1912

Summary

In 1912 Bantock published his ‘orchestral drama with a prologue’ Fifine at the Fair (premiered at the Birmingham Festival on 2 October, with Bantock conducting), the Overture to a Greek Tragedy, the Serenade: In the Far West for string orchestra (movements 2, 3, and 4 of which were premiered at the Hereford Festival on 11 September) and the ‘12 morceaux’ for solo piano, Silhouettes. He also began a sketch of Scenes from the Scottish Highlands. Part I of Omar was performed in Vienna under Schalk on 14 February, and in Glasgow on 17 December. There are diary references to correspondence with Wallace on 16 and 21 January and 29 February, but the letters have not survived; however he also met Wallace for ‘a chat about the Philharmonic Society & Copyright questions & attitude of Soc of British Composers’ on 22 March, and put Wallace up on 21 May in preparation for Wallace conducting his The Passing of Beatrice at the Students Annual Orchestral Concert at Birmingham Town Hall on 22 May. Bantock also met Sibelius at the rehearsal of the composer's Fourth Symphony on 26 September and took him back to Broad Meadow on 27 September, where he stayed until 2 October. The diaries confirm that Bantock and Helena met Newman and his wife at Liberty's in Birmingham on Christmas Eve.

262 GRANVILLE BANTOCK TO ERNEST NEWMAN

BROAD MEADOW,

KINGS NORTON.

Jan 29. 12

My dear Will

It was a great pleasure to me to see you at Manchester, and to receive such words of encouragement from you in the ‘Post’. I think the performance was wonderful considering all the circumstances, and your generous recognition of the work of the Choir will be a great delight & reward to them for all their labours. I believe that future performances will lead to more confidence, especially on the part of the male singers, & a different complexion will be given to the first Ode, which I am not disposed to regard as the worst of the four. However, I shall be well content, if we get on a bit further in the development of purely Choral music, as I have not much faith left in the possibilities of the Orchestra.