Natasha rieffel

Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

Natasha Rieffel

History and Theory Studies: Brave New World Tutor: Edward Bottoms Architectural Association School of Architecture

December 2015

This document should ONLY be used as supplementary material to the final submission found on this link:

https://vimeo.com/148593123

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Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

The Rule of Music in Britannia [00:00] Paramount News, V for Victory, last accessed 5 December 2015, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/almanac-v-for-victory/ Overture [00:07] Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No.5 in C minor, 1804-1808 (audio) This essay will look at the attitude towards ‘classical’1 music, as defined through the studies of Dahlhaus’ Foundations of Music History2, in postwar Britain. The onset of World War II in 1939, sees many adaptations and changes for the people in their everyday life, including that of engagement with entertainment and music.3 The direct consequences of classical music used in live concerts, radio broadcasts and propaganda will be deliberated in order to find a conclusion on whether the way music was handled, changed the way in which the general public engaged with the songs and sounds they heard. Music in wartime Britain was not uniquely based on the classical genre, but included the works of popular music, such as Vera Lynn and George Formby, amongst many others. The significance of popular music should not be eliminated when exploring music in wartime Britain, however the theme of the ‘classical’ has been chosen as the focus of this exploration. It is useful to state the difficulty in finding a clear conclusion on the subject. Whilst there are historical studies on certain aspects of the way classical music was used in Britain by bodies such as the Ministry of Information, British Council and B.B.C, there is no comprehensive overview such as those of Robin Stilwell and Phil Powrie 4 , investigating the way Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia used music as a deliberate tool in propaganda. Attitudes towards music in Britain, is not a part of policy that is specifically stated. However by looking at sources and propaganda shorts, we see a regular use of particular classical music, which raises the question of how the government addressed the subject of music and whether it had an impact on public engagement with this genre.

Through the essay one will see visual work as well as audio. It is important to note that the discussion will be on the use of the music in the context in which it is set, the visual work is of importance however will not be the main concern. One way of concentrating this essay will be through the changing situations and works of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts throughout the war, under the conductorship of Sir Henry Wood. These concerts form a well documented source for the basis of the essay exploration. The effect of the war on the Promenade Concerts, and the will and support for them to continue, leads to a good example of musical figures’ lasting drive for classical music to continue as part of the war effort. By looking at both the works of live concerts and propaganda through the theme of classical music, the aim is to discover how it may have had an effect on attitudes in Britain during the war.

Act I: Outbreak of War [01:26] Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F major 'Pastoral', 1808 (audio)

“Classical” music will be defined, in the essay, through the studies of Dahlhaus’ Foundations of Music History, as an aesthetic emerging from the early 18th century, set on specific rules and notations of composition. Classical pieces are recognised by the clear composition, giving the conductor one way of playing the piece. Due to the nature of music and composition this may vary, however the piece of classical music is recognisable as the individual work.

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2

Dahlhaus, Carl, Foundations of Music History “Grundlagen der Musikgeschichte”, Cambridge University Press, 1983

3

Weller, Bernard, Theatres in Wartime:To the Editor of the Times, The Times, September 9, 1939

The work being referred to is Cultural and Propaganda: Composing for the Screen in Germany and the USSR, Indiana University Press, 2007 4

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Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

On 1 September 1939, Prom 18 of the 44th annual Promenade concerts, Sir Henry Wood takes the stage following the end of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and makes a first public announcement declaring the sudden cancellation of the concert due to Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the outbreak of war: “Owing to the special arrangements for broadcasting which are now in force. The BBC very much regrets that the symphony orchestra will no longer be available for these concerts in London. I am therefore very sorry to say that from tonight the promenade concerts will close down until further notice.”5 From the onset of the war the Promenade Concerts, as well as other theatre entertainments, were cancelled. The Ministry of Home Security imposed ‘limitations on closing hours for theatres and cinemas, as well as special restrictions for Central London’.6 This ruling was made for safety precautions, avoiding large crowds gathering and late night activities. The B.B.C’s Musical Department ‘moves their office from London to Bristol,’7 taking the B.B.C Symphony Orchestra with them, ‘temporarily paralysing the musical scene’8 and the continuation of the Proms. The closure of live classical concerts could have been viewed as disastrous for artists and concert goers as Henry Wood underlines in his letter to The Times: ’are all our British artists, vocal, instrumental, and dramatic, who have devoted their lives to their art, to be turned down to face, in many cases, I fear, dreadful poverty just because their vocation, and particular training, is not of technical service in war time?’9 Wood examines the role of musicians’ work in wartime Britain and their, as well as his, role with which music should play for the war effort. Just weeks later, the government discovers ‘the nation's need for entertainment to keep up its spirits’10 and their rules will change. It is important to note the kinds of messages and attitudes the British government were trying to raise during the war. By understanding the messages, one can further consider the reasons for which they changed the limitations and later use classical music in propaganda, themselves.

