Jean Coulthard

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  • ardcarp
    Late member
    • Nov 2010
    • 11102

    Jean Coulthard

    I've searched in vain for a thread, but none have I found. Forgive me for posting yesterday's CotW details.



    Canadian composer Jean Coulthard (1908-2000) was a woman who determinedly followed her own musical path, creating an impressive body of work which, though attracting international recognition during her lifetime, is rarely heard today outside her native country.

    Coulthard produced around 350 works in her very long career, for many years fitting composing around her job as a university lecturer and the responsibilities of family life. She was fortunate in having a musical mother whose passion for the French Impressionist composers rubbed off on her daughter, as is is clearly evident in her earlier works. Donald Macleod introduces a selection of works in which echoes of that distinctive soundworld can be heard, including a lament inspired by the chorale theme from a Bach cantata, and a piano concerto in the grand tradition of Beethoven and Schumann.

    The Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long
    Campbell Trowsdale, violin
    CBC Vancouver Orchestra
    Mario Bernardi, Conductor

    Threnody
    Réa Beaumont, piano

    Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
    Robert Silverman, piano
    CBC Vancouver Orchestra
    Dwight Bennet, Conductor

    Four Irish Songs (orchestrated by Michael Conway Baker)
    Linda Maguire, mezzo soprano
    CBC Vancouver Orchestra
    Mario Bernardi, Conductor.
    Show less


    I only heard the piano concerto, but I was intrigued and impressed.
  • ferneyhoughgeliebte
    Gone fishin'
    • Sep 2011
    • 30163

    #2
    Yes, I heard the whole programme - very pleasant.
    [FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]

    Comment

    • peterthekeys
      Full Member
      • Aug 2014
      • 246

      #3
      Just listening to the second programme at the moment - yes, interesting and pleasant. At the moment, I'm struggling to get a sense of an individual "voice" - maybe it'll become clearer in the rest of the programmes.

      (The wikipedia article on Coulthard mentions that she was one of a trio of Canadian women composers - the others were Barbara Pentland and Violet Archer (I confess that I'd not heard of either of them - I will certainly be doing further explorations into all three.) Apparently all three died in 2000, within weeks of each other - that must have been an annus horribilis for Canadian music.)

      Comment

      • peterthekeys
        Full Member
        • Aug 2014
        • 246

        #4
        Strange coincidence: this afternoon I was searching through my piano music shelves - and found a copy of Jean Coulthard: Variations on BACH (it was published in Novello's "Virtuoso" series, edited by John Ogdon). Don't know how long I've had it (probably a long time) - it looks very interesting, and I think it's time I had a go at it (not sure how far I'll get - according to Ogdon's introduction, the final variation "presents a good many difficulties." So not sure what chance I've got )

        And - I see that it's included in tomorrow's programme (played by John Ogdon!) (I also noticed that they've spelled it "Ogden" on the web page - disgraceful that one of the greatest pianists ever should not even have been honoured with his correct name!)

        Comment

        • gradus
          Full Member
          • Nov 2010
          • 5622

          #5
          I liked the piano concerto but had never before heard of the composer. Of how many composers must this be true. COTW has rendered us a service and I hope that R3 will programme more of her work. i

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          • Serial_Apologist
            Full Member
            • Dec 2010
            • 37814

            #6
            Originally posted by gradus View Post
            I liked the piano concerto but had never before heard of the composer. Of how many composers must this be true. COTW has rendered us a service and I hope that R3 will programme more of her work. i
            I've heard one or two of her pieces on TTN.

            Comment

            • antongould
              Full Member
              • Nov 2010
              • 8832

              #7
              She didn't seem to be a paid up member of the RVW Fan Club .....

              Comment

              • ardcarp
                Late member
                • Nov 2010
                • 11102

                #8
                Originally posted by antongould View Post
                She didn't seem to be a paid up member of the RVW Fan Club .....
                Not in the sense of his inspiring her as a teacher, but some of the music played earlier this week had a distinct RVW flavour. She appears to have studied with loads of the Big Names in Europe (Boulanger, Bartok that I can remember offhand). She seemed capable of composing in many styles which I do not mean as a criticism. She said herself that she had no intention of being 'a trail-blazer'. Everything I've heard so far is extremely well-wrought, and some things rather beautiful to my ears. Odd that she should have come to Gordon Jacob for orchestration lessons. He was, of course, a great exponent of what I would call 'traditional' orchestration, and I always have his short but practical 'Orchestral Technique' at hand. But most 20th C composers wanted to get away from the traditional approach of what combinations of instruments sound 'good' e.g. dovetailing horns and bassoons and all that stuff.

                Comment

                • Serial_Apologist
                  Full Member
                  • Dec 2010
                  • 37814

                  #9
                  Originally posted by ardcarp View Post
                  Not in the sense of his inspiring her as a teacher, but some of the music played earlier this week had a distinct RVW flavour. She appears to have studied with loads of the Big Names in Europe (Boulanger, Bartok that I can remember offhand). She seemed capable of composing in many styles which I do not mean as a criticism. She said herself that she had no intention of being 'a trail-blazer'. Everything I've heard so far is extremely well-wrought, and some things rather beautiful to my ears. Odd that she should have come to Gordon Jacob for orchestration lessons. He was, of course, a great exponent of what I would call 'traditional' orchestration, and I always have his short but practical 'Orchestral Technique' at hand. But most 20th C composers wanted to get away from the traditional approach of what combinations of instruments sound 'good' e.g. dovetailing horns and bassoons and all that stuff.
                  Do you compose music, ardcarp? I hadn't realised.

                  Comment

                  • ardcarp
                    Late member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 11102

                    #10
                    The muse was abandoned about 40 years ago! But I've always done quite a lot of arranging. Still old-fashioned Ms paper strewn around the kitchen table. Can't get on with computer-based systems.

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