Gipps, Ruth (1921-1999)

[Lat-Literal]

Reasonably prolific composer but not a lot of her work is on disc.

Is there a process by which approaches could be made to encourage more of her compositions to be recorded?

And does anyone know if any of her compositions have ever been performed at the Proms?

Piano Concerto in G Minor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krfbm3ePmRw

[antongould]

Reasonably prolific composer but not a lot of her work is on disc.

Is there a process by which approaches could be made to encourage more of her compositions to be recorded?

And does anyone know if any of her compositions have ever been performed at the Proms?

Piano Concerto in G Minor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krfbm3ePmRw

Knight in Armour, Op 8 performed at the Proms in 1942 .......

Only one I think .....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A useful site for seeing which composers' works have been featured at the Proms is the BBC Proms Composer Archive, Lats:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/composers/by/a-z

A quick check shows that Gipps has only ever had one piece performed at the Proms; her Op8 Knight in Armour, which featured on the Last Night of the Proms in 1942 - during the Second World War!

[Lat-Literal]

Knight in Armour, Op 8 performed at the Proms in 1942 .......

Only one I think .....

A useful site for seeing which composers' works have been featured at the Proms is the BBC Proms Composer Archive, Lats:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/composers/by/a-z

A quick check shows that Gipps has only ever had one piece performed at the Proms; her Op8 Knight in Armour, which featured on the Last Night of the Proms in 1942 - during the Second World War!

That's extraordinary - thanks very much indeed.

I'm not saying I am ever going to try to write a biography of a composer but if I did it would be a biography of her so that's very helpful!

[Dave2002]

A useful site for seeing which composers' works have been featured at the Proms is the BBC Proms Composer Archive, Lats:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/events/composers/by/a-z

A quick check shows that Gipps has only ever had one piece performed at the Proms; her Op8 Knight in Armour, which featured on the Last Night of the Proms in 1942 - during the Second World War!

Although this is 99.99% certain, absence of an item from the listings does not prove that compositions were not performed.

I can think of concerts where I am sure that particular encores were played, but unless these were recorded in the database that information will have been lost.
In the case of Gipps I can accept the 2 decimal places in the certainty estimate, but there might be works by other more well known composers which sneak in as encores.

[teamsaint]

Reasonably prolific composer but not a lot of her work is on disc.

Is there a process by which approaches could be made to encourage more of her compositions to be recorded?

And does anyone know if any of her compositions have ever been performed at the Proms?

Piano Concerto in G Minor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krfbm3ePmRw

is there much crowdfunding going on in the classical world ? ( nothing new under the sun, it's really just an old publishing model.)
I haven't heard of much, but then I haven't been looking.

It has occurred to me in the past that a forum initiative to help start to crowdfund a new recording of something might be a terrific thing.

[EdgeleyRob]

Lat (and others who are interested) might especially enjoy the 3rd and 4th Symphonies

Symphony No 3
Conducted by the composer
In her own words

http://landofllostcontent.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ruth%20Gipps

[EdgeleyRob]

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Feb05/Gipps_Bliss.htm

4th Symphony,1972,first performed 28/05/73

Don't take my word for how good it is,Arthur Bliss (the dedicatee) said

You have given me a splendid work, so varied and inventive......I am sure that no critic, who did not have the good fortune that I had, to follow its progress in the full score, could rightly judge your achievement. It is a big work, and full of fascinating detail...You were aware, I am sure, of the impact that this work made, as you conducted it.........splendid command of orchestral possibilities.......I wish I had thought of this

This is BBCSO under John Pritchard in 1983

[Lat-Literal]

Although this is 99.99% certain, absence of an item from the listings does not prove that compositions were not performed.

I can think of concerts where I am sure that particular encores were played, but unless these were recorded in the database that information will have been lost.
In the case of Gipps I can accept the 2 decimal places in the certainty estimate, but there might be works by other more well known composers which sneak in as encores.

Thanks, Dave, for that proviso.

is there much crowdfunding going on in the classical world ? ( nothing new under the sun, it's really just an old publishing model.)
I haven't heard of much, but then I haven't been looking.

