Ernest Tomlinson’s Life in Music

by Hilary Ashton

From September 1963 my father was increasingly busy with committee matters, but had also much to do regarding his music. The performance of Sinfonia ‘62 was expected to be in early 1964, so all the orchestral parts had to be obtained for the BBC from the Italian publishers. Part of the deal with the Italian competition had been that the copying costs would be met, but the copyright of the work and performing material would belong to Mercurio. This caused a series of letters to and from the publishers in a mixture of Italian and English. The letters from Mercurio were in Italian but, although ET was progressing well with his Italian studies, he wasn’t yet able to reply in that language. Eventually the orchestral parts arrived in the UK, but some were sent to the BBC instead of to ET who needed to make extensive corrections before being sent to players, so there was added delay.

In these days of computerisation and easy copying facilities, it’s hard to imagine the importance of those first handwritten scores and parts and the difficulty of getting copies. ET had sent his own full score to the BBC, and the only other was still in Italy after the performance at Cava in August. He now had only his pencil sketches to refer to, so he had to get that back too. He had recorded the Italian performance of the Sinfonia onto reel to reel tape so that he could stop and start the tape and replay bits that might need changing. The Italian performance was so bad in places that he needed his own complete score to be able to assess what should have been played, and also to decide whether what he’d originally written was actually never going to work!

There was plenty going on with other compositions too. Mills Music in the US were asking for parts of the Rhapsody and Rondo for Horn and Orchestra and there were several other jobs in hand. Various Alan Perry pieces needed revision and adaptation (Merry-Go-Round Waltz, Mississippi Melody and Mediterranean Moonlight are among the titles mentioned in his letters to his parents), some for further publisher recordings, others for inclusion in the increasingly rare lighter music programmes. His Georgian Miniatures that he had written as period pieces (somewhat in the style of Thomas Arne) for Boosey & Hawkes’ background catalogue had been enthusiastically received, but the publishers wanted the Air from the suite to be extended into a longer piece.

Earlier in 1963 a new LP had been issued by HMV called British Light Music of the 20th Century. The sleeve notes were written by Fredric Bayco who was then Chairman of the Light Music Society, and the pieces chosen (played by the Pro Arte Orchestra, conducted by George Weldon) were a good representation of the various composers of light orchestral music. They included music by Edward Elgar, Edward German, Percy Fletcher, Roger Quilter, Haydn Wood, Eric Coates, Walter Collins, ET, Alan Langford, Fredric Bayco, Gilbert Vinter, Harry Dexter and Frederic Curzon. The LP had been well-received and ET had been very pleased with Weldon’s sympathetic conducting of the music. It was the first of his pieces to be commercially available rather than on publisher records.

As well as music there were German and Italian lessons to fit in, plus a course in public speaking. As chairman elect of the Composers’ Guild ET knew that he must ensure his speeches were well prepared and to the point. Also he would have to be able to answer things “off the cuff”. He had very little experience of being a spokesman and, typically, was determined to make a good job of it. Writing to his parents he said, “We have to prepare a little speech each week and deliver it to the rest of the class. First week was on Holidays (I chose camping!), the second was a sport or hobby (I talked on Rugger and Soccer) and last week on Education. The first week I wrote the whole thing out and tried developing things if necessary away from what I’d written. After then I decided to talk with only headings as a guide. I know I shall have to be able to do this – to be able to think out and shape a sentence whilst standing there with all eyes gaping – and it is something I’ve never had to do and a technique that has to be acquired. In the class I could take a chance on making a mess of things – which I undoubtedly did – knowing this was the very thing that was teaching me how to do it. I still find myself scared stiff but it seems to be getting very much better each time. If I can do this with unfamiliar topics then I’m sure it will be reasonably plain sailing when I come to talk about music. I have a lecture to give on November 19th at the Imperial College about my music, and the difference in confidence now that I’ve done some speaking from notes alone is remarkable.”

Meanwhile, committee work was filling his time. The meeting with the Composers’ Guild representatives and the BBC had been fixed for November 15th. Sir Arthur Bliss and the working committee (ET, John Gardner and Malcolm Arnold) were to meet with, “Mr Glock and Dr Abraham (Controller of Music and his assistant), and Frank Gillard and Mr Marriott (Director of Sound Broadcasting and his assistant). Before that our side will have to meet and discuss our case so that we go in absolutely agreed on all points. I’ve made my report to all members in the form of an appraisal of the whole situation. It has taken a lot of time to work out, but I felt it had to be done, as no-one now knows the case like I do, having dealt with composers’ complaints as well as having met the BBC. On the popular music side the position is grim. They have people in charge who really can’t see farther than an electric guitar and a plodding beat. I’ve no objections to either as an ingredient, but their aim seems to be to apply this mentality to everything they can lay their hands to. When you get brilliant composers unable to get a hearing at all while hour after hour of pops and oldies is pouring out it’s enough to make your blood boil!

… As far as future composing is concerned I really feel there is such a big question mark over the composer these days it is very difficult to think of any definite project until at least this forthcoming negotiation is over. I feel ready to do some, if only I can find myself a clear objective – and find a few free days to cut out everything else from my mind! But I wouldn’t do all this committee stuff if I didn’t think it would achieve something.”

In point of fact ET was disappointed with the meeting in November. At the last minute Sir Arthur Bliss (who was President of the Composers’ Guild) decided that the press should not be allowed to know anything about it. In a letter home ET said, “Once I’m Chairman I intend to seek out every opportunity for press coverage. It seems the only way you get anywhere these days.”

In spite of the lack of progress at the BBC meeting, my father was pleased with the way his public speaking was improving. His talk at the Imperial College went down extremely well and he received a letter of thanks on November 20th. “That was really most enthralling. Many thanks for a most enjoyable visit. I enclose our small token of gratitude.”

