Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Early Closing
- 2 The Music of Northampton
- 3 A Number of Scotsmen
- 4 Olive
- 5 Union and Exile
- 6 A Purpose for Cinema
- 7 A War of his Own
- 8 Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
- 9 A Coming British Woman Composer
- 10 Towards a Festival
- 11 Questions of Inspiration
- 13 The Late Romantic
- 14 E-Day
- 15 Symphonic Reflections
- 16 Soundless Music
- 17 The Other Suffolk Composer
- 18 The Blythburgh Operas
- 19 The Stillness
- 20 Living and Learning
- 21 Precious Toy
- Epilogue
- Notes
- List of Alwyn’s Works
- Discography
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Index of Alwyn’s Works
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Early Closing
- 2 The Music of Northampton
- 3 A Number of Scotsmen
- 4 Olive
- 5 Union and Exile
- 6 A Purpose for Cinema
- 7 A War of his Own
- 8 Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
- 9 A Coming British Woman Composer
- 10 Towards a Festival
- 11 Questions of Inspiration
- 13 The Late Romantic
- 14 E-Day
- 15 Symphonic Reflections
- 16 Soundless Music
- 17 The Other Suffolk Composer
- 18 The Blythburgh Operas
- 19 The Stillness
- 20 Living and Learning
- 21 Precious Toy
- Epilogue
- Notes
- List of Alwyn’s Works
- Discography
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Index of Alwyn’s Works
Summary
By the beginning of the 1960s Alwyn was approaching a change that would radically alter his private and professional life. Professionally he was exhausted. We know from Ariel to Miranda that by the mid-1950s he was already weary of toiling away at feature films, resenting the time and energy that he needed to pursue his ‘serious’ music. That weariness was exacerbated by advancing years, and the various nervous and physical strains that had always been a part of his artistic metabolism, the migraines, the neurasthenia stoked or alleviated by his heavy drinking and smoking. As the film commissions went on and on, so the concerthall work seemed to fizzle. The completion of the symphonic cycle in 1959 must have seemed the end of his career as a symphonist; in a sense, the very grandeur of his vision in creating it made symphonic progress beyond it difficult. His Second Piano Concerto had been put away unperformed, and understudied at the Proms by the lightweight Derby Day. His relationship with Carwithen had also reached a crossroads. In one of her many undated letters (but probably from around late 1960) she had plaintively hoped that ‘we shall be together soon – and so happy together – as ever. Seventeen years is a long time! But what fun we’ve had and so many memories which no one else knows about or can take away!’ This has shreds of happiness about it, but so many of her letters described her own worthlessness without Alwyn.
Dearest, I wonder if you will come back to me tomorrow? I long for the sound of your voice, your smile and the comfort of feeling your arms around me again. I can’t begin to say how much I am missing you – I didn’t believe such anguish of heart and agony of mind were possible – But at least it has proved to me, (if not to you) how deeply I do love you and that life without you would be quite impossible. I pray that you will come soon, looking fit and well after your holiday, and please, still wanting and loving me as much as I love and need you.
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- Information
- The Innumerable DanceThe Life and Work of William Alwyn, pp. 179 - 191Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2008