Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Correspondents
- Editorial Conventions
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Prologue
- 1 A Young Man's Exhortation, 1915–1933
- 2 Haste on my Joys! 1933–1939
- 3 Oh Fair to See, 1939–1941
- 4 Channel Firing, 1941–1945
- 5 Sing Out Cecilia's Name, 1945–1951
- 6 The Too Short Time, 1951–1956
- Epilogue
- Finzi's Circle
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Finzi's Compositions
- Index of Names
Finzi's Circle
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2024
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Correspondents
- Editorial Conventions
- Acknowledgements
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Prologue
- 1 A Young Man's Exhortation, 1915–1933
- 2 Haste on my Joys! 1933–1939
- 3 Oh Fair to See, 1939–1941
- 4 Channel Firing, 1941–1945
- 5 Sing Out Cecilia's Name, 1945–1951
- 6 The Too Short Time, 1951–1956
- Epilogue
- Finzi's Circle
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Finzi's Compositions
- Index of Names
Summary
(Sir) Edward C. Bairstow (1874–1946), organist, composer, conductor, and teacher.
Bairstow was born in Huddersfield, and studied with Frederick Bridge and Walter Alcock. In 1913 he was appointed organist at York Minster, and also directed the York Musical Society and Leeds Philharmonic Society. He became a strong influence on musical life in the north of England as teacher, choir-trainer, and adjudicator. Among his pupils and colleagues were Elsie Suddaby, Sybil Eaton, and Harry Plunket Greene. His best-known works are Blessed City (1914), Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (1925), and a fine organ sonata. He published Counterpoint and Harmony (1937) and (with Plunket Greene) Singing Learnt from Speech (1945).
Known for his terse and blunt speech, Bairstow did not always endear himself to others, but Finzi dedicated his early motets to him, and came to call him ‘beloved tyrant’. He gave Finzi his first performance, of the carol ‘Before the paling of the stars’, in 1920.
(Sir) Arthur Bliss (1891–1975), composer.
Educated at Rugby and Cambridge, Bliss served throughout the 1914–18 war. He then led an active London life, becoming a proficient conductor. Elgar suggested him for 1922 Three Choirs Festival, for which he composed his Colour Symphony. Of American descent, in 1923 Bliss went to California, where he married the American Trudy Hoffmann in 1925. His Introduction and Allegro of 1926 established him. Ten years older than Finzi, he offered the younger composer support as well as trenchant criticism. Finzi much enjoyed his sparkling personality. He had none of Finzi's distrust of virtuosity, and composed for genres Finzi did not explore: film, ballet, and opera. They shared an architect, Peter Harland, when both built country houses. In the USA when the 1939 war broke out, Bliss soon came back to the BBC, where he offered Finzi a job, which however Finzi rejected. His letters were always brief and to the point, and he did not keep replies. He became Master of the Queen's Music in 1953.
Detmar Blow (1867–1939), an architect of the Arts and Crafts style.
He was a disciple of Ruskin, and builder of his own house, Hilles, near Painswick in Gloucestershire. He married Winifred (1882–1954), daughter of Hon. Hamilton Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall, Suffolk.
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- Information
- Gerald Finzi's Letters, 1915-1956 , pp. 1012 - 1030Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2021