[03:12] Princesses at Play, British Film Institue Pathé, Iver, Buckinghamshire, 1940 Sources such as ‘Princes at Play’, suggest a certain ‘way of life’ during the war. The scenes in the video complemented by the soothing music portray a message of ‘business as usual.’11 The footage gives the impression of a reassured royal family, enjoying the daily activities. Even though the use of classical music may not be explicit in its choice or composition, i.e. it is not a recognisable tune, the tone gives the viewer a consoling message from leading figures, the royal family and government. [03:37] Patching London, BFI Pathé Studios, London, 1941 ‘Patching London' illustrates another significant aspect of British propaganda which aims to bring the people together for the war effort. ‘Class’ and status in society is no longer mentioned or viewed. Democratisation and equality of the people through wartime rationing encouraged the message of unity. [03:53] Eddie Pola, Twisted Tunes No.2, BFI Pathé Studios, London, 1939, [04:44] Felix Mendelssohn, No. 6 Allegretto grazioso in A major (“Frühlingslied) [“Spring Song”], 1842-1844, (audio) If one looks at pre-war attitude towards music one may see a divide between musical audiences. Eddie Pola’s Twisted Tunes series shows an educational approach to bringing classical music to the general public. Other programmes such as Hely Hutchinson’s The Foundations of Music series, started in 1927, encouraged people to engage with classical music and learn its history. However these types of programmes were not appreciated by all, a listener writes into the Radio times in 1932:

Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989 5

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HO 186/2079, Ministry of Home Security, 1940-1945

Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989 7

8

Briggs, Asa, The BBC: The First Fifty Years, Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1985, 183

9

Wood, Henry, Concerts in Wartime, The Times, September 7, 1939, 7

Cinema & Cinemagoing: WWII and Beyond, BFI Screenonline, (BFI Screenonline, 2003-2014) last accessed 6 December 2015,http:// www.screenonline.org.uk/film/cinemas/sect4.html# 10

11

WWI policy adopted by the British government. Attempt to keep life and daily activities as ‘normal’ as possible in the time of the war.

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Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

‘‘As a man who has to work for a living I was never schooled to hear such beautiful classical music as we get from all those musicians with fancy names and cosmopolitan tunes to their music… I am voicing the opinion of many more, and when my licence is run out you can have my set for a mere song if your programmes do not alter. Mournful music is not very appetising for anyone to listen after a hard day’s work.’12 This type of reaction towards broadcasts of classical music suggests that their was a difference in entertainment wanted between social classes. When looking back at the propaganda shorts, there is an aim to unifying any divide in Britain. One can explore how this implementation of unity was further encouraged through the use of classical music. The war gives opportunity for a different setting of live classical concerts, allowing the possibility of a new audience. When concerts are entirely halted at the start of the war, the music scene would change drastically, this adjustment started just three days after Henry Wood cancelled his 44th annual Prom.

Act II: The Little Daily Dose [05:13] (left) National Gallery emptied at beginning of war, National Gallery Archive, London, 1939 (right) Queen Elizabeth, the late Mother, attends a Myra Hess concert, BFI, National Gallery, London, October 24 1939 (audio) Dame Myra Hess takes the lead in starting wartime performances with her National Gallery lunchtime concerts. These were open to all members of the public, offering ‘the little daily dose’13 of musical healing.

