Prom 30 (27.08.21) - Charlotte Bray, Walton & Arnold

[jayne lee wilson]

I’ll await a report… its title makes it sound like a film about RVW’s apprentice music.

A remarkable film, very detailed biography with extensive footage of the composer in and out of performance, interviews with many family members, friends and musicians (John Amis is very good here; Deep Purple's Jon Lord both funny and eloquent about the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, and Arnold's encouragement, and enthusiasm for it); excerpts from the Symphonies run through it chronologically, in beautiful, strikingly lit recordings by the RTE.

No punches pulled about Arnold's vast appetites for drink, food or sex, suffering within the family, his mental afflictions, or the desperately sad reduced circumstances, incarceration and deprivation of his later years. But a degree of uplift at the end when we see Arnold with the kindly carer, Anthony Day, who took him in (and contributes here himself.)
I was troubled, though, by some late footage of the composer, in a cramped little room somewhere, speaking semi-incoherently about himself and his life. That is raw and stark and very hard to watch, but perhaps could be justified as offering further shafts of insight into how he felt about his life and works……I suspect the film-maker may have agonised about including it.

But - the Great Works Remain. I’m inspired to go on and complete my hearing of the Symphony Cycle now; and I don't think it is wildly speculative to say that as long as there are intelligent, curious listeners in the World, many others will want to do the same; will find their way to this wonderful music…..

[edashtav]

A remarkable film, very detailed biography with extensive footage of the composer in and out of performance, interviews with many family members, friends and musicians (John Amis is very good here; Deep Purple's Jon Lord both funny and eloquent about the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, and Arnold's encouragement, and enthusiasm for it); excerpts from the Symphonies run through it chronologically, in beautiful, strikingly lit recordings by the RTE.

No punches pulled about Arnold's vast appetites for drink, food or sex, suffering within the family, his mental afflictions, or the desperately sad reduced circumstances, incarceration and deprivation of his later years. But a degree of uplift at the end when we see Arnold with the kindly carer, Anthony Day, who took him in (and contributes here himself.)
I was troubled, though, by some late footage of the composer, in a cramped little room somewhere, speaking semi-incoherently about himself and his life. That is raw and stark and very hard to watch, but perhaps could be justified as offering further shafts of insight into how he felt about his life and works……I suspect the film-maker may have agonised about including it.

But - the Great Works Remain. I’m inspired to go on and complete my hearing of the Symphony Cycle now; and I don't think it is wildly speculative to say that as long as there are intelligent, curious listeners in the World, many others will want to do the same; will find their way to this wonderful music…..

Thanks for that, Jayne, I’m adding it to my inner ‘mosaic’ of Malcolm: he really is a ‘tease’.
I’ve just unpacked ‘Rogue Genius’: gosh, it’s a chatty, scurrilous piece of work from the Stowe School lads! However, Malcolm, and his family, laid themselves open to such revelations.

The book makes clear that Malcolm was deeply affected by the suicide of his brother, whom he knew as ‘Aubrey’ rather than William, although he pretended to make light of the event.

Some quotations from around p. 205:

‘he may not have loved Aubrey, or even liked him very much, but there was always a deep, residual respect,’

‘Robin, [Aubrey’s son] remains very grateful for all Malcolm’s help at this period,’

‘Regard me as a father,’ he [Malcolm] said. ‘I will provide whatever you need. Money? A house? You name it!’

‘In February, there was a further blow, the death of David Paltenghi, who, at 41, was just two years older than Malcolm.’

‘The 5th Symphony was beginning to take shape in his mind as an emotional response to these bereavements. He was later to write that the work was ‘filled with memories of friends of mine who died young’. He excluded any mention of Aubrey, not wanting to comment publicly on his brother’s suicide. (my emphasis)

Later, on p. 213, the authors ask who is marching at the head of the [military] parade [that opens the 5th’s finale]?

[Answer] It is Aubrey, of all Malcolm’s recent bereavements the most tragic, debarred by the circumstances of his death from mention in the concert programme. Aubrey, the war hero, with his stiff upper lip and high sense of honour, brightly leading his work-force on the march to Salcey Forest [Aubrey’s carefully chosen site for self-destruction], all ninety-five per cent of him. [those final words refer to a moving conversation between Aubrey’s son and Malcolm (MA recognised that he shared with Aubrey & everyone?) an unshareable, thus unknowable, 5% side to his nature.)]

Is it time, Jayne and fellow boarders, to establish more openly that the tragic double suicide of his brother and sister-in-law
had a deep, prifound and material impact on the symphony that Arnold wrote within weeks of the appalling family event?

