NORTH SEA CROSSINGS. WALTER LEIGH, HINDEMITH AND ENGLISH MUSIC (2008)

Abstract

This was David Drew's last published article. Completed in December 2008, it appeared in May 2009 as a contribution to “… dass alles auch hätte anders kommen können”. Beiträge zur Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts edited by Susanne Schaal-Gotthardt, Luitgard Schader and Heinz-Jürgen Winkler, published as Band XII of Frankfurter Studien, a publication of the Hindemith-Institut (Frankfurt am Main: Schott ED 20571, 2009).

David Drew had discussed with the present editor a projected followup article for Tempo, to deal specifically with Walter Leigh's music for A Midsummer Night's Dream and the ideological and critical misunderstandings which he felt were beginning to envelop it as a result of its citation in Fred K. Prieberg's Musik im NS-Staat. This was presumably one of the ‘several research-projects’ ongoing to which he alludes in footnote 37. Sadly, little if any of that projected article was written down. But since the publication of ‘North Sea Crossings’ in an otherwise German-language source must inevitably have found it few English readers so far, it seemed a fitting tribute to its author to reprint it here, with profound thanks for co-operation to Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, to Sally Groves in particular, and the estate of David Drew.