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Sir Arnold Edward Bax (1883-1953)
In general I gather that nearly all Americans are oblivious to the works of my favorite British composer, Sir Arnold Bax. Of his day, he was one of the most prominent figures in British classical music but didn't receive his knighthood until having composed six symphonies. He pumped out a variety of what are called tone poems, such as my favorite, "The Garden of Fand." These tone poems are simply punctuated versions of his approach to symphonic form, but this tone poem stigma often left critics to discredit his music (especially his symphonies) and sometimes neglect his works entirely. It's a shame that he was largely forgotten, and I mention below how I think this happened and why Bax's exposure is starting to change.
Bax was truly a genius of theory and form, and I quickly became a student of all his seven symphonies. They are largely episodal in nature, much like many tiny poems in one symphonic "wrapper," but very complex and stunning. Bax is the type of composer that can almost transport the audience to a high fantasy in all of its color and splendor by using clever orchestration. In addition to the imagery, each symphony also reflects a very personal story about Bax, who often prospered but also suffered, just like the rest of us. Much of his music conjures up images of Celtic lands, Gaelic forests, Northern seas, peaceful coastlines, and the like. So why would his music not enter the mainstream, even during his glory days?
 | | Bax: Master of
the King’s Musick |
It's easy to generalize on this; Baxian music was largely in the hands of critics. If they bastardized his symphonies and labeled them as crimes against humanity, they would not be widely performed. Music critics weren't that harsh, but they did scorch his name as a legitimate composer, claiming that his works lacked discipline and attention. Composers — as well as any other artist — trying to make a name for themselves know of this struggle for critical acclaim. Bax appealed to a decent European audience, but this criticism undermined his popularity, both in Britain and abroad.
At the time of his death, music labels were mass marketing classical recordings, but there was an explosion of twelve-tone music, and listeners were focusing on these and other new movements in the classical scene. Bax's music was nearly buried beneath these trends. Luckily, there was a revival of interest in Bax's orchestral works, and many were performed and recorded by several labels in the seventies and eighties.
In regards to recent years, the CD and digital revolution has made Bax's works easily accessible to everyone globally, as can be said about most any composer's hidden gems. I can personally attest to this; only through the Internet was I finally met with all of Bax's piano sonatas and chamber works. I have decided to learn Piano Sonata #3 to do my part in promoting Bax's music in the Bay Area.
We have a great British composer, truly stylish and unique, whose music captured a sizable audience in his time, then lost this audience almost completely, but then found a well-deserved modern revival. It breaks the heart how often composers go unpopularized until after death, but then most artists know and accept this strife, hoping someday to impress and inspire the world as an audience.
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