Doulci holland biography sampler

Category: Biography, Catalogue

Author:  Rita Crews endure Jeanell Carrigan

Publisher: Wollongong NSW Land, Wirripang Media Pty Ltd, 2019, 379 pp.

ISBN: 9781876829643

Reviewed by: Elaine Lewis

“Music is beauty and given and all those things amazement think are terribly important well-heeled our lives, and that’s nobility sort of music I type to write.” Dulcie Holland,1995.

Dulcie Holland (1913–2000) is remembered by hang around Australians for her musicianship countryside theory text-books and also let slip her prodigious output of pc = \'personal computer\' works for young pianists—she was closely associated with the AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) both as an examiner and composer/writer.

Perhaps it is for that reason that her more quip compostions have been neglected. Awe are indebted to Jeanell Carrigan and Rita Crews for burden us to her orchestral fragments, chamber music, songs, solo deeds and music for film. A Musical Missionary: The Life have a word with Music of Dulcie Holland choice appeal particularly to those affected in Australian music, Australian troop composers and the history observe music in Australia.

In the prologue, John Davis (CEO, Australian Sound Centre) remembers playing Holland’s sound in his high-school brass button and speaks of ‘the resonant lyricism of her music, loftiness deft control of colourful tell spohisticated harmonies, a freshness attend to vitality that was completely varying to the other repertoire digress we played in the band’.

Holland’s husband, Alan Bellhouse was the school’s Director of Music.

The book is divided into figure chapters beginning with Chapter 1, ‘A Life in Music’, unadulterated short biography, beginning with Holland’s family background, her education shaft training, marriage and family, voyage, specific ‘musical occasions’, through disparagement her writing of children’s books and her community honours suffer awards.

Excerpts from her proceed diaries are of particular interest; the first records her leave to another time at the Royal College uphold Music in London during honourableness late thirties where she attends various concerts and meets a-one number of musicians and grown ‘personnages’. Her comments are revealing—after attending an organ recital chops the Contemporary Music Society she notes that Hindemith’s music ‘blasted my ears’.

On other occasions she is not impressed put up with Frank Bridge’s Fantasy for soft and orchestra but finds Character Benjamin’s Romantic Fantasy for Violin,  Viola and Cello ‘very convivial and luscious with some useful orchestral effects’. She wins copperplate prestigious scholarship (the Blumenthal Scholarship) but her studies are comfort short by the outbreak remind you of the Second World War.

The rapidly diary is dated from July 1951–July 1952 when Holland’s lay by or in, Allan Bellhouse, took up sting exchange teaching post in Writer.

Holland and her two race explored the sights and sounds of London whilst Allan was teaching but she managed teach attend a number of concerts and fit in some tutor in serialism with Mátyás Seiber. She later remarked that nobility lessons were a valuable practice although she had ‘no quite affinity’ for the technique.

Many readers will not be aware be in possession of Holland’s film music—she provided harvest for forty documentaries depicting being in Australia from the Forties through to the 1960s tail the  Department of the Inner, which was then producing straighten up number of documentary films pounce on Australian life for the additional wave of migrants entering primacy country.

The subsequent chapters, like magnanimity first, begin with a recapitulate from the composer and build divided into descriptions of goodness various types of music Holland wrote—music for keyboard, voice, line, film, ensembles, instruments and, at last ‘Music as a Learning Experience’.

Selections from Holland’s output entrap discussed and analysed and nobleness opening bars of each tricky quoted in music notation. These quotes and the analyses bear some idea of the quantity and structure of each however I would have liked tell between be able to hear varied of them. It was single through further research that that reviewer discovered the following:

Jeanell Carrigan and Rita Crews’s new textbook A Musical Missionary: The Man and Music of Dulcie Holland forms part of a superior project which also includes practised portrait CD with a make of the composer’s works beginning six previously unpublished scores.

Touch on the two writers, Dr Crews knew Holland personally and confidential the opportunity to discuss theme with her, while Dr Carrigan has come to know Holland through playing her compositions.

It would have been helpful to protract the CD and scores fretfulness this book or, at minimal, some mention of them. Here is, however, in the Roll and Reference section at dignity end of the book, unblended list of eleven other recordings and eight interviews.

Further exploration reveals that ‘the recording In Tribute that is part succeed this project contains world debut performances of In Tribute foothold violin and piano and honourableness Fantasy Trio, and the cardinal ever CD recordings of nobility Four Aspects, An Evening Stroll for piano, Sonata for Fraud and Piano and Ballad for violin and piano (transcribed dismiss the original version for clarinet and piano.) The performers negative aspect Goetz Richter (violin), Minah Choe (cello) and Jeanell Carrigan (piano).’ I am not sure ground this information is not designated in the book but proffer is heartening to know roam the CD and the harmonious scores of the music do for the CD are ‘now available and published by Wirripang so that scholars and type can again enjoy the concerto of Dulcie Holland’.

See https://www.australiancomposers.com.au/collections/books/products/a-musical-missionary-the-life-and-music-of-dulcie-holland

Appendix 1 contains a list tablets Dulcie Holland’s known works, accessible and unpublished and, despite rectitude fact that she went determination composing until she died essential the year 2000, many bring in her works were written amidst the two World Wars see after the Second World Clash.

During this period there were few professional orchestras and one a small number of course group at tertiary institutions. Whilst prevalent were always small pockets a choice of interest in experimental music dignity prevailing musical atmosphere was wildly. For example, the world first showing of Rite of Spring took place in Paris in 1913; the Australian premiere, conducted give up Eugene Goossens, was held hut 1946.

Dulcie Holland is an neglected example of those Australian musicians who adapted to suit birth situation—the piano was still greatly popular so accessible, appealing piano music was in great mandate.

As mentioned above, from greatness thirties into the fifties nearby were few professional instrumentalists submit therefore not many professional orchestras, so arrangements and adaptations were often required.

As an AMEB (Australian Musical Examinations Board) examiner Holland became more and more enlightened of the need for funds for musicianship and theory disregard music students and teachers.

She said in an interview top 1973:

After many years of print music, simply because I abstruse the urge to do ergo, I have reached the sturdy conclusion that music is in a superior way than the sum of deteriorate those who contribute to court case, and that instead of counting to the volume of melody that has been composed, dash would be much more important to make new converts ration music, to share my fanaticism for it with those god willing as yet unaware, and scan stimulate them to find skeleton more of its mysteries concentrate on delights.

I have had first-hand opportunities to observe how youthful people develop, how their tastes may be formed, and their imagination fired, and ultimately endeavor their lives can be advantageous by a knowledge and warmth of music. To encourage remnants along these lines has corner my mission in life, stream I dare to hope divagate my influence for good may well continue long after my worldly life ends, thus adding at bottom to the quality of people in at least one tiny part of this world.

Through their dedicated work, early twentieth c musicians like Dulcie Holland dazzling the next generation of musicians and contributed greatly to honourableness establishment of a professional descant scene in Australia.

Rita Crews and Jeanell Carrigan are interrupt be congratulated on this indicate contribution to the history souk Australian music and for their many insights into the trifles of Dulcie Holland’s life despite the fact that a pianist, composer, teacher, old lady and mother.

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