Although the BBC had once again rejected his orchestration of the Schubert Grand Sonata in Bb for “National Wavelengths” it was nevertheless considered good enough for the provinces! Stanford Robinson had again programmed it for broadcast by the BBC Northern Orchestra (now the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra) and ET hoped to travel north in early December to listen to the rehearsal before the recording on December 15th. In the event it wasn’t possible, as there was too much to do for the Composers’ Guild and the preparation of all the parts of Sinfonia ’62. This had finally been scheduled for recording at the beginning of February 1964.

On December 14th 1963 my father became Chairman of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain. He made sure that his appointment was noted in as many newspapers as he could, although it was only the local ones in Kent and Lancashire that seemed interested. (However, as the campaign with the BBC hotted up during 1964 the national press started to report on things.)

January 1964 was busy making sure the BBC players had corrected parts for the forthcoming recording of Sinfonia ‘62. ET knew that the piece would cause problems for some of the players. On the 29th he wrote to the first bassoon player apologising. “Dear Mr. Bassoon-player, I gather from Stanford Robinson that I have written an ‘impossible bassoon solo’ in the Toccata of my SINFONIA ‘62. Sorry to have caused this bother. Actually, as Robbie probably said, all these solos are really ad lib., so a great deal of liberty can be taken with it to suit yourself. I’ve written out a simpler version of this Variation which you may prefer to follow. Or you can take bits out of both, or paraphrase it just as you like! The only part which has to keep fairly close to my original is the last 8 bars, but we can simplify here too if necessary. I shall be attending rehearsals from Monday, so if you have any queries I shall gladly try and sort them out.” He also wrote to the BBC Manchester librarian to refer any other difficulties players were having to him.

In an article called “Northern Broadcasting News” which was circulated to about 300 papers and magazines in the north region, the BBC announced the forthcoming recording as an “Unusual Musical Event in the North

Combined Orchestras play Symphonic Jazz Music”. The Gala Concert by the combined BBC Northern Orchestra and BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, was to be at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, on Tuesday February 4th. This “exciting Northern musical event, will be given before an invited audience and will be recorded both monaurally and stereophonically for future broadcasting. The main work will be the first performance in this country of Ernest Tomlinson’s prize-winning Sinfonia ‘62, composed for an Italian competition in 1962 which it won. The score embodies a relatively new idea in that although the composer uses the symphonic mould, the content and arrangement is in the jazz idiom and calls for a symphony orchestra augmented with jazz trumpets, trombones and saxophones. On this occasion, the extra brass will be supplied by the NDO.” Tickets could be applied for.

At home in Eynsford ET had let himself be persuaded to be the musical director (and accompanist) for the forthcoming Scout Gang Show in aid of “Freedom from Hunger”, with three performances scheduled for February 13th, 14th and 15th. The original Gang Show songs in the production were written by Ralph Reader, who started the whole Gang Show idea. As well as playing the piano for all the musical numbers ET composed some original tunes for words written by song-writer Ross Parker*, also living in Eynsford, who contributed a number of lyrics and sketches. Amongst Parker’s output was There’ll always be an England, so he was entitled to re-write this as There’ll always be an Eynsford. The other writer was Alan Cremer who produced the show. Having taken on the responsibility ET wouldn’t get out of being at rehearsals, so his trip north for the Sinfonia ‘62 rehearsals was delayed by a Gang Show rehearsal.

Guild business involved him in receiving and analysing letters from any composers whose works had been either refused by the BBC or taken out of programmes without explanation. There certainly seemed to be a lot of disgruntled composers. Some had been having success with their works and had already had broadcast performances, but were now having these same works rejected. “I am extremely disturbed to hear from several composers that their pieces have been taken out of ‘Morning Music’ programmes after having been programmed by Paul Fenhoulet. It is of course a considerable blow to a composer to find his work suddenly excluded from a section of broadcasting. It appears that the items in question were eminently suitable for ‘Morning Music’, so I should be most grateful for an indication as to why it was felt necessary to take such drastic steps.” Since one of the pieces was Chattering Samba by a certain Alan Perry, ET was bound to find out!**

The performance of Sinfonia ‘62 duly took place and ET was reasonably pleased with the result. It was played alongside Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody and a piece called Improvisations for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra by Seiber and Johnny Dankworth. The concert went down well with the audience but there was still no date for a broadcast of the recording. My father had also been interviewed with Dankworth for a discussion about symphonic jazz that would be used for broadcasting in the interval of the concert when it was finally scheduled.

Back in Kent the Gang Show was imminent so ET was at the piano again. The local papers reviewed the subsequent performances with enthusiasm, commenting most positively on the professionalism of the production. The show was called “Swinging High £2000 today) for the of the newspaper articles said, wrote all the original music including the opening and closing numbers and played the piano for them throughout the performance. Eynsford Scouts were particularly grateful to Mr Tomlinson who gave them so much of his time to help them along. They must have been grateful too for that piano accompaniment. The village hall piano has never sounded like that before!

After that rousing event committee work took over again, with brief interruptions for composition and football. For a “Light Music Guild was unusual, so ET also tried to get other representatives of the lighter field to join the Guild. He felt that all composers should be represented by the society and that their case for more airplay with the BBC would be strengthened by Guild backing. He was pleased to have been able to encourage Harry Rabinowitz, Harry Dexter, Van Phillips, Arwel Hughes and Alan Owen to join up, and Carey Blyton had also offered his services in a committee capacity should that be of help.

* Amongst many other things, Ross Parker was for many years a writer for Bud Flannagan and the Crazy Gang. **ET’s alias was not known outside of PRS and the music publishers who were promoting the works attributed to AP at this time.