,Gottfried,Germanscientist,friendofProfessorManfredGordonGLOVER,Lawrence,Irishcomposer/pianistandfriendofRS

GLOVER,Mabel,wifeofLawrenceGloverGOLD,Julius,professorofmusic,pupilofBernhardZiehnGOLDBECK,Fred,Frenchmusicologist

GOOSSENS,SirEugene,EnglishconductorGORDON,Manfred,BritishresearchchemistandfriendofRS,and

dedicateeof‘VariationsonathemebyManfredGordon’GORDON,Blanche,wifeofManfredGordonGRAINGER,Ella,wifeofPercyGraingerandfriendofRS

GRAINGER,Percy,AustraliancomposerandpianistandethnomusicologistGRAY,John,BBCproducer,sonofpoetandtranslatorSirAlexanderGrayGREEN,Ronald,ScottishfriendofRS

GREEN,StanleyRoger,ScottishpoetGRIEG,Edvard,NorwegiancomposerGRIEVE,ChristopherMurray,‘HughMacDiarmid,’Scottishpoet

GRIEVE,Deirdre,wifeofMichaelGrieveanddaughter‐in‐lawofChristopherMurrayGrieveGRIEVE,Valda,wifeofChristopherMurrayGrieve

GUERRINI,Guido,Italiancomposer,DirectorofConservatoriodiSantaCeciliaandteacheroforchestrationtoRSGUEX‐JORIS,André,collectorofsoundrecordings,foundermemberof

SocietePaderewskiGUTHRIE,John,Scottishmedicalpractitioner,friendofSydneyGoodsirSmith,compositionstudentandfriendofRS

GUTHRIE,Lord,JudgeoftheCourtofSessioninScotlandHABA,Alois,Czechcomposer

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HAINISCH,Ludovica,Austrianpedagogue,friendofGerdaBusoniHAMBOURG,Mark,Russian‐bornpianistandfriendofBusoni

HECHT,Anthony,Americanpoet,academicandcriticHENDRY,Joy,editorof‘Chapman,’HOLLIDAY,Frank,friendofK.S.Sorabji

HOLST,Imogen,EnglishcomposeranddaughterofGustavHolstIRELAND,Kenneth,PitlochryFestivalTheatreISSERLIS,Julius,Russianpianistandcomposer

JOHNSON,Graham,Britishpianistandliederaccompanist,SchubertscholarandfriendofRS,andpatronoftheRonaldStevensonSocietyKAHN,Maurice,Britishpublisherof‘CanonicVariations’

KAY,Margaret,patronandfriendofRSKELLER,Hans,Austrian‐bornmusicianandmusicologistKENTNER,Griselda,wifeofLouisKentnerandsister‐in‐lawofYehudi

MenuhinKENTNER,Louis,Silesian‐bornpianist,dedicateeof‘SimpleVariationsonPurcell’sScotchTune’

KHATCHATURIAN,Aram,RussiancomposerKIDD,W.Grant,conductorofGreenockGaelicChoirandcommissionerof‘SorleyMacLeanSongCycle’

KOGAN,Grigori,SovietbiographerofBusoniKROHN,Ylmari,FinnishmusicologistandbiographerofSibeliusLAZAR,Ludmilla,Hungarian‐Americanpianoprofessor

LAWSON,John,ScottishmusicresearcherLECHTER,Melchior,Germanartist,correspondentofBusoni

LEFEBURE,Yvonne,FrenchpianistLEWIS,Paul,BritishcomposerLINDSAY,John,BBCLondonlibrarian

LLOYD,George,composerLORIMER,Robin,Scottishclassicsscholar,authorityonpibrochandpublisher,commissionerofRSsettingof‘Psalm23’

LUENING,Catherine,wifeofOttoLueningLUENING,Otto,AmericancomposerandpupilofBusoniMACCRIMMON,Malcolm,descendantofpiperfamily

MACKENZIE,Compton,ScottishwriterMACLEAN,Sorley,ScottishpoetMCMOON,Cosmo,accompanisttoFlorenceFosterJenkins

MACPHERSON,Angus,ScottishpiperMCRAE,Ian,ScottishpiperandbagpiperesearcherMALCOLM,George,Englishharpsichordist

MASON,DanielGregory,AmericancomposerMAREK,Czesław,PolishcomposerandpianistMATTHEWS,Denis,Englishpianistandcomposer

MAVOR,Ronald,ScottishwriterMAXWELL,John,Scottishpainter

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2828

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3,3232

MEAGHER,Felix,AustraliancomposerandmusicianMENUHIN,Yehudi,violinist,conductor

MENUHIN,DianaMERRICK,Frank,BritishcomposerandpianistMESSIAEN,Olivier,Frenchcomposer

MEYER,ErnstHermann,EastGermancomposerandmusicologistMOFFAT,Alexander,ScottishpainterMOSCHINI,Vittorio,Italianarthistorian

MURDOCH,Muriel,Scotland‐ChinaAssociationNEILL,William,ScottishpoetNETTEL,Reg,BiographerofHavergalBrian

OGDON,John,EnglishpianistandcomposerOGDON,Howard,fatherofJohnOgdonOLIVER,Michael,Britishmusiccriticandbroadcaster

OSBORN,MichaelMagnus,publisherof‘PaderewskiParadox’OXTOBY,Charles,musicproducer,SouthAfricaBroadcastingCorporation

PADEREWSKI,Ignacy,PolishcomposerandpoliticianPEARS,Peter,EnglishsingerPERRIE,Walter,Scottishpoetandcritic

