Voice and verse: A study in English song

by Henry Cope Colles

The following pages contain the substance of a course of ten lectures which the author was priviledged to deliver at Glasgow University in January and February 1927, as Cramb Lecturer for that session.The syllabus of the course bor the clumsy title, 'Some aspects of Vocal Music, espcially with regard to settling of the English language in song, both choral and song.' The author was drawn to the subject because there were things which he wanted to say about Henry Purcell.

167 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Henry Cope Colles (20 April 1879 – 4 March 1943) was an English music critic, music lexicographer, writer on music and organist. He is best known for his 32 years as chief music critic of The Times (1911–1943) and for editing several editions of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Reviews

[Debbie Bridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in 1928, almost 100 years ago. I didn’t know that when I decided to take it along on this trip, but it still rings of truths that are endangering today's English Opera/Music, as it did then. In this book, Colles argues how music, all music, comes from the voice and, he presents a very valid argument, one I had not considered. That, even, explains, why some of the modern interpretation of the 20th century didn’t/doesn’t work, as it comes from a pure instrument approach and tries to neglect the vocal influence on music – hence it’s lack of appeal and why, this style of music, often, doesn’t work. He even goes so far as to say that instruments evolve purely from the voice.

It’s written from a series of lectures which were given at Glasgow University and, boy, do I wish I could have been there to hear them, as they used singers to sing the examples presented in the book to help emphasize his arguments of why English song and Opera have struggled to ever find a firm footing. When it has, it loses it quickly, due to poor public appreciation. One example he mentions is how the English public does not hold onto that which marries the mastery of words/drama well with musical composition – examples such as Purcell and Sullivan. How sad, that I have to say that this problem, in my mind, still very much exists today for English writing of music. I believe, the Americans have done far better at this than the Brits. The number of times, since living in Britain, I’ve heard the cynical snort of Sullivan, is far too often. I think it is very sad, that someone who wrote something so engaging and fun is thrown onto a pile of ‘poor music’ because of its subject matter and not for its genius of writing.

I am so glad I read this book, as it has helped me to understand what has eluded my understanding of the British attitude to its own music and its poor support of it. It’s true there have been some great successes, but, really, overseas performers/composers and musicians can often go a lot further, mainly due to the fact, that they are often working in their own languages of birth. The Brits produce some great people, but they have to learn how to do it in a lot of different cultures – this including American culture. British classical music struggles because there is still too little of it written that has gone very far. Hence Colles' fears are still the fears of today – almost 100 years on:

“Dramatic expression of words through song is an essential stage through which a nation’s music must pass if it is to maintain its identity. We value French, German, Italian, Russian music because each has maintained its identity and shown itself different from the art of its neighbours. Our neighbors cannot value British music because they cannot find that it has an identity in which it differs from theirs. That is because we have refused to allow it the necessary scope to expand. We have said an emphatic ‘no’ each time it has approached the dramatic phase of its development, have silenced each composer in turn on the plea that an opera is an imperfect form of art and that anyhow foreign composers can do it better. The argument has been that we want very little opera, so let us import that little from the best foreign firm. That may seem commercially sound, but in that case, it is not commercially sound to go on creating and enlarging institutions for training composers and performers. If we are not going to have an English opera, in the end, we are not going to have British music. If we are not going to have British music, it is neither fair to the individuals concerned nor a sound policy for the community to encourage an appreciable proportion of the population, whose talents lie in that direction, to devote their lives to the provision of the unwanted commodity. Sooner or later we shall have to choose; we cannot long halt between two opinions.”

[Debbie Bridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1928, almost 100 years ago, but it still rings of truths that are endangering todays English Opera/Music, as it did then. In this book, Colles argues how music, all music, comes from the voice and, he presents a very valid argument, one I had not considered. That, even, explains, why some of the modern interpretation of the 20th century didn’t/doesn’t work, as it comes from a pure instrument approach and tries to neglect the vocal influence on music – hence it’s lack of appeal and why, this style of music, often, doesn’t work. He even goes so far to say that instruments evolve purely from the voice.

It’s written from a series of lectures which were given at Glasgow University and, boy, do I wish I could have been there to hear them, as they used singers to sing the examples presented in the book to help emphasize his arguments of why English song and Opera have struggled to ever find a firm footing. When it has, it loses it quickly, due to poor public appreciation. One example he mentions is how the English public does not hold onto that which marries the mastery of words/drama well with musical composition – examples such as Purcell and Sullivan. How sad, that I have to say that this problem, in my mind, still very much exists today for English writing of music. I believe, the Americans have done far better at this than the Brits. The amount of times, since living in Britain, I’ve heard the cynical snort of Sullivan, is far too often. I think it is very sad, that someone who wrote something so engaging and fun is thrown onto a pile of ‘poor music’ because of its subject matter and not for its genius of writing.

I am so glad I read this book, as it has helped me to understand what has eluded my understanding of the British attitude to its own music and its poor support of it. It’s true there have been some great successes, but, really, overseas performers/composers and musicians can often go a lot further, mainly due to the fact, that they are often working in their own languages of birth. The Brits produce some great people, but they have to learn how to do it in a lot of different cultures – this including American culture. British classical music struggles because there is still too little of it written that has gone very far. Hence Colles fears are still the fears of today – almost 100 years on:

“Dramatic expression of words through song is an essential stage through which a nation’s music must pass if it is to maintain its identity. We value French, German, Italian, Russian music because each has maintained its identity and shown itself different from the art of its neighbours. Our neighbours cannot value British music because they cannot find that it has an identity in which it differs from theirs. That is because we have refused to allow it the necessary scope to expand. We have said an emphatic ‘no’ each time it has approached the dramatic phase of its development, have silenced each composer in turn on the plea that opera is an imperfect form of art and that anyhow foreign composers can do it better. The argument has been that we want very little opera, so let us import that little from the best foreign firm. That may seem commercially sound, but in that case it is not commercially sound to go on creating and enlarging institutions for training composers and performers. If we are not going to have English opera, in the end we are not going to have British music. If we are not going to have British music, it is neither fair to the individuals concerned nor a sound policy for the community to encourage an appreciable proportion of the population, whose talents lie in that direction, to devote their lives to the provision of the unwanted commodity. Sooner or later we shall have to choose; we cannot long halt between two opinions.”