It has occurred to me in the past that a forum initiative to help start to crowdfund a new recording of something might be a terrific thing.

That's an excellent idea, ts.

[Lat-Literal]

Lat (and others who are interested) might especially enjoy the 3rd and 4th Symphonies

Symphony No 3
Conducted by the composer
In her own words

http://landofllostcontent.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ruth%20Gipps

Oh yes - thanks Rob - that and the following post are very good.

Much happy listening.

I think there are more clips of her on YT than there used to be.

In a future post, I will try to comment on some of the other compositions.

[Lat-Literal]

I have discovered there is already a biography by Jill Halstead : "Ruth Gipps: Anti-modernism, Nationalism and Difference in English Music" and have been reading parts of it. The very early history has some links across to Alma Deutscher. At the age of four, she performed Grieg’s Waltz in A minor in London. Regarding "The Fairy Shoemaker": she composed that, her first published work, at eight. "The real identity of the composer was only revealed at the prize winners' concert when an eight year old Wid (her family name) took to the stage to perform her piece for the astonished audience. Although such stunts grabbed the national headlines, they also seemed to fuel hostility towards the family. Rumours began to circulate that it was actually Helene who had written the composition for her daughter".............however, "by the age of ten she had a full concert diary and commanded a fee of two guineas for each appearance", commencing with Haydn’s D major concerto. This, though, was the position by 1980 - http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94...gmad/Gipps.jpg.

[Tony Halstead]

Lat (and others who are interested) might especially enjoy the 3rd and 4th Symphonies

Symphony No 3
Conducted by the composer
In her own words

http://landofllostcontent.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Ruth%20Gipps

If this is the recording that I presume it is ( BBC Scottish Orchestra 1967/1968) then I was playing 1st horn on it! I do remember that I had a bit of an altercation with Dr Gipps, as a somewhat cheeky 22-year old.. I told her that the VERY low note that she had written 'fortissimo' in the 4th horn part
( sounding 'F' 2.5 octaves below 'middle C' ) was impossible, to which she retorted 'nonsense, Tony, my son could play that note 'fortissimo' when he was only 13!'
My goodness, that shut me up well and truly...

[EdgeleyRob]

If this is the recording that I presume it is ( BBC Scottish Orchestra 1967/1968) then I was playing 1st horn on it! I do remember that I had a bit of an altercation with Dr Gipps, as a somewhat cheeky 22-year old.. I told her that the VERY low note that she had written 'fortissimo' in the 4th horn part
( sounding 'F' 2.5 octaves below 'middle C' ) was impossible, to which she retorted 'nonsense, Tony, my son could play that note 'fortissimo' when he was only 13!'
My goodness, that shut me up well and truly...

Brilliant

[Lat-Literal]

If this is the recording that I presume it is ( BBC Scottish Orchestra 1967/1968) then I was playing 1st horn on it! I do remember that I had a bit of an altercation with Dr Gipps, as a somewhat cheeky 22-year old.. I told her that the VERY low note that she had written 'fortissimo' in the 4th horn part
( sounding 'F' 2.5 octaves below 'middle C' ) was impossible, to which she retorted 'nonsense, Tony, my son could play that note 'fortissimo' when he was only 13!'
My goodness, that shut me up well and truly...

That's a great story. Thank you Tony. I like that very much.

[Serial_Apologist]

Something of a Gipps festival this coming week on 3, with works alongside others including by British composers Elgar, Blackford, Tippett, Parry, Hesketh, Vaughan Williams, Musgrave and Walton. It will be interesting to find out if her music shares the forthright if rather conservative idiom (for its time) of the PC. Blackford and Hesketh are new names to me, too.

Mon 24 Sept
2pm - Afternoon Concert

Gipps - Symphony No 4

Tues 25 Sept
2pm - Afternoon Concert

Gipps - Symphony No 2

Weds 26 Sept - 3.20pm

Gipps - Knight in Armour

Fri 28 Sept
2pm - Afternoon Concert

Gipps - Song for Orchestra

All performed by the BBC Natioonal Orchestra of Wales, conductor Rumon Gamba.