Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918)
Piano Music Volume 1
Sonata No.1 in F major (publ. 1877)
Sonnets and Songs Without Words: Book 1 (1868, publ. 1869)
Shulbrede Tunes (1911-1913, publ.1914)
Christopher Howell (piano)
rec. 2021, Studio of Griffa e Figli, Milan, Italy
Da Vinci Classics C00759 [67]
Like London buses, Parry CDs come in twos. I have recently reviewed favourably (here) Richard Deering’s twofer with the two Piano Sonatas, the Charakterbilder and the premiere performance of the Five Miniatures. Around the same time, Christopher Howell’s disc arrived in my letterbox. I am guessing that this is the first instalment of a cycle of Parry’s piano music, to complement Howell’s magisterial performances the piano works of Alexander Mackenzie and Charles Villiers Stanford.
Hubert Parry’s Shulbrede Tunes have long been a personal favourite. I found a dusty copy of the score in a music shop more than half a century ago, and have enjoyed trying to play them ever since. They date from shortly before the start of the First World War. The composer was in residence with his daughter, Dorothea, at Shulbrede Priory in West Sussex. The idea was to sketch some of the residents, as well as the architecture and the entertainments.
The opening Shulbrede is a portrait of Parry himself, with its intensely romantic pianism. Elizabeth is a tribute to his granddaughter, and Matthew to his other grandchild (more serious than would seem appropriate for a wee laddie). The house and gardens are represented by the shadowy Prior’s Chamber by Firelight and the idyllic pastoral In the Garden with Dew on the Grass. The Bogies and Sprites that Gambol by Nights is a haunting little scherzo. Children’s Pranks may refer to father and grandfather’s shenanigans, rather than those of the younger members of the family. The robust Father Playmate is Parry’s son-in-law Arthur Ponsonby. Dolly No.1 and Dolly No.2 present two facets of his daughter, Dorothea.
The optimistic and largely cheerful Shulbrede Tunes are to Parry what the Wand of Youth Suites are to Elgar: a reflection on childhood and lost innocence, reflected on in maturity. Sadly, this serene evocation of an Edwardian family would be lost during and after the catastrophic Great War. Christopher Howell gives a sense of wistfulness and confidence to these pieces. It is exactly their interpretive requirement.
The main event on the disc is the Sonata No.1. Let me repeat some of the observations on Richard Deering’s recording. The Sonata may have begun life as a sonatina written three years previously, but that composition has been lost. The Sonata was dedicated to George Grove, Director of the Royal School of Music. (It was originally to be inscribed to Lady Pembroke, but Parry’s relationship with her was strained at that time.)
The four movements take about 22 minutes. Formally, Beethoven would seem to be the model, but the listener will be aware of the influence of Mendelssohn, Chopin and Schumann. The pastoral Non troppo allegro is followed by a short, skittish scherzo which suggest Sprites that Gambol by Night from the Shulbrede Tunes.The Andante, a perfectly stated barcarolle, nods to Schubert. Howell notes that the finale could have been written by Cramer or Dussek. It is easy to detect a huntsman’s galop in these pages. It could be argued that this Sonata is regressive or derivative but – such criticism aside – I feel that this successful work appeals to the mind and the heart. Formally it is a splendid example of the genre.
Added value here is the premiere recording of Book 1 of Sonnets and Songs Without Words, Parry’s earliest piano publication. The set opens with a delightful Pastorale. The liner notes refer to it as a “modest piece of fashionable tone painting”. more Theocritean than cow leaning over the gate, I think. Owlet, quiet and reflective, is more concerned with mood than avian description. It is perfect in effect and execution. Strangely, Gnome is not a scherzo, but a thoughtful meditation that is “curiously original and even characteristic”. The final number is a Lied which owes a debt to Mendelssohn with its balance of a rippling opening section with a hymn-like trio. All four pieces, truly lovely, are an important addition to Parry’s catalogue of recorded music.
Christopher Howell’s liner notes give a thorough, non-technical analysis, and give helpful context and relevant biographical information. There are details about the soloist and references to his many recordings. The CD cover features an antique print of Shulbrede Priory, Sussex from 1784.
This is superb playing, and a fine recording. I have noted before that the key to the successful interpretation of Parry’s piano music is the ability to synthesize the influences that lie behind each composition with his unique contribution. In every case, Howell provides this fusion of history and progress.
John France
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf (October 2023)
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