The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-16
BRITISH MUSIC IN
YEARS Of THE WAR

London. Feb. ts.-When the his
tory of music during the war comes
TO be written, doubtless 1t win differ
in many ways from the partial as
poets under which 1t In viewed at the
present time. X TO the period Of four
years and u quarter OF actual conflict
there be added the time taken Tor
securing a definite peace. and for the
beginnings, at any rate, OF denobili-
cation, H. may be said with some ap-
proaeh to accuracy that normal
musical conditions will have oeen GUS
pended for at least FIVE years So
far as the British Isles ars concern
ed, there k good reason to anticipate
that in the autumn of this year such
anomalies of wartime music a. still
exist will be difficult to trace The
present therefore,. seems q hitting mo-
ment t. consider those changes IN
musical conditions which have been
introduced during this period, and
which seem likely to be permanent.
Something also may we'll be said of
she accidental and impermanent fea~
lures Of war time music.
The music OF friends AZ Mr..
Richard Walthew so aptly names
ham Der music, has taken or an In
creased importance which Is not
| likely to diminish. Darkeped streets
and the m N. difficulties OF travel
have been strong inducements to re-
| main ut home. or at most to move
about within the narrow limits that
| can be compassed afoot Thus some
of the conditions Of Elizabet!an times
were renewed and the charm OK
| similar modes Of passing the evening
| were rediscovered, leading 70 q de-
! mand for concerted music of all
kinds. In speaking of the beautiful
| art of chamber music, at an early
| period of the war. Mr.. w, w. Cob
| bett said that it should be o source
OF patriotic pride for Engiishmet4 to
reflect that nowhere are its begin
! nings 30 distinctly traceable az in
| English instrumental music OF the
Seventeenth Century. witness the
| diaries OF Evenlyn and Pepys and
the memoirs or Roger North. Mr..
! Goblet has himself done very much
to forward this new development. in
GLIDING tho gift of free library of
| modern British chamber music and
many prizes for compositions for
string quartet or trio. The recently
formed British Music Society also In
cludes similar objects among Its &C.
| tivities Even those who formerly
| were content with nothing less than
the rich and many-colored appeal OF
the orchestra are now finding them
selves drawn to more intimate forms
Of the art.
Corresponding to this demand, a
good deal OF fine native work hai
been produced. the Carnegie United
| Kingdom Trust (Which itself has only
, issued four annual reports) Icing re.
| sponsihis foI publishing several no
| table chamber works as well as corn
positions On a larger scale. Alto
, gether there has been a quits uncx
pected activity on the part of native
composers. Perhaps the most sur
prising MI sicai development OF thi
period has been the stream OF al
kinds OF new works, including sym
phoni"s, chamber music, songs ans
com positions for solo instruments
Parry. Stanford. FHgar. Bridge. Ban
. took, Bocgnton, Howell. Holbrooke
Vaughan Williams. John Ireland
Eugene HoossenA George Butter
worth ana others have made dis
tinguished contributions to this ris
ing Hood.
AZ for opera. in which England hal
10 persistentiy Jagged behind cont
mental countries, tho wrr record Il
distinctly good This does not NEAR