RIP: the University of Wales

[greenilex]

Which of our forebears was not an unwanted foreign scrounger? By the way, I'm Spartacus as well.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh no it wasn't! He gave two recitals in the 1930s in Glasgow under the auspices of the Active Society for the Propagation of Contemporary Music which was run, more or less single-handedly from around 1929-1937, by its founder Erik Chisholm, the Scottish composer, pianist, organist, teacher, conductor, arts adminstrator and (one hopes and assumes) malt whisky consumer who earned himself the nickname MacBartók.

My apologies, I was sure that when I visited the Aberystwyth Music Department (over 30 years ago!) that's what they claimed! More thorough research shows that, in the 1922 tour of the UK, Bartok played not only in London and Aber, but also in Liverpool. (Paul Griffiths also points out that he "visited" Huddersfield, too; presumably to perform?)

Erik Chisholm is one of those half-remembered heroes of Music: the UK premiere of Berlioz' Les Troyens, his promotion of Western Classical Music and indiginous Music research in Scotland and South Africa and his mentoring Ronald Stevenson and Stefans Grové can also be added to the ASPCM activities Alistair mentions. Even if he didn't consume single malts, I shall raise a glass in his memory!

Best Wishes.