NEGLECTED CELLO REPERTOIRE OF TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH COMPOSERS

In the Twentieth Century, the proliferation of cellists and the exceptional development of cello techniques, combined with composers' acceptance of the challenges by these developments, led many British composers to contribute to the enrichment of the cello concert repertoire. A great number of compositions written for the cello in the Twentieth Century England have been long neglected. In comparison with their other works in the genres of concerto, symphony, and opera, works for cello by prominent Twentieth Century English composers Elgar, Walton, and Britten are relatively unknown, except for Elgar's cello concerto. There are also many lesser-known composers like Delius, Bax, Bridge, and Clarke, who flourished in the fmt half of the century, but eventually became disregarded. Some reasons for this neglect may be as follows: the reluctant attitude toward new trends in the English musical establishment around the turn of the century; a lack of readily available editions of these composers' compositions; an over-abundance of fine composers at one time; and lastly, an overly individualistic approach to the music restricting a general public appreciation and recognition. Encountering a recording of the Walton cello concerto prompted me to further study the neglected Twentieth Century English cello repertoire. Many works of the above-mentioned composers still have not been fully valued in the cello repertoire. For this reason, the purpose of this project was to inspire cellists to learn and broaden as well as to appreciate the beauty of the Twentieth Century cello literature. As part of the doctoral performance project, three recitals featuring the works by six English composers were performed. My collaborator in all three recitals was pianist Eunae KO. The fmt recital included the Sonata for cello and piano by Frank Bridge and the Concerto by William Walton. The second recital was comprised of relatively unknown cello works: Sonatina in D major by Arnold Bax, Romance by Frederick Delius, and the Sonata Op. 40 by Rebecca Clarke. The third recital consisted of Folk-Tale by Arnold Bax and the Symphony for Cello and Orchestra Op. 68 by Benjamin Britten.

LIONEL TERTIS AND THE FLOWERING OF EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH VIOLA REPERTOIRE

This performance project focused on English viola literature written in the first half of the twentieth century. During this time, numerous English composers were influenced by Lionel Tertis' unprecedented approach to the viola as a virtuosic and solo instrument. In addition to being an inspiration to composers of whom he was not in direct contact, Tertis' innovative vision for the viola led to numerous collaborations with prominent English composers of his generation. Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arnold Bax, York Bowen, Frank Bridge, Benjamin Britten, and Rebecca Clarke -his own protégé - composed some of the most important works for viola thus directly shaping the impression of the instrument as we know it today. Tertis' artistry as a performing violist was unmatched at the beginning of the twentieth century. He had a unique approach to the instrument which focused on concept of sound, tone color, concentrated listening, continuous vibrato, discreet portamento, and expressive interpretation. His convincing musical and technical ideas led him to write a treatise about how to achieve a beautiful tone. His passion for teaching and concern for the viola's posterity greatly enhanced the development of the viola. Tertis transcribed, edited, and premiered many works during his career. The music that Lionel Tertis influenced can be seen as a microcosm for a musical resurgence in England during the first half of the twentieth-century. The catalyst for this was artistic influences in the form of nationalism, folk music, romanticism, modernism, and impressionism, among others. Before this, England was widely referred to as ''the land without music" but in a very real sense, .Lionel Tertis was one of the pioneers who, through his artistry of the viola, led the way to the renaissance of music in England in the twentieth century.