[Serial_Apologist]

One thing which the TV doc did not provide any evidence or clues towards, was the diagnosis of schizophrenia on Malcolm Arnold. Evidence would have included hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. Schizophrenia was a catch-all term of convenience the medical profession often fell back on for lack of understanding - my impression is that it isn't much further along the road in that respect to this day than when RD Laing wrote The Divided Self back in 1958 (?) My own view, even more amateur-based, is that Arnold suffered from bipolarity, and quite possibly ADHD, which I sense in the impatience so frequently informing the music.

[edashtav]

One thing which the TV doc did not provide any evidence or clues towards, was the diagnosis of schizophrenia on Malcolm Arnold. Evidence would have included hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. Schizophrenia was a catch-all term of convenience the medical profession often fell back on for lack of understanding - my impression is that it isn't much further along the road in that respect to this day than when RD Laing wrote The Divided Self back in 1958 (?) My own view, even more amateur-based, is that Arnold suffered from bipolarity, and quite possibly ADHD, which I sense in the impatience so frequently informing the music.

The authors of Rogue Genius wrote (p.398)

‘Malcolm was disgnosed by the consultants at St Andrew’s [Northampton] as suffering from two specific disorders, alcoholism and schizophrenia’

‘ it was evident on testing that he had quite gross schizophrenic thought disorder,’ wrote Dr. Curzon [November 1979]
‘This particular phenomenon tends not to occur in manic-depressive psychosis.’

The authors suggest modern experts might disagree…

‘Many features of Malcolm’s illness suggest manic-depressive illness rather than schizophrenia; periods of good recovery, episodes of intense artistic activity, an above-average interest in sex, as well as alternating periods of optimism and of despondency.’

[Ein Heldenleben]

The authors of Rogue Genius wrote (p.398)

‘Malcolm was disgnosed by the consultants at St Andrew’s [Northampton] as suffering from two specific disorders, alcoholism and schizophrenia’

‘ it was evident on testing that he had quite gross schizophrenic thought disorder,’ wrote Dr. Curzon [November 1979]
‘This particular phenomenon tends not to occur in manic-depressive psychosis.’

The authors suggest modern experts might disagree…

‘Many features of Malcolm’s illness suggest manic-depressive illness rather than schizophrenia; periods of good recovery, episodes of intense artistic activity, an above-average interest in sex, as well as alternating periods of optimism and of despondency.’

I think I would trust the diagnosis of consultant psychiatrists who have actually examined the patient and taken a full medical history over the speculation of authors with little or no medical training made on anecdotal evidence . Psychiatry in the seventies wasn’t in the Dark Ages. To reach consultancy level in Psychiatry takes many years of medical training and examination before admission as a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and that is in addition to being a fully qualified medical doctor i.e . is in possession of a B.M and a member of the Royal College of Physicians. In fact to be a consultant psychiatrist you have used to need to be a fellow of both Royal Colleges. I am the son of one and you would not believe the exams you have to take in addition to doing a very, very stressful job. My father treated very many musicians both for drug and psychiatric problems -many as talented as Malcolm - and I very much hope he had the same care and attention as my father was able to give . The sad fact is that if he was schizophrenic the prognosis - unlike bipolar - is often pretty bleak. Alcohol abuse would not have helped.

[mrbouffant]

One aspect of Arnold's illness and treatment which I have never heard fully explained is mentioned in the Palmer film by John Amis: did Arnold have a lobotomy during his final period in the psychiatric hospital?

Something monumental must have happened. The sound worlds of the 8th and 9th symphonies are poles apart, even though separated by just a few years.

The body of later works seem to exist in some kind of compositional netherworld. There is much repetition, sequence and sparse scoring. A world away from the rich textures of the mature period.

Until the medical records are unsealed I guess we will never know.

[edashtav]

I think I would trust the diagnosis of consultant psychiatrists who have actually examined the patient and taken a full medical history over the speculation of authors with little or no medical training made on anecdotal evidence . Psychiatry in the seventies wasn’t in the Dark Ages. To reach consultancy level in Psychiatry takes many years of medical training and examination before admission as a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and that is in addition to being a fully qualified medical doctor i.e . is in possession of a B.M and a member of the Royal College of Physicians. In fact to be a consultant psychiatrist you have used to need to be a fellow of both Royal Colleges. I am the son of one and you would not believe the exams you have to take in addition to doing a very, very stressful job. My father treated very many musicians both for drug and psychiatric problems -many as talented as Malcolm - and I very much hope he had the same care and attention as my father was able to give . The sad fact is that if he was schizophrenic the prognosis - unlike bipolar - is often pretty bleak. Alcohol abuse would not have helped.

That’s an interesting post with a robust defence of Psychiatry as practised forty years ago. I’m unsure where I stand in the debate although my own experiences push me in the direction taken by the authors of ‘Rogue Genius’