PETRI,Egon,Dutch‐GermanpianistPHILIPPE,Isidore,FrenchpianoteacherandfriendofBusoniPITFIELD,Thomas,Englishcomposer

POUND,Ezra,AmericanpoetQUIRK,JohnShirley,Britishsinger

RAYNER‐COOK,Brian,EnglishsingerREVENAUGH,Daniell,ConductorandpianistRUBRA,Edmund,composerandpianist

RUT,Josef,CzechcomposerSCHALKER,Arnold,DutchpianistandcomposerSCHNAPP,Friedrich,GermanmusicologistandHeadofGerman

BroadcastinginHamburg,friendofBusoniSCHNEERSON,Grigori,SovietmusicologistSCHOTZ,Benno,Estoniansculptor

SCOTT,FrancisGeorge,ScottishcomposerSCOTT,George,sonofFrancisGeorgeScottSCOTT,Heather,wifeofTomScott,Scottishpoet

SCOTT,LilliasForbes,daughterofFrancisGeorgeScott(marriedfirstlyProfessorErikChisholm,secondlyJohnForbes,clarinetist)SCWIRES,Norman,Edinburghteacherandeccentric,friendofRS

SELDEN‐GOTH,Gisella,musicologistandcomposer,pupilandbiographerofBusoniSIBELIUS,Jean,Finnishcomposer

SIEGMUND‐SCHULTZE,Walther,DirectorofHändel‐Festival,HalleSIMPSON,Robert,Britishcomposer

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SINCLAIR,John,ScottishwriterSITSKY,Larry,composer,critic,pianistandBusonischolar

SITWELL,Sacheverell,EnglishwriterandpoetSJÖSTRAND,Helmi,sisterofGerdaBusoniSLONIMSKY,Nicholas,Russian‐Americanmusicologist

SLOTTE,Brigitte,DanishcorrespondentSMITH,Hazel,wifeofSidneyGoodsirSmithSMITH,SidneyGoodsir,Scottishpoet

SMITH,Ronald,EnglishpianistSOLOMON,Niel,pianistSORABJI,KaikhosruShapurji,Parseecomposerandauthor,

SPEDDING,Frank,EnglishcomposerSPENCER,Robert,Englishlutenistandoneofthededicateesof‘BallattisofLuve’

STEEL,Judy,ScottishpatronoftheartsandfriendofRSSTEIN,Astrid,amanuensistoGerdaBusoniSTEIN,Fritz,Germanconductorandmusicologist

STEVENS,Bernard,EnglishcomposerSTEVENS,Bertha,wifeofBernardStevensSTEVENSON,Gerda,actress,directorandwriter,daughterofRonald

StevensonSTOKOWSKI,Leopold,conductorSTRODE,Rosamond,secretaryandmusicassistanttoBrittenandPears

SZIGETI,Joseph,violinistandfriendofBusoniSWINGLER,Randall,Englishpoet

TAGLIAPIETRA,Hilda,wifeofGinoTagliapietra,apupilofBusoniTAYLOR,AvrilColeridge,Englishcomposer,daughterofSamuelTaylorTEMPLE,William,ArchbishopofCanterbury

THOMAS,Mansel,WelshcomposerTIPPETT,Michael,EnglishcomposerVANDIEREN,Bernard,Dutchcomposer

VELT,G.W.,DutchfriendofEastGermanharpsichordmakersVLAD,Roman,Romaniancomposer,pianistandmusicologistVLASTO,Jill,King’scollegelibrary,Cambridge

VOGEL,Vladimir,Germancomposer,pupilofBusoniWALDEN,Carol,Librarian,NewEnglandConservatory,Boston,Mass.WALTON,William,Englishcomposer

WALTON,Susanne,wifeofWilliamWalton29WATSON,Harry,musicteacherinMotherwellWEIGAND,Elizabeth,MaudAllenandBusoniresearcher

WHITE,Kenneth,Scottishpoet,academicandfounderoftheGeopoeticsmovementWILSON,Colin,Englishwriter

WIS,Roberto,ItalianculturalattachétoFinlandWLADIGEROFF,Pantscho,Bulgariancomposer

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WORDSWORTH,Frieda,wifeofWilliamWordsworth,composerWORDSWORTH,WilliamBrocklesby,Scottishcomposer

WULLSCHLEGER,Albert,SwissfriendofRS,foundermemberoftheRonaldStevensonSociety,friendofCzeslawMarek

286

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RecordingsbyRonaldStevensonStevenson,Ronald.“Busoni:MusicforFourHandsandTwoPianos”:Fantasia

Contrappuntistica(two‐pianoversion),ImprovisationonaBachChorale,Mozart:FantasyforaMechanicalOrgan,FinnishFolksongs,Fugueon“OdulieberAugustin”[withJosephBanowetz]Altarus,AIR‐CD‐9041.

Stevenson,Ronald.“TheEssenceofBusoni”:Toccata,VariationsonaChopinPrelude,

Prélude&ÉtudeenArpèges,”Tanzwalzer,Epilogue(from“adieJugend”),Prelude,FugueandFantasyonthemesfromBusoni's“DoktorFaust”Altarus,AIR‐CD‐9044.

Stevenson,Ronald.“CathedralsinSound”:APianoRecital,FranzLiszt,FrédéricChopin,

CzeslawMarek,KaikhosruSorabji,EdwardMacDowell,Bach/Busoni,Stevenson.Altarus,AIR‐CD‐9043.

Stevenson,Ronald.“Grainger:SalutetoScotland”:HillSongNo.1(TranscribedStevenson),

SongsoftheNorth,ThreeScotchFolksongs,ScotchStrathspeyandReel,AIR‐CD‐9040.

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