Myra Hess believed music would ‘lift the spirits of an artistically deprived nation.’14 The success of the lunchtime concerts can be seen through the numbers and variety of people that attended, as the Gallery Director, Kenneth Clark remarks: ‘What sort of people were these who felt more hungry for music than for their lunches? All sorts. Young and old, smart and shabby, Tommies in uniform with their tin hats strapped on, old ladies with ear trumpets, musical students, civil servants, office boys, busy public men, all sorts had come.’15 The Myra Hess concerts are a surprising success with hundreds of people, from all backgrounds, queueing everyday. Sources showing the Queen Mother in the audience with wounded soldiers and women ‘highlighted the social and communal aspects of the concerts.’16 The change in government rules imposed just weeks earlier suggests a realisation for the need ‘of nourishment for mind and spirit,’17 through music and the arts.[06:27] Music in Trafalgar Square, British Pathé, London, 1940 The Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, CEMA, set up in January 1940, shows this change in attitude of the government towards the use of music as part of boosting morale on the Home Front. As the Dean of St. Paul’s (W.R Matthews) writes to the Times: “In these days many feel the healing power of music.”18 Concerts were not just about listening to music, but the effects it had on people and their way of coping with the war environment. As Norman Engleback, architect, records in his ‘National Life Story’, ‘I was hooked on classical music. I went to every concert I could afford. A lot of these were run by ENSA which is an organisation to entertain factory workers.’19 The continuation of live concerts around the country 12

Anonymous, Radio Times, 1932

13

Serial Concerts: The Daily Dose, The Times, August 22, 1941

Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989 14

15

National Gallery Archive, last accessed 5 December 2015

Sheridan, David, Give us More Music: women Musical Culture, and Work in Wartime Britain, Faculty of The Graduate School University of Southern California, 2007, 64 16

17 18 19

Letter from Kenneth Clark to Ministry of Home Office, September, 1939 The Times, 18 September 1939 Norman Engleback, National Life Story Collection: Architect’s Lives, 2001 4

Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

through organisation such as CEMA and ENSA, suggests the way the government used classical music as a ‘tool’ to help implement the messages they were creating. Music being played on Trafalgar Square, shows the ways in which the government used musical recitals to unite the crowds and boost morale, bringing people together. The success of Hess’ concerts as well as the return of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts in June, 1940, suggests a new way in which the wider public used classical music as ‘an expression of shared British identity.’20 Act III: Symphony of War! [07:15] BBC Radio-Londres “Jingle” (V in rhythmical morse), Radio Londres, November 1942 [07:17] Do Keep A Good Heart, GPO Film Unit & Home Office, September 1939 9 (audio, Elgar, Variation IX (adagio) ‘Nimrod’, 1898 - 1899 [07:24] Churchill on His Birthday, British Pathé, 1942 Comparing the propaganda work of the Ministry of Information and the music being played at live concerts, one sees common themes of composers and songs being played. The Victory Campaign is symbolised by Churchill’s V sign as well as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the first four rhythmical notes being ‘V’ in morse code.21 Many of the late composers’ works such as; Beethoven, Wagner, Elgar,amongst many, were adopted in propaganda and became iconic songs of the war effort. These tunes being played and recognised by all shows no distinction between education, class or status. [07:43] Vaughan Williams, 49th Parallel, Song The New CommonWealth 1943 (audio) Modern composer, Vaughan Williams studied the reasons behind such attachment to songs in his article to the the Times, Six Shelley Songs: For Unison Singing22 . Williams raises questions on how a composer ‘produces the song that will become a symbol, inflame every heart, and be heard on every lip.’23 His understanding for the potentials of composition in wartime suggests an aim for music to have an effect on Britain. Ministry of Information commissions Williams to write music for their propaganda film, 49th Parallel (1941). The agenda for the Ministry of Information is clear in offering a film which will bring the nation together. Their choice of using classical music shows an understanding of its effect until this point in the war. Rather than ‘splitting’ society as classical music may have done, one starts to see events where classical music brings the nation together.

