Ireland’s books: Music for the man who enjoys Hamlet

One of the books on Ireland’s shelves was the curiously-named Music for the man who enjoys Hamlet, by R.H. Haggin. Haggin starts from the premise that Hamlet is the deepest expression of poetic feeling and explores the idea that those who appreciate the play can go on to appreciate music. Haggin centres his ambitious little book on Beethoven, and in particular on Opus 111.

It’s an interesting attempt to teach listening skills, as reviewed in 1948:

An earlier review of 1945 liked this book very much, particularly for the charm of its presentation: ‘Almost never didactic or condescending, he communicates simply and persuasively his sane enthusiasm of wide experience to arouse the latent response of the intelligent novice, in a style which suggests a stimulating conversation rather than a lecture’.

Clearly Ireland liked books of this type, as he owned a large number of didactic works on all sorts of musical topics.

Sources:

Reviews: Music for the Man Who Enjoys ‘Hamlet’ by B. H. Haggin, Music & Letters, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul., 1948), pp. 298-299 and by Philip Greeley Clapp, The Kenyon Review, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Spring, 1945), pp. 328-330.

Musicians in Sussex

 

John Ireland is one of many English composers drawn to the county of Sussex (both East and West).

Brinkwells, Fittleworth

Rock Mill

Home of Parry

In addition to Ireland living at Rock Mill, Washington, others with Sussex associations include:

 

• Bax, Arnold: Storrington
• Brian, Havergal: Brighton
• Bridge, Frank: Friston
• Coates, Albert: Selsey
• Elgar, Edward: Fittleworth
• Gipps, Ruth: Bexhill-on-Sea
• Harrison, Julius: Hastings
• Murdoch, William: Bognor Regis
• Parry, Hubert: Rustington
• Reeves, Sims: Worthing
• Sammons, Albert: Bognor Regis
• Scott, Cyril: Eastbourne
• Turnbull, Percy: Pulborough
• Vaughan Williams, Ralph: Rottingdean

On this day: 20 June 1932

On this day in 1932 Ireland broadcast his First Violin Sonata with violinist May Harrison, seen below with sister Beatrice, also a performer of Ireland’s music.

12 Park Place

In 1831 Ireland’s great grandfather, the Reverend Mark Nicholson, purchased a new home in Clifton, Bristol. Here he lived along with two of his sons – William and Mark – and his three daughters, Elizabeth (Iddy), Ann and Lucy. The house was one of a fine row of Georgian houses, with a small park immediately opposite. The terrace survives largely intact, with fine trees in the green space in front as seen below. When the Reverend died in 1838, the children chose not to remain in what was never a particularly happy family home. The house was sold in 1839. William and Iddy eventually emigrated to Ohio, Mark to Melbourne, while Ann and Lucy married and relocated to Liverpool and Monmouth respectively.

 

Guernsey Christmas customs

When Ireland was living on Guernsey in 1939–40, he may have encountered the island’s Christmas customs. One of these was a festival known as La Longue Veille, which took place on 23 December. On this day a special feast was prepared, consisting of Guernsey biscuits (pictured), cheese, galettes and mulled wine. There are other interesting habits and traditions. Christmas Eve was known as Serveille, and the people of Guernsey shared a folk belief common to a number of English counties that all cattle kneel at midnight in remembrance of the manger at Bethlehem. Another superstition was that on Christmas Eve the water in the wells is turned to wine. Ireland would surely have liked the idea of these distinctive customs, given his propensity for researching English folklore.

The formation of the John Ireland Society

On 4 May 1960 the recently-formed John Ireland Society put on its inaugural concert in the Purcell Room, in a programme of songs and chamber music. ‘Adroit and persuasive’, Eric Parkin played a number of Ireland’s piano works, among them Sarnia. The tenor John Steel sang The Land of Lost Content and other songs, accompanied by Alan Rowlands, who also played for Vyvyan Kendall in the First Violin Sonata and for Thea King in the Fantasy-Sonata. The composer, now aged 80, was present, and given a huge ovation. Lawrence Norcross, best known for his work in education, was responsible for the event, and indeed for the society more broadly.

Source:

Musical Opinion 83 (June 1960), p. 600.

Ireland’s accountant

Ireland’s accountant before the Second World War, and especially while he was living in Deal, was Alfred Tregear Chenhalls (1900–43), a businessman who acted for many important figures, notably the actor Leslie Howard. The date of Chenhalls’s death is striking, and has been well documented. The most prevalent and convincing theory is that Chenhalls, also a cigar smoker as seen below, was mistaken for Churchill, and that the plane on which he was travelling with Howard was shot down for this reason. Mystery surrounds the attack though, and there are other theories too.