[08:22] Richard Wagner, Flying Dutchman, 1839 (audio), [08:30] Blitz siren sound effect (audio) [08:33] Ministry of Information, London Can Take It! October 1940, Eva Turner, soprano singer for the Proms, recalls her experience performing at the Proms on the night of the first air raids: ‘It was the night of the first air raids, it was ‘Wagner Night’ we were playing the Flying Dutchman. It was absolutely wonderful. The air raids begun and doors were closed. The orchestra and promenaders continued all night , sharing musical scores and playing and singing the favourite tunes. It was absolutely wonderful.’24 [09:17] Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 5, 1938-1943 In 1941, the Queen’s Hall is destroyed due to the air raid bombings and leaves the Promenade Concerts with no performance space. Henry Wood decides to move his concerts to the Royal Albert Hall, ‘a cold and dusty hall, with poor acoustics.’25 The evidence showing the perseverance for live concerts to remain even during catastrophic environments shows the will and importance of both the performers and 20

Briggs, Asa, The BBC: The First Fifty Years, Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1985, 183

21

A Berlin Broadcast, The Times, July 17, 1941

22

Six Shelley Songs: For Unison Singing, The Times, April 18, 1941

23

Six Shelley Songs: For Unison Singing, The Times, April 18, 1941

Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989 24

Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989 25

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Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

audience to continue having music in their lives. Hess’ concerts have special arrangements in the basement to allow concerts going incase of bombs. The Royal Albert Hall is equipped with ‘red and green lights to signal air raids,’ however as Sir Edward Heath, serving soldier in 1941, recalls, ’Vaughan Williams Fifth Symphony was playing, off course the Fourth was a fierce symphony and the Fifth in the end was a much more reassuring symphony, especially in wartime. But, during the performance all the alarms went off, but nobody took any notice, the orchestra went on playing, Vaughan Williams was playing, and we just sat down and finished the works.’26 The way in which both Turner and Heath describe the performances are commonly based on the feelings and emotions that the music brought them during the air raids.

These descriptions illustrate the exact messages that the Ministry of Information was trying to portray. The power of classical music during events such as live concerts unified the people in the moment.

Act IV: Finale [10:22] Edward Elgar,Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches Op.39, March No. 1 in D, 1901 Overall when looking at the results of live classical concerts in wartime Britain, one can decipher a change in the way people adopted the music in their daily lives. It became both a way of ‘healing the heart’ but also a means to ‘bring the nation together.’ The B.B.C returns to sponsor the Proms in 1942. This move suggests that official bodies had an interest in keeping musical scenes alive as it showed to have an effect on people’s morale. The B.B.C uses the radio as a key way of implementing classical music works, being played at the Proms and other national recitals, in the participation of the war effort, as Hess and Woods have done, potentially without even realising. Letters published in papers such as The Times and Radio Times, saw a positive reflection on an ‘increasing number of live concerts being recorded’ and broadcasts on the Home Front radio station. ‘I always feel when I see the notice that the umpteenth season of Promenade Concerts will be launched by Sir Henry Wood, that somehow the world is still sane, still worth living in, still has cases of beauty and delight.’27 Not only can one find evidence for an opportunity for an ‘increase audience through radio’, but also at the live concerts themselves. An article from the the Times, in 1943, entitled ‘Standing at the Proms’28 suggests a new type of audience, ‘young professional students, always ready to make all sorts of efforts and sacrifices in their thirst for music, but also of war workers and soldiers who seek refreshment in music after a long day’s work.’29 The way seating and standing traditions are questioned in this article, suggests the type of people and reasons for which people went to the ‘Proms,’ not just for the entertainment but for a type of comfort. As Woods states in his jubilee celebration article in Radio Times, ‘ I have received letters from men ( and today, women too) serving the Forces. They write about our programmes and about the real artistic and emotional refreshment they get from them.’30 Articles and letters from the newspapers suggest a different way in which people discussed classical music. Harold Pollins, a young schoolboy in 1942 explains his experiences: ’I do recall in 1942 a meeting of the whole school in the hall to debate the rival merits of classical and popular music.’31 Events such as these, point out the change in the way people were subject to classical music, from the school debate to the army performances, the home radio to lunchtime and nightly concerts, people from all areas were engaged with classical music. The works of government propaganda, supported by the live concerts and wide reaching radio broadcasts uses classical music to infiltrate the lives of the public. The unifying messages of the propaganda are directly

26

Broughton, Simon, One Prom short of a Season, BBC One, September 11 1995

27

C.D. Bass, Opening of the Proms, Radio Times, 19 June, 1942

28

Grindea, Miron, Points From Letters: Standing At the Proms, The Times, July 2, 1943, 2

29

Points From Letters: Standing at the ‘Proms’, The Times, July 2, 1943

30

Wood, Henry, Fifty Years of Music-Making, Radio Times, June 2, 1944

31

Pollins, Harold, Classical Music in Wartime, WW2 People’s War, BBC History Archive, January 2005, last accessed 28 November 2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/05/a3482705.shtml 6

Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

translated into tunes and musical pieces that are common for all. By 1945, the broadcast show “Music for All,” signifies this moment when a nation is together both in spirit and its music.

[11:41] VE Day London, British Pathé, London, 1945 Looking at this short time period in British history one can conclude a vast change in attitude towards classical music. Starting from relatively small live concerts, to the end of the war, where it is engrained into the everyday radio broadcasts and becomes iconic sounds for Britain. The attitudes are not solely due to its tune or sound, but also the symbolic issues to which it was attached through applications of the Ministry of Information. Classical music became a ‘healing method’ a tool for boosting morale and unity.

Classical music used in the war, shows to have brought Britain towards an equal and unified society, where questions of class and status were not pinned to a certain ‘way of life.’ As Britain emerges from the war, broken and shattered, it is seen as a chance to build a ‘Brave New World’ through many aspects, from the political to the built environment. The overwhelming victory of the Labour government, in 1945, suggests the populations want for a more equalitarian society through the set up of the Welfare State. As official bodies such as the Ministry of Information had brought Britain together throughout the war, one sees a clear result of the changes it had in Britain through a political setting. As the classical music scene had had a great effect on the public attitude in Britain, its continuation post-war faced new challenges of reinventing itself after the ‘propagandising use to which music had been put.’32 Studies made on specific musical groups such as Philip Rupprecht study on “British Musical Modernism’ highlights the attitude and vision composers and musical artists had after the war, ‘ they aligned themselves publicly with artists searching for a new language, and with an emergent musical avant-garde of broad European and internationalist sympathies.’33 The ideas of the ‘Brave New World’ symbolised by the Festival of Britain, in 1951 encourages the setting of the music scene in this rebuilt and modern Britain through the laying of the stone of the Royal Festival Hall, a landmark concert hall for all.

[13:27] £2,000,000 Hall For 1951 Festival, British Pathé, London, 1949 [13:58] Eventful River, British Pathé, London, 1950-59 ( Charles Parry, Jerusalem, lyrics William Blake, 1916 [14:31] £2,000,000 Hall For 1951 Festival, British Pathé, London, 1949

32

‘Post-War World’ 1945 - 1960, Southbank Centre Exhibition, October 2013

33

Rupprecht, Philip, British Musical Moderns, Cambridge University Press, 2015, 1 7

Natasha Rieffel

HTS Tutor: Edward Bottoms

Bibliography

The Times Archive Radio Times Archive Briggs, Asa, The BBC: The First Fifty Years, Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, 1985 Dahlhaus, Carl, Foundations of Music History “Grundlagen der Musikgeschichte”, Cambridge University Press, 1983 Rupprecht, Philip, British Musical Moderns, Cambridge University Press, 2015 Sheridan, David, Give us More Music: women Musical Culture, and Work in Wartime Britain, Faculty of The Graduate School University of Southern California, 2007, 64

Recordings Broughton, Simon, One Prom short of a Season, BBC One, September 11 1995 Norman Engleback, National Life Story Collection: Architect’s Lives, 2001 Tusa, John; Arnold, Malcolm, 1921-2006; Lympany, Moura, 1916-2005; Race, Steve, 1921 -2009; Turner, Eva, 1892-1990, The Proms 50 years ago, BBC Radio 3, Sept 3 1989

Website Cinema & Cinemagoing: WWII and Beyond, BFI Screenonline, (BFI Screenonline, 2003-2014) last accessed 6 December 2015,http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/cinemas/sect4.html# National Gallery Archive, last accessed 5 December 2015 http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/history/myra-hess-concerts/ Pollins, Harold, Classical Music in Wartime, WW2 People’s War, BBC History Archive, January 2005, last accessed 28 November 2015, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/05/a3482705.shtml Post-War World’ 1945 - 1960, Southbank Centre Exhibition, October 2013 Footage British Film Institute http://www.bfi.org.uk

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